Attahk
1978 studio album by Magma
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Attahk is the seventh studio album by French rock band Magma, released on 5 March 1978. Its sound marks a noticeable shift from the sound of the band's previous albums, predominantly consisting of funk and jazz fusion music that incorporates elements of rhythm and blues, gospel, and pop music.[1]
| Attahk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover art by H. R. Giger | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 March 1978 | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 1977 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:07 | |||
| Label | Eurodisc, Tomato | |||
| Producer | Laurent Thibault | |||
| Magma chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Attahk | ||||
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Background
Magma had disbanded after the release of their 1976 album Üdü Ẁüdü, before reuniting in early 1977 with a vastly changed lineup. Christian Vander took this time to experiment with a new musical direction, incorporating elements of R&B and gospel music into his material. A sign of this push in another direction would be the band regularly performing "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors throughout early 1977.[2]: 60 Another major shift in 1977 for Vander was the birth of his daughter, Julie, with now-wife Stella Vander. This influenced a more positive and upbeat direction for his music, as her birth brought him out of a depression that had formed since the release of Üdü Ẁüdü.[3][2]: 61–62 A grown Julie Vander would perform on later Magma releases such as the live Theusz Hamtaahk Trilogy.
Vander had attempted extensive collaboration with members from 1975-1976 as he wished not to assume full control, but the recording of Attahk made clear to Vander that with a new lineup, this was not an option from this point onwards;[3] excluding Merci, the next Magma release to feature material from a collaborator would be 2022's Kartëhl.
As with some songs from Live/Hhaï and Üdü Ẁüdü, the song "Rind-ë" was a discarded piece of the composition Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré, and would be incorporated into the first track of the 2009 re-recording.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Christian Vander.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Last Seven Minutes (1970-1977, Phase I)" | 7:35 |
| 2. | "Spiritual[a]" | 3:17 |
| 3. | "Rind-ë (Eastern Song)" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Liriïk Necronomicus Kahnt (in which our heroes Ürgon & Ğorğo Meet)" | 5:04 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Maahnt (The Wizard's Fight Versus the Devil)" | 5:29 |
| 6. | "Dondaï (To an Eternal Love)" | 7:59 |
| 7. | "Nono (1978, Phase II)" | 6:17 |
Personnel
- Klaus Blasquiz (Klotz) – vocals
- Rene Garber (Stundehr) – vocals
- Stella Vander (Thaud) – vocals
- Lisa Bois (Sïhnn) – vocals
- Tony Russo – trumpet
- Jacques Bolognesi – trombone
- Benoît Widemann (Kahal) – grand piano, Rhodes piano, Minimoog, Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer
- Guy Delacroix (Ürgon and Gorgo) – "Earth" bass, "Air" bass
- Christian Vander (Dëhrstün) – lead vocals, drums, percussion, grand piano, Rhodes piano, Chamberlin
with
- Laurent Thibault – production, engineering
- Michel Marie – assistant
- H. R. Giger – cover illustration
Literature
- Gonin, Philippe (2010), "À la recherche d'un nouveau public Attahk", Magma - Décryptage d'un mythe et d'une musique (in French), Marseille: Le Mot et le Reste, pp. 199–210, ISBN 978-2-36054-000-6
Notes
- Originally titled "Spiritual (Negro Song)"