Novice is the seventh studio album by French rocker Alain Bashung, issued in 1989 on Barclay Records.

Novice
Studio album by
Released1989
RecordedICP Studio, Brussels
GenreFrench rock, post-punk, alternative rock
LabelBarclay, Universal Music Group
ProducerNick Patrick
Alain Bashung chronology
Passé le Rio Grande
(1986)
Novice
(1989)
Osez Joséphine
(1991)

Production

edit

The songwriting is split between Boris Bergman, marking is last collaboration with Bashung, and Jean Fauque who would go on to write his four subsequent albums. Bashung said about the album that it was a sequel of sort to his experiments on Play blessures. The album has a dark sound, and did not sell very well. One of the song, "By Proxy", is one of the very few original written entirely in English by Bashung.

The song "Alcaline" is a pun on French pop singer Christophe's song "Aline". In 2011, Christophe covered the song for the tribute album Tels Alain Bashung.

Reception

edit

In a review that was featured in the compilation OpticalSound 3, one reviewer praised Novice as the only Bashung album other than Play blessures that they enjoyed all the way through.[1] Academic Jean Frédéric Hennuy compared the lyrics of "Pyromanes" and "Légère éclaircie" with those of Nick Cave.[2]

Track listing

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Pyromanes"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:58
2."Résidences"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:34
3."Légère éclaircie"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung4:20
4."Alcaline"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung5:00
5."Tu m'as jeté"Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung4:31
6."Elle fait l'avion"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung4:47
7."Bombez !"Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung3:02
8."Intrépide malgré la fièvre"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung4:01
9."Étrange été"Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung3:33
10."Outrage" (instrumental)Alain Bashung - Jean Fauque0:36
11."By Proxy"Boris Bergman - P. Ives - Alain Bashung3:49

Bonus Track (1993 CD reissue)

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Bombez!" (Version 1992)Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung3:04
13."Climax 4" (instrumental)Alain Bashung - André Georget4:24

Personnel

edit

Musicians

edit

Production

edit
  • Realisation: Nick Patrick
  • Mixing: Jean Trenchant and Nick Patrick
  • Remix 1992 (12-13): Djoum
  • Photographs: T.Rajic
  • Graphism: Antonietti, Pascault & Associés
  • Graphism: Huart/Cholley
  • Editions: 1,2,3,4,6,8,11 & 12 Polygram Music/Pitchi-Poï; 5,7,9 & 10 Polygram Music

References

edit
  1. ^ Collectif (2015-10-27). OpticalSound 3 (in French). Art Book Magazine Distribution. p. 102. ISBN 9782821600782.
  2. ^ Abecassis, Michaël (2018-06-11). An Anthology of French and Francophone Singers from A to Z: "Singin’ in French". Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9781527512054.