Placebo

LP version. Ball of Eyes is the 1971 debut of Placebo, the Belgian jazz group led by keyboardist and composer Marc Moulin, later a founder of Telex. CBS released it in a gatefold sleeve designed by Micheline Stainier, with a cover photograph by Robert Pernet. It brought a brass-heavy, groove-based jazz to a Belgian scene with little precedent for it, and the original pressing became one of the most sought-after records among rare-groove collectors. Moulin's writing is the core of it, with tight horn charts, short themes and rhythm parts that leave plenty of room for the soloists. He rarely takes the spotlight himself, preferring to build the frame.

The album was recorded over four days, 23 to 26 August 1971, and produced by Jean Huysmans. Moulin plays piano, electric piano, electric harpsichord and melodica. The front line has Richard Rousselet and Nicolas Fissette on trumpets, Alex Scorier on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute, and Johnny Dover on baritone, bass clarinet and flute. Nick Kletchkovsky on bass and Freddy Rottier on drums complete the band. Two vocal covers sung by Guy Theisen sit on the first side. They are Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues and the Isaac Hayes and David Porter song You Got Me Hummin', the second with an added trombone section. Moulin's own pieces are where the band opens up. Planes starts from a loose, near-free introduction and builds steadily, while Aria rides a light groove set by the electric piano. Humpty Dumpty moves at a slow, haunting pace. Showbiz Suite is the longest track at seven and a half minutes, and the short title piece is a two-minute solo piano interlude. The record ends with Oh La La, a one-minute miniature by Scorier. Placebo followed it with 1973 and Placebo (1974) before disbanding. Writing for Jazz Music Archives, Sean Trane recalled that the record was a real shock in Belgium.

This is the Music On Vinyl edition (MOVLP1091), issued in 2018 as a single 180 gram LP on black vinyl.