01	Et La Musique Tourne						04:04
	02	Eclaircie						05:14
	03	Entre Chien Et Loup						07:02
	04	Apostrophe						04:59
	05	Newton Avait Raison						04:12
	06	L'age Dort						04:34
	07	Tandem						06:08

Et Cetera [Canada]
Et Cetera (76)

Very Gentle Giant sounding prog, with a nice female lead vocalist. This is really a GG singing in French, with a female voice! :) I only know Et Cetera by them. I wonder if they have any other releases...quite good overall. -- Luis Paulino

[Is the band called Et Cetera (two words) or Etcetera (one word) or Et Caetera (with an A)?]



Et Cetera

written by: Nigel Camilleri


A Brief History


Once again Forgotten Sons is dealing with a band that only managed to conjure up one release in its brief history. For a starter this band have absolutely noting to do with the recent Danish band that goes by the same name. This Et Cetera band is a Canadian group, a group that could be considered as the French speaking clone of British legends Gentle Giant. Throughout prog-history there have been a variety of clones of Gentle Giant, such as Yezda Urfa and Echolyn, but few if any have managed to capture the fusion of medieval hooks with modern rock as well as the distinctive syncopation in their music as did Et Cetera.

No matter how much I searched I have been unable to come up with any goods related to this band except for a few snippets of information. The band hail from Quebec, hence the use of the French language in their music, forming around the mid-seventies and managed to release one album to their name simply titled Et Cetera (Apostrophe, AP-800, insert with lyrics included) in 1976.

One of the more interesting points on this album is the use of the instrument called Ondes Martenot. This is a relatively obscure electronic instrument that is very similar to the Theremin (the instrument immortalised in Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys and numerous horror films). The Ondes Martenot has been utilised quite often by twentieth century composers such as Honegger, Milhaud and Varese, though I must admit that it is the first time that I have come across the use of this instrument in a rock context. The sound it creates is relatively similar to the Theremin and can be played over a keyboard or an adjustable metal wire with an independent dynamic check for the left hand.

No singles seem to have been released and there is no further news regarding the band following the release of their album. In all probability the band disbanded soon after the release of the album as there is neither any sign of the group touring to promote the album nor of them entering a studio to record a new album.

It seems that only Marie Bernard Page continued to pursue a musical career with a degree of success. She is relatively well known in Canada for her interpretation of "Un trou dans les nuages" by Michel Rivard, "Detournement majeur" by Diane Dufresne as well as for her version of the song "Cafe Rimbaud" of Radio-Canada. In the eighties she was also a member of the band Soupir together with Paul Page and Normand Brathwaite (Pied de poule).
Denis Chartrand continued as a session musician, playing also with Celine Dion, as has Robert Marchand while Pierre Dragon was a member of Trick Of The Tail, the Genesis tribute band between until the mid-eighties.

Nigel Camilleri

Album Reviews
Albums reviewed here are:

Et Cetera (1976)
Et Cetera - Et Cetera Country of Origin: Canada
Format: LP CD
Record Label: Apostrophe Unidisc Records
Catalogue #: AP-800 AGEK-2092
Year of Release: 1976 1997
Time: 36:02
Info: None Available
Samples: None Available

Tracklist: Side 1: Et La Musique Tourne (4:04), Eclaircie (5:14), Entre Chien Et Loup (7:02)
Side 2: Apostrophes (4:49), Newton Avait Raison (4:11), L'Age Dort (4:34), Tandem (6:08)

Line-up: Marie Bernard Page (Keyboards, ondes Martenot, Vocals), Denis Chartrand (Keyboards, flute, saxophone, Vibraphone, Vocals), Pierre Dragon (Drums, Percussion), Robert Marchand (Guitars, Vocals), Alain Yves Pigeon (Bass, Cello, Vocals)

Recorded At Studio Tempo, Montreal in Autumn 1976
Producer and Chief Engineer: Paul Page
Artistic Direction: Marc Durand
Album Design: Marc Durand and Pierre Drouin

All tracks were composed by Et Cetera.

From the opening track on the album, Et La Musique Tourne the groundwork for the rest of the album is laid down. The opening chords immediately demonstrate that the album is not going to be an easy ride in terms of commerciality. In fact there is little or nothing that one can faithfully reproduce after hearing the album which is one of those albums that requires a number of repeated listens to finally make an impact on the listener. Contrasting vocals with guitars and keyboards playing simultaneously in different keys make this track, as well as the album, one of the more challenging albums I have in my collection. At the same time this is also one of the albums that stands best the test of time with its totally uncharacteristic nature aging extremely well, possibly because it is not simply a piece of music that simply reflects the time in which it was recorded but instead is a conglomeration of musical ideas from various periods in the history of music.

Eclaircie maintains the continuous offbeats with contrasting instruments. At times the music comes to a complete halt with just a drumbeat left to act as conductor to introduce each individual instrument, though they eventually rejoin. When comparing the band to their obvious mentors, Gentle Giant, one must note that Et Cetera are much less harsh in their presentation and the music does not possess that heavy contrast and rock s sound, a fact aided in no small way by the smooth vocals of Marie Bernard Page.

Side 1 comes to a conclusion with Entre Chien Et Loup, which starts off sounding as if it is a piece of Baroque music that was originally written for clavichord and transposed into a piece for flute, acoustic guitar and keyboards. This track though possessing the various chord progressions and key shifts is probably one of the most easy-listening tracks on the album with a large part of the instrumental section very much in the jazz-fusion musical vein.

The second side opens with Apostrophes that starts off with the sound of the ondes Martenot that helps create that airy feel to the music which immediately strikes the listener as being far from commercial. The gradual ascent and descent of minor scales creates a sound that though not very ear friendly still strikes the listener who manages to pick out a tune here and there that keeps one gripped to the recording. The track is totally instrumental allowing each individual instrument space to solo.

