Téléphone () was a French
rock band formed in 1976.
Their first, self-titled album was released in 1977; by the end of the decade they were one of the biggest French rock bands around, opening shows for
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Japan. The band split in 1986
for personal reasons. They have sold around 10 million albums to date, a record still unbeaten for a French rock band.
Among their best-known songs are "Hygiaphone", "Métro c'est trop" ("Metro's Too Much"), "La bombe humaine" ("Human bomb"), "Argent trop cher" ("Money Too Expensive"), "Ça c'est vraiment toi" ("That Is So You"), "Cendrillon" ("Cinderella"), "New York avec toi" ("New York City With You") and "Un autre Monde" ("Another World").
Members
*
Jean-Louis Aubert
Jean-Louis Aubert (, born 12 April 1955) is a French singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer and producer. He went on a solo career after the split of the rock band Téléphone that he co-founded.
Early life
Born in Nantua, Ain, France in 195 ...
- guitar, piano, vocals
*
Louis Bertignac
Louis Bertignac (; born 23 February 1954) is a French guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. An ex Shakin' Street member and a founding member in 1976 of the rock band Téléphone, he formed Bertignac et les Visiteurs after Téléphone split in 19 ...
- guitar, vocals
*
Richard Kolinka - drums
*
Corine Marienneau - bass, piano, vocals
Reformation as "Les Insus" (2015-2017)
The band reunited briefly for a concert at the Point Éphémère on 11 September 2015 under the name "Les Insus" (; ''insupportables'', meaning insufferable. The elided name also suggests the word ''portable'', meaning "cellphone" in French, thus implying an upgrade to modern times). Les Insus were composed of Aubert, Bertignac and Kolinka but with the bassist Corine Marienneau replaced on the bass guitar by Aleksander Angelov (hence the reason they were not able to use the name "Téléphone"). Another concert was given in Lille on 15 September. Les Insus also gave a concert in Lyon, at Le Transbordeur, on 6 October 2015. On 29 November 2015 the new group announced a real tour in France (in which Corine Marienneau would not participate) for 2016. The tour was scheduled from 27 April to 11 November in several major cities and several festivals. On 12 November, they announced a tour of the festivals in summer 2017 and a final gig at the ''Stade de France'' on 15 September. The live album ''Les Insus Live'' was released on 8 September.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Téléphone'' (1977) - peaked in FRA at #2
*''
Crache Ton Venin'' (1979) - peaked in FRA at #2
*''
Au Cœur de la Nuit'' (1980) - peaked in FA at #3
*''
Dure Limite'' (1982) - peaked in FRA at #1
*''
Un autre monde'' (1984), featuring
John Entwistle of
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
- peaked in FRA at #2
Live albums
;Les Insus
*2017: Les Insus - ''Hygiaphone'' (Live 2017)
Compilation albums
DVDs
*1980: ''Téléphone Public''
Singles
*2012: "Ça (C'est vraiment toi)" (re-release) - peaked in FRA at #133
Awards
Album ''Un autre monde'' won French awards "Victoire de la musique Album Rock" in 1985.
References
External links
Téléphone official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Telephone
Musical groups established in 1976
French rock music groups
Pathé-Marconi artists
Musical groups from Paris