01	Halloween Part 1						20:00
	02	Halloween Part 2						19:10

Pulsar

Discography
Pollen (1975)
The Strands of the Future (1976)
Halloween (1977)
Bienvenue au Conseil D'Adminstration (1981)
Gorlitz (1989)


County Of Origin: France
Established: 1974
Styles: Symphonic


Biography

Pulsar was a French progressive rock group that rose to prominence in the late-70s, and like many of their French contemporaries were exceedingly dark, though with a more atmospheric bent and a profound sadness at the core of nearly all their work. Pulsar's music was generally characterized by extended suites with a weighing atmosphere and a Pink Floyd-ish sense of grandeur and mood. They also heavily utilized moog and mellotron to great effect, painting grandiose and often horrific backdrops to the mournful and sedate vocals. Because of their atmospheric tendencies, the group is often unfairly criticized as a Pink Floyd rip-off, though I don't find the comparison very applicable at all. Pulsar sits squarely within the symphonic progressive rock movement, and their fascination with dark atmospheres mixed with symphonic tendencies makes for a sound which I feel is actually quite unique.

The group began their career in 1975 with the release of their excellent debut, Pollen. During the subsequent tour, Pulsar struggled to build a fan base within their home country, facing zero promotion from their label, Kingdom Records. However, with persistent touring, the group was able to sell 5000 copies of their debut, which landed them on the French charts and attracted the interest of concert and festival promoters. At one point, the band even considered collaborating with Van der Graaf Generator's Peter Hammill as lyricist and singer for their second album, as he apparently adored Pollen, but the labels unfortunately nixed the idea.

The band had been testing new material throughout the tour for Pollen, and by late 1975 had booked a studio and began work on the follow-up, but not before the departure of bassist Phillipe Roman. The album, released in 1976, was The Strands of the Future, a French progressive rock classic that was loyal to the style displayed on Pollen, but perhaps even stronger overall. The album vaulted Pulsar into the big leagues of French rock, selling 40,000 copies within its first six months, behind only Ange at the time. Having wrapped up their deal with Kingdom, Pulsar jumped to the bigs and signed a three album contract with CBS in December of '76.

Under pressure from the record company to record and release a new album as soon as possible, in order to capitalize on their newfound popularity, the band sealed themselves off from the world in a farm in Savoy and began work on their next album. Apparently under the heavy influences of composer Gustav Mahler and director Luche Vicsonti, the group set out to create a concept work rife with a similar thread of anguished romance and fantastic imagery. The result was 1977's Halloween, arguably the group's masterpiece and without a doubt another French classic. Unfortunately, by 1977 punk rock had reared its head, and CBS balked at fully publicizing Pulsar's music, dropping the group shortly thereafter and striking the album from its catalog. Pulsar managed to squeeze out one more release after a four year layover, the apparently lackluster Bienvenue au Conseil D'Adminstration. The band reformed in 1989 to release another album, Gorlitz, which has met with mixed reception. Nonetheless, the first three albums are all beautiful, and are all clearly essential for collectors of French symphonic rock. - Greg Northrup [September 2001]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pollen (1975)

Pollen is the debut release from the French progressive rock group Pulsar, the first in a series of spellbinding releases from the band that would place them at the very head of the class as far as French symphonic rock would be concerned. Along with a number of great French groups like Shylock, Carpe Diem and Arachnoid, Pulsar helped invigorate a burgeoning French scene just as the progressive rock movement in England seemed to be winding down. Like many of their contemporaries, the tone is almost always dark and foreboding, though as opposed to the sometimes violent ferocity of those bands, Pulsar sets themselves apart by way of sparse arrangements, distant vocals, and a down tempo feel.

