Jean-Lous Aubert for a Friday night -recorded live during the opening day of the ICI Live Festival in La Ciotat on September 4th of last year and preserved by RFI-ICI.
Anyone who remembers the French Punk/New Wave band Téléphone from the late 1970s will know that the guiding light and founder of that band was Jean-Louis Aubert. Téléphone were one of the biggest bands to come out of France during the late 1970s, gaining a reputation and following all over the world as well as cementing their popularity by touring as opening act for The Rolling Stones in 1977. To date, Téléphone have recorded some five albums (including their last, Un Autre Monde featuring John Entwistle of The Who) sold over 10 million albums, making them one of the most popular French Rock Bands ever. When the band dissolved in 1986, Jean-Louis Aubert went on to pursue a solo career. There was one reunion in 2016 which was short-lived, but in the meantime, Jean-Louis Aubert has released some 11 albums on his own, His latest, Pafini was issued in 2024 and this appearance was part of tour promoting the album which concluded on December 13 of last year which marked his 50th year as a performer.
From all reports, Pafini marked a return to the stage and studio for Jean-Louis Aubert. who has kept a low-profile in recent years – this series of concerts more than proved the point that Jean-Louis Aubert was, and still is, one of the most popular and influential French Rock icons in recent decades.
That music in a different language other than English is no longer a barrier to appreciating an artist and their work is one of the major cultural leaps since the birth of the Internet and Streaming. I always say this, but there was a time you had no idea what was going on in music from other parts of the world, unless you had friends, relatives and/or connections in order to actually be exposed to so much of this. When Progrock came into popularity, it was also around the same time records from overseas occupied the newly established “import bins” at most major record stores, but even then it took time for word to get out. We may never have heard about Téléphone if it weren’t for The Rolling Stones enlisting them as opening act during their U.S., Canadian and Japanese cities during their 1977 tour.
It tickles me no end to be able to share this concert with you – not only because its a great concert, but that it was recorded only weeks ago makes it a celebration and evidence all is not so bad, at least as far as technology is concerned.
Other than that . . . crank it up and enjoy the hell out of it – the weekend is almost here and you can use a break for the next 49 minutes.
