01	Ile De Fievre						13:00
	02	Le Sang Des Capucines						05:41
	03	Choral						01:56
	04	Himogene						05:19
	05	Lierre D'Aujord'Hui						02:23
	06	Laocksetal						10:31
	07	Le Dernier						09:12

Shylock
Ile de fievre
Musea (FGBG 4177.AR)
France 1978

Andre Fisichella, drums and percussion;
Frederic l'Epee, guitars;
Didier Lustig, Elka Rhapsody 610, Hammond B3, mini-moog, mellotron, Yahama electric grand piano, Hohner clavinet D6;
Serge Summa, bass

Tracklist:
1. Ile de fievre - 12:59
2. Le sang des capucines - 5:37
3. Choral - 1:52
4. Himogene - 5:15
5. Lierre d'aujourd'hui - 2:19
6. Laocksetal - 10:27
7. Le dernier - 9:12

total time 47:43


steve

I have never made up my mind whether this was a great album or not. It does have one of the greatest progressive rock songs ever, with the 12-minute "Ile de fievre". But after this monster, the album never recovers. Sure, "Ile de fievre" is worth the $18, but it just goes by too quickly with its furious playing (influenced by Gentle Giant and King Crimson). The rest of the album is okay. In fact, most bands would love to have this material. But compared to "Ile de fievre" the rest is no match. Maybe the band should have put their monster composition as the last song, rather than the first, so the album would build-up to an incredible climax. You have been warned! :)

sean

Shylock's second and final album manages to eclipse their debut. The title track is possibly one of the finest symphonic prog songs ever written, an extended instrumental jam alternating between softer key parts (moog, clavinet, mellotron, piano) and guitarist Frederic l'Epee's searing leads. The rest of the music tends less towards the symphonic realm, going closer to the improvised sound favored by King Crimson circa Starless and Bible Black. Usually the rhythm section works a solid and repeating background for l'Epee's Frippian guitar work. There is a short piece near the end, "Lierre d'aujourd'hui", which sounds closer in mood to Present than to French symphonic prog. Finally, the dark, intense closer "Laocksetal" caps off a long instrumental jam with three minutes of crazy moog work.
Shylock, while giving a nod to mid-period Crimson at times, have a distinctive sound and are one of the foundations of French progressive rock. Fans who wish to witness some of the dark majesty the French were capable of without delving into the avant-garde realm of Magma, Shub-Niggurath and others would do well to begin here.

brandon

This is a very uneven album, from a band which leaps between jazz fusion, symphonic rock, and hard rock without pause; most prog reviewers seem to have pretty much the same thing to say about it. The title track is a 13-minute masterpiece, starting with intricate keyboard work and then running full-on into a smoking full-band jam. Great stuff. The rest of the album doesn't quite live up, though there are some pretty nice moments. Most of the remaining tracks are very experimental, particularly the only other long track, the 10-minute "Laocksetal" (or something like that - don't have the disc with me as I write this). The music carves a niche of its own, though there are clearly King Crimson influences, as well as some sonic similarities to other dark French prog bands. For some reason, Arachnoid comes to mind; though Shylock has a much cleaner, less alien sound than that French band, both evoke somewhat dark and pensive moods. Recommended for the first track alone - the remainder of the disc is good, but nothing particularly special.





Shylock - Ile de Fiere

Released: Original: 1978, Rerelease: 1996
Label: Musea
Cat. No.: FGBG 4177.AR
Total Time: 47:41


Reviewed by: Clayton Walnum, December 2000
Back in the mid to late 1970's, the French group Shylock issued two albums, the first of which was poorly recorded and unexciting (although it does have a few good moments). Ile de Fievre, the second album, however, is a progressive-rock lover's dream, featuring sophisticated arrangements, inventive improvisation, and lots of cooking King Crimson-like grooves. If you like the band Anglagard, you'll be crazy about the first and longest song on Ile de Fiere, as it sounds bunches like that well respected Swedish group (who wouldn't, by the way, record their great albums until over 10 years later, so who sounds like whom, eh?). The title track is definitely Shylock's masterpiece.

With the second composition on the album, you'll swear that you've found a long-lost King Crimson session. The Fripp-like guitar sound and almost avant-garde arrangement sounds reminiscent of the Larks' Tongues in Aspic album. ("The Talking Drum" comes to mind.) A choir keyboard patch playing a decidedly classical passage that comprises the album's second and appropriately titled song, "Choral," leads the way into the mostly improvisational piece, "Himogene." This piece is still in the King Crimson vein at first, yet sounds less derivative as it goes on due to the funky groove that provides the framework for a fusion-style guitar solo unlike anything dear Robert F. ever played.

The short track, "Lierre d'aujourd'hui," again treads near the avant-garde with piano, guitar, and bass vying for the most discord, before the 10-minute "Laocksetal" brings the album back into King Crimson territory, with howling guitar and pulsing bass laid over an impressive drum performance that sounds a lot like Bill Bruford's genius. This song goes through the requisite prog changes -- including a loud and annoying synth chirp that I could do without -- before the noise relinquishes the album to a laid-back keyboard and guitar theme that builds over the course of the nine-minute final piece. This final piece is a bonus track that sounds like it was "rescued" from a bad tape. There are a lot of drop-outs in the high-frequency range that, unfortunately, make this decent track barely listenable.

The bonus track notwithstanding, this is enjoyable stuff. Anyone who digs the darker side of prog rock -- especially King Crimson instrumentals -- will want have a copy of Shylock's Ile de Fiere on their shelf. Keep it within easy reach; you'll be playing it often.

More about Ile de Fiere:

Track Listing: Ile de Fiere (12:59) / Le Sang Des Capucines (5:37) / Choral (1:52) / Himogene (5:15) / Lierre D'aujourd'hui (2:19) / Laocksetal (10:27) / Le Dernier (9:12)

Musicians:
Andre Fisichella - drums, percussion
Frederic L'epee - guitars
Didier Lustig - keyboards
Serge Summa - bass

Contact:

Website: www.musearecords.com/
Note: will open new browser window

Discography

Giarlogues (1976)
Ile de Fiere (1978)