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Maneige were an instrumental progressive rock group active in the 1970s and 80s in Quebec. I've seen them described mostly as a kind of symphonic fusion band, but here on Live à L'Évêché — my first exposure to this band's fairly extensive catalog, which seems to unfortunately fade in and out of print — they are pretty much entirely symphonic, with only a few traces of fusion here and there, mostly limited to a few vaguely jazzy solos. Evidently they would take a more fusion-ish turn later in their career. In any case, these recordings represent a complete live performance in 1975 as well as two tracks taken from the year before. Three of the tracks previously appeared on the 1998 album entitled Montréal 1974/1975 that quickly went out of print, with the others unreleased. In the words of ProgQuébec's Sean McFee, "it's a reissue of an archival with previously unreleased bonus material." And an excellent reissue (or whatever it is) it is! No obvious comparisons to other bands spring to mind — perhaps After Crying in their less ELP-worshipping modes — but those who enjoy the more classically-oriented side of symphonic prog will be delighted by this. Maneige mix a keen sense of accessible melody with occasional dabblings in dissonant noise and raucus abandon, but for the most part this is beautiful, flowing stuff that forgoes typical prog-rock pomp and flash in favor of an appealing lyricism. The founders of the group — woodwind player Alain Bergeron and pianist Jerome Langlois — have the most prominent roles, especially Langlois, who to my delight avoids any electronic keyboards or synths, relying entirely on acoustic piano. It's Langlois' effortless, tasteful work that often lends this album its classical feel. The "new" tracks are the four shortest pieces on the album and while it's great to have them, they generally don't feel all that consequential. "Mambo Chant" is a nice, pretty opener, but "Bullfrog Dance" is a bit awkward. The real meat are the three tracks that appeared on Montréal 1974/1975, particularly the two epics: the 30-minute "La Balloune" and the 20-minute "Le Rafiot." Both of these are extraodinary suites that run through a range of moods and styles, but are consistently held down by convincing performances all around, though Langlois is the real standout. For such lengthy pieces, they seem to fly by in a fraction of their time, a product of some excellent themes and very smooth, well-thought out transitions between those themes. Unfortunately I can't make any meaningful comparisons between this "new" release and the rest of Maneige's catalog, as this is my introduction to the band. But suffice it to say that, as a fan of more acoustic, classically-oriented prog, I'm delighted by Live à L'Évêché and am looking forward to ProgQuébec's forthcoming reissues of the other Maneige albums. Standard disclaimer: ProgQuébec's Sean McFee is also a reviewer at Ground & Sky. Sorry Sean, you don't get to review your own releases. review by Brandon Wu — 12-3-05 —