SYMPHONIX

I'm embarrassed to admit it took a few moments for me to recognize this synth-rock arrangement of the Allegretto from Beethoven's Symphony No.7, despite the source being identified right there on the record sleeve beneath an ersatz M.C. Escher portrait of the composer himself, and despite this particular movement being a personal favorite (not that you should care). The single was almost an afterthought to the already redundant Space Art discography in 1981, released after the original duo of Dominique Perrier and Roger Rizzitelli had been conscripted into the touring arsenal of JEAN MICHEL JARRE (see: "Les Concerts en China").

Fans of Space Art (and they did have a small but loyal following, extending to at least one very young Proghead in the San Francisco Bay area) might enjoy the novelty of hearing what the group might have sounded like as an augmented rock ensemble, with ex-HELDON bass guitarist Didier Batard (among others) added to the line-up. But to these ears the strengths of the initial synthesizer / drum configuration were diluted by the additional players, especially when the boilerplate arena-rock guitar solo kicks into gear.

A moot point, at any rate: the record was little more than a minor valedictory for a talented but underachieving pair of musicians. But it at least helped to erase the bad taste left over from their 1980 "Playback" LP, a sample of which was re-recorded by the short-lived full band for the B-Side of the single.