Raymond Vincent

Raymond Vincent is a Belgian violinist and composer who recorded three albums with the chamber-pop/psych band Wallace Collection at the turn of the 1970s. In 1972, he released the solo album Metronomics on Izarra. He then teamed with pianist Bruno Libert to spearhead the multinational flamenco-rock project Esperanto, which produced three albums through 1975 on A&M. During the subsequent five-year period, Vincent played on albums by Francis Goya and André Bialek.

Background

Raymond Vincent was born in 1953 in Belgium, where by age seven he took after his violinist father, who required several hours of daily practice. At seventeen, Vincent won a first prize at the Brussels conservatory. He later received the Prix Édouard Deru and a Belgian government medal. The City of Brussels also awarded him a medal. In July 1965, Vincent received a permanent appointment with the National Orchestra of Belgium.

Vincent tested a pop setting for his classical training with singer and co-writer Ariane Buyst. As the Stradivarius, the pair recorded the 1967 Palette single “Walking in the Bach’s World” (b/w “Pictures of the Girl I Loved”). In summer 1968, guitarist Sylvain Vanholme recruited Vincent for a Brussels group built around rock, jazz, and amplified strings. Vincent brought fellow conservatory musician Jacques Namotte, a cellist with the National Orchestra of Belgium.

With Vincent and Namotte, the group rehearsed as 16th Century and incorporated amplified violin and cello into its rock format. Vincent introduced classical material, including a pop treatment of Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky that Vanholme fitted with lyrics as “Daydream.” Manager Jean Martin used a Brussels demo and an audition at Les Gémeaux to secure an EMI hearing. Producer David Mackay brought the sextet to Abbey Road in January 1969 under the new name Wallace Collection.

“Daydream” became an international hit and established Vincent as a principal Wallace Collection composer. He also scored the 1970 Jean Coignon animated short Democratia, recorded but unissued by the band.

Wallace Collection collapsed by early 1971 amid financial strain and lineup instability. Vincent left with Vanholme after a February Belgian concert and briefly played with ex-Kleptomania guitarist Dany Lademacher and drummer Roger Wollaert, then with Waterloo singer-flutist Dirk Bogaert. He next formed Queen Elisabeth Chapel for an album commissioned for promotional use by Izarra, the French Basque liqueur company.

Metronomics

Raymond Vincent released his solo album, Metronomics, in 1972 on Izarra.

A1. “I Ain’t Got No Time” (5:50)
A2. “Adagio Per Un Concilio” (2:22)
A3. “Pouring Rain” (4:00)
A4. “La Danse du Canard Sauvage” (2:10)
A5. “Isabelle” (4:36)

B1. “Mouvement Pour Archet” (1:13)
B2. “Mary Jane” (2:55)
B3. “Les Plutoniens” (3:55)
B4. “Blue Prayer for Cello In Love” (3:10)
B5. “La Mouette” (3:25)
B6. “Do It Now While You Can” (3:55)

Discography:

• Metronomics (1972)

Sources

• Original Metronomics back-cover biography. This is the most useful primary-era source. It gives Vincent violin studies from age seven, his violinist father, the first conservatory prize at seventeen, the Deru and government honors, the National Orchestra post, film composition, and the Queen Elisabeth Chapel configuration used for Metronomics. (Esperanto Rock Orchestra)
• Belgian government record, Moniteur Belge. The state register lists Raymond Vincent among permanent National Orchestra of Belgium appointments effective July 1, 1965. This corrects later accounts that place his orchestral appointment closer to the Wallace period. (Moniteur Belge)
• 45cat — The Stradivarius. Confirms the 1967 Palette single “Walking in the Bach’s World” b/w “Pictures of the Girl I Loved” and credits both pieces to R. Vincent and A. Buyst. (45cat)
• Mémoire 60–70 — Wallace Collection formation history. Built from interviews with Sylvain Vanholme and other participants. It gives the Pol Clarck musician-directory route, Vincent contact, Jacques Namotte connection, amplified-string concept, classical material at rehearsals, and the Swan Lake origin of “Daydream.” (Mémoire 60–70)
• Mémoire 60–70 — 16th Century chronology. Places Vincent at the first rehearsal on July 22, 1968 and traces the transition from the remaining Sylvester’s Team dates through the Les Gémeaux audition. (Mémoire 60–70)
• Mémoire 60–70 — Wallace Collection final phase. This section is especially important for the causal history. It describes Vincent arrangement methods, the 1970 Democratia score, the emerging solo-album plan, financial and lineup problems, and the February 1971 exit by Vincent and Vanholme. (Mémoire 60–70)
• Esperanto historical notes / Si-Wan reissue text. Gives the immediate post-Wallace sequence with Dany Lademacher, Roger Wollaert, and Dirk Bogaert. It also states that Vincent later played Metronomics for Bruno Libert when the two began developing Esperanto. (Artist Camp)
• VRT NWS. Confirms Vincent as a co-writer and violinist on “Daydream” and reports his death at age seventy-five in November 2018, supporting the 1943 birth year found in Belgian music references. (VRT NWS)