Alain Bashung - Climax
Review by Alexandru Vladoiu
Climax, the 12th and final studio album by the late French singer-songwriter Alain Bashung, is a haunting and deeply personal record that serves as a fitting swan song for one of the most important figures in French music of the past few decades. Released posthumously in 2008, a year after Bashung's death from lung cancer at the age of 61, Climax is an album that is both introspective and universal, a masterful blend of rock, pop, and electronic music that showcases Bashung's unique voice and his ability to weave complex and poetic lyrics.
From the opening track, "Je t'ai manqué", Bashung sets the tone for the album, with a haunting melody and lyrics that speak to the pain of loss and the search for meaning in life. The album's title track, "Climax", is a standout, with its driving beat and soaring chorus that captures the sense of urgency and desperation that permeates much of the record. Other notable tracks include "Résidents de la République", which features guest vocals from French rapper JoeyStarr, and "La nuit je mens", a melancholy ballad that has become one of Bashung's most beloved songs.
Throughout Climax, Bashung's voice is a powerful and emotive instrument, conveying a range of emotions from anger and despair to hope and redemption. The production, by longtime collaborator Edith Fambuena, is expertly crafted, with layers of guitars, keyboards, and percussion that create a rich and complex sonic landscape. The album's lyrics, written by Bashung and various collaborators, are poetic and evocative, with images and metaphors that are both enigmatic and deeply resonant.
Table of Contents
Download
Filename: alain-bashung-climax.rar- MP3 size: 666.4 mb
- FLAC size: 5086.2 mb
Tracks
| Track | Duration | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Toujours sur la ligne blanche | 6:4 | |
| C'Est Comment Qu'on Freine | 03:15 | |
| La nuit je mens | 4:26 | |
| Les petits enfants | 1:11 | |
| J'Cume | 03:58 | |
| Un Âne Plane | 3:56 | |
| Imbécile | 6:25 | |
| Reviens Vas T'En | 3:10 | |
| Hey Joe | 4:56 | |
| Nights in White Satin | 04:50 | |
| C'est comment qu'on freine | 3:14 | |
| What's In A Bird (Avec M) | 3:48 | |
| Volontaire | 3:24 | |
| Les mots bleus | 5:9 | |
| J'écume | 3:58 | |
| Le tango funèbre | 4:16 | |
| J'passe pour une caravane | 3:31 | |
| Climax 4 (Instrumental) | 4:22 | |
| Les Mots Bleus | 5:10 | |
| L'apiculteur | 6:57 | |
| Rebel | 4:20 | |
| Rebel (Live) | 4:21 | |
| Bijou bijou | 4:6 | |
| À perte de vue | 5:8 | |
| J'Écume (Live) | 3:57 | |
| Ma petite entreprise | 4:12 | |
| Imbécile | 06:26 | |
| S.O.S. Amor | 4:02 | |
| Madame Reve | 04:50 | |
| C'Est Comment Qu'On Freine | 3:13 | |
| A Perte de Vue | 05:09 | |
| La Nuit Je Mens | 4:28 | |
| Malaxe | 4:23 | |
| Ça cache quekchose | 2:46 | |
| Gaby oh Gaby | 3:55 | |
| À Ostende | 4:48 | |
| Les Petits Enfants | 1:12 | |
| Volontaire (Avec Noir Désir) | 3:26 | |
| Ode À la Vie | 04:38 | |
| Vertige De L'Amour (Live) | 3:07 | |
| Bombez | 3:3 | |
| Lavabo | 3:17 | |
| L' Apiculteur | 06:58 | |
| Volutes | 3:24 | |
| Les grands voyageurs | 3:20 | |
| Bombez ! | 3:04 | |
| Happe | 3:5 | |
| Bombez ! | 3:02 | |
| Les Grands Voyageurs | 03:21 | |
| Un âne plane | 3:57 | |
| Vertige de l'Amour | 03:06 | |
| S.O.S. amor | 4:3 | |
| Un Âne Plane | 3:58 | |
| Gaby Oh Gaby | 3:56 | |
| Bijou, Bijou | 4:07 | |
| Les Mots Blues | 05:10 | |
| Les Grands Voyageurs (Avec Marc Ribot) | 3:22 | |
| Climax 4 | 4:22 | |
| Bombez! | 03:04 | |
| Vertige de l'amour | 3:6 | |
| Osez Joséphine | 02:58 | |
| What's in a Bird | 03:48 | |
| Ode À La Vie (Avec Rachid Taha) | 4:39 | |
| Toujours Sur La Ligne Blanche (Live) | 6:06 | |
| Ca Cache Quekchose | 02:47 | |
| À Perte De Vue | 5:07 | |
| Nights In White Satin | 4:52 | |
| Les Petite Enfants | 01:12 | |
