PIGALLE

PIGALLE

Pigalle are a group who refuse to be pigeon-holed - which is a good job really, because their sound is almost impossible to define! Let's just say Pigalle play a catchy and extremely vibrant mix of rock, punk, folk, java, tango and 'chanson réaliste' … how's that for a post-modern musical melting-pott?

BIOGRAPHY
By the time Pigalle recorded their début album in 1986, the group had already been playing together for several years. In fact Pigalle had been in existence since the early 80's when two Paris-based musicians, Daniel Hennion and François Hadji-Lazaro, had teamed up and discovered a mutual passion for 'folk rock'.
Hadji-Lazaro, Pigalle's charismatic frontman, who masterminded the group from the very beginning, was born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris in 1956. A passionate music fan from an early age, Hadji-Lazaro soon discovered rock and French chanson (via the late great Piaf) and by the age of 13 he was already composing music and writing his own songs. In spite of his early talent, however, Hadji-Lazaro did not envisage becoming a professional musician. Instead, he went on to pursue a career as a primary school teacher. Yet Hadji-Lazaro remained firmly gripped by the music bug and he would eventually leave the classroom in the late 70's to form his own folk group. (This group would metamorphose into Pigalle in 1982).
Given the explosion of the alternative rock scene in France in the 1980's however, Hadji-Lazaro would soon begin moving in a different musical direction altogether. Leaving folk music behind, he went on to experiment with a more aggressive rock sound, forming the group Les Garçons Bouchers (The Butcher Boys) in 1975. The group proved extremely successful on the alternative music scene, but Hadji-Lazaro soon turned his attention back to his initial project, Pigalle. His original partner, Daniel Hennion, had left the duo to work on his own projects, so Hadji-Lazaro enrolled a new partner, Henri Escudié, and the pair went into the studio in 1986 to record a début album entitled "Pigalle". Pigalle's first album sold relatively few copies however and this, coupled with the fact that Hadji-Lazaro and Escudié rarely ever performed in concert, meant that the group remained a strictly 'underground' phenomenon for many years.

A Dull But Eminently Touching Figure
In the late 80's Hadji-Lazaro decided it was time to introduce a few new faces to the Pigalle line-up. So by the time the group returned to the studio to record their second album in 1990, Hadji-Lazaro and Escudié had been joined by a varied bunch of musicians (some from the alternative rock scene, others specialising in traditional folk). Pigalle's second album, "Pigalle 2" bore the intriguing subtitle "A Troubled Insight Into The Sad Existence of Benjamin Tremblay, A Dull But Eminently Touching Figure" - a title which said it all really! Pigalle's lyrics evoked the banal yet tragic destinies of characters who hung around in louche bars and deserted back alleys, drowning their sorrows in cheap red wine. The group's raw poetry proved a big hit with French music critics who began comparing the group to the 'chanteurs réalistes' of the 1920's. Pigalle's music also went down well with French music fans who loved the way the group fused standard guitar, drum and bass with traditional folk instruments such as the bagpipes, the hurdy-gurdy and the dulcimer (an old string percussion instrument). Pigalle's concerts were packed to the rafters and the group soon went on to score a huge hit with their new single "Dans la salle du bar-tabac de la rue des Martyrs". (Indeed, this single would rocket Pigalle into the French charts and go on to sell over 50,000 copies).
On 2 February 1991 Pigalle brought the house down when they played at the Elysée-Montmartre in Paris. After this triumph the group kicked off a short tour of five dates, performing at schools in the Paris suburbs. The following year Pigalle received one of the greatest accolades of the music profession when they were invited to perform at the prestigious Olympia music-hall in Paris (20 January 1992). The group - which had now expanded from the original duo of Hadji-Lazaro and Escudié to include six musicians - would go on to make a name for themselves on the international music scene. Pigalle were soon much in demand. Indeed, the group began receiving countless invitations to perform at major music festivals including Berlin Independent Day (in Germany), SXSW (in Texas, USA) and Halou (in Tokyo, Japan). Extracts from these concerts would be included on the group's live album "Pigallive" (released in 1992).

