Verdeaux

Former Clearlight's leader Cyrille Verdeaux comes back, after a too long absence. Dedicated to the planet's survival, "Messenger Of The Son" (1984) displays some lyrical and romantic streamings down of keyboards. His sense of melody reminds the best passages of "Visions". "Rhapsodies Pour La Planète Bleue", from which four titles are included on this welcome Musea reissue, have originally been recorded during the year 1986.

Clearlight is a French progressive rock band from the 1970s, although their best known work was produced in England, and released by a major British record company. While progressive rock is an appropriate overall genre for the band, much of their work delves into other genres including psychedelic music, jam band music, symphonic rock, space rock, jazz fusion, and new-age music.

After what was reportedly a commercial failure in the more straight-ahead, symphonically oriented Les Contes du Singe Fou, Cyrille decided to take over the production duties on the next album, Visions, and imbibed it with a slightly new musical direction based on Eastern philosophical and religious precepts. The result is a generally varied work that retains the more structured vibe of the previous album. Cyrille Verdeaux's piano and keyboard melodies are again the dominant force on Visions, and are supplemented by the usual eclectic blend of instrumentation. …

Essentially French keyboardist Cyrille Verdeaux and an ever-changing list of collaborators, among them Christian Boule and Gilbert Artman, Clearlight was among the most well-known French symphonic progressive rock bands of the 1970s. Their massive, occasionally psychedelic sound showed a different side to Verdeaux than his later, more new age records. One of the first bands signed to the fledgling Virgin Records in the early 1970s, Clearlight has been compared to such progressive bands as Yes and Genesis as well as more experimental groups like Gong. The first Clearlight album, 1973's Symphony, presents the band at the height of their grandeur, pursuing everything from modern experimentalism to more classically styled pieces. For the project, Verdeaux took on several members of Gong as collaborators. It was later re-recorded with a great deal of new material in 1990 and released as Symphony II.

"Clearlight Symphony" is one of the finest progressive instrumental albums to emerge from the '70's. The genius of Clearlight's music rests in the hands of Cyrille Verdeaux who plays Grand Piano, Mellotron, organ and synths galore. "Clearlight Symphony" is one of the richest sounding space patrols you will ever encounter. Verdeaux's cleverly injects classical structures and instrumentation (piano) with fusion-like inspired parts (aka Gong) and occasional psychedelic guitar flare-ups. The sound is rich and full of color and texture with some superb melodies and atmospheres. Verdeaux is helped by well known guests such as Steve Hillage (guitars), Didier Malherbe (sax) and Tim Blake (synths) who add some great depth to the music. "Clearlight Symphony" is essentially 2 long (over mins) movements which both are killer and would make the perfect dinner music piece.

"Clearlight Symphony" is one of the finest progressive instrumental albums to emerge from the '70's. The genius of Clearlight's music rests in the hands of Cyrille Verdeaux who plays Grand Piano, Mellotron, organ and synths galore. "Clearlight Symphony" is one of the richest sounding space patrols you will ever encounter. Verdeaux's cleverly injects classical structures and instrumentation (piano) with fusion-like inspired parts (aka Gong) and occasional psychedelic guitar flare-ups. The sound is rich and full of color and texture with some superb melodies and atmospheres. Verdeaux is helped by well known guests such as Steve Hillage (guitars), Didier Malherbe (sax) and Tim Blake (synths) who add some great depth to the music. "Clearlight Symphony" is essentially 2 long (over mins) movements which both are killer and would make the perfect dinner music piece.

Delired Cameleon Family is a progressive rock album by the group of the same name, released in 1975 on EMI Records in France. It features musicians associated with the Clearlight project, most notably its leader, pianist Cyrille Verdeaux, and Musica Elettronica Viva member Ivan Coaquette, who joined forces to compose the soundtrack for the film Visa de Censure No. X by French actor Pierre Clementi.

Cyrille Verdeaux and Clearlight re-visit and expand upon 'Clearlight Symphony'. Totally new recording featuring a wide range of instrumentation. The playing of Didier (the only Gong member who has made it onto this release from the trio of Gongsters on the original) distinctively glows as always.

The second album of CLEARLIGHT 1975. The original LP was released on Virgin Records. Guest musicians: DAVID CROSS (KING CRIMSON), CHRISTIAN BOULE, GILBERT ARTMAN (LARD FREE, URBAN SAX)…etc. Including remixes in 2000 and unreleased tracks from 1980/81 as bonus. "Forever Blowing bubbles" sounds a lot less like Gong and more like a symphonic version of Steve Hillage's solo works. Great progressive rock music with beautiful keyboard, guitar and saxophone solos.

Clearlight’s “Impressionist Symphony” focuses on the artistic style of impressionism, painting and music as well with a Ravel, Satie and Debussy influence merged with Cyrille Verdeaux’s progressive music experience and linked with the French impressionist school of painting. …