I happened to be extremely surprised by the quality of Pollen, which I've found to be somewhat underrated in light of the band's extraordinary later work. Although The Strands of the Future and Halloween are both utter classics, there is a common stylistic thread running throughout all of the bands work, and fans of Pulsar will find Pollen to be a monster album in and of itself. The music is spacey, atmospheric and rife with surging emotion, showcases a stunningly mature band of songwriters with an already firm grasp of a unique compositional style that would see little alteration on the next two albums. The album exhibits a cohesion and sense of focus throughout, a clear accomplishment for a debut recording. "Apaisment" alternates vocals and crystalline flute passages above a bleak rhythmic backdrop, while "Puzzle/Omen" ups the tempo to accommodate the fiery synthesizer leads. "Le Cheval de Syllogie" features passages which stand among Pulsar's heaviest, with some crushing fuzzed-out guitar riffs. The highlight of the album is probably the 13 minute title track, which wraps the bands strengths together alongside some catching vocal melodies, heart wrenching piano melodies and some just enough delicate Gilmour-esque guitar phrasings to give Pulsar's overdone Pink Floyd comparisons some merit. In all, Pollen is an extraordinary work and just as essential as the band's two subsequent albums. A gorgeous debut from one of France's very best bands. - Greg Northrup [September 2001]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Strands of the Future (1976)

The more I listen, the more I adore this album of extremely dark symphonic progressive from France. Pulsar are masters of mood and atmosphere and have often been compared to early Pink Floyd. The music is drawn out and extremely cinematic, with sparse percussion, mournful vocals and liberal utilization of moog and mellotron for a positively haunting effect.

The opening title track, a 22 minute epic, is the finest song Pulsar has ever done. This song epitomizes the incredible capabilities of the group. There are a couple verses of French vocals early on, and then the music totally blasts off carried by a string of phenomenal instrumental sections. Very spacey and ethereal at times with occaisional "heavy" sections backed by gorgeous mellotron themes. The moog synthesizer is put to extraordinary use in carrying melodic themes over minimalistic rhythmic pulses. An awesome track.

The rest of the album continues in the same style for the most part, "Flight" is a relatively energetic instrumental, and "Windows" and "Fool's Failure" both feature more extensive English vocals. I listened to this album many times to really get into, as the style can become slightly tedious at first, but it has since become one of my absolute favorite French albums. - Greg Northrup [2001]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Halloween (1977)

This seems to be the most highly regarded Pulsar album, and though I personally prefer it's predecessor, The Strands of the Future, Halloween is still a phenomenal release. The album was so hyped up in fact that I was initially a little disapointed by it. It took me buying and absorbing Strands of the Future to return to this album and really appreciate it. Most of Pulsar's brilliance can be extremely subtle, and both albums require special attention to every theme, or else they might just float by unnoticed. Both albums are ethereal masteworks full of haunting keyboard melodies and beautiful guitar textures. Halloween is a concept album divided over two tracks.

The album's intro of a child segues into typically spacey keyboard work and finally into a powerful up-tempo percussive pattern that goes on for some ten minutes with tremendous moog, mellotron and guitar work over it. The first vocals don't come until some 12 minutes into the first piece. Victor Bosch's drumming is highly effective throughout the album, and more noticable than it was on Strands... While not virtuostic by any means, throughout the first piece he introduces great pulsating, repetitive patterns that the rest of the band plays off of beautifully. The second track features some extremely effective vocal work and is actually the closest to Pink Floyd that I've heard the band ever get. The vocals are much more prominent and it also features some soaring Gilmour-esque guitar leads and as the concept comes to some sort of conclusion is not nearly as dark and foreboding as most of Pulsar's other songs, and instead build up to an emotional climax late in the song. A great track.

Both this and The Strands of the Future are classics of dark symphonic progressive rock and among the best releases to come out of France in the 70's. Definitely personal favorites of mine. - Greg Northrup [2001]


1. Halloween part I - 20:30
a. Halloween Song - 1:20
b. Tired Answers - 9:30
c. Colours of Childhood - 6:00
d. Sorrow in My Dreams - 3:40
2. Halloween part II - 18:40
a. Lone Fantasy - 4:50
b. Dawn over Darkness - 6:10
c. Misty Garden of Passion - 2:15
d. Fear of Frost - 3:35
e. Time - 1:50

Jacques Roman - keyboards, synthesizers, Mellotron, special effects
Victor Bosch - drums, vibes, additional assorted percussions
Gilbert Gandil - 6 and 12 string electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Roland Richard - flute, clarinet, acoustic piano, string ensemble
Michel Masson - Fender bass guitar

