Les Garçons Bouchers
Les Garçons Bouchers
Formed in 1985 by François Hadji-Lazaro (also in Pigalle, Los Carayos and now a solo artist) and signed on his very own label (Boucherie Productions) they were the emblematic band of the label as well as one of the most renown of the mid to late 80's alternative french rock scene explosion. Mixing punk with chanson, the band refined its sound as time passed and the line-up changed.
DISCOGRAPHY
This first album is also the rawest of Les Garçons Bouchers' discography. As for the two following albums there is a drum machine doing the rhythm creating a unique sound together with the simple punk bass, the riffy guitar, the punk voice and the occasional horns thrown in the mix. The opening track, La Bière, soon became an audience's favourite and a great singalong. As for the rest of the album, there are a few punkified cover versions of know artists such as Viens (Charles Aznavour) or Marche de Ménilmontant (Maurice Chevalier) together with classics of their repertoire (Punkifiée, SKAGB, Fortes Têtes, etc...). Raw and cool! What are you waiting for? Oh, yes, there's plenty more to come!
Tome 2, obviously, was their second album. Released about a year after their self-titled it shows a band evolving towards a more varied music (including a mock rap which became one of their better know song). Je Ne Regrette Rien is a cool cover of one of Edith Piaf's biggest hit while Rock'n Roll is a Gary Glitter cover with new lyrics by Mr Hadji-Lazaro. But that's not really the best on the album as it contains true classics of their repertoire: Carnivore, Toutes Des Putes Sauf..., Anthropophage, Chambre Froide, or the souvenir song of their first ever Tour of Quebec (based on a children song) La Bastringue. In my humble opinion their best album!
After Tome 2, Les Garçons Bouchers made an appearance on the big scene of La Fête de L'Humanité (the annual French Communist Party feast where many popular artists have played including The Who). They decided to make this event special by inviting a string quartet (!), the famous percussion ensemble Les Tambours Du Bronx and a bunch of friends to sing the background vocals (including their soon to be singer Piéro Sapu). They recorded the event and released it for the great pleasure of those who were here and their other fans as it included their early classics in reworked versions and the only known recording of their Petula Clark cover (Chariot) which the band used at every concert as their introduction. A fun if not too well recorded live album...
A new singer joins the band, Piéro Sapu (translating into Pete Itstinks) from BB Doc fame. As Piéro has a more melodic voice than his predecessor Eric, Les Garçons Bouchers became then a more melodic act. Sale Gueule was another crowd favourite together with L'Histoire Mélodramatique de Momo Farid et le Grand, Les Vieux à la Poubelle or La Fête La Joie. As usually, there are covers on On A Mal Vieilli: Je Ne Suis Pas Bien Portant (an old tune of 1932 originally sung by Gaston Ouvrard), Je M'Eclate Au Sénégal (from famous rock/pop late 60's/70's act Martin Circus) but also what was to become their biggest hit, a cover of La Lambada with new lyrics criticizing the greed of major companies stealing music from Third World musicians to make a hit. A good album!
Vacarmélite Ou La Nonne Bruyante, the band's 4th album, is the first one to include a drummer instead of the drum machine. What the band loses in originality, it wins on musical concision. It's also the first time a Garçons Bouchers album does not include any cover version. Highlights on this one are Bourré Bourré Ratatam (on alcoholism), Province-Paris, Armez-vous Les Uns Les Autres (on gun control), Super Ce Matin J'Ai Rencontré Dieu or Quelquefois. At that time, the alternative rock explosion was just a souvenir and Les Garçons Bouchers one of the last band still active to not have signed with a major company despite the numerous proposals. The cover of the album created a scandal in pilgrimage cities such as Lourdes or Lisieux. It was drawn by famous writer, caricaturist Roland Topor with whom François Hadji-Lazaro later recorded an album (François Détexte Topor). Vacarmélite was a very fine album though it missed the ingenuity of their early works. Some songs can very well be confused for Pigalle's songs. Not that it's a bad thing but that certainly explains why we had to wait so long for another album.
5th and final album of the band, Ecoute Petit Frère ! is still a good album. As with its predecessor the cover art was drown by Roland Topor, as with its predecessor there are no cover versions here, as for its predecessor the drums have replaced the old drum machine. The difference with Vacarmélite is that this album cannot be confused with Pigalle. When it came out I even thought it was the rebirth of the band with a new sound (bigger guitars by the new comer and BB Doc member Dominique "Mobydick" Rivière) and kind of a more serious tone. Best songs here are Doucement, Un Verre, Le Trèfle et La Harpe or La Roue de La Fortune but the whole album pretty much holds itself together. Sadly, this was to be Les Garçons Bouchers final sceam. I still hope the band to get back together if only for a few concerts but, as time passes and members grow older, chances are wearing thin. There is still five album and the live album for me to enjoy. The rest is history...
Albums:
1.LES GARCONS BOUCHERS (1987)
2.TOME 2 (1988)
3.N CONCERT (1989)
4.ON A MAL VIEILLI (1990)
5.VACARMELITE OU LA NONNE BRUYANTE (1992)
6.ECOUTE, PETIT FRERE ! (1995)
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