Haze - C'est La Vie - The Ember


Year of Release: 1996
Label: Cyclops
Catalog Number: CYCL 041
Format: CD
Total Time: 60:10:00

Nice instrumental passages, strong rocking vocals, and tangent planes with a spectrum that stretches from IQ to Yes and from Tangerine Dream to Grateful Dead -- that's what Haze is all about. The brothers Chris and Paul McMahon have been delivering material in the prog circuit for more than twenty years. On one side you have their project World Turtle, whilst on the other side you get a more cosmic, electronic approach with Von Daniken. Their main concern however was/is the trio Haze.

In an effort to release all of the band's material, Cyclops re-released C'est La Vie, an album that originally was released in 1984. Even after the (absolutely) necessary remix you are left with a dull, clammy, dated sound, whilst the music really had her better days long time ago! In a way, opener "Mirage" has a couple of hooks you'd rather associate with Budgie. The ballad "For Whom" can compete with the best Tears For Fears, including the very warm, melodic Paul McMahon. Brother Chris's synths in "The Hum" are taken from the Wakeman-book, whilst the intro for "Gabadon" comes from the latter's Yes-period. "Roger's Revenge" is funky/poppy, kinda what happened during the new wave period (Gang Of Four). In fact Haze "borrows" from trillions of influences, which makes it difficult to really "label" them. However I guess the three boys really love what they do regardless of what kind of music it really is. For me this is more than enough!

Next to the eight tracks out of C'est La Vie four tracks from the maxi-single The Ember have been added as a bonus. It has to be said that three tracks of C'est La Vie together with "Mountain" from The Ember were previously available on the Kinesis CD In The End: 1978-1988 released in 1992. Haze surely is a band that can have success in the pub circuit but who will never be accepted out of this circuit. It does remain material for diehards though.


Tracklisting:
Mirage (7:05) / For Whom (5:23) / The Hum (4:20) / Gabadon (3:39) / Roger's Revenge (3:43) / Don:t Leave Me Here (5:36) / Fallen Leaves (3:54) / The Load (8:04) / The Ember (4:46) / The Ceiling's Coming Down (3:35) / Freedom Road (3:30) / Mountain (6:35)

Tracks 1-8 taken from C'est La Vie LP & cassette as released on 07/04/84, tracks 9-12 taken from The Ember 12" & cassette as released on 21/10/85

Musicians:
Paul Chisnell - percussion, vocals
Chris McMahon - bass, keyboards, vocals
Paul McMahon - lead vocals, guitars, bass

Discography:
C'est La Vie (1984/86)
Stoat And Bottle (1987)
In The End: 1978-1988 (1992)
World Turtle (1994)
C'est La Vie - The Ember (1996)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: May 22nd 2001
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website: www.norrow.demon.co.uk/turtle/
Hits: 2226
Language: english

  

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