Novice
Alain Bashung
1989/1992: PolyGram/Barclay 517 248-2
The other radio station that’s introduced me to a lot of music is Radio Nova, a Parisian radio station I first heard while I was there in 1989. I taped an hour or so of stuff directly from the radio so I would have a mental bookmark to remind me of what to look for later, and I cherish that bit of tape still. Bashung’s voice isn’t my cup of tea, generally, but “Pyromanes” was what got me to check him out after I heard it on Radio Nova and said “WOW, what IS this??” Finding a copy of “Novice” took seemingly forever, as apparently it’s not a popular album in his extensive catalog. That’s too bad: “étrange été” and “Tu m’As Jeté” are terrific, and most of the rest of the album is really good too.
Comments © 2005 Mark Ellis Walker, except as noted, and no claim is made to the images and quoted lyrics.