Maneige Les Porches

This is one of ProgQuébec's most treasurable finds. Les Porches Live was recorded some time in 1974 or 1975. Sound balance is not perfect, but sound quality is very good. The group, still a six-piece, probably performed this set before the studio sessions for Les Porches, as some pieces have not yet achieved their final stage. The bulk of the set is taken up by "Les Aventures de Saxinette et Clarophone" and "Les Porches de Notre-Dame," the two epic suites that would end up on the album. There are significant differences in the arrangements, and not only because of the absence of the strings section and of guest singer/trumpeter Raôul Duguay. In particular, "Les Porches de Notre-Dame" sounds a lot more dynamic and holds much better as a unified whole than on the 1975 LP. From their debut effort, Maneige perform "Galerie III" and "La Grosse Torche"…

Maneige along with Harmonium and Flairck were part of Canada's 70's Quebecois prog-folk-classical artists who managed to release a few albums with "Les Porches" standing out as another magical album for consideration. "Les Porches" is a 4 piece suite featuring lush symphonia and a wide arsenal of instrumentation including glockenspiel, contra bass, flutes, saxes, vibes, xylophone, marimba. Unlike some of their other albums this one has vocals (sung in French) which are used sparingly and still work well on the album. Overall sound is quite unique with a lush folk-symphonic charm. A great album for sure!

Fourth album from their catalogue released in 1978 named Libre Service - Self-Service is almost same in manner of composing with previous one, aswell shorter pieces but full of inventive passages. Overall polished sound, some untraditional instruments here like xylophone, marimba combined with the rest gives a very solid album. Flute again is important as guitar and keyboards, again an instrumental album. Maybe in places is little more accesible then previous album and maybe lighter in aproach but never the less a great album by Maneige that keeps the flag high in those dark years of prog late '70s.

Ni Vent… Ni Nouvelle (No Wind… No News) is Maneige's first record after the departure of Jérôme Langlois. Although a transitional album in many aspects, it nevertheless clearly indicated the group's new direction. Exit the lush acoustic instrumentations, the music is now mostly electric, with the electric guitar and electric piano taking center stage, but mallet percussion remains an important part of the melodic and harmonic content. Exit the long, intricate suites: the pieces are all short (under six minutes), focused, and driven by catchy melodies. The difference between Ni Vent… Ni Nouvelle and the albums that came after it is that this time, the music works very well. It keeps much of the complexity the group distilled from Gentle Giant (see "La Fin de l'Histoire" or "Le Gros Roux"), but loses a certain pomposity. The FM radio compromises found in Libre Service-Self Service and the clinical sound of the more jazz-rock albums have yet to appear, leaving the music warm, smiley, and inviting.

Maneige's first album remains their most daring and their best, the second of these judgments not valid only as the consequence of the first. Yes, the music pushed more toward free improv passages (in "Le Rafiot") and clever dissonances, but these are well wrapped in good melodies elsewhere and never feel gratuitous. No matter how mainstream the group would later attempt to be, the musicians rarely topped the quality of the writing found on this LP. It's tight, rich, and varied, with luscious instrumentation. The production is also excellent, each instrument (close to a dozen at times and mainly acoustic) clearly defined and beautifully recorded. The first side is filled with the 21-minute epic "Le Rafiot" (a decrepit boat), an instrumental tour de force…