Richard Vimal- Transparence

This is far and away the rarest album in my collection. I've tried to search the Internet for information on Richard Vimal, and there's almost nothing about him. He's from France, but that's about all I can get on his background. What I was able to dig up was that this is the first of 3 albums he put out, and the only one with vocals. Transperance was released in 1977, and is one of the many sonic, atmoshpereic electronic prog albums released during the mid to late 70's.

The first track is called "Intro + âme soeur" (Intro + Soul Mate). It kicks off with a gentle acoustic guitar melody accompanied by a background synthesizer, and then transfers into a soft vocal of a man serenading his soul mate. In a similar vein, "Metomorphoses" involves some synthesizers (I believe they're ARPs) under the guitar, this time as an instrumental. The whole feeling of the album is very open and fresh, like mountain air.This album has a particularly strong melodic patterns, some of which repeat them selves. Song three is "Joli papillon" (Joyous Butterfly), another ballad about paying attention between lovers. "Léa" is the next song, and it's more of the same. This time however, Vimal includes some grand piano along with the mix. "L'ange des terres brûlées" (The Angel of the burnt earth) is the next track, and it's got some cool wah-wah synth effects to make it rather ethereal. I've been unable to detect where the side break is, but I think this is the time.

Side two begins with "De l'autre côté du miroir" (The other side of the mirror), and it's a creepy instrumental piece with lots of minor chords, unlike the first half of the record. Afterwords, "Tu es douce comme un fruit" (You are sweet like a fruit) is another piano heavy ballad, this time featuring very little synths except buried deep in the mix. "La clef des songes" is the next one, and it has a dark aura also. This song's lyrics deal more with rejection than happiness in love. "De ce côté du miroir" (This side of the mirror" accompanies "De l'autre côté du miroir" and has the same basic melody. Everything wraps up with "Derrière moi " (Behind me), one last little upbeat love ballad to end on a sweet note. This song also is the only one on the album to feature violin.

Transperances doesn't feel like a prog album. With an abundance of simple love ballads (great for French learners like myself) and a light feel, it doesn't seem like it would leave an impression. However, it has just the right amount of chill and intrigue to be infectious, addictive, and enjoyable. The tracks aren't very different, but they blend into one beautiful sonic trip. This album was never re-issued, so your only options are trying to track down the hard-to find vinyl or downloading it (also difficult to find).

This album is a gentle lulluby, a kiss goodnight. Not your everyday progressive rock album, but still a fantastic addition to your Prog collection. Grade: A-