01	Reincarnation						03:51
	02	Jeux Du Siecle						12:53
	03	Voyage Du Non-Retour						10:12
	04	Publiphobie						09:54

(p) 1994 Musea
(c) 1994 Musea licensed from Crypto Records

Christian Truchi - keyboard, vocal
Gilbert Abbenanti - guitar
Alain Berge - bass
Alain Faraut - drums, percussion
Claude-Marius David - soprano sax, flute, percussion

Produced by Carpe Diem, Alphonse Forte and Jean-Claude Pognant
Recorded at the Antibes-Azurville Studio in August 1975.
Sound engineers - Jean-Pierre Massiera and Bernard Belan.

Carpe Diem [France]

En Regardant Passer Le Temps (75), Cueille Le Jour (76)

Truly excellent mid seventies French seventies spacy fusion band. Often quoted as being like Gong, I can see where they're coming from, yet Carpe Diem did not have Gong's new-agey themes and crazed abandon and were a beautiful and often Camel-like version of space fusion. Carpe Diem only put out two, although superb, albums En Regardant Passer Le Temps and Cuielle Le Jour. Evidently Musea have these in their plans, and they better, because you probably couldn't find them anyway!
Somewhat hard to describe music. Sounds like a cross between Camel and a very laid back Soft Machine. It almost spacey, as the fluid music (the Camel part) carries you along nicely. Lots of soprano sax and some slight jazz feel bring in the Soft Machine comparison. To my ears, it's fairly unique music that doesn't draw any ready comparisons. And that's the best kind... definitely worth a listen.
I have heard En Regardant Passer Le Temps. An outstanding example of French prog fusion; less jazzy than Edition Speciale, not as loony as Gong, though there are similarities. Lots of soprano sax and flute, guitar is also prominent. Keyboards aren't flashy or even up-front, but the polyphonic synths provide a constant, spacy chordal backdrop over which the guitar and woodwinds solo. Some light vocalizings that sort of remind of Pulsar. Great!. -- Mike Ohman

© 1999 Blu Mix Production - http://www.blumix.net

Carpe Diem - "En Regardant Passer Le Temps" (1975)
Awesome French progressive that sounds like nothing else than themselves! The group's style can be described as jazzy, symphonic progressive space rock. The band used flutes, saxophones and a very spacey and symphonic keyboard sound to create their unique sound. The short instrumental that opens the album is rather jam-orientated, but the other three tracks is very structured with well written themes. "Jeux Du Siиcle" is incredibly complex, and you got to hear this track a lot of times before you really get to know it. "Rиincarnation" got some very beautiful and symphonic themes combined with the group's spacey sound. And "Publiphobie" is pure excellency, just as the rest of the album. Essential stuff from the French progressive rock scene.






Carpe Diem


Discography
En Regardent Passer le Temps (1975)
Cueille le Jour (1977)

County Of Origin: France
Established: 1970
Styles: Symphonic

Biography

Carpe Diem emerged out of the particularly strong local scene of Nice, France, which also included bands like Shylock and Step Ahead, and made a name for themselves as being among the greatest, and most distinctive, symphonic rock groups in the world. Formed in 1970, the band started out playing covers in clubs along the French Riviera, performing renditions of songs by the likes of Jethro Tull, East of Eden, King Crimson and Uriah Heep. Original compositions gradually made their way into the band's repertoire over the five years between their formation and their debut album, En Regardent Passer le Temps. Little wonder then that the band sounds as magnificently tight, polished and mature on this classic debut, truly one of the gems of the French progressive rock scene.

The success of the album brought them dates with other major French bands like Magma and Ange, leading up to the release of their second album, Cuelle le Jour. Though generally not regarded as a classic of quite the same magnitude as the debut, Cuelle le Jour effectively upholds the band's legacy for at least one more album. Unfortunately, after the release of the album, bad management and changing public taste led to lineup changes and losses of key members such as Gilbert Abbenant and Alain Berge. Lack of support from their label, Crypto, forced the band to become more self-sufficient, and mounting frustration eventually led to the group's demise. Demo tapes of their unreleased third album were recorded, featuring a violin player, but have not as of yet been released. Nonetheless, the group's two albums are among the finest French progressive rock currently available. - Greg Northrup [July 2002]

Source: Liner Notes to Musea Reissues of En Regardent Passer le Temps (1994) and Cuelle le Jour (1994)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
En Regardent Passer le Temps (1975)

Of all the French symphonic groups, Carpe Diem may have been the most innovative and difficult to pin down stylistically. Certainly there are Gong, Van der Graaf Generator and perhaps fusion influences here (primarily due to the inclusion of saxophone), but the music is undoubtedly symphonic rock. Employing woodwinds, all manner of synthesizers, along with surging, inspired guitar solos, Carpe Diem weave spacey, melodic soundscapes of impossible subtlety and beauty. The playing is free and loose, while retaining a heavily composed air. Guitar parts and multiple keyboard lines lock into precise, tightly meshed melodic webs, building tension before bursting into emotive, furious climaxes.
Soaring, cosmic guitar melodies glide along churning synthesizer rhythms in the aptly titled opener "Voyage du Non-Retour" (Voyage of No Return). The three lengthy tracks that almost evenly divide the album's remainder are uniformly excellent, with nary a superfluous or unnecessary moment. It says something when, in listening to an album, each track convinces you independently that it, indeed, is the best cut on the record. In trying to pick out a favorite from En Regardent..., I found I just couldn't do it. "Reincarnation" features understated, yet gorgeous, vocal passages in between fiery instrumental portions. The flute and mellotron introduction of "Jeux du Siecle" perfectly sets up the driving grooves to come. In closer "Pulbiophobie", fluid basslines and ultra-tight rhythmic work provide the foundation for heavily syncopated, enchanting saxophone melodies. Subtle, smoky vocals return to the fore later in the track, before the band jumps into the closing instrumental finale.

