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Harmonium (band)
Harmonium was a Canadian progressive rock band formed in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec. It became one of the best-known music bands in French Canada in the 1970s.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Serge Fiori met Michel Normandeau (vocals and guitar) in a theatre music meeting in November 1972. Later on, in 1973, they met bassist Louis Valois and formed Harmonium. In November 1973, the group performed their first air play on CHOM-FM. They played three songs: "Pour un instant," "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres," and "Un refrain parmi tant d'autres." The first two songs were later recorded professionally to be put on their eponymous debut album. The last song was a sequel to "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres", but never made the album cut, staying unreleased. A single was also released at the time with the hit "Pour un instant" on the A-side and "100,000 Raisons" on the B-side, the latter was eventually included on the CD-reissue version of the album nearly 20 years later. This album was a huge success and a sold out tour was staged all over Quebec and in French Canada.
Although a member since 1973, flute and saxophone player Richard Beaudet did not perform on Harmonium. He was replaced by Pierre Daigneault in April 1974. On April 27, 1974, Harmonium was interviewed and performed on the CBC Radio program The Entertainers. In August 1974, pianist, keyboardist, and synthesizer player Serge Locat joined the band.
Their second album, Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison, better known as Les cinq saisons, was an immediate success. This concept album includes five songs, each representing a season, with the last song being a long instrumental introducing a fifth imaginary season. For this album, the band invited two guests to play on the sessions: Judi Richards, who handles the vocalizations on the instrumental "Histoires sans paroles" and Marie Bernard performing the theremin-like sounds of the Martenot waves on "En pleine face".
At the Juno Awards of 1976, held on March 15, Harmonium was nominated for Group of the Year and Les cinq saisons was nominated for Best-Selling Album of the Year. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed this album at number 36 of the best 50 progressive rock album and declared it the best progressive folk album.
On February 12, 1976, Harmonium signed with Columbia Records' Quebec-based subsidiary, CBS Disques. Drummer Denis Farmer (formerly of Ville Émard Blues Band, Contraction, and Toubabou) joined in late February 1976, after meeting Fiori and Valois when they were all recruited to play in Bo Diddley's live backing band for his Montreal show on February 13, 1976. The double album L'Heptade, was released in November 1976, after months of recording in Fiori's house in Saint-Césaire, Québec. The songs describe seven stages of consciousness in a person's daily life. The first and the last songs are named "Comme un fou" and "Comme un sage", indicating a progression towards wisdom; from a fool to a sage. Normandeau, who helped write a majority of the material on the album, departed shortly into the recording of the release.
The band then embarked on a lengthy, 110-show tour which spanned from September 1976 to June 1977. The tour was divided into three legs, each offering a different set list and presentation. In January 1977, the band officially welcomed three session musicians from L'heptade for the second leg of the tour: flute and saxophone player Libert Subirana; pianist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist Monique Fauteux; and guitarist Robert Stanley (the latter of whom had played with Farmer in Ville Émard Blues Band, Contraction, and Toubabou, and was also part of Diddley's live Montreal band). In February 1977, Harmonium was booked for a 15-date Mexican tour, but pulled out at the last minute, leading Stringband to replaced them.
Locat, who later revealed in an interview that he had not been permitted by Fiori to contribute his compositions to the band, announced his departure in August 1977, wanting to record a solo album. However, he remained until November 1977, to fulfill a European tour opening for Supertramp.
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Harmonium (band)
Harmonium was a Canadian progressive rock band formed in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec. It became one of the best-known music bands in French Canada in the 1970s.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Serge Fiori met Michel Normandeau (vocals and guitar) in a theatre music meeting in November 1972. Later on, in 1973, they met bassist Louis Valois and formed Harmonium. In November 1973, the group performed their first air play on CHOM-FM. They played three songs: "Pour un instant," "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres," and "Un refrain parmi tant d'autres." The first two songs were later recorded professionally to be put on their eponymous debut album. The last song was a sequel to "Un musicien parmi tant d'autres", but never made the album cut, staying unreleased. A single was also released at the time with the hit "Pour un instant" on the A-side and "100,000 Raisons" on the B-side, the latter was eventually included on the CD-reissue version of the album nearly 20 years later. This album was a huge success and a sold out tour was staged all over Quebec and in French Canada.
Although a member since 1973, flute and saxophone player Richard Beaudet did not perform on Harmonium. He was replaced by Pierre Daigneault in April 1974. On April 27, 1974, Harmonium was interviewed and performed on the CBC Radio program The Entertainers. In August 1974, pianist, keyboardist, and synthesizer player Serge Locat joined the band.
Their second album, Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison, better known as Les cinq saisons, was an immediate success. This concept album includes five songs, each representing a season, with the last song being a long instrumental introducing a fifth imaginary season. For this album, the band invited two guests to play on the sessions: Judi Richards, who handles the vocalizations on the instrumental "Histoires sans paroles" and Marie Bernard performing the theremin-like sounds of the Martenot waves on "En pleine face".
At the Juno Awards of 1976, held on March 15, Harmonium was nominated for Group of the Year and Les cinq saisons was nominated for Best-Selling Album of the Year. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed this album at number 36 of the best 50 progressive rock album and declared it the best progressive folk album.
On February 12, 1976, Harmonium signed with Columbia Records' Quebec-based subsidiary, CBS Disques. Drummer Denis Farmer (formerly of Ville Émard Blues Band, Contraction, and Toubabou) joined in late February 1976, after meeting Fiori and Valois when they were all recruited to play in Bo Diddley's live backing band for his Montreal show on February 13, 1976. The double album L'Heptade, was released in November 1976, after months of recording in Fiori's house in Saint-Césaire, Québec. The songs describe seven stages of consciousness in a person's daily life. The first and the last songs are named "Comme un fou" and "Comme un sage", indicating a progression towards wisdom; from a fool to a sage. Normandeau, who helped write a majority of the material on the album, departed shortly into the recording of the release.
The band then embarked on a lengthy, 110-show tour which spanned from September 1976 to June 1977. The tour was divided into three legs, each offering a different set list and presentation. In January 1977, the band officially welcomed three session musicians from L'heptade for the second leg of the tour: flute and saxophone player Libert Subirana; pianist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist Monique Fauteux; and guitarist Robert Stanley (the latter of whom had played with Farmer in Ville Émard Blues Band, Contraction, and Toubabou, and was also part of Diddley's live Montreal band). In February 1977, Harmonium was booked for a 15-date Mexican tour, but pulled out at the last minute, leading Stringband to replaced them.
Locat, who later revealed in an interview that he had not been permitted by Fiori to contribute his compositions to the band, announced his departure in August 1977, wanting to record a solo album. However, he remained until November 1977, to fulfill a European tour opening for Supertramp.