01	Prelude a L'escapade						02:10
	02	Le Fantome de Galashiels						06:39
	03	Voyage vers L'infini						03:45
	04	Les Vielles Pierres						08:15
	05	Le Colporteur						08:14
	06	Petit Homme de la Terre						12:06
	07	Diableries						08:52
	08	Les Vielles Pierres						05:35

Mona Lisa [France]

L'Escapade (74), Grimaces (75), Le Petit Violin (77), Avant Qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard (78), Vers Demain (79)

Mona Lisa is a French progressive rock group who owe much of their style to Genesis. Their music could be regarded as Genesis with a French Peter Gabriel, with much of the same theatrical and emotional sense. The title track of Le Petit Violon De Mr. Gregoire is a side-long (LP talk !) piece in three parts ... and a couple of the tracks are instrumental.
Mona Lisa is a French band very much in the dramatic symphonic style of another French band, Ange. If you aren't familiar with Ange, the closest comparison would probably Genesis. There's also a hint of various Italian bands, including PFM and Osanna, at least to my ears. The singer sings in a dramatic theatrical style reminiscent of Christian Decamps (of Ange) or Peter Gabriel. The music is strongly symphonic with a "French accent." I have two of their albums that are available on the Musea label. L'Escapade reveals a developing band. There is flute, sax, and violin in addition to the usual keyboards and guitar. This is a very fine album, very dramatic (perhaps a little too much in places), but it sounds a little primitive when compared to Le Petit Violon de Mr. Gregoire, their third album. By this album, the band had worked out all the rough edges and created an excellent piece of progressive rock. Still dramatic but never overly so, the band defines their sound with dynamics and texture creating an atmospheric symphonic masterpiece. Both are good listens but start with Le Petit....





Mona Lisa


Dominique le Guennec - lead vocals
Jean-Paul Pierson - piano, organ, synthesizer
Jean-Luc Martin - bass, vocals
Francis Poulet - drums, percussion
Christian Gallas - guitar
Gilles Solves - guitar
Pascal Jardon - electric & acoustic guitars

Albums:

L'Escapade - 1974, Arcane 87015 (CD reissue by Musea, 1991, FNAC MUSIC 672 024/Musea FGBG 4032.AR)
Grimaces - 1975, Arcane 913050 (CD reissue by Musea, 1994, FGBG 4119.AR)
Le Petit Violon De Mr. Gregoire - 1977, Crypto ZAC 6402 (CD reissue by Musea, 1995, FGBG 4009.AR)
Avant Qu'il Ne Soit Trop Gard - 1978, Crypto ZAL 6440 (CD reissue by Musea, 1995, FGBG 4107.AR)
Vers Demain - 1979, Crypto ZAL 6483 (CD reissue by Musea, 1994, FGBG 4120.AR)


Rock theatre was a very popular medium of entertainment among French audiences in the seventies. It is well known that Peter Gabriel's electrifying performances with Genesis had a huge impact in this respect, but Ange, too, was a group with an unique vision and their own original ideas.

This group from Orleans belonged to the French "rock theatre school", as initiated by Ange. Possibly, Mona Lisa was the most artistically successful among the early pioneers (they were formed as early as 1970). "L'Escapade", recorded at Citadel Studios in October 1974, was a competent debut album, but marred by a rather thin and tinny sound. It was produced by the guitarist from Ange, Jean-Michel Brezovar (this being his first attempt at such a job). Musically, this only hinted at things to come, with obvious Genesis influences throughout, particularly on the Hackett-style guitar parts. Other features were an uncommon organ sound and Dominique Le Guennec's passionate, sometimes even disturbing, vocals and flute. Overall, the album sounds only half-formed and a bit unfocused, as if their ideas were not recorded on the tape the way they had been intended.

