Bleu pétrole (Petrol blue) is the twelfth studio album by the French rocker Alain Bashung, released in March 2008 on Barclay Records. It was the last studio album released during his lifetime.
| Bleu pétrole | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 March 2008 | |||
| Recorded | Alice's Restaurant (New York City), Buzz Studio (Paris), Studios ICP (Brussels), Jackpot! Studios (Portland), Looking Glass Studios (New York) | |||
| Genre | French rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 50:38 | |||
| Label | Barclay Records, Universal Music Group | |||
| Producer | Gaëtan Roussel, Mark Plati | |||
| Alain Bashung chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
Great expectations surrounded Bleu pétrole after L'Imprudence, issued in 2002, and the live album La Tournée des grands espaces, issued in 2004. Bashung took time to work on it, before deciding finally to not work with his lyricist Jean Fauque, choosing instead to work with Gaëtan Roussel of Louise Attaque and Gérard Manset.[1] After the more experimental works of the 2000s, Bashung decided to go back to a more traditional rock-sounding album, closer to his works of the 1990s.
The album is dedicated to Mick Larie, a member of Bluegrass Long Distance, who died in July 2007, the mandoline player and friend of Marcel Dadi and Patrick Sébastien. The first single from the album was "Résidents de la République" ("Residents of the Republic").
Bashung began touring to promote the album and sang "Comme un lego" ("Like a lego") by Gérard Manset as the opener of his concerts. On 7 July 2008, an expanded vinyl collector edition of 1,000 copies was issued.
Bleu pétrole was Bashung's last studio album;, who died on 14 March 2009.
Reception edit
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 46th greatest French rock album (out of 100).[3]
The French magazine Les Inrockuptibles called the album an "immense chef-d'œuvre" (a huge masterpiece).[4]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Je t'ai manqué" | Gaëtan Roussel - Gaëtan Roussel | 3:39 |
| 2. | "Résidents de la République" | Gaëtan Roussel - Gaëtan Roussel | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Tant de nuits" | Joseph d'Anvers - Arman Méliès / Alain Bashung | 4:17 |
| 4. | "Hier à Sousse" | Gaëtan Roussel - Gaëtan Roussel | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Vénus" | Gérard Manset - Arman Méliès / Gérard Manset | 4:19 |
| 6. | "Comme un lego" | Gérard Manset - Gérard Manset | 9:04 |
| 7. | "Sur un trapèze" | Gaëtan Roussel - Gaëtan Roussel | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Je tuerai la pianiste" | Gérard Manset - Gaëtan Roussel / Alain Bashung | 6:11 |
| 9. | "Suzanne" | Leonard Cohen (adapt. Graeme Allwright) - Leonard Cohen | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Le Secret des Banquises" | Gaëtan Roussel - Alain Bashung / Gaëtan Roussel | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Il voyage en solitaire" | Gérard Manset - Gérard Manset | 4:04 |
Personnel edit
Musicians edit
- Alain Bashung - vocals
- Gaëtan Roussel - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, ukulele
- Marc Ribot - electric guitar, banjo
- Arman Méliès - electric guitar, banjo
- Mark Plati - bass guitar, guitars, keyboard, drum machine
- Simon Edwards - bass guitar
- Shawn Pelton - drums
- Martyn Barker - drums, bongo
- Tahar Boukhlifa - drums
- M. Ward - electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- String section :
Production edit
- Jérôme Witz, element-s: cover art and graphisms
- Ludovic Carême: photos
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
|
Year-end charts edit
|
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BEA)[12] | Gold | 15,000* |
| France (SNEP)[13] | Platinum | 200,000* |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[14] | Gold | 15,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "Alain Bashung, rocker en équilibre", Le Monde, 25 March 2008 (in French)
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Bleu pétrole". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ Rolling Stone, n°18, February 2010 ISSN 1764-1071
- ^ Comte, Christophe (4 October 2008). "Critique de l'album Bleu Pétrole". Les Inrockuptiblesles (in French). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Alain Bashung – Bleu pétrole" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Alain Bashung – Bleu pétrole". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Alain Bashung – Bleu pétrole". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2008". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2008" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2009" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "French album certifications – Alain Bashung – Bleu petrole" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Bleu pétrole')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2019.