Welcome to Breakdown, an unofficial resource and discussion list about the innovative guitarist/producer Michael Brook. This site is infrequently updated, but contains a great deal of background info which will remain online. For up-to-date news and information, visit Michael Brook's official site and MySpace page.

Discographies Full details on every record featuring Brook
Bashung Chatterton

Chatterton

Alain Bashung

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Credits

Barclay Records / Polygram, 1994
Catalogue #523 111-2
Recorded in Brussels

Musicians (among others):
guitars: Michael Brook, Marc Ribot, Link Wray, Ally McErlaine (from the group Texas)

note: Michael Brook plays drums on "Un ane plane" and guitar on all tracks except "A Ostende"

Tracks

  1. A perte de vue
  2. Que n'ai-je
  3. Ma petite entreprise
  4. Elvire
  5. Un ane plane
  6. Aprés d'apres hostilités
  7. J'avais un pense bete
  8. J'passe pour une caravane
  9. Danse d'ici
  10. A Ostende
  11. L'apiculteur
  12. J'ai longtemps contemplé

total duration: 55'20

Notes

Note by Breakdown correspondent Patrick Midot, May 1999

This album is commonly & widely available in France. You can try the mail order service of the FNAC shops.

Alain Bashung has been one of the most successful artists for what is known in my country as chanson francaise (ie: a mixture of rock music & traditional french song). This year he was a nominee in almost every category of our local music awards & won 4 of them, including best male singer, best song, best video clip & best I don't know what... All of his albums sound miles away (ahead?) from the regular French production & each is different from the previous one. With something like 25 years in career (he turned 50 lately) & a number of great albums, he has been working over the years with major french lyricists (even with Serge Gainsbourg for a major album called Play blessures), best known for their twisted humor & the lyrics are sometimes difficult to dig, even for the French. He is also an actor from time to time.

Although it is quite difficult to tell what guitarist is playing that part or that other (sometimes up to 4 guitarists are credited on the same track...) you cannot miss the distinctive tunes of Michael Brook's infinite guitar & it is quite fun to listen to him weaving his atmospherics above a piece of country music or a rockabilly rythm part... Quite a departure from his work with Nusrat to name only one. This album may sound disorientating to many but it is a typical artefact from Alain Bashung: daring, experimental, very European & absolutely reminiscent of Bashung's first loves: Buddy Holly, Johnny Kid & The Pirates, surf music, Jacques Brel... Enjoy!