When Québec progressive rock band Lasting Weep disbanded in 1972 after a 4 year run they did so with some unfinished business, something founding member Jérôme Langlois would rectify almost 4 years later. While Lasting Weep never really managed to get off the ground in their search for recognition, Langlois would find some measure of artistic success with Maneige, a band which played an integral role on the local progressive scene. Just prior to disbanding Lasting Weep were working on an ambitious piece of music called "L'Albatros" (The Albatros) which was a musical suite based on the poem The Rime of The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. As Langlois was leaving Maneige he finally completed his masterpiece and planned to perform it with both members of Maneige as well as the original members of Lasting Weep along with a total of 17 musicians and a mime troupe onstage in a multi visual concert experience. So in late February of 1976, over the course of 3 days and 2 shows per day, Lasting Weep was brought back to life for these performances at the National Library of Québec.
Unlike the 1969-1971 collection also released by ProgQuébec, Le Spectacle de l'Albatros sounds like a completely different sounding band primarily due to the added muscians and they definitely delivered a more coherent and unified set of music as a whole. There are plenty of lengthy instrumental passages, the music is rich and diverse, which highlight the absolutely fantastic performances captured in this live setting. It's a wonder to think what the whole experience must have been like for the members of the audience who got to witness this great event. The real icing on the cake would be had someone actually filmed the concert, however we do now have this superb live audio document to enjoy which preserves the final moments and secures the legacy of a band which delivered some of the most underrated progressive rock to ever come out of Canada.
Track Listing
1) Le Mariage
2) Préparation et Départ
3) La Mort de l'Albatros
4) Le Voyage Se Transforme
5) Malédiction
6) Jumping Jelly Beans
7) One By One By One By One
8) La Chanson de l'Oiseau des Îles
9) Le Voyage Se Transforme II
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