SLOCHE — J'un Oeil (review)

Album · 1975 · Jazz Related Rock

4/5 · 2024-10-11
FunkFreak75

Québecois band of jazz- and funk-oriented musicians release their first studio album.

1. "l" (8:52) starts very spacey with lots of synths playing around, as if trying to find a groove to attach themselves to. When the groove does arrive it sounds quite a bit like some Canterbury Santana--or maybe KHAN. Little keyboard interlude at the 4:54 mark brings us back to the searching chaos of the intro. The organ eventually directs everything into a kind of "Big Bang/Creation" crescendo. By 6:20 we're groovin' again--almost Motown-ish (the rhythm guitars--remind me of THE ISLEY BROTHERS, AVERAGE WHITE BAND, or WAR). Then the clavinet comes in! It's BILLY PRESTON! Fun song if a little dated. (17.5/20)

2. "Le kareme d'Eros" (10:50) begins like a piano bar player warming up his fingers with a bombastic pseudo-classic piece before getting into a CHICK COREA-like rhythm and style at the 1:10 mark. The melody established by the (Still) solo piano at 1:45 sounds a bit cinematic--as if to confirm that we are in the piano bar (with Billy Joel). At 3:15 the pianist starts to show off his classical licks à la KEITH EMERSON. At 3:45 a MAGMA-like choir makes quite an impressive (and welcomed) entrance--all over a repeating Chick Corea "Falling Aice" descending chord progression. Let the wild rumpus begin! The ensuing duelling electric guitar and keyboard sound very much like LARRY CORYELL'S performance on LENNY WHITE's forgotten classic Venusian Summer. Cool little bit. by 8:55 we've left that and gone into a more RETURN TO FOREVER-like passage. Interesting song that I'm not sure really works--even if it is supposed to portray little Cupid's random exploits. (17.75/20)

3. "J'un oeil" (4:43) relies on the repetition of a very familiar poppy riff until the wonderful clavinet-backed choral-vocal section begins. At 2:10 we go back to the introductory repetitive riff for a bit, until it slows down with a spacey organ and high-register electric guitar melody take over. Switch back to the choral-vocal section for the last minute. At times this is very Yes Fraglie quirky and funky--and even humorous. (8.875/10)

4. "Algebrique" (6:30) is a bit more cohesive and yet GENTLE GIANT- and YES-like in its structural shifts and staccato rhythms. An interesting ZAPPA-like part begins at the 2:10 mark, with synth and voices grabbing the listener's attention. At 3:28 begins a sudden foray into territory covered by TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA's in "The Ikon." Luckily, they don't stay there long--though the drummer more and more sounds to me like a drummer from Todd's mid-70s posse. The heavier, more KING CRIMSON-esque final minute is my favorite part of this, my favorite song from this album. (9/10)

5. "Potage aux herbes douteuses" (7:07) begins again very much like the AVERAGE WHITE BAND, shifts to a little GINO VANELLI coda, then back to the A part, coda B before shifting into second gear with a fun off-tempo section. This seems to be very much an exercise in band odd tempos, though the insidious climb up the scale is enjoyable and interesting. At 3:30 the choral enters for a different coda before the THIJS VAN LEER-like organ play takes us to an extremely FOCUS/CAMEL-like section--which then combines with the choral beautifully. Wonderful! Interesting ANT PHILLIPS-like end! (13.5/15).

Total Time 38:25

This is a fairly recent discovery of mine, thus, as I go to rate it, I take into consideration both the impact it has on me today (a bit dated and immature) as well as my imagined impact the album would have had on me in the 70s or 80s (probably like Camel's Moonmadness.) I think it is a good album that has indications of a band that could (have) evolve into a great band. Like a funked up CAMEL or FRUUPP. 3.5

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent debut of very enjoyable funked up prog rock. Not quite pure Jazz-Rock Fusion but, at the same time, I consider the funky music here just jazzy enough to qualify for the Jazz-Rock Fusion lists.