CLEARLIGHT — Delired Cameleon Family (review)

CLEARLIGHT — Delired Cameleon Family album cover Album · 1975 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Sean Trane
Clearly seen as another Clearlight album, it is much more than that. Thanks to my buddy Olivier for pointing out this album to me, as it was completely unknown to me, and it is part of my regular spin rotation. Musically, the album hovers around some Gong, with Steve Hillage, there is a pinch of Magma (mostly in the vocals), the rather freer sounds of Lard Free and Pinhas/Heldon, but it has an undeniably Clearlight affiliation. After an eastern Gong-like (mostly due to Blake/Hillage) spacey opening track, Weird Ceremony starts from the same aerial roots and glides back down slowly to earth letting the calm serene winds leading them away to the next song. La Fin Du Début (the end of the beginning) is the first track to boast some delightful plaintive, yet rested, vocals. While the first side of the album closes on a more energetic Gong-like spacey jam, where some of the improvisations come close to atonal and are rather unfocused, even losing the thread before ending with Stella Vander doing one of Zeuhl number. Too bad this tracks lacks rigour, for it has many highlights.

The second side is a slow crescendo that has again Gong roots, and is again jam- induced and dabbles in atonal improvisations that reminds of Lard Free's Unnamed album or even Keith Tippett's free jazz, but just as it gets lenghty and tedious, the track reprises a bit in a Hawkwind fashion. The lengthy closer Ananta, yet another spacey adventure offers too many lengths for its own good and the album's overall performance. Malherbe's sax adventures are a bit undermixed too, and Verdeaux's piano interventions are spellbinding, but overall, while still interesting, the track overstays its welcome.

This album IMHO, is more of Gong lineage musically speaking than a Clearlight album, but remains one of those albums that epitomize France's best contribution to progressive rock. Warmly recommended, even if not really essential but you would regret it if you passed over it.

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