January 21, 2018

Octobre ‎– "Live" Chants Dans La Nuit (1978, 2 LP, Canada)

Legend has it Octobre almost stole the show when they opened for King Crimson in the early 70's in Québec (though the fact that they shared a common language with the crowd made it easyer for them to identify to the band probably came into play). Well, with this live performance recorded in Montreal in '78, we get an opportunity to hear what the fuss was all about.

From the point the show kicks off with a beautiful acoustic build-up version of Survivance till the closing classic piece la Maudite Machine, we are treated to an excellent show of musicianship showcasing many highlights of their career and adding a few instrumental pieces in the blend like the "holy grail" of Octobre fans, the long latin-beat; "Brazilia". A few songs, starting with Insurection, benefit from a full horn section and theres also a very nice orchestrations on "le Vent Se Lève" which was left aside on the cd reissue as was also "l'Oiseau Rouge".

Overall I'd recommend this to fans and newcomers alike. The only problem is to get your hands on an actual copy since the LP and CD have been long out of print (some rips have been floating about though). The sound quality is very good and the bands performance is at its peak.

It's not a small feat to be regarded by many as tied with Harmonium's "En Tournée" as the best live recording from a Québec prog group.
Recorded live at The St. Denis Theatre, Montréal ,Québec,Canada March 9, 1978.