Fantaisie militaire

Fantaisie militaire (Military fantasy) is the tenth studio album by the French rock musician Alain Bashung, released in January 1998 by Barclay Records.

Fantaisie militaire
Studio album by
Alain Bashung
Released6 January 1998
RecordedStudio Miraval
Studio Davout (strings)
Studio Pierce Entertainment (mixing)[1]
GenreFrench rock, alternative rock
Length50:38
LabelBarclay Records, Universal Music Group
ProducerIan Caple
Alain Bashung chronology
Confessions publiques
(1995)		 Fantaisie militaire
(1998)		 L'Imprudence
(2002)

Production

For this album, Bashung worked with the English record producer and engineer Ian Caple and with artists such as the Valentins, Rodolphe Burger, Joseph Racaille and Adrian Utley of Portishead. Most of the songs were written by Jean Fauque.

The song "Samuel Hall" is a drum and bass reworking of the folk song "Sam Hall".

Reception

Commercial performance

The album reached #1 on the French charts. It is one of Bashung's greatest successes, helped by the successful single "La nuit je mens".

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]

Fantaisie militaire marked a turn in Bashung's career. He was awarded three Victoires de la musique awards in 1999: Male Artist of the Year, Best Album of the Year, and Video of the Year for the single "La nuit je mens". In 2005, the Victoires ranked it the best French album since 1985. The Belgian rock historian Gilles Verlant included the album in his book La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock,[3] lauding it as a "chef d'œuvre" and the "shining diamond of the winter of 1998". He added that the album showed "Bashung mix the sounds and his inspiration with a perfect mastery of studio incidents" and that "its precision is that of a goldsmith, a jeweler, a maniac watchmaker".[3] In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named Fantaisie militaire the ninth greatest French rock album ever made.[4]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Malaxe"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung / Les Valentins4:33
2."La nuit je mens"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung / Les Valentins4:25
3."Fantaisie militaire"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung4:48
4."2043"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung3:45
5."Mes prisons"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung4:07
6."Ode à la vie"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung / Jean-Marc Lederman4:16
7."Dehors"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung / Les Valentins3:29
8."Samuel Hall"Olivier Cadiot / Rodolphe Burger5:05
9."Aucun express"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung4:05
10."Au pavillon des lauriers"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung4:43
11."Sommes-nous"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung3:56
12."Angora"Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque – Alain Bashung2:07

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Ian Caple: producer, engineer, programming and mixing[1]
  • Jean Lamoot: assistant sound engineer, Pro Tools assistant, preproduction direction, programming, recording[1]
  • Anne Lamy: executive production
  • Pascale Jaupard: management

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[9] Platinum 300,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Fantaisie militaire (album booklet). Alain Bashung. Barclay Records. 1998. 539 488-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Jurek, Thom. "Fantaisie militaire". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  3. Verlant, Gilles (2006). La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock (in French). Hors Collection. ISBN 978-2-258-08007-2.
  4. Rolling Stone, n°18, February 2010, ISSN 1764-1071
  5. "Ultratop.be – Alain Bashung – Fantaisie militaire" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. "Lescharts.com – Alain Bashung – Fantaisie militaire". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  7. "Rapports Annuels 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. "Top de l'année Top Albums 1998" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  9. "French album certifications – Bashung – Fantaisie Militaire" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
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