The Official MAGMA (& Christian Vander) Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Plan9, Mar 8, 2008.

  1. jay.dee

    jay.dee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    I'd suggest starting with their live albums, say Zühn Wol Ünsai - Live (1974) or Live/Hhaï (1975), where they breathe some air into their monumental compositions.
     
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  2. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Good idea. I would also suggest any of the anniversary live concerts where they play the MDK trilogy or the Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré trilogy.
     
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  3. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    This album (second in what's now considered a trilogy ending with MDK, although it was released later) is when I got it, as you say. The stripped down instrumentation compared to the Magma records made it easier to swallow somehow.

     
  4. RollinHard843

    RollinHard843 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Yeah, MDK was not a good starting point for me in the early 2000's, but when I finally revisited Magma in 2015 again, the band REALLY clicked. Like some others have said it was the live stuff that did it for me. Magma Live, from 1974 or 1975 just blows me away. It has a much better sound than MDK and the energy of the performance is just out of this world intense (when the composition calls for it).

    Aside from Magma Live, I had an easy time getting into Wurdah Itah, KA (Kontarkosz Anteria, a reunion album from 2005 that's really well rounded and well produced), and 1001 centigrade. The 2000's era Magma does the choir vocals really well.

    The retrospective albums from 1980 are also excellent, but the repetitive, loud synth part on Theusz Hamtaahk is probably a little too over the top unless you know you already like the band.

    Getting into Magma for me was a lot like Frank Zappa where I feel like there's no single definitive statement from the band, and it's the overall career that has to be sampled.
     
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  5. krimson

    krimson Forum Resident

    I agree that the early live stuff was what got me into Magma. Live/Hhaï (1975) Was the one that got me hooked first and highly recommend it.
     
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  6. PROGGER

    PROGGER Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    this album craps on mdk :)
     
  7. WTLB

    WTLB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Thank you to those who responded! I will have a listen to the early live albums :) I just listened on the Magma youtube channel to «Theusz Hamtaahk» from the BBC 1974 album and I kinda liked it. The sound was pretty good!!!

    From what I understand, «Theusz Hamtaahk» is the first part of the -- THEUSZ HAMTAAHK Trilogy --.......................I think I'm doing good as of yet to try and understand this band :) :)

    Right now I'm listening to Mekanik Zain from the «Magma Live» album :)

    Tx
     
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  8. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toulouse, France

    Yes sorry I called it the "MDK trilogy" when it is officially the Theusz Hamtaahk Trilogie comprised of
    1) Theusz Hamtaahk (1981)
    2) Ẁurdah Ïtah (1974)
    3) M.D.K. (1973)


    The Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê Trilogie is
    1) Köhntarkösz Anteria (2004)
    2) Köhntarkösz (1974)
    3) Ëmëhntëhtt-Rê (2009)


    (these are the recording dates, not the composition dates)
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2020
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  9. WTLB

    WTLB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    No problem at all :) :) The Live album from 1975 is very good indeed!! This live band is very powerful too!!

    Tx
     
  10. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    A direct-to-disc recording session of Magma with keyboardist and composer Christophe Chassol will be released for Record Store Day in september in France

     
  11. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    With only 300 copies I have little hope of getting one. But while I'm here I hope @Hundazir Strabehn is feeling better!
     
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  12. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    Thanks for your kind message. I did recover but I’ve fallen ill again. I’m here in Edinburgh on my own which doesn’t help matters.
     
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  13. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Here's something that should cheer you up :)

    I Must Return from the 1984 album Merci!

     
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  14. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    In these troubled times when we are unable to perform live until further notice, we offer you the reissue, in a new packaging, of the legendary MAGMA concert at Printemps de Bourges 1979. While chosen for their rich and original musical content, rather than strictly technical qualities per se, these archives are a testament to the astounding talent of cult band Magma during its 50 years of career. In addition to the remastering, the original tape, which had suffered before being found, has been restored and reworked here, This concert stands out as a moment of grace, partly due to its extreme tension and the risks taken collectively, which the audience still reminisces of to this day. And if all the musicians offer, as usual, their
    energy ever so in synch with their worldly reputation, AKT 15 holds a special place in the band's history, documenting this particular period for which we have very few testimonies. All earthly fans and more recent amateurs will, without a doubt, take great pleasure in (re)discovering that exceptional performance.


