1001° Centigrades

1001° Centigrades, alternative title 2, is the second album by French rock band Magma, released on 5 October 1971. Future reissues use both titles as 2: 1001° Centigrades.

The first track, "Rïah Sahïltaahk", was later re-recorded as a full-length studio album, Rïah Sahïltaahk, in 2014, as Christian Vander did not consider himself satisfied with the arrangement on this album.

The backside of the original record sleeve contains Christian Vander’s poem ‘Ïtah’ as well as a French translation, making it one of two official Kobaïan-French translations by the band itself.

Background

For this album,

Magma underwent several personnel changes: guitarist Claude Engel departed without being replaced, and Alain Charlery and Richard Raux made way for Louis Toesca (trumpet) and Jeff Seffer (sax, bass clarinet). This was the second installment in Magma's Kobaïan saga. With lyrics again performed in the band's invented language, the album chronicles the Kobaïan people's return to Earth to save the planet.

Track listing

Legacy

On 1001° Centigrades the "zeuhl" sound that later came to define Magma develops, but it lacks the operatic female vocals and primal driving rhythm of the following album, Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh.

Between the release of this album and MDK, a number of band members left the band due to disagreements on its future sound. Two (saxophonist Yochk'o "Jeff" Seffer and keyboardist François Cahen) left to form Zao, a band which follows in the footsteps of Magma's first two releases.

Musicians

• Klaus Blasquiz – vocals, percussion
• Teddy Lasry – clarinet, saxophone, flute, voice
• Yochk'o "Jeff" Seffer – saxophone, bass clarinet
• Louis Toesca – trumpet
• François Cahen – acoustic & electric pianos
• Francis Moze – bass
• Christian Vander – vocals, drums, percussion

Production

• Produced by Roland Hilda
• Engineered by Dominique Blanc-Francard
• Louis Sarkissian – manager

Literature

• Gonin, Philippe (2010), "1.001° Centigrades", Kobaïa la naissance d'un mythe (in French), Marseille: Le Mot et le Reste, pp. 135–142, ISBN 978-2-36054-000-6

References