Fiori-Séguin - Deux cents nuits à l'heure

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Deux cents nuits à l'heure	08:22
	2	Ça fait du bien	08:31
	3	Illusion	07:30

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Viens danser	06:04
	2	Chanson pour Marthe	04:26
	3	La moitié du monde	06:34
	4	La guitare des pays d'en haut	06:14

Photos

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Information/Write-up

In 1978, two of Québec’s most celebrated musical voices came together for a rare and remarkable collaboration. Serge Fiori, the creative force behind the legendary progressive folk-rock group Harmonium, and Richard Séguin, emerging from the deeply poetic folk traditions he had explored with his twin sister Marie-Claire in the duo Séguin, merged their talents to form Fiori-Séguin. Though their partnership produced only one album, Deux cents nuits à l’heure, it would go on to become one of the most cherished and enduring works in Québec’s rich musical history.

The collaboration was born naturally from mutual admiration and friendship. Both artists had risen to prominence in the fertile musical landscape of 1970s Québec, each carrying distinct but complementary sensibilities—Fiori with his expansive, symphonic vision of progressive rock, and Séguin with his intimate, poetic approach to songwriting. Their paths had crossed previously in studio sessions, but Deux cents nuits à l’heure marked the first time they would fully merge their creative energies into a unified project.

Released in 1978 on CBS Records Canada, the album masterfully balanced the lush, layered instrumentation characteristic of Harmonium’s late period with the accessibility and lyrical depth of Séguin’s songwriting. Alternating between co-written pieces and individual compositions, the record offered a perfect synthesis of their styles. Songs like the soaring title track, the playful Viens danser, and the intimate Chanson pour Marthe captured an emotional and musical range rarely achieved in popular music. The arrangements, enriched by the talents of Harmonium veterans Neil Chotem, Libert Subirana, Denis Farmer, and others, gave the album a polished, organic sound that remains timeless.

Deux cents nuits à l’heure was an immediate success, earning widespread critical acclaim and becoming one of the best-selling albums in Québec that year, with over 200,000 copies sold. It was honored with three Félix Awards at the inaugural ADISQ gala in 1979, including Album of the Year and Group of the Year. Despite its popularity and the strength of their partnership, Fiori-Séguin would remain a one-time collaboration. Both artists returned to their solo paths soon after, each continuing to evolve as major creative voices in Québec’s music scene.

Over the decades, Deux cents nuits à l’heure has only grown in stature, often cited as a high point in the evolution of Québec chanson and progressive folk. Its enduring appeal led to a deluxe 40th anniversary edition in 2018, reintroducing the album to new generations of listeners and reaffirming its status as a landmark recording. Though brief, the Fiori-Séguin partnership produced a singular work of extraordinary beauty and depth—a testament to what can happen when two distinct artistic voices meet at precisely the right moment.
-Robert Williston

Richard Séguin: 12-string acoustic guitar (A1-A5, B1-B4), vocals (A1-A5, B1-B4)
Serge Fiori: 12-string acoustic guitar (A1-A3, B4), electric guitar (A3), Fender Rhodes electric piano (A1, B1), 6-string acoustic guitar (A2), tambourine (B4), vocals (A1-A3, B1-B4)
Neil Chotem: electric piano (A1-A5, B1-B4), Yamaha electric piano (A1)
Robert Stanley: 6-string electric guitar (A1, A3, B1, B3, B4)
Michel Dion: electric bass (A1-A5, B1-B4), fretless electric bass (A1, B1)
Denis Farmer: drums (A1-A5, B1-B4), cowbell (B1, B2), tambourine (B4)
Jeff Fisher: synthesizer (A1, A3, B1, B4), organ (A3), synthesizer soloist (B4)
Libert Subirana: flute (in G & C) (A2, B2), soprano saxophone (A3, B1), alto saxophone (A2, B3), concert flute (B4), choir (B4)
Pierre Cormier: congas (B1, B4)
Michel Lachance: tambourine (B4)
Monique Fauteux: vocals (A1, A2, B2, B3, B4), choir (B4)

Produced by Michel Lachance, Richard Séguin, Serge Fiori
Recorded by (Prise de son): Gordon Gipson, Michel Lachance
Arranged by Farmer, Fisher, Subirana, Dion, Lachance, Fauteux, Chotem, Cormier, Séguin, Stanley, Fiori

Graphics by William Roberto Wilson
Sleeve design by Clément, Wilson
Photography by Serge Clément
Ange-Gardien: Paul Dupont-Hébert
Make-up by Micheline Foisy

Thanks to Paul Huylebroeck for his support and generosity during the writing time; Alain and everyone from Bobinason for their patience during rehearsals; Cliff Bonnel and Walter Hellermann "you were always there with a smile"; Gordon “for your calm and intuition”; Roberto “for your grandeur”; Hélène Bélanger and Marie-Claire Sauvé “for your love”; Ranger Télémusique for extra keyboards and instruments; Mr. Chappaz and Pellan of the National Canadien for their precious help.

Quote from the artists:
"We have landed a little further than expected..." – Michel, Serge and Richard

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