Let me mention that there's quite a bit of web-based material on Les Sultans, but almost all of it is in French and if you run a translation program on the material you end up with gibberish. Since my French is pretty lame (sorry mom), you'll have to take my comments with more than the usual grain of salt.

Formed in St-Hyacinthe, Les Sultans evolved out of an early 1960s instrumental quintet known as The Dowries. The original 1962 line up consisted of guitarists Andre Dion, Giles Henry, Claude Reid and Marcel Richard, but by 1963 the group had expanded to include former Les Majestics singer Bruce Huard. Like thousands of other groups, by 1964 the group had fallen under the spell of The Beatles. Dropping their old name and instrumental catalog, they reworked their catalog into a more-rock oriented focus and reappeared as Les Sultans.

Released in 1968, "Les Sultans en Personne a Starovan" (subtitled 'their spectacular goodbye', chronicled the group's final concert before some 6,000 fans at Montreal's Starovan Club. From a technical standpoint the collection isn't exactly state of the art. The screeching fans (must have been quite a concert) and the echo laden sound recall something from 1964 rather than 1968. To be perfectly honest the album occasionally sounds like it was recorded in a large bathroom. Overlooking those technical limitations the performances pack a bigger kick than 90% of mega-selling in-concert sets. In terms of musical selection the collection features a mixture of popular hits and originals. Besides the strong performances, the set's unique in that it shows the band performing in both French and English (quite rare for Quebec-based outfits). The covers (Beatles, Them, Motown), are energetic if predictable. Okay, be sure to check out their hyperactive cover of 'Can I Get a Witness'. In contrast the original numbers are largely killer. Standout performances include the near perfect pop track 'Pour qui Pourquoi, the fuzz-propelled rocker 'Tu est Impossible' and the pretty ballad 'Pardonne-Moi. They also turn in a nice jangle-rock cover of Michel Ponareff's 'Le Poupee Qui Fait Non'. Simply a great album that I keep coming back to and one of the few live albums I'd give a four star rating to ...

"Les Sultans en Personne a Storovan" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Carol (Chuck Berry)
2.) The Letter (Wayne Carson - Vline Buggy) - 
3.) Pour qui Pourquoi (Bruce Huard - Denis Forcier - Claud Reid) - 
4.) Angelique (Michel Orso)
5.) Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrisson) - 
6.) Si Soudain Je T'amais (Bruce Huard - Denis Forcier) - 
7.) Love Lights (Gerald Rosli - McCoy - Rosem) -