Harmonium (Harmonium album)

Harmonium is the eponymous debut album by Québécois folk rock band Harmonium. It was originally released on February 20, 1974, by Celebration Records, a subsidiary of Quality Records in Quebec. The release received numerous reissues over the years via such labels as Atlantic Records, Polydor Records, Gamma Records, and Quality Records proper, across the rest of Canada and in France.

Harmonium
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 20, 1974 (1974-02-20)
Recorded4–10 January 1974
StudioStudio Tempo, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
GenreFolk rock
Length47:08
LanguageFrench
Label
ProducerRobert A. Morten
Harmonium chronology
Harmonium
(1974)
Les cinq saisons
(1975)
Singles from Harmonium
  1. "Pour un instant / 100,000 raisons"
    Released: 1974
  2. "Harmonium"
    Released: 1975

In celebration of its 45th anniversary in 2019, the album was remastered and reissued as a deluxe edition under the title Harmonium XLV via Universal Music Canada. The reissue contains newly re-recorded material.

It remains the band's most folk-driven album, and features the song that made them famous "Pour un instant". It features nowhere near as exotic instrumentation as on their later albums, mostly sticking to simple guitar and bass arrangements, with occurrences of drums on a few songs.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic (link)

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Harmonium" / "Harmonium (Suite)"
  • Fiori
  • Normandeau
6:30
2."Si doucement"
  • Fiori
  • Fiori
4:20
3."Aujourd'hui, je dis bonjour à la vie"
  • Fiori
  • Fiori
5:45
4."Vieilles courroies"
  • Fiori
  • Normandeau
  • Fiori
5:40
Total length:22:15
CD reissue bonus track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
5."100,000 raisons" (taken from the B-side of "Pour un instant" single.)
  • Fiori
  • Normandeau
  • Fiori
  • Normandeau
3:42
Total length:25:57
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Attends-moi"
  • Normandeau
  • Fiori
4:29
2."Pour un instant"
  • Normandeau
  • Fiori
  • Normandeau
3:16
3."De la chambre au salon"
  • Fiori
  • Fiori
5:35
4."Un musicien parmi tant d'autres"
  • Fiori
  • Fiori
7:02
Total length:20:22

Personnel

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Harmonium
Studio musicians
Production
  • Robert A. Morten – producer
  • Michel Lachance – engineer
  • Fred Torak – musical direction and arrangements
  • Robert Lussier – photography
  • Yves Ladouceur – artistic direction

Charts

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Chart (1975) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[1] 67

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[2] 2× Platinum 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

  1. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4094b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Harmonium – Harmonium". Music Canada.