Morse Code

Websites:  https://citizenfreak.com/artists/99958-morse-code-transmission
Origin: Montréal, Québec, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Founded in Montreal, Canada in 1967 (as "Les Maitres") - Disbanded in 1990 - Reunited in 1995 and again in 2018

This Quebecois band has three phases. First came the psych period under which they were known as MORSE CODE TRANSMISSION and made two psych albums in 71 & 72 sung in English. Highly collectible but somewhat out of the scope of this site. The second phase saw their names shortened and with the Quebec prog explosion under way decided to switch to French singing. The three albums that followed are real gems of progressive music oscillating between GENESIS and BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST but the French texts (sometimes highly impressive) gave them a sound of their own. Of those three albums, 'Procreation" is the better one but badly represented in the compilation - the only CD release so far. They disbanded, as the disco wave became a Tsunami in La Belle Province only to reform in 83 to make a best-forgotten English-sung album and again in 95 for a much better one again in French.

MORSE CODE is really recommended to fans of symphonic rock but the albums are somewhat hard to find (but not too difficult either) in vinyl. Plans are to release the three classic albums in the not-too-distant future.

Morse Code is a Quebec progressive rock group , originally from Quebec City . It was initially composed of Christian Simard (keyboards and vocals), Jocelyn Julien (guitar) who will be replaced by Daniel Lemay (guitar, transverse flute and backing vocals), Michel Vallée (bass and backing vocals), as well as Raymond Roy (drums). They published 7 studio albums, including the first two in English (not counting the 3 compilations), between 1971 and 1995 before disbanding in 1996 .

They subsequently return episodically, before separating again. Keyboardist Christian Simard died onDecember 10, 2016as a result of pancreatic cancer . Since then, the group has returned to the stage in 2018 and is giving shows again in Quebec with two members of the classical group, bassist Michel Vallée and guitarist and flautist Daniel Lemay as well as new musicians; Gilles “Greg” Beaudoin on keyboards, singer and keyboardist Mario Ruel and drummer Gilles Simard, Christian's brother.

Origins (1967–1970)
Michel Roy on bass, Guy DePont on guitar as well as the Bergeron brothers, Pierre on drums and André on lead guitar play with the group Les Pieds Nicklés , they signed a record contract in 1967 with the new record company MARS , from producer and manager Bob Chamberland. After a first single, Why I Love You/Love Simple , for which they were helped by Gerry Boulet , who had just bought a Hammond B3 organ but he only played on these two songs. The group continued until 1968 , when Guy DePont left the group to be replaced by Christian Simard on organ, and Raymond Roy on drums, replacing Pierre Bergeron who had left to form the trio Love .

After the separation of Pieds Nicklés , Christian Simard and Raymond Roy formed the group Les Maitres , with Michel Vallée on bass and Jocelyn Julien on guitar. They published three singles in 1970, Un grand amour/Jolie Suzanne , Pour l'amour/Tu le saras tomorrow, the latter two songs having been written words and music by Christian Simard. Le Soleil d'été/A night with you , the first is a French version of the hit Show Me Your Hand by Richard William Wolff. Subsequently, the group Les Maitres disbanded and Christian proposed to continue the adventure under another name, Morse Code Transmission and to abandon the yé-yé style for a more muscular rock closer to progressive British groups such as Genesis . , Yes and Pink Floyd.

Beginnings (1971–1974)
During the group's first years, 1971 and 1972 , the group performed as the house band at the bar Le Cercle Électrique, in Quebec . They recorded their first album in 1971, Morse Code Transmission , in English . Then after a second album still in English which did not sell as well, the group found itself without a record contract while RCA did not renew the contract. They accompanied for a certain time Jacques Salvail, recognized for his work on the weekly show Jeunesse (formerly known as Jeunesse d'hui and initially hosted by Pierre Lalonde).

After a long tour in Quebec , Salvail and Morse Code separate. But later the group, armed with a new record contract with Capitol Records, found themselves in the studio for a first 45 rpm Cocktail and shortened their name to Morse Code, they now sang in French.

Morse Code (1975–1995)
Then came the release of a first album, La Marche des hommes , released in 1975 , and on which we find, in addition to the title track, the famous Midnight Ceremony and the disco piece Cocktail , which will be played on the radio. In the meantime, Christian Simard is not idle since he writes songs or composes music for Quebec artists such as Véronique Béliveau , Jean-Pierre Ferland , Jacques Salvail, Pierre Lalonde , Donald Lautrec , Suzanne Stevens , Ginette Reno and Céline Lomez , among others.

The group continued with the albums Procreation (which contains the long 25-minute eponymous suite divided into three movements) and Je suis le temps , recorded in Wales at Rockfield Studios. However, from 1978 , following a lack of venues to receive the group in concert in Quebec , and a drop in public interest due to the disco wave, Morse Code broke up. There will be a brief return with a new keyboardist in the person of Marc Maheux and a tour with Asia , as well as an album Code Breaker in English, the group finally finds itself with Christian Simard back, accompanied by his brother Gilles on the battery until 1990 . A final album, ...from another world... appeared in 1995 with the piece In the Land of the Giants , before the group separated the same year.

New start (since 2018)
Keyboardist Christian Simard dies of pancreatic cancer ,December 10, 2016, in Quebec. However, the group decides to continue the journey and gets back on stage.

In 2018 , with original singer-bassist Michel Vallée and flautist guitarist Daniel Lemay, the group reunited around new musicians Gilles Simard on drums - the brother of Christian Simard who was part of the group between the years 1987 to 1990 and in 1995, keyboardist Gilles “Greg” Beaudoin who is also coordinator of the Music Department of the Notre-Dame-de-Foy Campus in Quebec as well as singer Jean Ravel, who has already played in the Notre-Dame-de-Paris musicals, Starmania , The Legend of Jimmy and the show Rock Story . They give shows onJanuary 19, 2018at the Jean-Pierre-Tremblay auditorium of the Notre-Dame-de-Foy Campus, as well as at the Cultural Center of the University of Sherbrooke (March 4), at the Gesù in Montreal (March 9) and at Dorval-Jean XXIII Secondary School (March 16) . Other shows could be added. It is also possible that the group will eventually write new songs for a future album.