LIVE 1977 - TOME VI

I listened to this album for the first itme in late 1981, when a cousin lent me this album for a few weeks. This band has some similarities with Genesis, at least in the use of theatrical vocals. Even the photos included in the gatefold cover show the use of some theatrical elements on stage. I particularly liked the songs:"Dignité", "Sur la Trace des fées" and "Hymne à la Vie". The gatefold cover also included the lyrics, which being in French, I really couldn`t understand them when I read them. But the music in this live album is very good.

In 1976, it was the appropriate moment to release an Ange live album. Their fame is at their peak (in France, and to a certain extent in Belgium) and they have recorded several great symphonic albums. I would say that this live album is a pivotal turnpoint in Ange's career. They will still produce some great albums after this recording but the density of the previous ones will never be matched again.

This live work starts with a trio of songs from "Au Delà du Délire" one of their masterpieces IMO. But unfortunately my two preferred tracks of the album are not featured here ("La Bataille du Sucre" and the title song, a real and extraordinary epic). We'll get three short (but very good) songs to cover this album.

When you listen to the introduction for "Ballade Pour Une Orgie" the sexual mood of the song is highlighted in a rather blunt mood. Attempt to translation.

Talking about a young lady : "and this cyprine that is flowing into your veins let the great moment escape, isn't it sweet to feel the "thing" that penetrates you into your very depths and then you do aaaah (simulating an orgasm). I am not sure about the translation of the French word "Cyprine". It is the liquid secreted by the vagina when a woman is in an excitation state. Remember, we are in 1977. And then the song starts !

There will be one song from their debut album. Actually one of their best one ever written : "Dignité". The live version will be extended to almost sixteen minutes and is one of the great moment of this record. Some instrumental parts sounds more spacey than the original. When the band starts to play it, one can feel that the audience is shivering and so happy to get this track.

To arouse the fans interest, there will be one unedited song here : "Le Chien, La Poubelle Et La Rose". During the presentation of the song (sung by Francis Descamps), one can hear : "This a tale that La Fontaine could have written". La Fontaine is a classic French author from the seventeenth century, very famous for his tales (or fables).

Very medieval mood (as one could have guessed, with such an inspirator) for this long song (over thirteen minutes) featuring a great and long guitar break to close the number. This track would have deserved to be released on an album; but let's not complain, we'll get it live and this version is just superb.

Two songs from "Jacotey". And my preferred two ones of the album. The incredible "Sur la Trace des Fées" and its Crimsonesque and scary mood, and of course "Ode À Emile". A song full of emotion and really passionate. Again two great Ange moments.

What can I say about the last two numbers of this exceptional live set ?

"Hymne À La Vie" is the best one from " Par Les fils De Mandrin" a wonderful epic built crescendo. An hypnotic middle part, a great guitar break, a very emotional vocal performance and a sublime finale. This is symph prog at its best.

From "Cimetière", the title track (and the best number) is omitted but instead we will get a live rendition of the lengendary "Ces Gens Là" from "Le Grand Jaques" as we call him in Belgium (Jacques Brel of course). This is again a poignant moment of this concert (but there are so many). They could not have chosen a better song to close a concert since the final words are "But it is already late, sir. I need to go home".

For such an old release, the sound while not being super, is very decent. The tracklist is extremely good (even if one or two of their greatest songs are not featured - but it will be taken care of in "Un P'tit Tour Et Puis S'en Vont" released in ... 1995. It is also the occasion to feel how good an entertainer Christian Décamps was during a live set.

Of course his little stories between songs are clearly Gabriel oriented. When you listen to the fabulous presentation of ""Hymne À La Vie" you will be convinced. Full of allegories and lots of emotion, indeed.

This live album might be a good entry if you would like to dicover the complew world of this great French band. Five stars of course.

Ange's live album Tome VI captures them in a very strong performance, compiling tracks from all their existing studio albums available to that date. The short songs stick close to the originals but the musicianship sounds a bit more vigorous then on the preceding studio albums and the vocals are as good as ever.

The main reason to seek out this album are the longer pieces: La Dignité, from their strong debut, is slightly extended and performed really well, Hymne à la Vie was the best track from the preceding Par Les Fils de Mandrin album. The inclusion here makes that album rather redundant. Another high point is Le Chien, La Poubelle et la Rose, an extended piece with a strong hard rocking main theme that only appears on this live album and that fans will want to seek out.

3.5 stars really!!!

The obligatory double album from the 70's is also Ange's sixth (as the title indicates) and comes after the troubled Emile Jacotey. Normally this should find Ange at its peak period, with the end of the classic line-up soon to happen. Coming with a botched-up cover artwork, the least we can say is that the recording or the concert's PA is a bit weak.

Opening on three classic songs from Délire, both Fils De Lumière and Longues Nuits are well performed but it seems that the wildness of the studio versions is lacking, then the superb and explicit Ballade Pour Une Orgie (with much more explicit lyrics). Moving onto the last track of Side A, taken from the Jacotey concept, Ode A Emile is correct as well, but the whole things lacks the power we'd expect from them on stage. The B-Side contains the sole extended Dignité, from the Caricatures album, extended to almost 16 mins (from the original 10 mins) and comes with plenty of splendid moments of semi-improvisations, thus making it a "live epic". Definitely one of the cornerstones of their concerts.

Passing over to the other disc, the band attacks a then-yet-unavailable-elsewhere (to my knowledge, anyway) Le Chien, La Poubelle Et La Rose, a 13-mins epic that crescendoes with Brezo's guitar growling like we're not used to. Obviously this track dates from Au Delà Du Délire, because it's got too much personality, especially when vocals are concerned, even if they're not that present. The following Trace Des Fées (from Jacotey) pales in comparison, even if the crowd welcomes it. Side D starts with a big chunk of the conceptual Fils Du Mandrin album's second half with the three-part suite Hymne A La Vie lasting some 12-mins, done rather faithfully and the closing of the concert is as usual (back then) Ces Gens-Là, the moving Brel epic track. This album is the last with the classic line-up (except that drummer Jelsch had left a while but replaced with Guichard), but soon after both bassist Hass and guitarist Brezovar would exit as well.

I'm sure this album would gain from a slight remastering and maybe (if possible) a slight remixing so that this live album would then become the jewel it would've merited, despite coming about two years too late for me. I won't say this album is essential for Ange fans (I'm not a fan of Jacotey and Mandrin), despite sporting two interesting long tracks, but once touched-over , I'm certain it will.