Atlantide - Atlantide (Reissue) (1976/1995)

ATLANTIDE, from France, is largely regarded as one of musical producer and engineer Jean-Pierre Massiera's major 70s projects, rather than being highlighted as a short-lived ensemble. While their sole, self-titled album failed on the path towards popularity and promotion, it is instead significantly appreciated for the classic-sounding, obscure and rare French prog treat it mirrors. Massiera's endless activity and broad achievements are too prolific to be covered here. His other notable (if not only) prog rock projects were VISITORS (1974; 1981), AFTER LIFE (1975) and HUMAN EGG (1978). He also appeared as a guest vocalist on WAPPASOU's first.

Musicianship-wise, ATLANTIDE is half of a reunion, with guitarist Bernard Torelli (guitars) and vocalist Patrick Atrali joining once more, after the Visitors experience a year earlier. Jean-Marc Mountain (Orion, Carpe Diem briefly) was also invited, mainly playing drums on the album. Jean-Luc Cream (bongos) and bassist Aldo Lacomelli, who complete the line-up, played with Atrali in two different side-projects. But at the foundation of Atlantide is the conceptual sum of Massiera's compositions, vocal-instrumental sketches and expectations, everything inspired by painter Jean-Claude Perrouin's futuristic approach of the ancient myth. Perrouin himself ordered the musical work, later providing with one of his canvases for the cover art.

Brainstorming over the initial sketches, mastering the melodies, pushing the arrangements into the complex, modulating, branched or rehearsing during many night sessions - all this lasted more than the recording, which was done swiftly, par-constrainedly in five weeks. Even here, though, changes hardly ceased, covering from new studio sounds & overdubbing to adding new instruments such as the initially-absent mellotron or the sitar (Torrelli playing both). Atlantide's final form was a five-piece, 30 minutes unveilling. It was released in 1976 on Crypto, but, as mentioned earlier, the lack of promotion, concerts and immediate reception limped the work's success - and drove the artists to abandon the project soon afterwards. Torelli was the only artist who genuinely continued working with Massaire, notably in Human Egg or the disco-oriented JMP & Co. Musea re-released this album in 1994, with four bonus tracks, surprisingly from Human Egg instead of being extended takes or unrecorded material from the Atlantide bulk.

Atlantide's music is foremost symphonic prog, with an absolutely inevitable reference to YES, since a lot of the basic themes in it are open to plausible rip-off criticism. The instrumental interludes, the soft and short rockier spots, the eerie, light vocals or the acoustic folk can indulgently propose something different. Torelli himself is linked with Steve Howe. It is worth considering that Massiera desired something in the vein of VANILLA FUDGE, when he first worked on the concept. Other spotted references for this music are KING CRIMSON, ATOLL or PULSAR. Overall, Atlantide is, to quote, a "progressive album of unmistakable quality, the band performing a refined, sophisticated, sometimes even precious music, displaying themes of enthralling melodic beauty, illuminated by Bemard's guitar choruses, Patrick's feline voice and Jean-Pierre Massiera's subtle studio work"