"Patate"
By the early 90's Pigalle had established themselves at the forefront of the French music scene. In the meantime François Hadji-Lazaro had gone on to set up his own record label, Boucherie Productions. (Highly respected by other professionals in the music industry, Boucherie Productions is considered to be one of the most active and creative independent labels in France today).
Riding the wave of their 'mainstream' success, Pigalle returned to the studio in 1993 to record a new album entitled "Rire et pleurer" (Laugh and Cry). "Rire et pleurer", a brilliant mix of rock ballads and innovative folk music, found the group abandoning modern studio sounds to experiment with a purely acoustic style. (Traditional folk instruments would go on to play an increasingly important role on the group's future albums). Following the success of the singles "Patate" and "Vendredi 13", Pigalle returned to the Olympia in February 94, for a triumphant series of concerts. Then on 19 October the group brought the house down at another famous Parisian venue, La Cigale. The rest of 1994 passed in a whirlwind schedule of tours, festivals and one-off concerts at home and abroad.
François Hadji-Lazaro - who had already proved himself to be a multi-talented musician, capable of playing an impressive number of instruments - soon went on to reveal a whole string of hidden talents. Apart from running his own record label and producing and writing material for other artists, Hadji-Lazaro would also go on to launch an acting career in 1995 (starring in Caro and Jeunet's cult film "La cité des enfants perdus"). When he was not busy playing with Pigalle, Hadji-Lazaro also found time to perform with his old band Les Garçons Bouchers. He also recorded a one-off solo album, based on the work of the famous French writer and illustrator Roland Topor. The album "François détexte Topor" was released in 1996.

And, finally, the new album "Alors"
Before returning to the studio to begin work on their new album - the group's fifth to date - Pigalle set off on a mammoth tour, performing more than 400 dates at home and abroad in the course of the next two years. They finally found time to return to the studio in 1997 and - much to French music fans' delight - Pigalle's new album "Alors" was finally released on 20 October that year. Hadji-Lazaro, who played more than a dozen instruments himself on the new album, was joined in the studio by six other musicians (only three of whom accompanied him for Pigalle's live shows). Hadji-Lazaro was also joined in the studio by the Trio Patrick Bouffard, a lively folk ensemble who played bagpipes, accordion and hurdy-gurdy. But Pigalle's new album was not a purely acoustic affair this time round - on the contrary, Hadji-Lazaro returned to his love of sampling and programming (which had influenced his music in the 80's) and "Alors" proved to be an interesting fusion of the traditional and the modern.
Since the release of "Alors", Pigalle's career has continued to go from strength to strength - indeed, the group's album sales since their début in 1986 now total almost 200,000! Pigalle also retain a strong following of music fans across the country, hundreds of whom turned out to watch the group when they performed at the Olympia on 16 March 1998.

Going solo
François Hadji-Lazaro turned his attentions to his acting career again in 2000, appearing in a number of French TV movies such as Les Misérables. In 2001 he also starred in the cinema feature film Le Pacte des Loups. In 2002 Hadji-Lazaro returned to the music world, recording the rather pessimistic solo album Et si que. Later that same year he published Mots de gorge, a collection of lyrics to 78 songs he had recorded with the group Pigalle.

PIGALLE
320 KBPS
1. J't'aime Bien 1:26
2. Il Boit Du Café 2:29
3. Homosexuel 2:04
4. J'peux Plus T'dire Que J't'aime 1:59
5. Aldebert 2:23
6. Pigalle 2:40
7. La Goutte D'or 2:12
8. Elle Glisse 1:30
9. Couper Le Cordon 2:55
10. Franc-tireur 1:15
11. Fait Divers 2:14
12. La Fille Au Teint Rouge 1:58
13. Brève Rencontre 1:46

