TOKYO, C'EST FINI -LIVE IN JAPAN

Four songs out of eight come from their weak album "L'Océan" (one star in my rating, but I was maybe too harsh). Since it was the supporting tour I guess it's all but normal. One track is a "Drum & bass solo"... I'm afraid that the worse is ahead of me...

The sound recording is very good. Since this album comes from some Japanese concerts, there are of course no interaction with the audience and the work here is closer to a "studio live" album than anything else (which is fine with me in the case of "Atoll"). Only the encore "Paris, C' Est Fini" features some audience "assistance".

Don't be over-enthusiast when reading the track list. Even if the great "L'Aragnée Mal" is featured; it is reduced to a mere 4'15". This is extremely annoying of course.

New songs like "L'Océan" and "Lune Noire" sound a bit better live. The latter will be seriously extended. The intro only is longer than the whole studio track. But no harm is done : complex guitar work and a solid rhythmic is more than welcome. The great guitar work from Christian Beya, as usual, will raise the level of some of these numbers. But there is nothing to do with the funky "Quelque Part". Poor it was, poor it remains. Just like "L'amour N' A Pas De Drapeau".

"Tunnel" is a solid rock number (but this was the style of their album ..."Rock Puzzle"). The studio track was a long piece of almost forteen minutes (part one & two). It is cut by three minutes here and it features high technicity of course; it sounds fully Crimsonesque in this live version. Tortured, complex but fresh and strong. This is of course the best song featured on this live album. Part two is really great with the rageous guitar again.

While I usually like drum soli (and this one is quite good I must reckon) a bass solo has very rarely overwhelmed me (except maybe one Entwistle one I remember while attending a "Who" concert in the nineties). Fortunately, this one is short as far as the pure bass is concerned and quickly turns into a strong bass / drum duo. But these type of work is good while you attend a concert and recording these are probably not in the "Mood of the Day" any longer.

The closing number is rocking furiously, almost hard-rock should I say. Fabulous guitar work... but this is no surprise any longer. Beya really dominates Atoll's work.

At the end of the day, this live effort is not as bad as one would believe. Nothing essential of course. Three stars.