Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh

Batshit crazy, in the best possible way. Doesn't really sound French, mostly because the lyrics are in a mad eastern European sounding con-lang. Operatic at points, but rocks plenty as well

Imagine being an ambassador of peace and enlightenment, and you visit a small backwater world, trying to make first contact, trying to bring some elevation to the existence of the worms that crawl upon the nickel and iron ball's surface, but they kill you because they misinterpret your natural harsh opera tone, thinking you're going to destroy them all.

Mekanik Destruktïw Kommandöh is unlike anything I've heard, and it took me several returns to find it a place. I skipped on the day I listened to it and kept coming back, until it finally clicked. This is a classic.

Christian Vander invented an entire genre for this album, Zeuhl, sung entirely in Kobaïan, a language he also constructed himself. It really doesn't matter that it's a made-up language. I did look up the story behind it afterward, the mythology of the planet Kobaïa, and found it genuinely funny and full of humour.

Musically this is science-fiction jazz-rock, a unique and eclectic rock opera in the most literal sense of the word. The predominant choral singing invites comparison to Orff's Carmina Burana, though that only applies partially. There's Stravinsky and Verdi in there too, free jazz, Coltrane's influence coming through clearly, Zappa's Uncle Meat period, even gospel.

Wonderful. It took me a bit, but I love it.

A singular musical achievement that absolutely belongs on the list. This is as prog as it gets. How prog you say? So prog it's sung in a fabricated language. There are many good live versions of this on Spotify. The 1974 Marquee version is quite rousing, despite not having the best sound quality, but I particularly recommend the 1976 Reims version for the over the top guitar solo towards the end of the piece. Fucking bonkers.