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Review Summary: It's a classic of the dark symphonic prog rock and is among the best releases to come out of France in the 70’s. It's essential for collectors of the French symphonic rock. “Halloween” is the third studio album of Pulsar and was released in 1977. The line up on the album is Gilbert Gandil, Jacques Roman, Roland Richard, Victor Bosh and Michel Masson.
Pulsar was a French progressive rock group that rose to prominence in the late of the 70's. Like many of their French contemporaries they were exceedingly dark, though with a more atmospheric bent and a profound sadness at the core of nearly all of their work. Pulsar's music was in general characterized by extended suites with a weighing atmosphere and a Pink Floyd sense of grandeur and mood. Because of their atmospheric tendencies, the group is often unfairly criticized as a Pink Floyd's clone. They also used moog and mellotron to great effect, painting grandiose and often horrific backdrops to the mournful and sedate vocals. Pulsar sits within the symphonic progressive rock movement, and their fascination with dark atmospheres mixed with symphonic tendencies makes of their sound quite unique.
Pulsar began their career in 1975 with the release of their debut album, “Pollen”. During the subsequent tour, Pulsar struggled to build a fan base within their home country and persistent touring. The group appeared on the French charts and attracted the interest of concert and festival promoters. In 1976, they released their second studio album, "The Strands Of The Future", a French progressive rock classic that was loyal to the style displayed on Pollen, but even stronger. The album vaulted Pulsar into the big leagues of the French rock music. Under pressure from their record company to record and release a new album as soon as possible, in order to capitalize on their newfound popularity, the band set out to create a conceptual work with a similar thread of anguished romance and fantastic imagery. The result was 1977's Halloween, arguably the group's masterpiece and without a doubt another French classic.
“Halloween” is a conceptual symphonic studio album with only one theme, with the same name of the album. It’s divided into two side long parts and each part is also divided into several songs. This seems to be the most highly regarded Pulsar album. “Halloween” is really an excellent release. Most of the Pulsar's brilliance can be extremely subtle and the music on "Halloween" requires special attention to every theme, or else they might just float by unnoticed. This is an album full of haunting keyboard melodies and beautiful guitar textures. “Halloween” became a classic of the dark symphonic progressive rock music and is among the best releases to come out of France in the 70's.
Lyrically, “Halloween” tells us a kind of an imaginary journey of a little girl to the country of the sad dolls. This ambiguous, esoteric, cruel and entirely surrealistic story, relates the conversation between the little girl and an undefined person or thing. The lyrics were written in common by all the musicians, but were inspired on a strange story written by their drummer Bosh, some time before. On this third musical work of the group, this is the first time that all the lyrics on the album are sung in English. However, the lyrics were written in French by all the musicians and translated into English by an English teacher, a friend of them. Musically, the research for the writing of all the musical pieces was also done by all the musicians. All the musicians love different kinds of music and the influences can be varied. So, we can see on “Halloween” the deep influences of the symphonic rock, especially of Genesis, the influence of Pink Floyd and the unique touch of Pulsar. Anyway, for me, it’s also particularly evident the influence on this album of the romanticism of the Gustav Mahler’s music and the atmospheric ambiguous and indolent of the Luchino Visconti’s film “Death In Venice”, directed in 1971, which was based on the novel of the same name of Thomas Mann.
Pulsar toured throughout Europe to present on live, “Halloween”. In 1978, the group performed in two night concerts in my country, Portugal, where 15.000 people saw the two live shows that will last forever in their memory. It was the final evidence of their successful musical career and their potential as a big world’s band. I had the privilege of being one of those 15.000 people who assisted to one of those two memorable live concerts in Cascais, a place near to Lisbon.
Conclusion: "Halloween” is an excellent album which combines musical success with the celebration of a grandiose symphonic music and a technical achievement with perfect recording and full of nuances of a mixture of dark and warm colours. Pulsar’s “Halloween” is undoubtedly one of the major’s progressive albums of the second half of the 70’s, as well as their previous album “The Strands Of The Future”. “Halloween”, is simply a touchingly, beautiful and emotional symphonic progressive rock album, and is one of the essential musical pieces from the French rock scene of the 70’s. Both, “Halloween” and “The Strands Of The Future” are two truly classics of the dark symphonic progressive rock music and put Pulsar as one of the best French progressive acts of the 70’s, among their pairs, such as Ange and Atoll.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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Album Rating: 4.5
Here am I coming back to my reviews. This time I chosen, what I think be almost an unknown album. When I sometime ago took a look in Pulsar, here on Sputnik, I became amazed because I only saw two ratings of the album beside mine. The others are from Jethro and Frippertronics. As I love the band and the album and I really think they deserve to be better known, I decided to make this review, now.
