Les Contes du Singe Fou
Encyclopedia
Les Contes du Singe Fou (roughly translated, Tales of the Mad Monkey) is a progressive rock
album by Clearlight
, released in 1976 on Isadora Records in France
.
Returning again to France, Clearlight turned to conceptual space rock
with science fiction
lyrics. (The lyrics do not have anything to do with a mad monkey, however.) Les Contes du Singe Fou is the only Clearlight album in which vocals and lyrics play a significant role. In reverse of the previous album, the title is in French, but all lyrics are in English. This is not apparent from the cover, which contains no song titles on the outside. English Lyrics with French translations are printed on the cover's gatefold. Musically, the album contains psychedelic
, new age
, and jazz fusion
elements.
. The cable turns into an umbilical cord
where it attaches to the character on the back cover. Other cables from the box lead to the monkey's head and ears, and some lead out of sight, as also seen on the covers of Clearlight Symphony and Forever Blowing Bubbles
.
Although planets appear to be suspended in space, the characters are sitting upon and hanging from crescent moons, and the front cover moon and one of the planets on the back are made of a substance that is dripping, suggesting there is gravity present in a downward direction. The crescent moons are physically crescent, rather than in shadow, making the whole cover look like a stage prop background. The monkey on the back holds a miniature planet Earth between its feet. A rainbow hangs impossibly in space, despite the supposed lack of atmosphere. (Rainbows appear on all Clearlight covers, with the exception of Delired Cameleon Family
.) A bubble also floats in space, similar to those seen on Forever Blowing Bubbles.
On the back, there is a planet made of bricks, and a keyhole in one brick exactly matches the key held by the monkey. A small moon inscribed with an aum
symbol orbits the brick planet, almost touching it. Finally, the crescent moon on the back is sprouting a huge weed-like plant with berries, undoubtedly a reference to "Moonweed", Tim Blake
's nickname.
The track list and composer credits on the label are incomplete and possibly mixed up. It is likely the vocal tracks were to be credited to Mandin / Verdeaux, and instrumental tracks to Verdeaux, as shown here.
produced
by Joël Dugrenot
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
album by Clearlight
Clearlight (French band)
Clearlight are a French progressive rock band from the 1970s, although their best known work was produced in England, and released by a major British record company...
, released in 1976 on Isadora Records in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Returning again to France, Clearlight turned to conceptual space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
with science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
lyrics. (The lyrics do not have anything to do with a mad monkey, however.) Les Contes du Singe Fou is the only Clearlight album in which vocals and lyrics play a significant role. In reverse of the previous album, the title is in French, but all lyrics are in English. This is not apparent from the cover, which contains no song titles on the outside. English Lyrics with French translations are printed on the cover's gatefold. Musically, the album contains psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
, new age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
, and jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
elements.
Cover art
The cover has an elaborate fantasy illustration that makes reference to song titles, previous album covers, and a member of the group. The artist is not explicitly credited, but his signature, "Solé" is visible. The picture, which continues onto the back cover, shows a character on the front with a monkey's head on a human body, chest and one hand visible but otherwise wearing a fantastic multi-coloured suit with cape. On the back there is an unclothed monkey with a human's head, suggesting the heads of a human and a monkey have been exchanged. The character on the front is wearing skates, and the character on the back is holding a large key, referencing the two suite titles. The two characters are connected by a cable which is an electrical connection to a box on the front cover character's chest, similar to the box of dials and cables on the cover of Clearlight SymphonyClearlight Symphony
Clearlight Symphony is a progressive rock album released in 1975 on Virgin Records in the UK. It does not officially have an artist name, but is now regarded as the first album by Clearlight who adopted the name later that year, after briefly using the name Delired Cameleon Family...
. The cable turns into an umbilical cord
Umbilical cord
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
where it attaches to the character on the back cover. Other cables from the box lead to the monkey's head and ears, and some lead out of sight, as also seen on the covers of Clearlight Symphony and Forever Blowing Bubbles
Forever Blowing Bubbles
Forever Blowing Bubbles is a progressive rock album by Clearlight, released in 1975 on Virgin Records in the UK. It is their first album to use this artist name, but is regarded as their third album....
.
