Pulsar, French progressive rock band

Pulsar is regarded as one of the best known French progressive rock bands, and for good reason. They have been called the French Pink Floyd, but they had plenty of their own style so as not to be considered copycats. I am focusing only on their first three albums as that’s the ones I’m familiar with (they released two more albums in the 1980s, and in 2007 released a reunion effort called Memory Ashes). The group’s core members included keyboardist Jacques Ramon, drummer Victor Bosch, guitarist/vocalist Gilbert Gandil, and flautist/keyboardist Roland Richard. The band had trouble keeping bass players, as each album had a different bass player.

– Pollen (1975)
The original LP had been released on Kingdom Records in France, then the following year, in the UK on Decca. The album also featured Phillipe Roman on bass (not sure of his relation to Jacques Roman). This is truly a fantastic debut. This is a rather experimental and spacy album, as demonstrated right away on the opening cut, “Pulsar”. Strange electronic sounds, some drumming, and guitar work from Gilbert Gandil. A nice short introduction that leads to “Apaisment”. A fantastic, haunting piece, with vocals in French and nice use of Solina string synth. I also really like the flute that ends the piece. “Puzzle/Omen” is a more fast-piece number with some spoken dialog from Carmel Williams during a piano interlude. “Le Cheval de Syllogie” is a real bizarre piece, especially with this strange spoken dialog in electronically altered French. The last piece, “Pollen” shows the Pink Floyd feel the most, but with that Romanticism that is a big trademark of the band. Jacques Roman also includes some Floyd-like Hammond organ work, plus some great piano passages. It’s a fantastic debut, but often looked in a slightly lesser light compared to their following two.

– The Strands of the Future (1976)
Again released on Kingdom in France, and then Decca in the UK, the album also got reissued on CBS when the band moved to that label. OK, Phillipe Roman is now out of the picture, bass duties now handled by Jacques Roman (who continued his keyboard duties, of course). This is the album many regard as one of their crowning achievements, and I really can’t argue that. Jacques Roman had now acquired a Mellotron, and really puts it to great use in the music. The music has a sci-fi feel to it, which spills over to the album cover artwork. The side-length title track starts off with synth drones, sounding almost like what Klaus Schulze might do, until the drums and guitars kick in. There’s a short vocal interlude, in French. The cut goes through many different changes and themes, before ending with some mellow use of flute from Roland Richard. “Flight” is the shortest piece on the album and a killer instrumental piece. I really love the wordless voice and Mellotron passages (I really get a kick off the tron choirs, which is used here). “Windows” is a rather dramatic piece, with dramatic vocals from Gilbert Gandil, but it also demonstrates his English really needs working on (I seriously doubt he knew much English recording this album), but the music is so great you can forgive his shortcomings! The comes the final cut, “Fool’s Failure”. I saw one website (I won’t say) that stated this was a weak cut. For me, I think this is truly the highlight, another great dramatic piece. I really like the spoken dialog and grand Mellotrons that are included in this piece. Plus the flute. You’ll notice the flute style of Pulsar is nothing like Ian Anderson’s at all. You really can’t go wrong with this album at all!

– Halloween (1977)
By this point, the band got a record deal with CBS, and a new bassist, Michel Masson. This time the group recorded a somewhat less spacy album, but having a stronger Romantic symphonic feel. Highly regarded as their high point as well, there are some who prefer this one to The Strand of the Future and vice versa, it all depends on taste. The album this time consists of only two side-length cuts divided in suites. The album will certainly throw you off when you hear a child sing a wordless version of “Londonderry Air” aka “Danny Boy”, but as soon as the synths and Mellotron kick in, you know you’re in Pulsar territory. It starts off rather mellow, before the drums kick in and the band pick up speed. Eventually they mellow out, and Gilbert Gandil gives us some rather dramatic vocals (but again still demonstrating his English needs working on). The second half of the album starts off rather experimental, before a mellow vocal passage comes in, and then perhaps the most dramatic passage they ever did, with vocal harmonies, fuzzed guitar work from Gilbert Gandil. After this dramatic passage, you get some cello work from Jean Ristori (who was once in a prog rock group called Mainhorse that featured a pre-Refugee/pre-Yes Patrick Moraz, and he also appeared on many of Moraz’s own solo albums). After that, the band gets into a great jam, with some nice synth work, before mellowing out with worldess voices and a string synth to close this album. Unfortunately the changing fads in music by this time made it more difficult for Pulsar to record albums (they couldn’t record any more albums in the 1970s, only released two albums in the ’80s, none in the 1990s, and it took until now, 2007 to get a new album out).

And while I’m only familiar with these three albums, they had since released three more albums, Bievenue au Conseil D’Adminstration (1981), Gorlitz (1989), and after a long silence, Memory Ashes (2007). But these first three albums are simply the highlights of French prog, as far as I’m concerned. You really should not go without these albums. And the great news is Musea Records in France reissued those albums on CD, so you don’t have to luck out if you don’t own a turntable.