FEATURED FUSION GROUP:FRENCH TV (in chronological order)
FRENCH TV:After A Lengthy Silence CD
Eleven years on, remastered and with a bonus 15 min track, here is an album of good old '70's influenced, real jazz-rock/fusion from a much underrated USA band and it all still sounds superb and hasn't dated one jot. Featuring electric bass, drums, electric guitar, keyboards/synths and sax on a set of mindbending instrumental compositions, this music is inventive, full-sounding, intricate and definitely enjoyable. Firmly powerful but never losing sight of its dynamics, this is hot stuff, from reflective keyboard and guitar passages to supercharged group workouts, this is quite superb fusion music. The bonus track is a 15 min version of Nektar's legendary 'Tab In The Ocean' track and comes out sounding better than the original with some searing guitar and keyboard work. Warning - - this is nearly out of print, so hurry as it is almost certainly to be deleted.
FRENCH TV: Virtue In Futility CD
Released in '94, but recorded in the period, '87-'90, this is a rare example of the expanded group, with the quartet joined on certain tracks by sax, violin, trumpet players and various combinations thereof. The album opens with a smoking slice of potent rock-fusion from the quartet of keys, bass, drums and guitars, before track two begins with violin, then adds the other instruments individually, in double-quick time. eventually providing a rich slice of violin/wind-synth, string-injected fusion, with the bass well upfront and a full, almost orchestral sound. Track three gets funkier, in Brand X terms, with the wind/brass giving an extra edge and dimension to the tungsten-solid quartet. The rest of the tracks, from relaxed to frantic, all give complete satisfaction and some fantastic music that is real jazz-rock at work in its many orientations, remaining consistent and cohesive throughout.
FRENCH TV:Intestinal Fortitude CD
It's getting to the state with French TV albums that you have to pick them up when they come around just to make sure you get some more. So, for the first time for what isn't the latest album, we present this one at CD Services, and, in true traditions, it's another different aspect to this most inventive of the USA 'real' fusion bands. Here there is a mix of seriously fine and intricate jazz-rock with hints of Zappa in the occasional complexity of the arrangements but the band keep it level and accessible. There's a great interpretation of Van Der Graaf's 'Pioneers Over C' with suitably Hammill-esque vocal while the rest are lengthy originals from the quartet.
FRENCH TV:Yoo-Hoo CD
Powerful and inventive new live album from one of the USA's leading prog-fusion outfits, with a set of tracks that embody the old '70's elements of doing the unexpected and coming up with an album featuring plenty of intricate, dynamic music from the guitars,bass, drums, synths/kybds line-up, with hints of allsortz of UK fusion/prog bands from the '70's, along its instrumental way, and solid music to sink your ears into, proving that real melodic jazz-rock is alive and well. Not only that, but they have a real sense of humour that makes the material more than just serious and enjoyable listening - this is fun with a capital 'F' - in the old Brand X sense of doing things, and I would imagine that fans of that band would get a considerable kick out of this one.
FRENCH TV: The Violence Of Amateurs CD
Hey - whatever this lot are on, make mine a barrel-load!!! It's not often that something as simple (sorry lads - you know what I mean) as a jazz-rock group can produce something that is just so mind-bogglingly varied, that you are somewhat in awe of the mix of complexity, solidity, accessibility and musical fun with which you are presented on this brand new album. There are so many twists and turns that take your breath away, and just when you think you've heard it all, the band get their heads down and drive full-on into some seriously intense musical dimensions where the lead instruments and main ensemble melodic work, from mainly synths/keys/guitars and occasional flute/sax work, fly most high (exceedingly high, in fact). Even more fantastic is the rhythm section as, even in fusion acts, you rarely hear the bass and drums mixed and played to such perfection as this, and it's fair to say that finer electric bass work has rarely been heard outside of Percy Jones' days with Brand X. As the album continues, so the tracks get longer, and the music really smokes, with track three threatening to take your head off with its sizzling performances all round and a guitar solo that leaves you open-mouthed at the sheer scale of it all - nearly nine minutes of steaming ecstasy. The acoustic intro to track four, thus comes as something of a relief, as lilting sax, solid bass/drums and sweeping piano join the guitar on a dynamic but relaxed number that gradually builds up steam (all aboard!!!), but then spends the mid-section staying relatively restrained although subtly powerful throughout, with a superb flute solo and I don't like flute!!! (well, not on toast, anyway). After the ten minutes of superb dynamics and occasional driving arrangements towards the end of the middle (well.....you'll see), this is one of the tracks that really gets under your skin and makes you want to play it more and more often. But you carry on, and next up is the 12+ minute fifth track that sees the band back on the track of throwing up....err, I mean in...the kitchen sink, with more musical twists and turns than.....something with a lot of musical twists and turns in it. With the basic quintet line-up going at it, this is one belting track that has the lot, from subtlety to complex, melodic to all-out bite, relaxed to frantic, and yet all delivered with structure, purpose , heart and a fel that most fusion bands would kill for - just superb. Finally a near twenty two minute 'magnum opus' as the band proceed to do, somewhat bravely in my book, a track by Samla Mammas Manna. But wait....they do it BETTER than the original, and the basic quartet of electric guitars. analogue synth, electric bass, drums and keys really tear into the track and make it their own with the perfect mix of a wide range of European, American and UK fusion music styles as you'll witness on any such CD and the musicians really give everything with each one either delivering remarkable work in its own right, with some sizzling solos along the way from the guitar and synth/keys. The surreal mid-section starts off in slightly avant-garde territory but then see the structure put to great use as a storming electric guitar solo blares out from the foggy synth background while the rhythm section attempts to keep it all on the straight and narrow. After this, there comes eight (count 'em!!) explosive minutes of fantastic fusion music that'll have you racing around the room like an idiot, grinning from ear to ear at the sheer scale of the enjoyment factor and the finest group fusion this side of the '70's. Superbly arranged, produced, composed and delivered, this is one of the best jazz-rock album of the last ten years and easily the finest thing this band has ever done - and you can't say fairer than that - essential listening.
