BEAU DOMMAGE

Aah, that tongue-in-cheek humor starting with the name of the band, and all the fantastic lyrics about love, death, friendship, heartbreaks, being bored in your every day life and of course: 'doing it'. Beau Dommage is fueling on the greats of the era (Yes, Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull) for that titanesque Incident a Bois-des-Fillion that closes magnificiently a way above average album. Rivard is launching Yes riffs like it's nothing, proving that the band can not only do pop, but also coherent prog like it's Monday morning. The vocals are (as always) a miracle in it's own right, 3 voices (2 guys 1 girl) blending perfectly, only topped by the Beatles themselves.

If you can get the lyrics translated, they are hilarious in some parts, but always true to real life. They always had that knack of saying things tactfully without repeating the same old clichés in so many love songs. They go directly to your heart, coating it with a fuzzy feeling of being home and consoled by your loved ones.

Many other highlights are in shorter length: Amène pas ta gang could easily pass for a poppish Gentle Giant and Bon Débarras is a very potent instrumental in the good ol' 70's Italian tradition. This band is considered intouchable in Quebec, a monument of lyrical beauty and artistic strenght, by kids who never knew they were that good!

Giants without being pretentious, poets without getting snobby. Intouchable.

Musically-speaking, the group is back at its usual country/folk rock with jazzy clouds here and there, but overall, while rather enjoyable easy-listening semi-AOR (but sung in French by at least two lead singers), this album hasn't aged much because of its universality and its slight French slice of Americana. But this album like its successors is of no interest to progheads, unless he's into the Quebecois rock. Beau Dommage woyuld record until the early 80's before disbanding but reforming in 84 and again a few lore times since, on special occasions and releasing either live, studio or compilations on each reformation, but nothing for progheads.

Quebec's only other group to achieve monumental success ala Harmonium in the 70's was the quintet Beau Dommage, but to call them progressive rock is probably overdoing things, even if their second album Où Est Passé La Noce has two tracks (including the 20- mins+ Incident) that qualifies as "prog", which contrast rather heavily with their country- tinged folk rock. This album followed the footsteps of its self-titled predecessor, but sold even (considerably) more, with again some 4 singles taken from the album hitting the market.

The album's A-side is almost exclusively made of short songs in the country/folk rock with the odd jazz styling ala Steely Dan, and the fairly neutral French texts, by sung in the typical Quebecois-style by the lovely voice of Michele Desrosiers and the much more accented Michel Rivard. These tracks are of no great interest to progheads even if at the end of the vinyl side the short Bon Débarras (good riddance) finishes in an excellent prog movement where the classical influences take over. This seems to spark up a bit of a mood as the next (and longer) Heureusement, the song seems to grab more depth, but no real sparks flying yet.

On the flipside, the 20-mins+ Incident A Bois-Filion is relating a tragic event that created a shock some years back. The song alternates between country/folk rock and more symphonic moments, somewhat ogling (but not daring to imitate) at Harmonium, but this is faint especially that the two styles developed never melt or mingle, they just live alongside. At times we also think of a less jazzy Contraction. There are some five instrumental passages where Rivard's guitar grabs its rare chance at showing its chops, and we almost hate the cheesy string arrangements cutting it to steer the track back in its tracks.

With this second album, BD is at the apex of its success, but they will record a few more excellent-selling albums, but none will have the "prog tinge" of La Noce. Unless you're really into Québecois rock, BD's discography is of limited interest (but all albums have seen CD reissues) to progheads, and only this one should be called good but hardly essential.