BY THE SONS OF MANDRIN

In order to reach a wider audience, the pivotal French progrock band Ange decided to make an album with English lyrics in '76. Unfortunately record company Universal never released it but thanks to Musea it has been saved from the vaults. "By the sons of Mandrin" is a wonderful album but it's obvious that Ange sounds more accessible and less theatrical and expressive. It's also a rather strange experience to hear Christian Decamps singing English. It's up to you to decide what you prefer. The album concludes eight fine compositions with the usual alternating sound (from dreamy to propulsive), loaded with organ, string-ensemble, Mellotron and some fiery electric guitar, a folky track ("Tumblers") with flute and a beautiful song titled "And so the rain will go away" with melancholic vocals, fine Mellotron drops, accordion, halfway a sensitive electric guitar solo and finally a fading syntehsizer solo. The known stage favorite "Hymn a la vie" is now called "Hymn to life" and sound less compelling than the later French version. If you are not familiar with Ange and you listen to this album without knowing how they are doing their progrock in French, you will be more delighted than this author, a fan of the French Ange.