    Magma - bourges 1979 (2cd) seventhrecords
    And soon on the MAGMA OFFICIAL TV / AKT TV Youtube channel, some excerpts of the MAGMA concert filmed in Perpignan on March 8th, 2020
     
  15. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Seeing all of the threads on Record Store Day, I was reminded of the direct to disk Magma single documented earlier in the thread. Looking at the few on offer I can see that (as expected) I'm not going to own one of them :)
     
  16. Bass on Top

    Bass on Top New Member

    Location:
    Eindhoven
    Hi, this is my first post. I joined purely for Magma. I don't think there is an official Magma forum?
    But this seems like a nice community.

    For the last two years I am really addicted to Magma, especially their 70's stuff. My favorite compositions are the 'Big Three' as I call them:
    -MDK (Retrospectiv II&III version). I only like the live versions of MDK. The album version sounds very weak and lacks the sheer power of the best live versions. The production of the album version is not good.
    -Theusz Hamtaahk (Retrospectiv II&III version)
    -Kohntarkosz (Live Hhai 1975 version)

    My favorite (official) albums are:
    -Live Hhai 1975 (my most favorite one!)
    -Wurdah Itah
    -Udu Wudu
    -Attahk

    From the later Magma I only really like Slagtanz. I prefer the old Magma from 1972 till 1977. For me that's their golden era. Later they became to bombastic for me me and mostly reviving their old sound and ideas. Slagtanz is a bit of an exception because it is some kind of a new sound. I think the later line up still does a really good job as a live band though but the studio albums don't do it for me personally.

    Anyway, I have some questions:
    -The version of Wurdah Itah on Spotify is supposed to be the studio version. But it is not. It is an old live version. I can not find which version this is exactly and if it was released by Magma on an album. Anyone knows this?
    -Has anyone seen the Magma documentary 'the Music of Magma'? How is it? Has it been released yet?
     
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  17. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    It's fairly obvious what is going to happen but I've received unofficial confirmation that the remaining 2020 gigs have been postponed, possibly until this time next year. The Leuven gig at the end of this month is definately showing up as cancelled and the Brest gig is showing as being rescheduled to the 27th February 2021.

    I hope that they can reschedule (and play) gigs sooner rather than later as I would not like to be a musician in these times with no guaranteed income streams coming in. It's nightmareish for us as fans but it must be a million times worse for musicians and venue owners etc.
     
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  18. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    The version on Spotify is from the live concert/DVD Trilogie au Trianon from 2001. I've never thought of Wurdah Itah as songs, but the clue is the second half of the part called "Blum Tendiwa", which has an extra melody which had not been recorded before. I highly recommend getting some version of the original studio recording, which was my gateway to Magma. I had heard the studio MDK and my reaction was similar to yours, but this one (released as a Christian Vander solo LP marked as the soundtrack for the film "Tristan et Iseult") started my long journey and to me it is the best of their early records. I also hope you can see the DVD, which is great and along with Wurdah has to me the best live versions ever (to this day!) of Theusz Hamtaahk and MDK. I think most of it is on Youtube.
     
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  19. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    As expected all the 2020 gigs have now been postponed until 2021. Only the Brest one has a new 'definite' date.

    Concerts – Magma
     
  20. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Welcome ... I think that the motto of the boards should be “Come for Magma, stay for Macca“. :D We Magma fans only constitute a microscopically small minority of posters.

    For those who may have missed them, I put a couple of Magma video reviews here and here.
     
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  21. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    The listing for next year has been updated with Brest moving from February to November. I hope everyone in and associated with Team Magma keep well and manage to survive the twelve month delay.
     
  22. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
    My 2020 tickets are slowly being reissued with new ones for Rennes and Vitrolles having arrived by email
     
  23. Hundazir Strabehn

    Hundazir Strabehn Kobaïan spoken here

    Location:
    Edinburgh
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  24. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    I like the reworked covers for some of the titles, but the sound remastering itself... Let's just say I'm unconvinced.
     
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  25. KCLizard

    KCLizard Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montréal
    Why? Too loud, too compressed?
     

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