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X-Legged Sally biography
This group is yet another typically Belgian chamber prog - a term I created, but by listening closely to all of those groups I encompass under this name, it will be so clear to see where I am getting at - although it is up in the higher energy level. Sometimes referred as Cross-Legged Sally (I never got confirmation that it was a wink to Tull's Cross-Eyed Mary, even if I encountered sarcastic smiles)

The leader is guitarist Pierre Vervloesem (who has lead a solo career also) and Peter Vermeersh (winds) and Vandenberghe (keyboards) etc. Somehow, these guys have an indescribable sound (Zappa is obviously their inspiration) that I can only define by naming some similar groups such as Miriodor, Alamailman Vasarat, Present, Hoyry Koyne, and the like, but also (albeit more subtly) King Crimson and Magma. Their debut Slow Up was produced by Bill Laswell and is a superb start (there was an earlier record that was a collaboration with Brazilian Charo Calvo) and was released on the NY's Knitting Factory label. The two leaders also produced Belgium's best export act dEUS (see their entry in out beloved Archives)

In their relatively long discography, their best albums are Killed By Charity and the Land Of The Giant Dwarves, but almost all of their albums are a fitting intro to this bunch of musical loonies. Their last album (they seem to have broken up by 97) was a collaboration with a string quartet, but it was only partly convincing and a fair departure of their usual style. "Style" is a big word as these guys broad-brushed through every single style of music and still managed to sound like themselves, but this was ranging from funk to ballet music to choreographed dance music. So the least we can say is that X-L S's discography is confusing, but never boring or dull. 

In 98, the group broke up out of exhaustion (they released as a testament the live Fired album), and half the members went on to form A Group (poppier but similar-sounding) and later The Flat Earth Society (an energetic big band of 16). All of these groups shared that typical Belgian specialty (although Zappa and Beefheart were their godfathers): humour in music.


 Slow-Up
1991

Killed By Charity 
1993

Eggs And Ashes 
1994

The Land Of The Giant Dwarfs 
1996

Bereft Of A Blissful Union 
1997

Fired
1996



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