Newton Avait Raison, starts with an almost space-rock feel to it, but this does not last long as the contrasting off-beats and quirky chords lead the track into the familiar Gentle Giant territory. Of interest on this track is the duetting between female and male vocals, something which is picked up again in L'Age Dort which however consist of a completely different musical texture. Drums are practically absent from this track that has an almost ballet-like feel to it. The track opens with a crescendo that one finds in thrillers with the rhythm kept by the vibraphone. This suspense is maintained until the keyboards and violin cello serenade in the vocals. Even the vocals maintain that mellow touch that give the track an almost fairytale feeling as the transition from female to male vocals occurs with minimal accentuation. The musical backdrop has a fairytale feel with an almost complete lack of bass notes with instead a use of tinkles and pizzicato-like playing.

The album comes to a conclusion with Tandem, which is a sharp contrast to the happy feeling that L'Age Dort conveyed. The opening piano section is slightly misleading as it continues within the same framework with duetting vocals and delicate instrumentation, but this fades out to the style that characterised the majority of the album. The instruments seem to be moving off in different musical directions yet somehow always manage to aggregate together at various sections, bringing sense to what essentially sounds to be nonsensal! The final section of the track features an acapella section that is simple marvellous and which brings the curtain down on the quirky Gentle Giant fell and heralds in a dreamscape that seems to herald in a new style but which is abruptly terminated by the music suddenly shut off.

As I have chance to mention already, the album consist of a style not too dissimilar to that which British band Gentle Giant used to present. Syncopated music that manages to fuse various musical elements from Baroque to jazz, this is one album that manages to condense an immense amount of classical infusion into a short span of time (the longest track runs at seven minutes) and at the same time infuse the right amount of pop hooks to make the album an incredibly pleasurable listen. This album is a must for all those Gentle Giant fans who are hungry for more music that the Portsmouth band so greatly produced in the seventies.

Nigel Camilleri


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Related Websites

The net does not seem to provide any information on Et Ceterea. However, should you have any further information regarding Et Cetera that could be added to the site, do not hesitate to contact me.




A must for Gentle Giant fans, September 14, 2006
Reviewer: BENJAMIN MILER (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
American prog rock had been frequently accused of being pale copycats of their English counterparts. It's worse in Canada: a better portion of their prog rock scene is ignored outright. The big exception being Rush, who made it big even in the States. They were also very popular with the hard rock/heavy metal crowd thanks to the band's music heavily influenced by such. And then you have bands like FM and Saga, who most of their albums are easily available, but then they have their detractors as being too influenced by the mainstream and of AOR.

What I found out was the province of Quebec had a prog rock scene all their own independant of the English speaking provinces. Many years ago I bought an album from Claude Le'veille'e called Black Sun (1978), which was a decent, but not essential prog album in my book. Far more recently I bought the self-entitled 1976 album from Pollen, both albums from Sloche, J'un Oeil (1975) and Stadacone (1976), and now Et. Cetera. I've been really impressed by these albums, and it proves that Quebec's prog rock scene was fully capable of holding their own to their European counterparts.

It's apparent that Gentle Giant had a big impact on the Quebec prog scene of the '70s. Pollen, Maneige, and Sloche all show their GG influences to some degree, but none more so than Et. Cetera. This group released their one and only album in 1976 on the Apostrophe label, apparently a label ran by the band, since their only instrumental composition was entitled "Apostrophe" (which means it has absolutely nothing to do with the instrumental Zappa song). What separates this group from Gentle Giant, is they feature female vocals from Marie Bernard Page', not to mention all vocals are in French. She tends to do the high-pitched vocals that Kerry Minnear would do in GG. She also handles keyboards (with the help of a second keyboardist), she even handles something called an Ondes Martenot, a prototype synthesizer invented in the 1920s. This is the only prog rock band I know of to use one, this instrument was more commonly used in avant garde classical and in sci-fi (including none other than the female chorus you hear on the original 1960s Star Trek TV theme song). The rest of the keyboards are typical of prog rock: Minimoog, string synths, clavinet, electric piano. Well, the music is just as complex and elaborate as GG, with lots of vocal harmonies that are undeniably GG-like. This album came out in 1976, just as Gentle Giant, as a prog rock band was coming to an end (Interview was their last prog album, they went for a much more straightforward pop route in the late '70s with The Missing Piece, Giant For a Day and Civilian). There's the occasional folk influence that might bring to mind Harmonium, or the more acoustic moments of Pollen. Maneige (which I am not familiar with yet) is another band Et. Cetera is compared with, and perhaps a little Sloche (particularly when that band showed their GG-influence the most like on "Alge'brique" or "Isacaaron").

Apparently keyboardist Denis Chartrand later sacrificed his credibility at the altar by playing for Celine Dion, much like what happened to Pollen's Claude Lemay. What's up with Quebec proggers later playing for Celine Dion? Probably the money. Drummer Pierre Dragon ended up in a band called Trick of the Tail, which, unsurprisingly (given the name) was a Genesis tribute band, at least keeping his credibility as far as prog rock goes. Not to mention Marie Bernard Page' had went on to other musical ventures, including being in other bands.

Clone bands often get a bad reputation. Everyone knows about Triumvirat and Starcastle, how both bands get a lot of negative attention of being ELP and Yes copycats respectively (even rock critics were never kind to either band), but in my opinion as long as a band copies another band's sound, that they do it well, and Et. Cetera did a great job sounding like Gentle Giant, with their own touches (like female vocals in French). A great album and highly recommended to all GG fans!