Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles is the fourteenth studio album by French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. It was released through Mercury Records and Universal Music Group on 17 November 1981. Produced by Philippe Lerichomme, the album musically follows the reggae style of its predecessor, Aux Armes et Caetera (1979).[1]
| Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Etoiles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 November 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 21–27 September 1981 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point Studios, New Providence, Bahamas | |||
| Genre | Reggae, dub poetry | |||
| Length | 37:07 | |||
| Language | French | |||
| Label | Mercury, Universal | |||
| Producer | Philippe Lerichomme | |||
| Serge Gainsbourg chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
John Bush of AllMusic gave the album a mixed review, stating: "The breezy melodies of his prime material from the '60s and '70s are unfortunately missing."[1] He also further added: "Though the sound and production is up to Gainsbourg's usual high standards, the songs are much weaker than expected. With little to anchor it except the players and Gainsbourg's seedy vocal delivery, Mauvaises Nouvelles des Etoiles simply floats away."[1]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Serge Gainsbourg
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overseas telegram" | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Ecce homo" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Mickey maousse" | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Juif et Dieu" | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Shush shush Charlotte" | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Toi mourir" | 2:05 |
| 7. | "La nostalgie camarade" | 3:23 |
| 8. | "Bana basadi balalo" | 3:03 |
| 9. | "Evguénie Sokolov" | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Negusa nagast" | 3:05 |
| 11. | "Strike" | 2:59 |
| 12. | "Bad news from the stars" | 1:26 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from liner notes.
- Serge Gainsbourg – vocals, arrangements
- The I Threes (Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt) – backing vocals
- Robbie Shakespeare – bass guitar
- Sly Dunbar – drums
- Mikey "Mao" Chung – lead guitar
- Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan – rhythm guitar
- Ansel Collins – organ, acoustic piano
- Uziah "Sticky" Thompson – percussion
- Technical
- Steven Stanley – recording, mixing
- Lord Snowdon – photography
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[2] | 47 |
Certifications and sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[3] | Gold | 100,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d Bush, John. "Serge Gainsbourg - Mauvaises Nouvelles des Etoiles". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Serge Gainsbourg – Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ "French album certifications – Serge Gainsbourg – Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles" (in French). InfoDisc. Select SERGE GAINSBOURG and click OK.
External links
edit- Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles at Discogs (list of releases)