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WILLIAM SHELLER

Prog Related • France


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William Sheller biography
The composer, singer and pianist WILLIAM SHELLER (born William Desboeuf) was birthed in Paris, France on July 9, 1946.

SHELLER's mother was French and father was an American soldier, and he spent his early childhood years in the state of Ohio in the United States. At seven years of age he moved back to France where he lived with his mother's parents who were working at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Palais Garnier.
At 16 years of age, SHELLER began studying composition with YVES MAGRAT. He then went on to the Paris conservatoire where he studied harmony, counterpoint and fugue. While training for the Prix de Rome, he discovered THE BEATLES, much to the discontent of his teachers who were upset that he would turn away from Classical music to instead involve himself with a baser, less sophisticated art. THE BEATLES changed him very much but he would go on to continue with classical music as well as delve into pop and rock, often combining these genres. He has had a successful career as a pop artist (composer, arranger and singer) as well as a classical music composer. He has been involved in various projects/ bands as well as making music under his own name (as William Sheller).

In 1966 he was part of the French Rock group called THE WORST, which might seem ironic considering that the band was based in Nice.

In 1968, he composed My Year Is A Day for the IRRESISTABLES which became a hit.

In 1969, he composed the score to the film Erotissimo. He also was in the band POPERA COSMIC which released the psych pop-rock album Les esclaves that year.

In 1972, his album Lux Aeterna, which is the album that he was proposed to PA particularly for was released. He had created this album as a wedding mass for friends, and this is sort of Symphonic Prog album with Psychedelic Rock and Classical music qualities that combines choral music and orchestra with rock instrumentation. This classical-rock hybrid can be likened to JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER's L'enfant assassin de mouches (included in Eclectic prog) which in turn can be likened to SERGE GAINSBOURG's Histoire de Melody Nelson, and has similarities to GERARD MANSET's La mort d'Orion (Manset, Sheller, and Vannier have much in common).

After that he made many pop-rock, pop and modern classical albums and much classical crossover. Aside from the album Lux Aeterna, which is the album that Sheller is in PA particularly for, the album Univers has Symphonic Prog elemen...
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WILLIAM SHELLER discography


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WILLIAM SHELLER top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.25 | 4 ratings
Lux Aeterna
1972
0.00 | 0 ratings
Univers
1987
0.00 | 0 ratings
Albion
1994
3.00 | 1 ratings
Les machines absurdes
2000
4.00 | 2 ratings
Avatars
2008

WILLIAM SHELLER Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

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WILLIAM SHELLER Reviews


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 Avatars by SHELLER, WILLIAM album cover Studio Album, 2008
4.00 | 2 ratings

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Avatars
William Sheller Prog Related

Review by alainPP

4 stars 1. Avatar I (Log In) wow the minimalist, latent intro; symphonic, grandiloquent, heavy, majestic, guitar it can't be French, guitar like PINK FLOYD go intro like Alan Parsons PROJECT... flute so precisely William on piano and vocal sets the bar very high; an enjoyable progressive break, vocal reprise and this cleverly measured orchestral moment, final festive fireworks which brings 2. The long ladder and its bucolic hunting horn, Charisma and Genesisian atmosphere, in short, well done; nursery rhyme-ballad more marked by the text 3. Everything will be fine... yes, yes and a tune from the 60's I sniff the BEATLES, tune with a fruity guitar solo, yes William it's not just lyrics 4. Félix and I childish guitar arpeggio for a consensual nursery rhyme which takes all its place to be the heating engine of 5. Jet Lag with its cinematic intro and its invasive bass riff; a hard-soft but hard guitar riff casts doubt, where is William going with this catchy and really rock title which still amazes me and my blinders 6. Tristan comes to contradict me with a devastatingly spleen song; violins and dark classical orchestration for languorous texts, to the point that I can't stop myself from Handel's finale

7. Blackmail continues with the sounds of waves, a concept album finally; minimalist piano and a title that will swell with a fat sax eyeing the SUPERTAMPs, great 8. Music Hall for the Shellerian interlude, a rhythm, a voice, a phrasing and again this distant reminiscence with the Hodgsons, in short the cinematic ending car in the distance makes the prog concept enjoyable 9. The night watchman starts off with a heavy rock tune, 30 years ago we would have even found that in a hard band, how different things are; energetic in any case and good variation 10. Spyder the cat and the return to the Sheller sound, the French SUPERTAMP I assume on this slap album; jerky air with Mellotron find that for a French artist; good little exceptional stop on the hero yes my girlfriend loves cats so I listen quietly here; the hot organ solo and because of that I'm talking about an artist that I had snubbed, shame on me; rain and final meow introducing 11. Camping .. not the film but William who announces the end of the album, it ends he says it himself; Well, it's not a lot to drink but you know I hear there... in confidence... a GOTAINER for this festive musical genre, that of not taking yourself seriously; title to the killer guitar solo, ah if France could release albums of this caliber we wouldn't be in dire straits, immense; noisy ending yes in 2008 before the advent of cinematic atmospheres 12. Avatar II (Log Out) to log out, close this unclassifiable album but oh so invasive, on the good side; an orchestra with tambourines, violins and everything and everything comes; a bonus track that gives a boost to the stamped sound!

Thanks to Logan for the artist addition.

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