Not satisfied with their debut album, Mona Lisa recorded "Grimaces" at Azurville Studios in September 1975, aided by Jean-Pierre Massiera and Bernard Belan. Their sound had now matured considerably with much more variation in the use of instruments, higher intensity and more memorable musical themes. The vocalist had now developed a very distinctive, loud and expressive style. Listening to the songs it's easy to imagine Le Guennec acting in some outrageous costume (like he did in their popular live performances). The album is full of musical highlights, such as "Le Jardin Des Illusions" and "Accroche-Toi Et Suis-Moi". It's easy to assume they were influenced by Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", released the previous year.

Even so, Mona Lisa were capable of improving on a very good album. Their third one was their masterpiece, equalling the best works of Ange and Genesis on the title track (a suite of three pieces filling the whole of side two). This was due to carefully-constructed compositions and a more accessible sound. The group worked on the album for several months with Massiera and Belan engineering. Recommended listening.

Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries, by Dag Erik Asbjornsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-12-2








Mona Lisa


L'Escapade (1974)
Grimaces (1975)
Le Petit Violon de Mr. Gregoire (1977)
Avant Qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard (1973)
Vers Demain (1979)
De L'Ombre a la Lumiere (1998)
Progfest 2000 (Live, 2001)


County Of Origin: France
Established: 1973
Styles: Symphonic

Biography

Mona Lisa was one of the more popular French symphonic groups of the late 70s, and a close follower of the seminal group Ange, with perhaps even more of a Genesis influence. The music was extremely melodic and refined, often very catchy, but perhaps most defined by the theatrical antics of frontman Dominque Le Guennec, whose overpowering voice and emotional urgency dominated the group's approach. Songs and albums were constructed around the characters he portrayed, and apparently translated into awe-inspiring live performances. While perhaps not understanding French significantly detracts from my appreciation, much of the humor and charm of the group is still evident, and their intense playing and powerful compositions can't be denied. The band is a personal favorite of mine, though I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say they would suite everyone's tastes. The material can be abrasive due to the extreme vocals, and is definitely over the top. Sometimes, the band's style can border on neo-progressive, with its intensive Genesis emulation, and even sports a pop sensibility at times. Just as often though, the group tears into passages of Ange-like fury, and overall I doubt anyone would accuse Mona Lisa as possessing a particularly original style. As you can see in the band picture above, the group invited Genesis comparisons with Dominique's "Mr. Gregoire" costume, which clearly bears a significant similarity to Gabriel's "Musical Box" get up. No, I don't know what he was thinking.

I have to say that as far as their individual albums go, my taste seems to split from the general consensus. To most, Le Petit Violon de Mr. Gregoire is their opus, though it sounds a little half baked to me, being fraught with some negligible filler. I much prefer the both its predecessor, the rawer Grimaces, and the subsequent album, the more consistent Avant Qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard. Still, all three albums are quite good, though two other albums from their 70s era are reportedly slightly weaker, L'Escapade and Vers Demain. Mona Lisa reformed in 1998 with a new album, De L'Ombre A La Lumiere, which is by all accounts quite good. The reformed lineup features a stable of younger musicians backing frontman Le Guennec, and were well received by the crowd at Progfest 2000. Mona Lisa are definitely one of the essential French symphonic groups from the 70s, and fans of theatrical, emotional music who can't get enough Ange would do well to check out one of the band's prime albums. Avant Qu'il... is probably the best place to get started. - Greg Northrup [May 2001]
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Grimaces (1975)

Though I was initially unimpressed with Grimaces, Mona Lisa's second album, it has grown to become my personal favorite of theirs. Grimaces is much rougher around the edges than subsequent albums, and most would argue that the group would still be in the midst of developing their own style. However, the raw charm of this album has become a huge selling point for me, being much harsher and more abrasive than subsequent releases, and therefore bearing little similarity to neo-progressive rock or to the slicker approach of Avant Qu'il... Not that that was a necessarily bad approach, but I am just blown away by the gruff melodicism, aggressive vocals and hellish carnival feel of this album. The band sounds closest to Ange rather than Genesis on this one, which is fine by me really. This album is definitely the most eccentric of the three I'm familiar with, and also relies more on vintage equipment like organ, Moog, flute and acoustic guitars, as opposed to the extensive synthesizers they would later employ. Like all of Mona Lisa's albums, the weak point for me is the drumming, which is for the most part excessively straight forward and hampers the overall complexity of the group. However, on Grimaces, this only contributes to the already rough overall vibe. Vocally, lead singer Le Guennec takes on a number of different characters, and his theatrical style is less refined and more emphasized on this album. The vocals are mixed extremely loud on this one, and got downright annoying at first, so I certainly wouldn't recommend Grimaces as a starting point for Mona Lisa.