Musea Records - FGBG 4022.AR



Pulsar
Halloween
Musea Records (FGBG 4022.AR)
France 1977

Jacques Roman, keyboards, synthesizers, mellotron, effects;
Victor Bosch, drums, vibes, percussion;
Gilbert Gandil, vocal, electric and acoustic guitars;
Roland Masson, bass;

with Sylvia Ekstrom, child vocal; Jean Ristori, cello; Jean-Louis Rebut, voice; Xavier Dubuc, congas

Tracklist:
1. Halloween Part I - 20:30
a. Halloween Song - 1:20
b. Tired Answers - 9:30
c. Colours of Childhood - 6:00
d. Sorrow in My Dreams - 3:40
2. Halloween Part II - 18:40
a. Lone Fantasy - 4:50
b. Dawn Over Darkness - 6:10
c. Misty Gardens of Passion - 2:15
d. Fear of Frost - 3:35
e. Time - 1:50

total time 39:11


joe

Pulsar's third album, and their finest hour. A review I once read of this album (from Matthew Martens, of the sorely missed prog store New Sonic Architecture) perfectly described Halloween as one of the few albums that manages to be "harrowing and soothing at the same time." Look no further than the album cover to see exactly what you will feel listening to this disc: the man's smile, as if mercifully spared from an overwhelmingly melancholic state while conscious, as he rests in the lap of the woman with a chilling, mannequin-like stare.
A suite broken into two, side-long parts, the album opens with a child vocalizing the melody of "Londonderry Air" (most popularly recognized as "Oh Danny Boy") to modest solo piano accompaniment. While this sounds ridiculous in print, it is in reality immediately effective in setting right off the bat the album's mood of sighing nostalgia intertwined with ghostly disorientation.

After this strange, elegiac prologue, the band begins the suite proper, with an autumnal introduction theme played on flute mellotron. After being briefly interrupted twice with the stirrings of Gilbert Gandil's acoustic guitar, the same theme is played once more, but this time subtly shifted into the real flute of Roland Richard and polyphonic synths instead of mellotron. From here, the storm clouds roll in much the same way they did on the title track of Strands of the Future, building tension with chromatic chords on string mellotron, ominous stings of electric guitar and gong strikes, until exploding into a magnificent instrumental section. Vocals don't even enter into the picture until around the twelve minute mark, but by then if you are a serious symph-head, the music will have successfully hooked your interest already.

The second part of "Halloween" begins with percussive drips in a dank corridor, before dissolving into the sorrowful "Lone Fantasy" in full symphonic mode: acoustic guitar, string mellotron, percussion, vibes, and engineer Jean Ristori's (perhaps recognized for his work with Patrick Moraz) doleful cello. The suite moves evenly to the rapturous climax in "Dawn Over Darkness," in which the doomed, Romantic vocals of Gandil now project in unforgettable carthasis against the hypnotic web created by the band. It's one of the few unadultered moments of sunlight in the album, the power of the section underlined from the fact that it arrived there from a pervasive, slowburn aching. But to there it will return, and with Jacques Roman's keyboard cascades and the return of Ristori's cello, the light begins to fade. From here, the band gets in one more up-tempo passage, leading off with spooky theremin-like effects, and blasting off into a 13/8 jam.

Less than two minutes in length, the final movement of the album, "Time," is one of the most beautiful and enigmatic conclusions I've heard in a symphonic prog album. Here, the wordless vocals of Jean-Louis Rebut, like a voice imprisoned behind a wall of ice, reverberate against an ever-modulating progression of chords that sound straight out of a Dr. Phibes movie. 'Haunting' is an overused adjective, I know, but "Time" is haunting in the truest sense of the word. Whenever I turn the volume up and really listen to it, it never fails to make my hairs stand up on end. It's something David Lynch should use to close out one of his future movies. The chord progression gradually leads to a final C major, which to me is the chord representing an ultimate clarity and release, as if Gandil's forlorn character has reached an final state of peace.

In summary, one of the finest symphonic prog albums to come from outside the U.K. in the 1970s. A work of atmosphere and feeling that with increased listens stays with you and doesn't relinquish its hold.

3-5-04 - post a comment (0)


(c) ground and sky