Pulsar 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 whose influences include
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
and
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 ...
, plus classical musicians and composers such as
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...
.
During the early 1980s, the group performed and composed the music for a Franco‑Austrian
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
production. Their most recent album is ''Memory Ashes'' (2007).
History
Pulsar is the first French band to have signed with an English label, which was called "Kingdom Records".
The band recorded and published its first album, ''Pollen'', in 1975. Philipe Roman left the band shortly after. The following year, the group recruited bassist Michel Masson, who later collaborated with them on ''
The Strands of the Future'' (1976) and ''Halloween'' (1977).
In the early eighties, together with director Bruno Carlucci, in
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
, Pulsar adapted a short story by Austrian novelist
Peter Handke
Peter Handke (; born 6 December 1942) is an Austrians, Austrian novelist, playwright, translator, poet, film director, and screenwriter. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has ...
: "Bienvenue au Conseil D'Administration!" (1981). The quintet comprised Gilbert Gandil on guitar and bass, Victor Bosch at the drums, Jacques Roman on keyboard, and Roland Richard playing the flute and saxophone, along with Louis Paralis taking the place of Michel Masson.
From 1974 to 1989, their albums were produced by
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. Later, they were produced by Musea, a
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
label which had bought the distribution rights. The band launched a comeback in 1989, publishing ''Görlitz''.
The group's most recent album is ''Memory Ashes'' (2007), produced by Cypress Music. In 2008, ''
Goldmine Magazine
''Goldmine'', established in September 1974 by Brian Bukantis out of Fraser, Michigan, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, in ...
'' listed ''Halloween'' among the top 25 albums of
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 ...
.
In 2013, Jacques Roman and Gilbert Gandil released the album Way to Lhassa band with the band Siiilk.
Band members
Discography
*1975: ''Pollen''
*1976: ''
The Strands of the Future''
*1977: ''Halloween''
*1981: ''Bienvenue au Conseil d'Administration''
*1989: ''Görlitz''
*2007: ''Memory Ashes''
Authorship
The introduction of the album ''Halloween'', credited as one of the band's compositions, is the traditional Irish tune "
Londonderry Air
The "Londonderry Air" is an Irish air (folk tune) that originated in County Londonderry, first recorded in the nineteenth century. The tune is played as the victory sporting anthem of Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. The song " Dan ...
".
References
External links
Pulsar official fan Pageon Facebook
*
{{Authority control
French progressive rock groups
Musical groups established in 1974
Musical groups from Lyon
Musea artists