Machiavel (band)

Machiavel is a Belgian rock group formed in 1974. The band's first few albums were progressive rock, while their later albums shifted towards new wave. By mid 1970s, Machiavel had established themselves as one of the most popular Belgian groups.

History Early years (1974–1987) Machiavel were founded in 1974 by Roland De Greef (bass) and Marc Ysaÿe (drums and vocals), named after Niccolò Machiavelli. At the time, they were playing in a group called Moby Dick with Jack Roskam (guitar) and Albert Letecheur (keyboard). They released their first eponymous album in 1976.

Jack Roskam was soon replaced by Jean-Paul Devaux. Mario Guccio joined the group as lead vocalist due to his move out to Yugoslavia. The new formation released Jester in 1977. The next year saw the release of the album, Mechanical Moonbeams.

Urban Games was the band's most successful album to date. It attempted to move away from the Eurock style and proposed songs leaning on disco ("Dancing Heroes"), hard rock ("The Dictators"), reggae ("Over the Hill"), and Eurock still ("City Flowers"). Albert Letecheur and Jean-Paul Devaux left the group in 1979.

New Lines was released in 1980, with Thierry Plas on lead guitar. The single "Fly" was an immediate success, but the group's next attempt with the album Break Out produced by Derek Laurence in 1981 did not meet success, and after The Cry of Pleasure in 1987, the group went inactive for a number of years.

End of hiatus (1999–present) The band resumed activity in 1999 with Virtual Sun, followed by Welcome to Paradise in 2003 and 2005 in 2005. In 2010, Thierry Plas left the band because of musical differences and went in search of other projects. A new album Eleven was released featuring new guitarist Christophe Pons.

Members are active in radio and promoting and supporting new acts in Belgium.

Mario Guccio died at the age of 64 on 21 January 2018.

Band members 1976 Marc Ysaÿe – lead vocals, drums Jack Roskam – guitar Albert Letecheur – keyboards Roland De Greef – bass 1977–1979 Marc Ysaÿe – lead vocals, drums Jean-Paul Devaux – guitar Albert Letecheur – keyboards Roland De Greef – bass Mario Guccio – lead vocal 1979–1983 Marc Ysaÿe – lead vocals, drums Thierry Plas – guitar Roland De Greef – bass Mario Guccio – lead vocal 1987 Marc Ysaÿe – lead vocals, drums Thierry Plas – guitar Paolo Regatzu – keyboards Roland De Greef – bass Mario Guccio – lead vocal 1997–2010 Marc Ysaÿe – lead vocals, drums Thierry Plas – guitar Roland De Greef – bass Mario Guccio – lead vocal Hervé Borbé – keyboards 2010-today Marc Ysaÿe – lead vocals, drums Christophe Pons – guitar Roland De Greef – bass Mario Guccio – lead vocal Hervé Borbé – keyboards

Discography Studio albums Machiavel (EMI, 1976, LP Vinyl) Jester (EMI, 1977, LP Vinyl) Mechanical Moonbeams (EMI, 1978, LP Vinyl) Urban Games (EMI, 1979, LP Vinyl) New Lines (EMI, 1980, LP Vinyl) Break Out (EMI, 1981, LP Vinyl) Valentine's Day (EMI, 1982, LP Vinyl) The Cry Of Pleasure (INDISC, 1987, LP Vinyl) 40th Anniversary (2015, Vinyl, Limited Edition, Special Edition)

Compilation albums The Best of Machiavel (EMI, 1991, CD)

Reissues Machiavel (EMI, 1993, CD) Jester (EMI, 1993, CD) Mechanical Moonbeams (EMI, 1993, CD) Urban Games (EMI, 1993, CD) New Lines (EMI, 1993, CD) 20th Anniversary Machiavel – The Very Best Of (EMI, 1996, CD) Virtual Sun (CNR Arcade, 1999, CD) Machiavel Live (EMI, 1999, CD) Break Out (Hans Kuster Music, 2000, CD) Original Hits (EMI, 2000, CD) Anthology (EMI, 2001, CD) Welcome to Paradise (CNR Arcade, 2003, CD) The Essential of Machiavel (2003, EMI, CD) Mechanical Moonbeams (2005, EMI, CD) 2005 (2005, Bang, CD) Best of Machiavel (2006, More Than Télémoustique, CD) Acoustic (2009, Moonzoo Music, CD) Eleven (2011, Moonzoo Music, CD) Colours (2013, Moonzoo Music, CD)

Machiavel (band)

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