GRIME - GRIME (FGBG 4038.AR) CD 70mTypical of much progressive rock from France during the late-70's, Grime had given up any aspirations on becoming known outside their homeland and concentrated on creating a music of uniquely French character. A little late on the scene, most of the more adventurous independents had disappeared and the majors were no longer interested in anything so eclectic as a French progressive band, their sole LP was thus issued privately (in an edition of 1,000 copies) and mostly sold at their concerts.The name Grime has nothing to do with dirt, but is actually a theatrical character, often represented by a sad frowning mask. Aptly, the music of Grime was quite theatrical, with a strong poetic nature and complex musical arrangements. The album itself follows the story of a man, who in his humdrum life, becomes caught up in a complex confusion of dream and reality. I won't tell you more, as the lavish booklet that accompanies the disc goes into great detail on this. The story could almost be an episode from "The Twilight Zone", and the music in reaction to this is most varied and inventive. Grime took as their footing the uniquely French progressive style as innovated by the likes of Ange, Mona Lisa or Atoll, and the song style is remarkably close to another band of the era: Memoriance. Hints of Gong-like riffing (also akin to Carpe Diem and Moving Gelatine Plates) add an unusual touch, and the counterpoints between dream and reality offer numerous chances to surprise the listener via a complex patchwork of sedate dreamy songs and dramatic instrumentals. A refined and beautiful album indeed.But, wait, there's much more to come on this disc, a bonus live album in fact! 33 minutes worth from a concert recorded 2½ years later in Switzerland. At this time, the music of Grime had changed and developed somewhat, there are versions of two tracks from the GRIME album, of which Cauchemar is attacked with great verve and energy; strangely it reminds me of This Heat! In fact most of the live material is much more radical that their earlier studio work, with many more jazz and folk elements at play. I'm often reminded of earlier innovators like Komintern, Mahjun or Herbe Rouge, the balance of styles is most wide-ranging and full of surprises that one could only hazard a guess at what a second studio album would have been like.I must certainly commend Musea on both the presentation and production of this disc, documenting a unique morsel of French rock history. A morsel that no self-respecting progressive music fan should be without!From my Musea reviews feature in Audion magazine #24 (Feb. 1993)