Clearlight

Cyrille Verdeaux, a French keyboardist, assembled Clearlight with a rotating roster of musicians that included Christian Boule and Gilbert Artman, positioning the ensemble among the leading French symphonic progressive rock acts of the 1970s. The ensemble’s expansive and at times psychedelic textures revealed an aspect of Verdeaux distinct from the new age direction he later pursued. Signed early to the newly established Virgin Records during the first half of the 1970s, Clearlight drew stylistic parallels to progressive outfits such as Yes and Genesis while also aligning with experimental ensembles like Gong. Symphony, the band’s debut album from 1973, captured Clearlight at its most ambitious, encompassing both contemporary experimental approaches and classically oriented compositions. Verdeaux enlisted multiple Gong members to assist on that recording, which he later revisited with substantial additions and issued in 1990 as Symphony II. Forever Blowing Bubbles appeared in 1975, revealing a modest shift away from the symphonic density of the first album through the inclusion of jazz elements. Les Contes du Singe Fou, issued in 1977, paired the group with British vocalist and lyricist Ian Bellamy and ranked among its most psychedelic efforts. Clearlight Visions from 1978 featured sitars and tablas, signaling the Indian leanings that would shape Verdeaux’s subsequent solo work. In Your Hands, a 1996 remake of Les Contes du Singe Fou featuring vocalist and keyboardist Gunnar Amundson, completed the documented sequence.