| Ça Cache Quekchose | 2:46 | |
| Aucun Express | 4:07 | |
| Samuel Hall | 05:32 | |
| Gaby H Gaby | 03:55 | |
| Toujours Sur la Ligne Blanche | 06:05 | |
| Le Tango Funebre | 04:17 | |
| L'Apiculteur (Live) | 6:57 | |
| Nights in white satin | 4:49 | |
| Pas Question Que J'Perde le Feeling | 03:53 | |
| Un Ane Plane | 03:58 | |
| Samuel hall | 5:31 | |
| Ma Petite Entreprise | 4:14 | |
| À Ostende (Avec Marc Ribot Et Jean-Paul Roy) | 4:49 | |
| Ça Cache Quekchose | 2:48 | |
| Reviens Vas T'En | 03:12 | |
| Reviens va-t'en | 3:11 | |
| J'Passe Pour une Caravane | 03:32 | |
| Ostende | 04:48 | |
| Osez Joséphine | 2:58 | |
| Pas question que j'perde le feeling | 3:53 | |
| Madame Rêve | 4:50 | |
| J'Passe Pour Une Caravane (Live) | 3:31 | |
| Aucun express | 4:6 | |
| Samuel Hall (Avec Rodolphe Burger) | 5:32 | |
| Le Tango Funèbre | 4:18 | |
| Madame rêve | 4:49 | |
| Pas Question Que J'Perde Le Feeling | 3:54 | |
| Ode à la vie | 4:37 | |
| Les Mots Bleus | 5:09 | |
| What's in a bird | 3:47 |
Images
Catalog Numbers
- 543 648 4
- 543 648 2
Labels
- Barclay, Universal
- Barclay, Universal Music
- Barclay
Listen online
- online anhören
- escuchar en línea
- kuunnella verkossa
- lyssna på nätet
- lytte på nettet
- ouvir online
- online luisteren
- écouter en ligne
- ascolta in linea
Formats
- Cassette
- Compilation
- 2 × CD
- Jewel Case
- Limited Edition
- Book
Companies
| Role | Company |
|---|---|
| Made By | Universal M & L, France |
| Phonographic Copyright (p) | Barclay |
| Copyright (c) | Barclay |
| Recorded At | ICP Recording Studios |
| Mastered At | Translab |
Credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Artwork | Restez Vivants ! |
| Mastered By | Hervé Dutournier |
| Photography By | Arnaud Joubin |
| Recorded By | Djoum (tracks: 1-7, 1-14, 1-17, 2-1, 2-5, 2-14) |
| Mixed By | Djoum (tracks: 1-7, 1-14, 1-17, 2-1, 2-5, 2-14) |
Notes
- Standard 2CD jewel case with clear tray including 24 pages booklet (lyrics) + credits & thanks printed on reverse of back inlay,
- see images. 6 exclusive tracks, recorded and mixed at Studio ICP, Brussels.
- Originally released :
- ℗1979 : 1-10 (Remix 1985) / 1-12 (Remix 1992) / 2-4 (Remix 1992) / 2-19 (Remix 1992).
- ℗1980 : 1-19 (Remix 1991).
- ℗1981 : 1-8 / 2-2 (Remix 1992) / 2-17 (Remix 1992)
- ℗1982 : 1-11 (Remix 1992) / 1-15 / 2-14 (Remix 2000).
- ℗1983 : 2-1 (Remix 2000) / 2-13 (Remix 1992).
- ℗1985 : 2-16 / 2-18 (Remix 1992).
- ℗1989 : 1-18 (Remix 1992).
- ℗1991 : 1-3 / 1-9 / 1-13 / 2-5 (Remix 2000) / 2-11
- ℗1992 : 1-1 / 1-5 / 2-8 / 2-15.
- ℗1994 : 1-7 (Remix 2000) / 1-16 / 2-3 / 2-9.
- ℗1995 : 1-6 / 2-6 / 2-12.
- ℗1998 : 1-2 / 1-4 / 1-14 (Remix 2000) / 1-17 (Remix 2000) / 2-7 / 2-10.
- 6 exclusive tracks, recorded and mixed at Studio ICP, Brussels.
- 32 pages booklet.
- Total running time : cd1: 1h19mn14s + cd2: 1h17mn44s = 2hrs37mn.
- Originaly released :
Barcodes
- Barcode (Printed): 7 31454 36484 3
- Barcode (Text): 7 31454 36482 9
- Barcode (Printed): 7 31454 36482 9
- Other (Catalog# CD1): 543 663 2
- Other (Catalog# CD2): 543 664 2
- Mastering SID Code (CD1 & CD2 Variant 1 & 2): IFPI L003
- Mould SID Code (CD1 Variant 1): IFPI 0278
- Mould SID Code (CD1 Variant 2): IFPI 0280
- Mould SID Code (CD2 Variant 1): IFPI 0299
- Mould SID Code (CD2 Variant 2): IFPI 0278
- Matrix / Runout (CD1 Variant 1): 543 663 2 00 1B
- Matrix / Runout (CD1 Variant 2): 543 663 2 00 1A
- Matrix / Runout (CD2 Variant 1 & 2): 543 664 2 00 1A
- Rights Society: SACEM SDRM SACD SCAM
- Label Code: LC00126
- Price Code: UN 926
- Barcode (Scanned): 731454364829
About Alain Bashung
Real Name
- Alain Baschung
Name Vars
- A Bashung
- A. Bachung
- A. Baschung
- A. Bashung
- Alain Baschung
- Bachung
- Baschung
- Bashung
Aliases
- David Bergen
- Hendrick Darmen
- Monkey Bizness
Summary by Alexandru Vladoiu
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