The Unnamables

The Unnamables
Studio album by Univeria Zekt
Released	January 1972
Recorded	23-29 August 1971
Studio	Château d'Hérouville
Genre	Jazz-rock zeuhl
Length	33:47
Label	Thélème
Producer	Laurent Thibault
Magma chronology
1001° Centigrades (aka. 2) (1971) The Unnamables (1972) Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh (1973)

The Unnamables is the only album recorded by Magma under the alias Univeria Zekt. Released in 1972, the album shows a more accessible jazz fusion sound, in an attempt by the band to experiment and reach a broader audience.

Background and recording

From the 27th to 30th July 1970, Magma would record material at Europa Sonor for the never released film 24 Heures Seulement. This material would remain unreleased until it was later released as the Archiw 1 disc as part of the 2008 Studio Zünd boxset. ^{[1] [2]}

Shortly after the recording of 1001° Centigrades , Magma would record The Unnamables at the Château d'Hérouville, featuring almost the same line-up. The album was approached as a side-project and a vehicle for the band to explore new directions, to re-record material that was originally composed for 24 Heures Seulement, and as a gesture to original member Laurent Thibault to release on his record label Thélème. ^{[3] : 36–38}

Reception and legacy

The album was released to little fanfare, selling only 1500 copies. ^[4]

This incarnation of Magma would tour relentlessly throughout 1972, recording their last original song together in September 1972 for Jean Yanne's 1973 film Moi y'en a vouloir des sous, which remains unreleased. ^{[5] [6]} Shortly after, a major personnel shuffle in Magma occurred due to Vander's ever-growing control and disagreements on the band's sound. Excluding Vander, Lasry and Klaus Blasquiz, none of the personnel who performed on 1001° Centigrades or The Unnamables would feature on the band's next album, Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh . ^[4] Saxophonist Yochk'o Seffer and keyboardist François Cahen would leave to form Zao, a band following in the footsteps of Magma's first two releases.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"You Speak and Speak and Colegram"	Teddy Lasry	2:10
2.	"Altcheringa"	François Cahen, Zabu	3:27
3.	"Clementine"	Lasry	3:00
4.	"Something's Cast a Spell"	Lasry, Lionel Ledissez	4:16
5.	"Ourania"	Christian Vander	4:23
Total length:			17:16

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Africa Anteria"	Vander	11:30
2.	"Undia"	Vander	4:47
Total length:			16:17

Personnel

• Christian Vander – drums, percussion, voice (6)
• Teddy Lasry – saxophones, flute, organ
• Jeff Seffer – saxophones
• Tito Puentes – trumpet
• Francois Cahen – pianos
• Claude Engel – electric and acoustic guitars
• Francis Moze – bass guitar, organ
• Klaus Blasquiz – percussion, vocals (4, 7)
• Lucien "Zabu" Zabuski – vocals (2)
• Lionel Ledissez – vocals (4)

References

1. "Archiw 1 & 2 - Magma". Bandcamp . September 10, 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
2. "Studio Zünd - Magma". Discogs . Retrieved 19 February 2026.
3. Michel, Albin. Magma, livre d'Antoine de Caunes (in French). ISBN   978-2226005632.
4. "Magma - Rétrospective (1)". www.bigbangmag.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
5. "Moi y'en a vouloir des sous" . Retrieved 19 February 2026.
6. "Moi y'en a vouloir des sous (1973)". IMDB . Retrieved 19 February 2026.

External links

• The Unnamables at www.progarchives.com
• The Unnamables at Discogs
• The Unnamables at AllMusic