01	Le Quatri Me						13:11
	02	Le Sixi Me						03:54
	03	Le Cinqui Me						18:58
	04	Pendule						03:07
	05	Sous Un Arche De Pierre						06:30
	06	Pr Lude L' Clipse						02:17
	07	La Robe Et Le Chat						01:54
	08	Pour Le Bal Des Pauvres						01:49

Shylock
Gialorgues
Musea (FGBG 4105.AR)
France 1977

Andre Fisichella, drums and percussion;
Frederic l'Epee, guitars, bass;
Didier Lustig, keyboards

Tracklist:
1. Le Quatrieme - 13:05
2. Le Sixieme - 3:50
3. Le Cinquieme - 18:54
4. Pendule - 3:02
5. Sous une arche de pierre - 6:26
6. Prelude a l'eclipse - 2:11
7. La robe et le chat - 1:48
8. Pour le bal des pauvres - 1:45

total time 51:45


sean

This was the first release by one of the more renowned French symphonic (and entirely instrumental) bands. It originally consisted of only three pieces, to which a number of bonus tracks have been added for the CD reissue. On this album the band is a trio, with a member on keys, guitar/bass and drums.
The first track, "Le Quatrieme", shifts frequently from pastoral themes of acoustic guitar to intricate interplay between guitar and keyboard. Four succeeding themes are developed and explored before the opening stanzas are reprised. The second side insists entirely of "Le Cinquieme", bookended with an odd repeating section on acoustic guitar in a minor key serving as a background for various effects and percussion. Between these bookends are numerous disjoint themes given time to settle into the listener's head.

The music here doesn't sound terribly like any other band, as Shylock was one of the more original French bands. They could perhaps be considered as having a melodical sense garnered from romantic classical music but tempered with a hard Crimson-like edge on guitar. A uniquely French outlook and one worth exploring.


brandon

Shylock's first album is one of the better instrumental works I've heard. Their second and final release, Ile de fievre, is famed for its classic title track, but this release is, overall, more even and consistent. Gialorgues is most similar to aforementioned title track from Ile de fievre: Crimsonish electric guitar mixes with nicely unobtrusive keyboard work and crisp, speedy drumming. The lack of a dedicated bassist (Serge Summa was added on bass for the next album) is hardly missed, especially since guitarist l'Epee fills in a few bass parts. Hard-driving symphonic instrumental rock is the result, and it rocks - l'Epee's guitar work is worthy of its comparison to Robert Fripp's work with the 1970s King Crimson. The bare-bones guitar-keys-drums format manages not to sound sparse, though after a while the lack of variety in orchestration (as it were) might begin to grate. Though some might fault the album for being relatively unadventurous, especially compared to the band's next release (and nothing on this one tops the 13 minutes of pure instrumental virtuosity that is "Ile de fievre"), I find Gialorgues to be the more enjoyable, overall, of the two Shylock albums. Highly recommended to fans of instrumental King Crimson and similar guitar-led symphonic rock bands.




Shylock [France]
Giarlogues (76), Ile De Fievre (78)

Prototypical late '70s French trio with strong influence from King Crimson. While not at all derivative, they had a strong improvisational flair and a musical diversity that in turn influenced many of the French progressives of today (Minimum Vital, Xaal, Tiemko all come to mind immediately). The album to go for is Ile De Fievre, the earlier one is not all that interesting.
I only know one release by this band and that is Ile de Fievre. This is a band with a latter day King Crimson influence. However that is not brought to the fore in the title track which is a 10-12 minute masterpiece of progressive that achieves a wonderful synthesis of guitar and keyboard comparable with the very best in symphonic progressive. That track alone makes this a disk worth getting. The disk drops off after this but is still well worth the attention (especially for those who enjoy King Crimson).
When I was first getting into the more obscure progressive rock groups, I got a copy of Ile De Fievre, Shylock's second and final album. The self-titled track on this album is virtually one of the greatest symphonic progressive songs ever made, and it made a really heavy impact on me. Much later, when Anglagard released Hybris, one of the first things that came to my mind was just how much parts of Hybris sound like Shylock. Yes theres a lot of King Crimson, a bit of Genesis (although not nearly as much as Anglagard have), but overall its very original with excellent guitar work by Frederic L'Epee (now in Philharmonie), over the top keyboards, and lighting drumming. The album certainly drops in its intensity after this 13 minute classic and there are some different explorations into fusion, King Crimson in the vein of Larks Tongues..., and a slow synth space out at the end. All in all its the opener that makes this album worth the purchase.
An incredible album, one of the best to come from France. There is a unique blending of styles on Ile de Fievre. Guitar is sometimes reminiscent of Steve Hackett while other times Robert Fripp is invoked. At times, there is a load of atmospheric mellotron while other times the Frippian guitar creates its own intensity in concert with drums and bass. Other tracks vary across fusion, occasional funk, and more of the style of the title track, but in a weaker form. If only the remaining tracks were as excellent as Ile de Fievre this album would easily be one of the all-time classics. As it is, the album's worth owning for the title cut alone.