"La Mauvaise Reputation" is a weak opener, apparently a cover tune that sports a fairly annoying vocal part. This probably contributed to my initial distaste for the record as a whole. However, the album picks up right away with "Brume" and keeps up the powerful approach right through until the end of the album. "Complainte Pour Une Narcisse" is a big highlight, a hugely theatrical track that relies on an angular verse riff before erupting into a thundering, anthemic chorus. This is followed by the equally impressive "Le Jardin des Illusions", which is driven by a nice distorted guitar riff over sustained organ notes. The song breaks down into an amusing folky mid-section featuring great snare rolls, flutes and whistles before closing out in a fiery guitar-led inferno a la Ange. "Au Pays des Grimaces" is driven by Guennec's characterizations, but is highlighted by its ferocious chorus riff and phenomenal melodies. Another great one. The long bonus track, a live performance, is basically negligible, hampered by poor sound quality and probably only really worthwhile if you understand French, as it's marked by a significant amount of on-stage banter.

Grimaces is probably my favorite Mona Lisa album, and definitely the rawest and most aggressive of the bunch. This is sort of to Mona Lisa what Nursery Cryme was to Genesis, though it draws equally from prime Ange as an influence. There is a huge emphasis on the characters played by Le Guennec but with a similar fire and emotional urgency, as well as a musical balance tipped more towards guitar than keyboards. An underrated French gem. - Greg Northrup [May 2001]


1. La Mauvaise Reputation
2. Brume
3. Complainte Pour Une Narcisse
4. Le Jardin des Illusions
5. Accroche-toi Et Suis Moi
6. Au Pays des Grimaces
7. Manges et Chevaux de Bois

CD Bonus Track:
8. Manges et Chevaux de Bois ( live version )

Christian Gallas - Guitars, Synthesizers
Francis Poulet - Drums, Percussion
Jean-Luc Martin - Bass
Jean-Paul Pierson - Organ, Synthesizers, Piano, Mellotron
Dominique Le Guennec - Vocals, Flute, Percussion

Musea Records - FGBG 4119.AR - 1994
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Le Petit Violon de Mr Gregoire (1977)

Mona Lisa's third album, Le Petit Violon... is often remembered to be their magnum opus, surprisingly being the theatrical group's only apparent stab at a concept album. It's hard for me to verify to what extent the other albums function as concepts, not understanding French, but Le Petit... makes a pretty overt attempt due to the inclusion of the awesome title suite. The album is at the level of their two other albums I own, Grimaces and Avant Qu'il... though I'm not sure I would put it above either one of them. Fittingly, the album straddles a middle ground between the harsher, more Ange-like approach of Grimaces, and the slicker Avan't Qu'il... Mona Lisa's style alternates between bouncy anthemic tracks and heavier, driving passages of swirling keys and biting guitar lines. Omnipresent are the powerful pipes of Dominque Le Guennec, who adopts the roles of various characters throughout the songs to deliver on the story lines.

The problem with this album lies in the seeming abundance of filler tracks. Of the first four songs, the only truly essential track is the intense "Allons z'enfants", two of the others being pleasant instrumentals, and the other a spoken word narrative. For a group whose strength is without a doubt their vocalist, it doesn't seem like this is the best way to start an album, though none of the pieces are bad by any means. "Solaris" is particularly good, showing off some incredibly melodic guitar licks. However, the record is carried by the phenomenal title suite, which absolutely breathes fire. The sub-song "La Folie" attacks with a straight keyboard and drum riff under an addictive Le Guennec vocal line, an aggressively anthemic track that really rocks out. The success is upheld by what could be the best Mona Lisa track ever, the jaw-dropping "De Toute ma Haine", which absolutely explodes out of the speakers with a hellish vocal melody that functions as perhaps the most intense moment from an already very intense singer, and is followed by an earth shattering Moog workout. Great stuff. The momentum is let down on the following tracks, but again, they're not bad by any means. Overall, this could be the most inconsistent of the Mona Lisa albums, but its better moments are among the group's finest. - Greg Northrup [May 2001]


