Maneige
Ni Vent... Ni Nouvelle
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

1977 Original Canadian Gatefold Pressing, With Rim Text In French. Prog-Jazz-Fusion From Quebec! Glossy Vinyl, VG++ Cover. "Ni Vent...ni Nouvelle (No Wind...no News) Is Maneige's First Record After The Departure Of Jérôme Langlois. Although A Transitional Album In Many Aspects, It Nevertheless Clearly Indicated The Group's New Direction. Exit The Lush Acoustic Instrumentations, The Music Is Now Mostly Electric, With The Electric Guitar And Electric Piano Taking Center Stage, But Mallet Percussion Remains An Important Part Of The Melodic And Harmonic Content. Exit The Long, Intricate Suites: The Pieces Are All Short (Under Six Minutes), Focused, And Driven By Catchy Melodies. The Difference Between Ni Vent...Ni Nouvelle And The Albums That Came After It Is That This Time, The Music Works Very Well. It Keeps Much Of The Complexity The Group Distilled From Gentle Giant (See "La Fin De L'Histoire" Or "Le Gros Roux"), But Loses A Certain Pomposity. The FM Radio Compromises Found In Libre Service-Self Service And The Clinical Sound Of The More Jazz-Rock Albums Have Yet To Appear, Leaving The Music Warm, Smiley, And Inviting. "Douce-Amère" And "Les Folleries" Stand As Two Of Maneige's Most Memorable Tunes And Top Almost Anything Pierre Moerlen's Gong Has Recorded. The Last Of The Group's Noteworthy Recordings, It Is Also One Of The Very Few That Were Reissued On Cd. Sadly, The Kozak Edition Exaggerates The Bass Levels, Occulting Alain Bergeron's Delicate Flute Work." AMG Review By Francois Couture.