Refreshing and undoubtedly innovative, the album practically encompasses the diversity and inspiration of the French progressive rock underground. It is, easily, one of the finest albums to have emerged from that scene. At the risk of sounding like a raving fanboy, En Regardent Passer le Temps is indeed a classic record for the ages. - Greg Northrup [July 2002]


1. Voyage du Non-Retour - 3:48
2. Reincarnation - 12:50
3. Jeux du Siecle - 10:10
4. Publiophobie - 9:54

Christian Truchi - Keyboards, Vocals
Gilbert Abbenanti - Guitar
Alain Berge - Bass
Alain Faurat - Drums, Percussion
Claude-Marius David - Soprano Sax, Flute, Percussion

Musea Records - FGBG 4122.AR - 1994

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cueille le Jour (1976)

With the reputation of its predecessor being so immense, Carpe Diem's sophomore album Cueille le Jour is often overlooked in the eyes of progressive rock fans and collectors. While certainly not as strong as the monster En Regardent Passer le Temps, few things are. Ultimately the album is a logical stylistic follow-up; essentially more of the same. The trademark Carpe Diem sound is here in spades. Guitar-led flights of fancy, cosmic synthesizers, fluid woodwinds along with an incredible degree of compositional and harmonic sophistication.

The highlight here is easily the 20-plus minute suite, "Coleurs", a piece which develops slowly through a series of sublime melodic motifs. As should be expected, the musicianship is monstrous, the playing is tight and energetic, and the melodies veer from gorgeous to haunting. The remainder of the album is taken up by short tracks in the 3 to 4 minute range, which present more concise takes on Carpe Diem's ideas. "Le Miracle de la Saint-Gaston" features traditional 'verses' broken up by some rousing synthesizer themes, while "Tramantane" highlights some excellent piano work. Musea's CD reissue closes out with an interesting bonus track: an excerpt from the English version of the album, which actually ends up sounding like Pulsar at their best.

While unavoidably outshined and made less essential by Carpe Diem's magnificent debut album, Cueille le Jour nonetheless holds its own. Without presenting anything astoundingly different, or better, than anything off of En Regardent..., fans of that album will certainly find Cueille le Jour a satisfying complement. - Greg Northrup [July 2002]

1. Coleurs - 21:38
a) Premiers pas
b) La Traversee des Sables
c) Dernier Village... Premieres Neiges
d) Recontre
e) Les Portes du Silence
2. Naissance - 3:23
3. Le Miracle de la Saint-Gaston - 3:38
4. Laure - 2:44
5. Tramontane - 3:37
6. Divertimento - 3:56

Bonus Tracks:
7. Recontre (excerpt from Coleurs - English Version)

Christian Truchi - Keyboards, Vocals
Gilbert Abbenanti - Guitar
Alain Berge - Bass
Alain Faurat - Drums, Percussion
Claude-Marius David - Soprano Sax, Flute, Percussion

Musea Records - 1994






Carpe Diem: En Regardant Passer le Temps (1975)
Reviewer: Ben Miler


One area of prog rock I failed to cover here is the French scene. I covered the British, German, and Italian scenes pretty well here, even threw in some Scandinavian acts. When people think of French prog, they think Magma, Ange, Atoll, or Pulsar. Another band worth looking in to is Carpe Diem, who only released two albums with En Regardant Passer le Temps being their first.
I bought the album because I couldn't resist the M.C. Escher-like cover, not to mention the high praise this album had received in the prog community. The band consisted of keyboardist/vocalist Christian Truchi, guitarist Gilbert Abbenanti, bassist Alain Berge, drummer Alain Faraut, and saxist/flautist Claud-Marius David. Many times the band gets compared to Gong, but I can't figure out why. Certianly there's a presence of soprano sax, but what you won't find here are songs about an imaginary planet with Pot Head Pixies. Soft Machine and Camel are the other comparisons, but I don't notice that.

What I do notice is this is one of the more original prog albums I've heard from the mid 1970s. What you'll get is more sophisticated jazz-influenced prog with lots of great sax, spacy keyboards (string synths, Farfisa electric piano), and jazzy drumming. There are vocals (in French), but surprisingly the vocals aren't harsh (unlike, say Ange).

The album starts off with "Voyage du Non-Retour", which consists of some great jams. It's the shortest piece on the album, and is just the start of a great album. The next cut, "Reincarnation" is without a doubt my favorite. This demonstrates the best elements of mid '70s prog. I especially love the spacy string synths, and that electronically modified voice. "Jeux du Siecle" continues on this same greatness.

"Publiphobie" is the album's last cut, which shows the band at their most energetic. I especially love those jazzy solos found, not to mention the Farfisa electric piano. Really, the music here is a bit hard to describe, I don't find Carpe Diem reminding me of any particular band (regardless of the constant Gong comparison). This might be an obscure album, but don't worry, Musea Records in France had reissued this gem on CD (as LPs aren't exactly easy to get a hold of). This album has made it as one of my favorites from the French scene, and if you're looking to expand your horizons, give this a try.



More Info

- Christian Truchi: keyboards, vocals
- Gilbert Abbenanti: guitar
- Alain Berge: bass
- Alain Faraut: drums, percussion
- Claude-Marius David: soprano sax, flute, percussion