Harmonium – L'heptade

Bought brand new sealed from an independent seller for 43 CAD. Both records are not perfectly flat, but are well centered. My copy was very noisy out of the sleeve, but it got a bit better after a deep clean. Still a lot of “tics” and a very few “pops” here and there though (it’s still a bit annoying, especially on the many quiet ages of the album). A very few of non-fill too on both records.

On the music side of things, this is a stunning progressive album. This remaster sounds quite a bit different from the OG 1976 release, which was much bassier with withdrawn vocals (but impressively natural overall). On the other hand, vocals, strings and reverbs are a lot more upfront on this 2016 remaster. It can sound more digital/glary than the OG on a few ages (like on “Les premières lumières”), but It’s very enjoyable IMO. Both versions are great, but just different.

Overall, this remastered version is not cheap, it’s not bad, but I was expecting a bit better in of pressing quality... 4.5 / 5

Different mix, different result.

Mastering spotlight is mainly on Fiori, you may like it or you may don't. I think it's great to have both if like me you think this is the best progressive album ever made. I recommend getting the original pressing if you want the real thing on vinyl but don't want both.

I had a sealed copy of the original pressing and can tell the XL release is nowhere close to the Perrot/Lachance mix and the Customatrix masters (Columbia Records and CBS). It just doesn't make sense having Fiori and Valois improvising themselves as mixing engineers would beat the original work done on this album, even with new tech considered. I would be curious to have Steven Wilson or any other renown sound engineers to have a try at this album since we know by now they have the original master tapes.

Hopefully the result of the XL release sounds stellar as the mastering has been done by the great Ryan Morey.

The included DVD is a disappointing piece of plastic. Fans have been asking for years for a live concert on DVD or Bluray, at this point I'd even consider a VHS tape. I've found more by myself digging RC and other television channel's archives. This DVD is titled as a movie and not a live concert which makes sense as they've ruined the live performance by replacing the original audio track and cutting the video with annoying effects. They could have added an additional audio track with the original CD mastering and the new XL mastering while keeping the original live audio no matter how poor the quality was.

This is my favourite album and this release was exciting but ended up ruined by amateurs.

This isn't an audiophile release, it's a power trip made by boomers for boomers.

I'm just discovering this group. I listened initially to "Si on avait besoin d'une 5ème saison" and found it kind of pleasant, a bit jazzy (that's an observation, not a preference), but not all that inspiring. So I thought nope, it's one to skip.
Still, I always give a group a second change and this was it.

What can i say? It totally, totally blew me away. It's just so ... complete.
It helps that I speak near-perfect French, but that wasn't at all necessary to appreciate it.

(I'm still not keen on the other one though :p)

Wow this sounds amazing ! Very clear and much more details than the original version. A must for every Harmonium's fan.

* The original, very first "Columbia" issue of the cassette version from 1976 came with a cream-colored cartridge and black jewel case. Subsequent re-issues used either a black or transparent cartidge and transparent outer jewel case. These later releases used the CBS logo (not Columbia), some included the "chromium dioxide" logo, and some final releases included a "bar-code".

L'Heptade was Harmonium's final studio offering, and I really needed to make this review because it's unbelievable how much this group had progressed between their self-entitled 1974 debut to L'Heptade, released in November 1976, just a couple weeks after completion. Serge Fiori's voice is still recognizable as ever before, and though I'm from America and not familiar with French accents, it sounds to me like he sings it with a Quebec accent. While their debut was rather straight-ahead folk and folk rock, this one is a highly symphonic, orchestrated album, with orchestra, conducted by Neil Chotem. Serge Locat's Mellotron work was greatly diminished from their previous album, Les Cinq Saisons, which is understandable thanks to a real orchestra, but he does include a little. Michel Normandeu, though credited with a bulk of the songwriting, left halfway to be replaced by new guitarist Robert Stanley. I really like how the oarchestra blends well with the music. The folk elements are still there, but there's often a more electric approach, with electric guitar and synthesizers, plus full-time use of drums (their second album is their only album without any drums). Some of the songs tend to have a rather slow pace, like "L'Exile" and "Lumière du Vie" so it often requires your full attention. I really love "Le Corridor", with gentle use of electric piano and female vocals, but I really love that use of phased Mellotron near the end part.

Not knowing French, it's apparent the lyrics to the album is about the seven stages of consciousness.

This album took me perhaps one of the longest times for me to get familiar with it. But once I did, I can understand why this album is so highly praised. Also it's no surprise this was their final studio offering. Serge Fiori probably knew he probably couldn't top what he done here, and although a 1977 live recording (in Vancouver) surfaced in 1980 as En Tournée (live rendition of L'Heptade), Harmonium was pretty much history by 1978.