Osez Joséphine
Osez Joséphine (Dare Joséphine) is the eighth studio album by French rocker Alain Bashung, issued in 1991 on Barclay Records. Rolling Stone magazine considered it the greatest French album of all time.[2]
| Osez Joséphine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | July 1991 (Memphis, Paris), August–September 1991 (Brussels) At Ardent Studios, Memphis (1 through 5, 7, 9); At Studios Plus XXX, Paris (3, 5, 7, 10); At Studio ICP, Brussels (1 through 11) Mixed at Studio ICP, Brussels[1] | |||
| Genre | French rock, Roots Rock, Americana, Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 38:33 | |||
| Label | Barclay, Universal Music Group | |||
| Producer | Éric Clermontet, Marc Antoine | |||
| Alain Bashung chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
Commercial performance
The singles "Osez Joséphine", "Volutes" and "Madame rêve" ("Madame dreams") were successful, as was the album which peaked at 14th on the French charts. With this album, Bashung broke into the mainstream. The album sold 300,000 copies rather quickly for a French album at the time.[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine gave this album the top spot of their list of the greatest French rock albums (out of 100).[5] The album is included in the book La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock by Gilles Verlant, who calls Madame rêve, Osez Joséphine and Volutes "new classics from his repertoire" and the guitar riff by Sonny Landreth on Osez Joséphine "historical".[3]
Legacy
In 2016, Australian psychedelic rock artist Nicholas Allbrook conceived his video for his single "A Fool There Was" (from his album Pure Gardiya) as a tribute to the video for the title track of Osez Joséphine.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "J'écume" | Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Volutes" | Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Happe" | Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Well All Right" | Buddy Holly, Norman Petty, Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin | 2:09 |
| 5. | "Les Grands Voyageurs" | Laurent Petitgand / Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung | 4:46 |
| 6. | "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" | Fred Rose | 2:13 |
| 7. | "Osez Joséphine" | Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung | 2:58 |
| 8. | "Kalabougie" | Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque - Alain Bashung | 3:23 |
| 9. | "She Belongs to Me" | Bob Dylan | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Madame rêve" | Pierre Grillet - Alain Bashung | 4:50 |
| 11. | "Nights in White Satin" | Justin Hayward | 4:50 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Alain Bashung - vocals, harmonica (5, 6, 9)
- Sonny Landreth - electric guitar (1, 4, 5, 7, 9), slide guitar (2, 5, 7, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 3, 4, 7), lapsteel & wind (3)
- Bernie Leadon - electric guitar (1, 5, 7), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 9), mandoline (7)
- Roland Vancampenhout - electric guitar (1, 5, 8), harmonica (5)
- Ron Levy - Hammond organ (1, 2, 3, 7, 9)
- Ken Blevins - drums (1, 2, 4, 7, 9), chimes (3)
- David Ranson - bass guitar (1, 2, 3, 4, 9), bass & strings (4)
- Philippe Decock - keyboards (3, 10), piano (8)[1]
Production
- Tom Harding: sound engineer (Memphis)
- Sophie Masson: sound engineer (Paris)
- Phil Delire: sound engineer (Bruxelles), mixing, realisation
- Éric Clermontet: realisation, executive production
- Alain Bashung: realisation
- Marc Antoine: realisation, executive production
- Jean-Baptiste Mondino: photos
- Huart / Cholley: graphism[1]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[7] | Platinum | 300,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- Osez Joséphine (album booklet). Alain Bashung. Barclay Records. 1991. 511 485-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - Magazine Rolling Stone, n°18 of February 2010, ISSN 1764-1071
- Verlant, Gilles (2006). La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock (in French). Hors Collection. ISBN 978-2-258-08007-2.
- Jurek, Thom. "Osez Joséphine". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- Magazine Rolling Stone, n°18 of February 2010, ISSN 1764-1071
- Yoo, Noah (23 May 2016). "Nicholas Allbrook (Tame Impala / Pond) Shares "A Fool There Was" Video: Watch". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- "French album certifications – Alain Bashung – Osez Josephine" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 February 2019.