Téléphone

Telephone fused hard rock swagger and drive with punk’s urban bite, rising as France’s most revered and impactful group in the years after the student uprisings. Their story began with Sémolina, an obscure trio Aubert, bassist Daniel Roux and drummer Richard Kolinka formed at the end of 1975. The lone WEA single “Et J’y Vais Déjà,” issued in mid-1976, sank without trace and the band dissolved, yet Aubert and Kolinka continued sharing a Paris flat and rehearsing in its cellar.

Kolinka booked an autumn 1976 date at the American Centre; when his regular band dropped out he enlisted guitarist Louis Bertignac, already known for backing Jacques Higelin, plus bassist Corine Marienneau. The four hastily assembled covers and Aubert’s earliest originals, making their debut on November 12 before a few hundred listeners. Loud, insolent and defiantly raw, the performance instantly revived French rock. Aubert, never a classic frontman, compensated with sheer ferocity and became the emblem of a fresh generation of French rock figures, while Bertignac’s slashing solos recalled Keith Richards and Jimmy Page.

Following a notoriously unruly March 1977 show at the Paris Metro, Telephone supported Eddie & the Hot Rods and later opened for Television. A June 8 appearance at the Bus Palladium produced the debut single “Hygiaphone.” Six weeks later the quartet signed with Pathé-Marconi and recorded its self-titled first album with producer Mike Thorne, released in November. They marked the LP with an inaugural headline tour that closed with a free concert at the Pantin racecourse.

The 1979 follow-up Crache Ton Venin catapulted them to national stardom; “La Bombe Humaine” became an anthem of its era, the album surpassed 600,000 copies and the band played to more than 100,000 spectators at the Fête de l’Humanité. Subsequent tours reached Italy, Spain and North America, and while in New York they began work on 1981’s Au Coeur de la Nuit, which yielded the hit “Argent Trop Cher.” Upon returning home they premiered the Jean-Marie Périer documentary Telephone Public, made by the longtime photographer for Salut les Copaines.

With Pathé obligations fulfilled, Telephone used their clout to secure a major Virgin contract. Their fourth album, Dure Limite, highlighted by “Ce Soir Est Ce Soir,” appeared in tandem with a June 14, 1982 Paris date supporting the Rolling Stones. During the ensuing headline trek Bertignac suffered a broken collarbone yet the band completed most shows, ending with three sold-out nights at the Paris Hippodrome.

Creative friction intensified around 1984’s Un Autre Monde as each member launched outside ventures: Aubert appeared on the all-star Ethiopian benefit album by Chanteurs sans Frontiéres, Marienneau scored Luc Besson’s Subway and Kolinka founded the label Kod. Aubert formally announced the breakup in April 1986; a subsequent live LP sold briskly. He and Kolinka then rejoined Roux as Aubert ’n’ Ko, issuing the funk-tinged Platre et Ciment in 1987 while Bertignac and Marienneau formed Les Visiteurs. Aubert began a proper solo career with 1989’s Bleu Blanc Vert; after Les Visiteurs, Bertignac released the 1993 Tony Visconti-produced Elle et Louis. Marienneau alone stepped away from music, turning instead to theater.