Atoll is a French

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band formed in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

in 1972 and active until 1981. Different iterations of the group have since coalesced around prominent members, including Chris Beya and André Balzer. In the 1970s, they were ranked among the top progressive rock groups in France, along with Ange,

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma (sometimes colloquially but incorrectly referred to as ''lava'') is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also ...

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

, and Martin Circus, and they toured both at home and internationally.

History

First phase: 1972–1981

Guitarists Luc Serra and Jean-Luc Thillot as well as drummer Alain Gozzo, all three from the northeastern French city of

, met in 1972 and decided to form a band. With the addition of vocalist André "Dédé" Balzer and bassist Francis Paul, the original lineup of Atoll came together. After the release of two singles on

Eurodisc Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...

, the band underwent a few personnel changes: Michel Taillet joined the group on keyboards and percussion, and Francis Paul was replaced by Patrick Kiffer, who was himself replaced on bass by Thillot shortly after. In 1974, Atoll published their debut album, ''Musiciens magiciens''. At the end of the year, Balzer left and Serra took over on vocals, though he also departed the group before long. The band then took on vocalist and guitarist Jean-Claude Monnet, second keyboardist Bruno Géhin, and violinist Richard Aubert. In January 1975, Balzer rejoined Atoll on vocals, and in March, Monnet left; he was replaced by Chris Beya on guitar. The band had been working on their second studio album, titled ''L'Araignée-Mal'', and they released it at the end of the year. Géhin departed the group in July, and Aubert took over on keyboards. In 1976, Gozzo left and was replaced by Didier Hoffmann, though Gozzo eventually rejoined. Aubert also departed the group that year. At the end of 1976 and after having issued two albums, Atoll's lineup, consisting of Jean-Luc Thillot on bass, Alain Gozzo on drums, André Balzer on vocals, Michel Taillet on keyboards, and Chris Beya on guitar, remained stable until the band's 1981 breakup. Atoll's third studio album, ''Tertio'', came out in 1977 and included guest vocals by

Stella Vander Stella Vander (born Stella Zelcer, also known as Stella; 12 December 1950) is a French singer, musician and record producer. Early years Born in Paris into a family of Polish immigrants, she began writing music in the early sixties together with ...

and Lisa Deluxe from

. The group promoted its release with a concert at

Fête de l'Humanité The Fête de l'Humanité (; ''English: Festival of Humanity'') is an event organised annually by French daily newspaper ''L'Humanité'' in order to fund itself. It is the largest popular gathering in France. L'Humanité was created in 1904 by Fr ...

in September 1978. They followed up a year later with the release of ''Rock Puzzle''. The album was reissued in 1993 with six bonus tracks, three of which featured

John Wetton John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Although he was left-handed, he was known for his skilled right-handed bass playing as well as his booming baritone voice. He was a member ...

(

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

) on bass and vocals. One of these tracks, "Here Comes the Feeling", written by Wetton, was rearranged and appeared on the 1982 debut, self-titled album by Wetton's band

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. In 1981, while they had begun to work on new material, members of Atoll gradually drifted away from the group, beginning with Thillot and Balzer, but not before releasing the compilation album ''Cosmic Trips''. At the beginning of 2018, the Japanese record label Marquee approached Beya with the idea of organizing a concert with as many original Atoll members as possible. This led to a reunion with André Balzer as well as Didier Hoffmann. They were joined by Mike Kadi on vocals and flute, Jo Coimbra on bass, and Alain Chéry on keyboards. On 18 July 2018, in the company of the Australian group Mario Millo Band, Atoll performed in Tokyo.

Subsequent iterations

Chris Beya Atoll In 1985, Chris Beya recorded the instrumental composition "Métamorphose" for the Musea Records album ''Enchantement'', which also included music by Ange and

Pulsar A pulsar (''pulsating star, on the model of quasar'') is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its Poles of astronomical bodies#Magnetic poles, magnetic poles. This radiation can be obse ...

, among others. This led to Beya reforming Atoll, with him as the sole member of its final, 1981 lineup, in addition to Raoul Leininger on vocals, Jean-Pierre Klares on bass, Gilles Bonnabaud on drums, and Nathalie Geschir on keyboards. In 1989, the band released its first new record since 1981, titled ''L'océan'', followed by the live album ''Tokyo, c'est fini!'' in 1990. In 2003, the album ''Illian – J'entends gronder la terre'', was released under the name Chris Beya Atoll. In 2014, Beya, accompanied by Mike Kadi on vocals and Didier Hoffman on drums, released an English version of the album, titled ''I Hear the Earth''. André Balzer's Atoll From 2013 to 2015, André Balzer, together with a backing band, performed reimagined versions of Atoll songs live, under the name André Balzer's Atoll.

Band members

Current * Chris Beya – guitar * Didier Hoffmann – drums * Mike Kadi – vocals, flute * Jo Coimbra – bass * Alain Chéry – keyboards Past * Luc Serra – guitar, vocals * Jean-Luc Thillot – guitar, bass * Alain Gozzo – drums * André Balzer – vocals * Francis Paul – bass * Michel Taillet – keyboards * Patrick Kiffer – bass * Jean-Claude Monnet – vocals, guitar * Bruno Géhin – keyboards * Richard Aubert – violin, keyboards * Raoul Leininger – vocals * Jean-Pierre Klares – bass * Gilles Bonnabaud – drums * Nathalie Geschir – keyboards

Discography

* ''Musiciens Magiciens'' (1974) * ''L'Araignée-Mal'' (1975) * ''Tertio'' (1977) * ''Rock Puzzle'' (1979) * ''Cosmic Trips'' (compilation, 1981) * ''L'Océan'' (1989) * ''Tokyo, C'est Fini'' (live, 1990) * ''Illian – J'entends Gronder La Terre'' (2003) * ''I Hear the Earth'' (2014)

References

External links

Chris Beya Atoll
(archived)
André Balzer's Atoll
(archived) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atoll French progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1972 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 1972 establishments in France 1981 disestablishments in France Metz