Although planets appear to be suspended in space, the characters are sitting upon and hanging from crescent moons, and the front cover moon and one of the planets on the back are made of a substance that is dripping, suggesting there is gravity present in a downward direction. The crescent moons are physically crescent, rather than in shadow, making the whole cover look like a stage prop background. The monkey on the back holds a miniature planet Earth between its feet. A rainbow hangs impossibly in space, despite the supposed lack of atmosphere. (Rainbows appear on all Clearlight covers, with the exception of Delired Cameleon Family
Delired Cameleon Family
Delired Cameleon Family is a progressive rock album by the group of the same name, released in 1975 on EMI Records in France. It is now regarded as the second album by Clearlight who adopted the name later that year, in response to the success of Clearlight Symphony , which is now regarded as...
.) A bubble also floats in space, similar to those seen on Forever Blowing Bubbles.
On the back, there is a planet made of bricks, and a keyhole in one brick exactly matches the key held by the monkey. A small moon inscribed with an aum
Aum
Om or Aum Om or Aum Om or Aum (also , written in Devanāgari as and as , in Sanskrit known as (lit. "to sound out loudly"), ', or ' (also as ') (lit. "Auṃ form/syllable"), is a sacred/mystical syllable in the Dharmic or Indian religions, i.e...
symbol orbits the brick planet, almost touching it. Finally, the crescent moon on the back is sprouting a huge weed-like plant with berries, undoubtedly a reference to "Moonweed", Tim Blake
Tim Blake
Timothy 'Tim' Blake , keyboards, vocalist instrumentalist and composer with both Gong, and Hawkwind. Blake is best known for his Synthesizer and Light performances as Crystal Machine, with the French Light Artist Patrice Warrener...
's nickname.
Side one
- "The Key (La Clé)"
- "The Outsider (Je Suis d'Ailleurs)" (Francis Mandin / Cyrille Verdeaux) – 5:27
- "A Trip to Orient" (Verdeaux)
- "Lightsleeper's Despair (Angoisses d'un Insomniaque)" (Mandin / Verdeaux) – 8:38 (parts 2 and 3)
- "Soliloque" (Verdeaux) – 5:35
The track list and composer credits on the label are incomplete and possibly mixed up. It is likely the vocal tracks were to be credited to Mandin / Verdeaux, and instrumental tracks to Verdeaux, as shown here.
Side two
- "Time Skater (Le Patineur du Temps)" (Mandin / Verdeaux) – 22:14
- "Countdown to Eternity (Compte a Rebours pour l'Eternite)"
- "The Cosmic Crusaders (Les Croises du Cosmos)"
- "Stargazer (Voyeur d'Etoiles)"
Personnel
- Cyrille Verdeaux – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, ARP OdysseyARP OdysseyThe ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.The Odyssey is...
, timbaleTimbaleTimbale may refer to:*Timbales or timbal, a Cuban and LatinoAmerican percussion instrument*Timbale , a kind of dish of various ingredients baked in a round mold...
s - Francis Mandin – ARP OdysseyARP OdysseyThe ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.The Odyssey is...
- Tim BlakeTim BlakeTimothy 'Tim' Blake , keyboards, vocalist instrumentalist and composer with both Gong, and Hawkwind. Blake is best known for his Synthesizer and Light performances as Crystal Machine, with the French Light Artist Patrice Warrener...
– EMS and VCS3EMS VCS 3The VCS 3 is a portable analog synthesiser with a flexible semi-modular voice architecture, by Electronic Music Studios Limited in 1969....
synthesizersAnalog synthesizerAn analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies... - Yves Chouard – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Ian Bellamy – vocals
- Didier LockwoodDidier LockwoodDidier Lockwood is a French jazz violinist. He played in the progressive rock/jazz fusion band Magma in the 1970s and is known for his use of electric amplification and experimentation on different sounds on the electric violin....
– violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, bass violinBass violinBass violin is the generic modern term used to denote various 16th- and 17th-century forms of bass instruments of the violin family. They were the direct ancestor of the modern cello. Bass violins were usually somewhat larger than the modern cello, but tuned the same or sometimes just one step... - Serge Aouzi – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Joël Dugrenot – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Joël Dugrenot