Alain Markusfeld - Le Monde En Etages (1970) LP

Artist: Alain Markusfeld
Album: Le Monde En Etages
Release: 1970
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock
Origin: France
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Quality: Mp3, CBR 320 kbps

...( TrackList )...

1. Musique fatidique pour nuages fatigués (3:32)
2. Dans la glue moyenâgeuse (5:47)
3. Dors ! Madčre (4:09)
4. La terre se dévore ! (partie 1) (3:36)
5. La terre se dévore ! (partie 2) (3:25)
6. Les tętes molles. (6:41)
7. Actualités spatio-régionales (8:13)


- Jean-Claude Michaud / bass
- Jean Schultheis / drums, vibraphone, organ, piano
- Bernard Duplaix / flute, basson saxophone
- Denis Lable / guitar
- Alain Markusfeld / guitar
- Rolling / guitar
- Tommy Brown / drums


French guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, very unique. His albums blend multi- layered acoustic guitars with fiery leads, piano, ethereal female voices, throbbing bass and percussion. His guitar style could be described as early Larry Coryell (acoustic) meets Randy California (electric) with a strong middle-eastern influence. Le Desert Noir is a heavier guitar album which features drums on almost every track, overall very hendrix influenced. With Platock, there is more maturity in his sound, combining delicate acoustic guitars and more piano to his trademark sound, with less reliance on drums. Contemporus attempts to continue in the same vein, but fails to reach the same energy level, except possibly on the sidelong "Contemporus" suite. Start with Platock, which most will agree is his best. First two releases are very rare.

Alain Markusfeld's first album, released in 1970 was composed by Markusfeld himself who also plays guitar on "La terre se dévore! (partie 2)".

All pieces features Markusfeld french singing, in a rather spoken theatrical and declamatory style, which may remind of Ange. The lyrics, somehow science fiction inspired, feature a metaphysical, philosophical dimension with a good amount of delirious sick humour.

The music hesitates between several genres: pop, prog, psychedelic. Guitar style varies and may evoke Hendrix from time to time.

The first piece is a curious patchwork, beginning by a funny sung introduction with some chorus singing "le monde en étages" and then quickly moves to some killer prog, quite ahead of its time, featuring psychedelic guitar