Novice is the seventh studio album by French rocker Alain Bashung, issued in 1989 on Barclay Records.
Production 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 songs, "By Proxy", is one of the very few originals 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.
Critical reception 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. Academic Jean Frédéric Hennuy compared the lyrics of "Pyromanes" and "Légère éclaircie" with those of Nick Cave.
Track listing
Bonus Track (1993 CD reissue)
Personnel Musicians Olivier Guindon - guitars Vic Emerson - keyboards Colin Newman - keyboards Philippe Draï - drums Dave Ball - keyboards Jean-Marie Aerts - guitars Blixa Bargeld - guitars Phil Manzanera - guitars Simon Rogers - guitars Mick Parker - guitars
Production 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