01	Les Sept Jours De Mai						05:48
	02	La Mule						03:46
	03	Le Branle Des Chevaux						03:28
	04	Les Transformations						07:54
	05	La Chasse Gallery						05:35
	06	Le Ballet Des Coqs						02:10
	07	Alexandre - Danse Bulgare						04:34
	08	Jean Des Loups						07:58

Musicians:

- Gabriel Yacoub / guitar (acoustic), autoharp, guitar (electric), choir, mandocello, effects
- Jean-Pierre Arnoux / percussion, drums, toms
- Hughes De Courson / bass, synthesizer, piano, glockenspiel, organ (Hammond), choir
- Ivan Lantos / flute, cornemeuse
- Patrick LeMercier / violin, guitar (electric), lyre, choir, cornemeuse, cromorne
- Marie Yacoub / dulcimer, percussion, choir
- Oliver Zdrzalik / synthesizer, bass, piano (electric), clavinet, choir, tubular bells



...it is the closest to Prog music Malicorne ever did. And, more over, it is a real jewel. I can not find another word to describe it. In spite of some line up changes, the group kept on this record its very subtile spirit mixing traditionnal themes and moderne arrangements. "Les 7 jours de mai" conciliates a very rock tempo with beautiful vocal harmonies. The splendid piece "La chasse Gallery", dominated by the strong and emotional voice of Gabriel Yacoub, is developped on a similary principle. The two epics are more serene, "Jean des Loups" is a little bit repetitive, but both are fascinating, taking you in the magic of an intemporal atmosphere.

After their previous album Malicorne gradually disconnected with me. First of all because their song writing steadily declined, not even half of the songs here should have passed their quality control. Secondly, I found their performance to become less and less inspired and intense. Maybe they put too much effort and focus on perfecting their sound. The result is an album that is surely well produced but without the songs to match it, it is a bit of an empty shell.

Songs like Les Sept Jours De Mai, La Mule, La Chasse Gallery and Alexandre are very enjoyable and Jean Des Loups is a nice try at more progressive song writing. Unfortunately, the good moments don't add up to half an album of good material. ~ Bonnek, ProgArchives

I am very surprised to see the ratings that have been given to this record untill now, because it is the closest to Prog music Malicorne ever did. And, more over, it is a real jewel. I can not find another word to describe it.

In spite of some line up changes, the group kept on this record its very subtile spirit mixing traditionnal themes and moderne arrangements. "Les 7 jours de mai" conciliates a very rock tempo with beautiful vocal harmonies. The splendid piece "La chasse Gallery", dominated by the strong and emotional voice of Gabriel Yacoub, is developped on a similary principle.

The two epics are more serene, "Jean des Loups" is a little bit repetitive, but both are fascinating, taking you in the magic of an intemporal atmosphere.

The shorter pieces are more conventionnal interpretations and recreations of traditionnal french music, but the strong male vocal harmonies accompagnating the pure and supplicating voice of Marie Yacoub in "La mule" create deep emotions .

So, how can I explain that this record has been so poorly noted by other contributors ? May be the rock orientation is interpretaded as a commercial concession ? But the result is real prog music and surely the most beautiful we can expect in folk prog. ~ Kjarks, ProgArchives


Malicorne

Malicorne founder Gabriel Yacoub, taking his inspiration from the French/Celtic explorations of Alan Stivell and Dan Ar Braz as well as the British folk/rock of Steeleye Span, led his crew in producing rich, haunting arrangements of the folk music of France, Brittany, and francophone Canada. The band's later recordings feature original compositions and more contemporary instrumentation while retaining a traditional flavor. ~ Michael P. Dawson, AllMusic

Malicorne was a French electric folk group that flourished in the 1970s.

The traditional years
Gabriel Yacoub and Marie Yacoub formed Malicorne in 1974, naming it after the French town, Malicorne, famous for its porcelain and faience. Since several of their albums are called simply Malicorne it had become the custom to refer to them by number, even though no number appears on the cover. Malicorne 1 consisted of the Yacoubs, Laurent Vercambre and Hughes de Courson. The combination of electric guitar, violin, dulcimer, bouzouki and female vocalist immediately brings to mind Steeleye Span, their English equivalent, thus placing them squarely in the electric folk genre. These four musicians were, between them, masters of twelve instruments. Their first four albums consisted of mostly traditional French folk songs, with one or two songs by Gabriel Yacoub and one or two instrumentals per album. Again like Steeleye Span, they occasionally sang group harmonies a cappella. On Malicorne 4 they were joined by Olivier Zdrzalik on bass, percussion and vocals. The exuberant art-work on the album sleeves, featuring elves and dragons, makes them collectors pieces.

The experimental years
L'Extraordinaire Tour de France d'Adelard Rousseau (1978) was very much a concept album, concerning a guild craftsman's travels around France, with an implied spiritual exploration. It is perhaps the most exciting of their albums, with some gothic and prog-rock elements in the music. Like their next album Le Bestiaire, it consists mostly of songs by Gabriel, with a few by Zdrzalik and de Courson. The range of sounds of these albums is huge. Their appeal goes beyond the French-speaking world, and still gives them a dedicated following, but most of the albums are only sporadically in print. Some sections are clearly classical music, but electronic wizardry and bagpipes also appear.

Excess and Decline
The size of the band grew to 12, including at one point, Brian Gulland from the English group Gryphon. Their commercial success enticed them into pure pop. Balancoire En Feu (1981) was a disappointment to many. Les Cathedrales de L'Industrie (1986) began with an epic folk-rock track. One of the other tracks, "Big Science 1-2-3" is in the style of Peter Gabriel, Laurie Anderson or Gary Numan. They disbanded shortly afterwards.

Touring
Once they had gained a reputation in France, Malicorne toured in French-speaking Canada. The album En Public (1978), recorded live in Montreal, makes it clear that they were more than a studio band. They toured over 800 venues in Canada, America, and Europe, but never in the UK. Not until 1990 did Gabriel and Marie set foot in England, appearing as a duo in a low-key event in London. All of Malicorne's songs were in French, apart from a few words of English on their final album. At their concerts they made some announcements in broken English. Gabriel and Marie continue to record, but their CDs are only occasionally in print. The three compilation albums Quintessence, Legende and Vox show the range of Malicorne's work. A compilation of Malicorne tracks, featuring only those sung by Marie, was issued in 2005, Marie de Malicorne.

~ Wikipedia