During the review, I mentioned the film Dead In Venice of Luchino Visconti, an adaptation to the cinema of the oeuvre of Thomas Mann. I also mentioned the music of Gustav Mahler. When I talk about the music of Mahler, I mean the 3th and 5th symphonies of him. Particularly the use of the Adagietto of the 5th symphony is particularly brilliant and gives to the film a certain atmosphere ambiguous and indollent of a decadent romanticism that we can feel all over the film. This is one of the cases of a great adaptation of a classical oeuvre to the cinema. By the way, the role of Dirk Bogarde is simply amazing.
I mention the film and the music because I really feel it on the album, although with a certain dark and sadic ambience. It became very evident to me because I saw the film one more time, after more 30 years have passed since my last time, a few weeks ago.
So, if all I wrote here have interested you, and because of that, you read my review, listen Halloween, see the film or read the book, I can say that I gave my time very well spent.
As usual your comments are very well received, especially in this case.
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Nice! This needed a review. Good work. Hopefully it helps to spread the word about this record. It's a cool one.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks bnelso.
I can see that I have had a good idea.
Cheers.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
o: ooooohhh, stuff I haven' checked!. Nice work dude!
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks, SirLord.
One more band rare and obscure from the 70's. And I know you like this kind of things. I'm glad you liked it. Another gap filled here on Sputnik.
Cheers man.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Great choice. Nice review. Excellent album. Good work, man. Pos.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks, dude.
I'm glad to see that you you liked and rated the album too. I'm very happy with it.
Cheers.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Band creates such a dreamy, spacey atmosphere...I think every proghead should approach these guys.
It's a good thing you covered that album, and that you added Ange to your recs.
I was not sure if I enjoy this or The Srands of the Future more. I think Halloween is more memorable, more focused, even if The Strands of the Future is a mellotron delight. I might bump up Halloween to a 4.
The only real weak point I could see is the vocals. Not that bad, but they could have been better.
Great review e21.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks, Jethro. I'm really glad that you liked the review.
Anyway, I need to write a few lines about you wrote.
1st - You're right man. Every prog should approach these guys. However and unfortunately, this is almost an unknown band, which is a common trace with the French prog rock in general, I think.
2nd - Of course that I needed add Ange to my recommendations because is a trademark of the French rock. Especially in this case because I can see some traces of Genesis in the album. And as you know, rightly or wrongly, Ange were often considered the French version of Genesis. Anyway, Ange are probably the best French prog band of the 70's.
3rd - I know what you mean. For many people it's hard to choose between both albums. For me, I've no problem, it's Halloween. I know the band since they were born. I bought their debut album Pollen since it was released and I always liked it. It seemed to me a different kind of album, very different of what I used to listen. Then it was released The Strands Of The Future. Wow, what a great album. I was really amazed with it. Especially, the title track suite is really amazing. It's, in my humble opinion, their best composition, by far. So, I can understand your doubt. Finally, it appears Halloween. It's also a different album, a very dark conceptual album. I always loved conceptual albums. If you take a look at my reviews, you can easily see that almost of them are about conceptual albums. Anyway and despite of that, I really think that Halloween is a more mature album that the previous. It's more balanced also, for me. And besides that, I saw them live in the Halloween live tour. So, it's normal my preference.
4th - About the vocals you're right. It's probably the Achilles heel of the album. Anyway, you know, the French people singing in English aren’t properly an easy task to them.
5th – Anyway, did you saw the film, read the book or listened the 5th symphony of Mahler, already?
Cheers, dude.
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Have a pos, man. I'm pretty intrigued by the looks of this album, I'll bookmark the review for future inspection.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@e21; Yes the first half of ''Strands of the Future'' is delightful. I particularly like its clever use of the mellotrons. As for Ange, ''Par les Fils de Mandrin'' is my fave album from them. In effect, one can detect similarities with Genesis.
