Artist: Magma
Label: Seventh Records
Release: 1981
Rating: 4.6/5
After 1978 and the album Attahk, Magma decided to take a bit of a break. Really, it was more about focusing on live shows and less on studio projects. So in the early eighties they decided to put out the Retrospektiw series, which showcases the best-known as well as some lesser-known creations. On Retrospektiw I-II, the lesser-known stuff includes Theusz Hamtaahk, which had never been released before (neither live nor on a studio record). For his exploits, Christian Vander once again gathered a huge lineup of the musicians he trusted most on stage. Judging by the excellent recordings, they didn’t let him down.
The show kicks off with Theusz Hamtaahk, which was meant to be the first part of a trilogy, together with Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh (the third act) and Wurdah Itah (the second act). At times the piece is pretty atypical for Magma, since there’s quite a bit of symphonic and space rock in it. You’d think that wouldn’t be a natural fit for this lineup, but they play those parts like they’ve been doing this kind of music for years. To me, Theusz Hamtaahk is one of the band’s best pieces. It’s very varied throughout and less repetitive than usual, the vocal parts are once again outstanding, and the instrumentalists are top-notch. Vander’s solo vocal spots crank the excitement up even higher. He tackles quite a few styles again – scat, falsetto, screeching,… Even though there’s plenty of new stuff here, the sound is still the unmistakable one. The bass booms throughout, the keyboards are of course hugely mighty (three keyboardists), and the vocals stand out most of all. The other instruments don’t lag behind either.
On the second CD, Magma play a somewhat different version of Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh. It starts off with Vander reciting in French (a kind of introduction to his philosophy), followed by a bombastic take on that cult (first) zeuhl album. The performance is brutally powerful and superb, but the winds from the album are replaced by a synthesizer. I’m normally pretty skeptical about moves like that, but this one works surprisingly well. The effects are more than satisfying, though I’d have been even happier with real winds. But clearly, even Magma had money troubles in the early eighties, so they couldn’t afford everything they wanted. A bit past the halfway mark they stop playing by the notes and the piece tips over into Mekanik Zain, improvisations on the theme from Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh. The improvisations do start with the bass theme from Topove De Future (Üdü Wüdü), and then comes a performance similar to the one on Live/Hhai, only shorter here. The excellent violin is back, and I honestly wonder why Vander never used Didier Lockwood on a studio record. Probably it’s because Lockwood is a brilliant improviser, while Vander wanted more strictly composed pieces on his studio albums.
On the first Retrospektiw album (or rather, the first two discs), Vander once again surrounds himself with nothing but outstanding musicians. Paganotti further develops his deafening bass style. On top of his typically superb drumming, Vander adds solo vocal spots that deserve all the praise, the guitar is even more noticeable this time (especially on Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh), the keyboards lean a bit more toward synths (although the electric piano, a kind of Magma trademark, matters too), the violin delivers some exceptional improvisations, and the strongest link is again the layered (almost choir-like) vocals.
Retrospektiw I-II is a superb live recording of the band at the peak of their powers. It would be hard to find two better pieces for a live showcase. Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh is of course one of Magma’s classics, while Theusz Hamtaahk could have become one if Christian Vander had recorded it in the studio. Both pieces are full of energy and played with just the right amount of conviction and enthusiasm to pull the listener right in. What bugs me, though, is that the album came out on two CDs, since it runs under eighty minutes and could easily have been released as a single disc. This way they get to charge the price of a double release. But all that bitter aftertaste vanishes while listening to this splendid concert.
Lineup
Klaus Blasquiz – vocals (1,2)
Stella Vander – vocals (1,2)
Liza Deluxe – vocals (1,2)
Claire Laborde – vocals (2)
Maria Popkiewicz – vocals (2)
Didier Lockwood – violin (1,2)
Gabriel Federow – guitar (1,2)
Jean-Luc Chevalier – guitar (2)
Patrick Gauthier – keyboards (1,2)
Benoit Widemann – keyboards (1,2)
Bernard Paganotti – bass (1,2)
Christian Vander – drums, keyboards, vocals (1,2)
Production
Uniweria Zekt
Tracklist
CD1:
1. Theusz Hamtaahk (36:05)
CD2:
2. Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh (40:04)
Album length: 76:09
