Artist: Magma
Label: Seventh Records
Release: 1970
Rating: 4.3/5
Magma is one of the few bands in progressive rock that truly matters. When their first album came out, listeners and critics were in shock, because Magma had made music the world had never heard before. The music had pieces of traditional jazz, Eastern European folk, rock, military marches and opera. That could have been a catastrophic mess, or it could have been magnificent, original music. Luckily, they found the right combination. But it would be unfair to describe Magma as just a mix of all those influences. Magma is so much more than that. There’s something new in their music, something nobody had heard until then. But it’s hard to put into words what exactly that is. Either way, the credit for their originality and mastery goes mostly to the band’s brilliant composer and drummer – Christian Vander.
Just like King Crimson with In The Court of the Crimson King, like Mike Oldfield with his Tubular Bells, like Emereson, Lake and Palmer with their self-titled debut, or like Miles Davis with Bitches’ Brew, the album Kobaia stretched the boundaries of modern rock music. But maybe more than any of those artists, Magma managed to combine things that seemingly don’t belong together at all. They created something that many people would have called impossible. This style was later dubbed zeuhl, or “celestial music” in plain English, though plenty of people who listened to this “cosmic” music and ended up with a splitting headache would probably disagree with that description. For some, this music can be too complex, with a lot going on at times, so it’s not exactly music for relaxing. To me the zeuhl label feels spot-on, because at their best Magma can truly blast you into a completely innovative and incredible musical world.
The music on this record may not be as polished as on the later ones, but the energy and drive are very much there, and you can feel it in the playing. It’s as if they knew they were playing something new and making musical history. On this album folk is more present than later on (with the exception of 1001° Centigrades), and military marches are more common on these first two albums too. Jazz also plays a more central role here, while later on (from Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh onward) classical elements and choral singing take the front seat. The operatic vocals aren’t as obvious, but they’re definitely there, since Klaus Blasquiz had been working with his friend Christian Vander right from the start. Maybe the music really isn’t as “zeuhl,” or “celestial,” as on Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh, Kohntarkosz, Wurdah Itah, or Kohntarkosz Anteria, but the first two albums are perhaps even more original than those classics. True, the vocal melodies and arrangements aren’t among the best, but the album is remarkably consistent and the compositions themselves are superb, especially when you consider it’s their debut. And even though jazz is the most prominent style here, there’s hardly any long improvisation – good compositions and arrangements matter more.
Even if the music is convincing, the story behind this mystical band probably isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I also believe many find it pretty far-fetched. The story of this album goes like this: a group of explorers asks people on Earth to join them on their mission to Kobaia. These explorers head into space, and after a while they land on the planet Kobaia and discover that its inhabitants have built a utopian society. When they return to Earth, eager to share their discoveries with the other, unenlightened Earthlings, they meet with an unpleasant reception. Most Earthlings want to destroy this utopian world. It shows human spite and innate violence. Everything beautiful has to be destroyed. The story itself doesn’t strike me as all that convincing, but Vander’s philosophy suits me down to the ground, and that’s exactly why this band has grown even closer to my heart. Some people are rotten and wicked to their core, and even the promise of a better life fills them with hatred. But in Vander’s story there’s hope after all. Since Kobaia is supposed to be a mirror image of Earth, it would only take a few changes for Earth to become its own utopian version. There’s still hope!
This album usually isn’t counted among Magma’s best work, but personally I find it very appealing. I’m a huge fan of the band and own most of their albums, and this one strikes me as the most original. The sound is so unique, the album blends so many influences from very different corners of the world, and the compositions are so refined that every time I put this record on, it feels like a fresh challenge. Another wonderful thing about Magma is that no record sounds like any other, so every album brings something new.
Kobaia is without a doubt an album for those who love a challenge and aren’t afraid to try something new. Zeuhl is definitely a long way from the “pretty” progressive rock of bands like Genesis, Jethro Tull, Marillion, or even Yes, and Christian Vander always insists it doesn’t belong to that category anyway, but Magma still matter for the development of the genre. It’s worth stressing in particular that Christian Vander never compromises. He always makes the music he wants to make, doesn’t depend on big labels, and judging by interviews, that suits him just fine. He’d rather make music for the soul than music that brings in money, even though he clearly has a knack for pretty, almost “pop” melodies too.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
Lineup
Christian Vander – drums, vocals
Claude Engel – guitar, flute, vocals
Francis Moze – electric bass and double bass
Francois Cahen – piano
Teddy Lasry – soprano saxophone, first flute, woodwinds
Richard Raux – alto and tenor saxophone, flute
Alain Charlery – trumpet, percussion
Klaus Blasquiz – lead vocals
Production
Laurent Thibault
Track List
CD 1:
1. Kobaia 10:09
2. Aina 6:15
3. Malaria 4:20
4. Sohia 7:41
5. Sckxyss 2:47
6. Aurae 10:52
CD 2:
1. Thaud Zaia 7:00
2. Nau Ektila 12:55
3. Stoah 8:06
4. Muh 11:17
