First released in 1991 on the small label Too Much, the second album by Pip Pyle's Equipe Out featured a slightly different lineup. Still present are Pyle and sax player (and ex-Soft Machine) Elton Dean. Hugh Hopper has been replaced by Paul Rogers, a jazzman who would later blossom into a wonderful free improviser, with Mujician, among other projects. The lead voice of the quartet is not a guitarist anymore, but pianist Sophia Domancich. As on the first album, the drummer contributes only one composition, Dean and Domancich supplying the other five (six if you consider that Thunder/A.R. Rennes is actually a medley of two separate pieces written by the saxophonist and the pianist, respectively). The album was recorded in three days at Studio de Chennevieres, in October 1990. Pyle's Cauliflower Ears makes a lively opening number, with good feature spots for everyone involved. Things get a bit more serious with Dean's Amba, a trickier piece, resolutely Canterbury-esque in spirit. Bimbo and Lydia steer toward considerably more solemn waters. Both are penned by Domancich and feature the piano extensively. The first one balances emotionalism and invention in a convincing way, but Lydia is just too romantic for this group. The longest track at 23 minutes, Thunder/A.R. Rennes is where Dean, Rogers, and Pyle stretch out into free jazz territory. After a rudimentary theme, everyone but Rogers drops out. The bassist develops an incredible solo, the whole disc's highlight. Pyle and Dean rejoin for a lively free-form workout, replete with a strong alto sax solo. The pianist comes back for a rather abrupt segue into the slow-paced second half of the medley. This tension between playful free jazz and soft jazz is what was feeding the band's fire (at least until Domancich left), and it worked out for the better, most of the time. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		Cauliflower Ears
2		Amba
3		Bimbo
4		Lydia
5		Thunder/A.R. Rennes
6		Petit Pantalon

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