Progressive Rock Scene In France

During the mid to late 1960's the world was changing. The younger generation was fed up & angry with the government and the Vietnam War. In the US & UK numerous psychedelic rock bands began to emerge. This hippie movement was gaining momentum and spreading their message with music. Bands like the Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, The Vanilla Fudge, King Crimson, Donovan, Cream, The Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, and countless others began touring at home and abroad. Many of these acts began performing in smaller venues in Holland, Germany, Italy and France.

Similar to the rest of mainland Europe, the French scene were influenced by British & American psychedelic and progressive rock. One thing that separated France from other countries like Germany & Holland, the French sang in their native tongue. Many French acts were influenced by French poetry, theater and French traditional music.

Around 1969 bands such as Ame Son, Fille Qu Mousse and Red Noise were clubbing around France, opening for much larger acts from the US & UK that were making their way to the Parisian underground clubs. Bands like Arthur Brown, The Doors and The Pink Fairies created a buzz. One band that was not French but made their home in Paris was Gong.

Daevid Allen was touring with the Soft Machine in France. The band was making their way back to the UK, where Allen's Visa expired. He needed to wait three years for entry back into the UK. He decided to settle in Paris and form Gong in 1967. The band incorporated psychedelic, progressive and space rock. By the late 1970's they turned into a jazz fusion act. They've had numerous offshoots of the band, leading to numerous albums with a revolving door of musicians. The band is still active.

One band that was extremely influential during the early to mid 1970's was Magma. The group, led by Christian Vander, became legendary inside and outside France. Language was not a problem as they used their own made-up language. Their explosive mix of progressive rock, jazz, and avant-garde classical musical influence made it a magnet for some of France’s best musicians.

Ange was a highly influential French progressive rock band during the 1970s. They had a long and prolific career. Formed in September 1969 by the Décamps brothers, keyboardist Francis and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Christian, Ange was a popular band in the rock festival circuit. Ange made heavy use of the mellotron, the moog and various other electronic instruments.

Another incredible and unique band was Clearlight, conducted by the pianist and keyboarder Cyrille Verdeaux. With their first album, "Clearlight Symphony", released by Virgin in 1975 this band has developed a new conceptual musical universe based around classical romanticism, jazz, experimentation and "psychedelic" atmospheres. The band toured with Gong throughout the 1970's in Europe.

French electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre is an artist who is similar but much different to the likes of Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno and Kraftwerk. He released his magnum opus in 1976 called Oxygene. This is a revolutionary release for the French scene and electronic/ambient music at that time. Very innovative in it's sound, production and overall effect on the listener. By 2016 it has sold over 18 million copies. It is the best selling electronic/instrumental album in the history of France.

Throughout the 1970's into the 1980's many French bands never broke "big" in the UK or US. Maybe it was poor distribution or maybe the refusal to sing in English. Whatever the case many acts were only recognized by music fans of the progressive rock scene through magazines, the internet & word of mouth.

In 1985 a French Record label named Musea Records began signing predominately French progressive rock bands. Musea not only produces groups, but the label reissues many older, out of print albums from around the world.  The company also supports their roster at live events.
So there you have it. I wanted to touch on this scene in France, since it's unnoticed to most people and many of these acts need to be recognized. Here is a list of acts that are quite good and need much more recognition:

Atria
Atoll
Asia Minor
Booz
Halloween
Heldon
La Rossa
Mona Lisa
Pulsar
Step Ahead