The Free Radical

It was at this point that I learned that Quebec had a burgeoning prog scene during the seventies too. What’s odd is that I’m Canadian, and despite being a total prog head since my early teens, I had no idea that our provincial neighbours were tearing it up.

I’ve always appreciated Quebec’s “fuck you!” attitude. Nearly all French-Canadian bands refused to sing in English. That left them with rather insular careers. Many were fabulously famous in their home province but virtually unknown in the rest of the country. Europe provided an alternate marketplace where language wasn’t such a deal-breaker.

There’s only a couple of francophone bands featured here, and only one with lyrics, but this begins to set the stage for many foreign language bands yet to come.

Tracks:

• Provisoir -Opus-5
• La Ville -Syncope
• Sea Monsters excerpt -Flame Dream
• Life Can Be Like Music -Maxophone
• Kaleidophonia -Maxophone
• Actions -Messengers
• La Matanza -Messengers
• A Time A Place -Brainchild
• Stormy Weather Friend -Clareon
• Harmonies II -Freeport
• Take Off -Perigeo

Tracks:

• Follow That with Your Performing Seals -If
• Two Bad Days -Brainchild
• Intro (Übermorgen) -Surgery
• The Empyreal Ballet -Window
• Ebony Variations -Audience
• Nothing You Do -Audience
• Wishing Well -Kallabash Corp
• What Did I Say About the Box, Jack? -If
• Change -The Keef Hartley Band
• Rage -Syncope
• Bottle Mind -Ekseption
• Desserts/Forest Flower-Picking/Prelude -Dr. Dopo Jam
• Photo Musik -Christian Boule

Go to Set 5: Pop Rocks & Other Unsavoury Snacks

Go to Set 7: Quirky Jerky