Here are a few others from Forced Exposure released by Spalax. How are the Musica Elettronica Viva recordings? Artist: MUSICA ELETTRONICA VIVA Title: Leave The City Label: SPALAX (FRANCE) Format: CD Price: $16.00 Catalog #: SPA 14968 Spalax have created a subsidiary label (Spalax2) which will be dedicated to the Actuel collection of music, as originally issued by the BYG label out of France. "Musica Elettronica Viva or MEV as they're sometimes called, were founded by Ivan Coaquette (pre-Spacecraft), and also included his wife, Patricia and Birgit Knabe, as well as various other collaborators along the way. The music we find here is an extremely experimental form of electronic jazz which is not a million miles away from the styles of early German Krautrock bands such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Originally issued in 1970." This was the second of 2 MEV albums to released by BYG in 1970, following The Sound Pool (which featured Alvin Curran, Richard Teitelbaum & Frederic Rzewsi amongst others). It features floating, droning free music freakouts of the finest cosmic quality and this reissue is a major event by any sensible standard. A note of explanation from Frederic Rzewski about the various incarnations of MEV: "In 1968/69 MEV experimented with audience participation and took on a number of new younger people, many of whom were not musicians. We wanted to see how far we could extend the idea of free improvisation, surrounding the core group with people who happened to be around. The group expanded and spawned separate communities. In the early 70's there were three MEV's: one in Rome, led by Alvin Curran; one in New York, where Richard Teitelbaum & I were based; and one in Paris, which was organized by the Coaquettes. Birgit nd Nona were members of the Living Theatre, with whom we also hung out a ot, and Stefano was one of the younger acolytes. The record you are talking about was a kind of hippie child who chose MEV as its identity. Nobody ever found out really who was in MEV. At that time, it was part of a movement, and that part of it that was a part of the movement lived and died with that movement." Artist: MUSICA ELETTRONICA VIVA Title: The Sound Pool Label: SPALAX (FRANCE) Format: CD Price: $16.00 Catalog #: SPA 14969 Reissue of the other MEV album on BYG, their first for the label, originally issued in France in1969 and a very desirable item for quite some time. A live recording from May of 1969 featuring a free-form ensemble of: Constance Abernathy, Michel Asso, Bert, Michael Blake, Barbara Bryant, Carius, Franco Cataldi, Ivan & Patricia Coaquette, Alvin Curran, Chaia Gerstein, Jeff Levine, Jean-Marie Poiret, Frédéric & Nicole Rzewski, Richard Teitelbaum, and the audience. A screaming maelstrom of freedom blare, raw and relentless. Rattled percussion, reed blattage all over the place and total sonic pandemonium are just some of the features on this historic avant-noise document. [The sleeve incorrectly lists just 2 tracks with a lenght of about 12 minutes; it's really 4 tracks at about 41 minutes.] Artist: GONG Title: Magick Brother Label: SPALAX (FRANCE) Format: CD Price: $16.00 Catalog #: SPA 14812 Recorded in 1969 and originally released on the legendary French BYG label, this CD reissue beautifully replicates the original's artwork on a nice fold-out digipak and thankfully rescues this work into public visibility. Led by Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth, Gong's debut album presented their spiked vision of "The Kingdom of the Pothead Pixies" into truly illustrious fashion. The spiritual heirs to the fractured throne of Syd's Pink Floyd, this is space-whisper genius from the peak days of the psychedelic dream Artist: AME SON Title: Catalyse Label: SPALAX (FRANCE) Format: CD Price: $16.00 Catalog #: SPA 14823 Reissue of the original 1970 album on the BYG label (one of the label's few entries in the rock field), and a classic period piece, like Gong at their heaviest. "Ame Son is the pioneer group of French Underground born at the end of the 60s. The band is made up to two former members of Banana Moon, Daevid Allen's band on his arrival in France in 1967. Their music was harsh and scathing with vocals in both French & English, sometime with an outside layer of 'formal beauty', rapidly devastated by strident, unnerving guitar distortions and enraged flute sounds." Artist: FREEDOM Title: Freedom At Last Label: SPALAX (FRANCE) Format: CD Price: $16.00 Catalog #: SPA 14927 1969 bluesy hard rock guitar trio, originally issued on BYG (one of the few "rock" albums in the original Actuel series). Rather bland. I was also rather intrigued by this one. Any comments: Artist: VA Title: 1968-1998: 30 Years of Musical Insurrection in France Label: SPALAX (FRANCE) Format: 3CD Price: $50.00 Catalog #: SPA 14711 A three CD box with excellent 56 page booklet dedicated to the music of France that was initially fueled by the Revolt of '68, with one CD dedicated to each decade since. Some material is commonly available, much of it is not; the first CD covers the seventies (1969-77) and features some pretty mind-blowing stuff from the peak years of free-rock cacophony. The 1st CD features the following (an * indicates previously unreleased material, or least unavailable on CD): Jacques Dudon (*, classic freak out guitar mania from '69), Red Noise, Ame Son(*), Gong, Dashiell Hedayat, Catharsis, Contrepoint (*, primitive free jazz), Lard Free, Dagon(*, great progressive psych from 1972 by this undocumented & legendary group), Fille Qui Mousse (*, live track from 72!), Mahogany Brain, Majhun(*), Jac Berrocal & Musik Ensemble (*, brilliant space-improv alternate take from his debut album for Futura in 1973), Schizo (*, pre-Heldon group featuring Richard Pinhas, doing an early 7"-only version of 'Le Voyageur' -- historic psychedelic rock with spoken text by Gilles Deleuze), Oedipe (*, undocumented Canterbury style from '76)& Metal Urbain. The 2nd CD covers the eighties (1977-90) and a significant New Wave cadence starts to abound, featuring: Camizole (*, pretty wild associated of Etron Fou), Heldon(*, live from '78), Le Grand Nébuleux et ses Laveurs de Consciences (*, crazy electric jazz fusion from '78), Etron Fou, At et Technique (*), Jean-Marc Foussat (*, strange improv from '81), Vidéo Aventures, Kas Product, Fall of Saigon (*, YMG-ish synth pop pleasure from '81), Les I (*), Tanit (*), Pascal Comelade (*), Clair Obscure, Dazibao(*), Alto Bruit (*), Cosmic Wurst & Catalogue (*, live from '90). The third CD covers the nineties (1991-97) -- some okay stuff and some rather dire industrial rock material as well -- and features: Urban Sax, Jacques Dudon, M.K.B., Corman et Tuscadu, Francois Robert Lloyd, Vox Populi (*), Ulan Bator, Prime Time Victim Show, Alpes Patrice Moullet, Atta Sexden, Cape Fear, Ashtray Hearts, Viellistic Orchestra, Nicrik, Jean-Francoise Pauvros(*), Osaka Bondage (*) & Sun Plexus (*).

Speaking of David Burrell, IMHO the best of his earlier sessions is High Won-High Two, in a trio (plus Pharoach Sanders on tambournine [!]) session, with tunes ranging from gospelly blues to a West Side Story [!!] medley.

Considerinbg when last seen Black Lion had deleted it and it was going dirt cheap, everyone should get a copy.

I second that, but rate all his stuff highly. The solo stuff on Denon, and the 3 duos with David Murray on Black Saint, Victo, and Gazell are essential. Most people like the hat art album - I enjoy it but it doesn't excite me in the same way. regards, Billy --