1. Le Chant des Glaces
2. Allons z'enfants
3. Le Publiphobe
4. Solaris

Le Petit Violon de Mr Gregoire:
5. a. La Folie
6. b. De Toute ma Haine
7. c. Plus Loin Vers le Ciel

8. La Machine a Theatre

Pascal Jordan - Guitars, Synthesizers
Francis Poulet - Drums, Percussion
Jean-Luc Martin - Bass
Jean-Paul Pierson - Organ, Synthesizers, Piano, Mellotron
Dominique Le Guennec - Vocals, Flute, Percussion

Musea Records
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Avant Qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard (1978)

This album is perhaps the best place to start with Mona Lisa, being by far their most accessible work of the ones I've heard (Grimaces, Le Petit Violon...). The production is stunningly slick, and their is much more of a reliance on synthesizers and catchier song structures than on previous albums. It's by no means commercial in a bad way, as Dominique Le Guennec's vocals are as over-the-top and emotive as ever, and the song structures remain relatively complex. On the other hand, complexity was never the group's strength, and Avant Qu'il... could be the most consistent and crystallized vision of the band's core sound. Extremely catchy tunes are all over the place on this one, incorporating a poppy influence and even veering dangerously close to neo-progressive rock at times. However, the French eccentricity of the group remains their defining characteristic, and the band seems to step out of the shadow of Ange a little more on this one, though that group remains a major influence. I realized while listening to this album a few weeks ago that one of the only things I don't like about Mona Lisa is the drumming. The guy plays some extremely simple parts, only providing the necessary beats where needed. As opposed to Ange's exceedingly active and chaotic rhythm section, Mona Lisa have a very empty sounding foundation, and I can't help feeling the band's complexity is held back by this factor. Unfortunately, it seems the same drummer played on all their albums. The bassist, while definitely competent, doesn't seem to be given very many interesting rhythms to work with by the drums, and his playing seems hampered as a result. On the other hand, the guitar and keyboards have plenty of breathing room, and the focus of the group is on their stunning interplay, along with the excellent vocals. Melodically, the group is extremely rich and inventive, perhaps never more so than on this album, every song is a winner.

Highlights include the incredible "Souvenirs de Naufrageurs" with a tremendous guitar and Moog melody that develops into a rousing vocal line. "Tripot" features off-time drum rhythm as the foundation for yet another great vocal part and more exciting Moog riffs, though the highlight of the album is without a doubt the furious "Creatures Sur la Steppe". This song begins with a soft and emotive vocal line which builds up ominously before exploding into a ferocious guitar led finale, over which Le Guennec's demonic bellows reach an emotional high point. Mind blowing. The song fades out with various sound effects, and thus closes out the album. The live tracks are a nice addition, featuring versions of some of the album's stronger tracks. Overall, this is a great place to start exploring Mona Lisa, and the much more consistent album in comparison to the better known Le Petit Violon... - Greg Northrup [May 2001]


1. Avant Qu'il Ne Soit Trop Tard
2. La Peste
3. Souvenirs de Naufrageurs
4. Tripot
5. Lena
6. Creature Sur la Steppe

CD Bonus Tracks:
7. Souvenirs de naufrageurs (Live version)
8. Creature sur la steppe (Live version)
9. Lena (Live version)

Pascal Jordan - Guitars, Synthesizers
Francis Poulet - Drums, Percussion
Jean-Luc Martin - Bass
Jean-Paul Pierson - Organ, Synthesizers, Piano, Mellotron
Dominique Le Guennec - Vocals, Flute, Percussion

Musea Records