LAGGER BLUES MACHINE [AKA: TANIT]

I have heard their live album from 1970 which was recorded two years before this studio album came out. Lets just say I like the style of music here much better.The live album was very much a hard / psyche / jam affair, while here it more laid back but more adventerous with a jazzy / psyche flavour. I enjoy the sax and flute here a lot. Why are these guys listed under Zeuhl ? I haven't heard anything that even hints at it, either on their live album or this studio record.

"Symphonie-Part 1" opens with flute, piano and guitar before the drums join in quickly. Great sound here. Very relaxed. A change 1 1/2 minutes in as the guitar comes to the fore. Organ joins in too. It settles back with flute and organ .It picks back up before 5 minutes with organ. Drums and guitar 6 minutes in. A change before 7 minutes as sax and an upbeat rhythm takes over, then vocals arrive for the first time a minute later. I don't mind them here. They're a huge improvement over the vocals on the live album. Heavy guitar and organ come and go. A calm 13 minutes in with piano to end it. Fantastic track.

"Darknessly" opens with the drums and pulsating organ standing out. Some raw guitar joins in and it sounds great. Some vocal melodies follow and It sounds a little haunting.Then it kicks back in. It picks up before 3 1/2 minutes before settling again with another haunting section with vocal melodies. I like when the electric piano joins the guitar and drums before 5 minutes. Sax follows. Nice. "Tanit" is a short piece that opens with acoustic guitar as flute joins in. "Symphonie-Part 2" opens with keyboards only to be joined by a full sound rather quickly.The tempo shifts back and forth on this one. Sounds are a little dissonant here. Flute after 3 minutes. Vocal expressions 5 minutes in. Great sound 7 1/2 minutes in when it kicks in. Some flute here. It settles with flute and electric piano 9 minutes in. A short drum solo after 10 minutes then the vocal melodies and guitar join in. It settles again with flute. Raw guitar and drums end it.

Man I like this album. I read on the Gnosis site where the reviewer compared this album to a MOVING GELATINE PLATES record.That's a good reference point for those wondering what these guys sound like. A solid 4 stars.