Sex — Sex 1970 (Canada, Psychedelic/Hard/Blues Rock)

Sex was formed by Yves Rousseau (guitar), Robert Trepanier (vocals, bass, flute, harmonica), and Serge Gratton (drums). They released a self-titled album in 1970. The LP features rudimentary hard rock tracks based on heavy blues, a style prevalent in Britain at the time. (In fact, one could describe the album as a cross between Budgie and Black Sabbath.) This strong blues influence could explain it being labeled as «psychedelic» by some. Lyrics are sung in English with a heavy French accent, which was still mostly the case in Quebec, until Dionysos, who played many shows with Sex, broke the trend by singing all in French. Song titles and lyrics are consistent with the group’s name, and contain some disturbing themes. Highlights on the album include «Come, Wake Up!» and «Not Yet», both of which were released as a single.
1971 saw the release of a second LP entitled «The End of my Life». Their obsession with the group’s name returned with a vengeance, this time producing tracks like «Syphilissia» and an overall concept concerning a young man whose sexual «coming of age» involves heartbreak followed by promiscuity, then terminal infection, and ultimately imminent death. The band added Pierre (Pedro) Ouellette on sax and flute, lending a little more variety to the music. The album opener, «Born to Love», starts off as psych-blues for the first minute, embarking suddenly on a jazz-rock penchant for the next, and bringing in a prog twist for its conclusion. «I’m Starting My Life Today» is an interesting blues-rock venture that was chosen as album single. «Emotions» is not so successful, initially bordering on prog-rock with a frantic sax-and-xylophone intro that recalls Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, but settling immediately thereafter into a rudimentary (though adequately performed) blues. Some tracks can find a distant comparison to post-psych group Blue Öyster Cult. Only the 8-minute title track that closes off the album succeeds in completely breaking past the psychedelic/blues barrier into the realm of the progressive, with enjoyable stylings resembling early Jethro Tull. Like label-mates W.D. Fisher, Sex was managed by Pierre Gravel out of Granby, and both bands’ vocals (sung in broken English) detract the listener somewhat from the now dated sounding music. Also, like W.D. Fisher, Sex failed to bridge the gap from the psychedelic 1960’s into the progressive realm of the 70’s, when true inspiration, originality and musicianship finally exploded in Quebec music.
progquebec.com