As for Mahler and his 5th symphony, I'm listening to that at the moment. Great piece of music indeed! Do you relate that to ''Dead in Venice'' or to that actual album? Or to both of them? I enjoy that symphony very much btw. I never got around to the book or to the movie either.
Cheers e21.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks Sabrutin. Do it man. You will see that this is really a great nice surprise.
About the cover of the album, it's very mysterious indeed. But it's a little bit sad, sadistic and even frightening too. It has all about with the strange story of the album. For instance, for those like me who have an original vinyl version, you can see in the back of the cover, a man in a room looking to the head of a doll over a desk, with an inescrutable air. Inside the cover of the album we can see a big picture of the doll and small pictures of each band member with the doll. This is all very surrealistic, dark and frightening. Very ill, indeed. This is really a very dark prog album.
Thanks for your opinion, dude.
Cheers.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I mean in both of them Jethro.
In the film, it's particularly relevant, I even can say that is absolutely fundamental in it. All the ambience of the film is built around the 5th symphony, particularly the Adagietto of it. Anyway, in the movie, Visconti also used the 3rd symphony of Mahler. I really think that he used the music masterfully in the film. I really think that this is one of the cases of one of the best soundtracks that I've ever heard.
In the album, I think we can feel a certain stifling atmosphere all over the album. However, in this case, we have a certain morbidity and a sadistic atmosphere. We can feel all over the album a certain fascination to the horrific and dark atmospheres. I really think that Pulsar are masters of it, and I think this is particularly evident in Halloween.
This is really what I think and feel, man.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I never thought Halloween was that dark. I felt some blatant sadness yes, but I'm far from feeling morbidity. Can you feel it both because of the cover art and for the music? If it's the case, I will need to listen again. Also, does the music of Halloween appear into the film Dead in Venice?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
No. What appears is the music of Mahler, only. Probably you're right. Perhaps I'm more influenced by the lyrics and the cover art of the album. However, I really think that the music is symphonic with some dark atmospheres. Anyway, the album has a sound quite unique, I think.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
It's just that I don't get why you're talking about the film and its soundtrack if it's not related to Halloween. Is it that you find similarities between Mahler and Pulsar at some point? (I'll probably have to re-read the portion of the review where you're talking about it)
I'm re-listening to Strands of the Future at the moment. It also contains darkness and a sense of suspense here and there. It's also well balanced with some good flute playing and smooth strings that distract us away from the darkness.. It seems they like to play with every ranges of emotions.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
"Is it that you find similarities between Mahler and Pulsar at some point?"
Yes, I can find some similarities between Mahler, Pulsar and the film too. Especially a certain ambiguous ambient that we can find in Halloween and the ambience of the Visconti's film. In relation to the film it's more about how Visconti can use so masterfully in the soundtrack of the film the music of Mahler.
Now, I will transcribe the portion where I say it.
"Anyway, for me, it’s also particularly evident the influence on this album of the romanticism of the Gustav Mahler’s music and the atmospheric ambiguous and indolent of the Luchino Visconti’s film “Death In Venice”."
Perhaps, I'm not capable to express better my feelings about what I feel. It's probably an influence of seeing the film again a few weeks ago. It's probably a very personal feel, I guess.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks for these precisions, dude. I'm gonna try to put my hand on ''Death in Venice'' then.
And after another listen to Halloween, I can see it, album is really dark. Some passages are really creepy. There is truly a sense of suspense and it's covered with dark ambience. I'm gonna listen to the album again and I expect a possible 4.5 to give to it.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Ok, man. I'm glad that you can see my point of view. And yes, see the movie if you can. However, Death In Venice isn't a terror film or even a frightening film. It's more a film that lives with an ambiguous reality. We can say that it's a film made in the shadow of a kind of a decadent romanticism with an indolent atmosphere and with a continuous androgen ambience. It's a little bit difficult to explain it. We need to see the film to get understand what I want to transmit. Anyway, I really think that the high points of the film are the ambiguous and mysterious atmosphere, the role of Dirk Bogarde, which is really brilliant, and the soundtrack of it with the music of Mahler. I think that is the sum of all this things masterfully directed by Visconti, that makes of the film a great piece of art.
Anyway, you can see some information about it, for instance in the wikipedia.
Cheers dude. And I'm glad that you changed your rating and that it can even be better.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great album. Probably won't use it for the prog contest, but I'm glad my searching lead me here.
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