Catharsis – Catharsis (1972) album art and “Les Chevrons” / “Solstice” single cover

Olivia was used for the second album and the accompanying single by Catharsis. At the time of the release in 1972, the psychedelic rock group from France consisted of Yves de Roubaix, Charles Eddi, Patrick Moulia, and band leader Roland Bocquet. First released without a title (like the debut LP from 1971), the album was reissued as Volume II Les “Chevrons” in 1975, after Catharsis scored a chart hit with the single “Les Chevrons”.

The exuberant italic Tuscan is a good equivalent for the largely instrumental (or rather lyrics-less) hippie music with a mesmerizing proto-Kraut (choucroute?) beat. You can read more about the wonderful Olivia in a previous post. Via oopswhoops, who comments: “It has often been said that Catharsis was largely inspired by Pink Floyd, let’s say that it is the best ‘scat vocal obsessed, guitarless, organ lead Pink Floyd wannabe’ I have ever listened to … No less!”