password: NS120

REGARDS AFFLIGES SUR LA MORNE ET PITOYABLE EXISTENCE

DE BENJAMIN TREMBLAY, PERSONNAGE FALOT

MAIS Ô COMBIEN ATTACHANT
320 KBPS
1. Ecris-moi 2:53
2. Marie La Rouquine 2:17
3. Une Nuit 3:01
4. Le Tourbillon 2:08
5. Y'a L'aventure 1:38
6. Première Fois 1:35
7. Les Lettres De L'autoroute 4:37
8. Dans La Salle Du Bar Tabac De La Rue Des Martyrs 3:02
9. Sophie De Nantes 2:08
10. Eternel Salaud 2:56
11. Chez Rascal Et Ronan 3:13
12. Dans Les Prisons 2:03
13. Angèle 1:49
14. En Bas, En Haut 2:38
15. Le Chaland 2:02
16. Un Petit Paradis 2:28
17. Paris Le Soir 2:51
18. Renaître 3:39

password: NS121

PIGALLIVE
320 KBPS
1. Dans La Salle Du Bar Tabac...(orgue De Barbarie) 1:58
2. La Goutte D'or 2:54
3. Chez Rascal Et Ronan 4:08
4. Homosexuel 2:26
5. En Bas, En Haut 3:33
6. Le Chaland 2:55
7. Angèle 2:45
8. L'éboueur 3:43
9. Première Fois 1:45
10. Pigalle 2:24
11. Marie La Rouquine 3:16
12. Il Boit Du Café 3:31
13. Brève Rencontre 2:44
14. Dans La Salle Du Bar Tabac De La Rue Des Martyrs 3:50
15. Eternel Salaud 3:36
16. Une Nuit 3:23
17. Franc Tireur 2:15
18. Les Lettres De L'autoroute 6:04
19. Sophie De Nantes 1:50
20. Pauvre Grand 3:10
21. Faits Divers 4:09
22. Paris Le Soir 2:56
23. La Goutte D'or (fin) 2:23
24. Les Amants Du Vieux Pont (studio) 2:21

password: NS122

RIRE ET PLEURER
320 KBPS
1. Rungis 3:18
2. Le Fou Au Chien Fou 3:04
3. Crime Contre L'humanité (le pape a dit : "Plastique tu ne mettras point") 3:33
4. Derrière Le Mur 3:11
5. Ne Reviens! 4:00
6. La Petite Cirrhose Du Port De Copenhague 4:21
7. Le Dernier éléphant 2:53
8. Un Amour Simple 2:56
9. Paris 2034, Vingtième Jour D'insurrection 3:30
10. Maîtresse Au Goût De Terroir 3:36
11. Et Pourtant Si 2:50
12. L'amour Forain 2:42
13. Vendredi 13 4:02
14. Patate 3:16
15. On Assassine Belleville 3:24
16. Les Deux Soeurs 2:53
17. Dis-moi Si ça Vaut Le Coup De Rester 3:13
BONUS DISC
ACOUSTIC & INSTRUMENTAL VERSIONS
1. L'amour Forain 2:39
2. Ne Reviens ! 3:55
3. Le Fou Au Chien Fou 3:04
4. On Assassine Belleville 3:22
5. Vendredi 13 4:01
6. Derrière Le Mur 3:06

password: NS123

ALORS...
256 KBPS
1. Geindre 3:02
2. Faut Pas S'inquiéter (o'carolan's Concerto) 3:22
3. Betty 3:39
4. A Quoi Servent Les Prières ? 3:10
5. Parking 2:55
6. Joyeux Anniversaire 3:32
7. Qu'importe Les Spasmes 3:05
8. Ronde Écouter 3:20
9. Si Dormir Faisait 3:06
10. Allaient-ils S'aimer ? 3:15
11. Il Incesta 3:54
12. Anguille 2:49
13. Fond De Cale 3:07
14. Il Y A Dans Les Rues De La Ville 3:19
15. Il Faudra Bien T'asseoir 2:42

password: NS124

BONUS

FRANCOIS DETEXTE TOPOR
320 KBPS
1. L'amour A La Sauvette 2:57
2. Glacon Brulant 3:52
3. Un Songe 3:14
4. Champagne 3:27
5. La Chanson Du Marchand De Journaux 2:38
6. Chanson De La Fille Du Garde-Barriere 3:00
7. Scato 3:28
8. L'hiver En Avance 2:59
9. George Sand 3:30
10. La Nuit Est Jeune 3:19
11. L'ampute 3:45
12. Le Mauvais Client 2:53
13. Cantique 2:19
14. Menteur 2:31

password: NS125