Fantaisie militaire explained

Fantaisie militaire
Type:	studio
Artist:	Alain Bashung
Cover:	Alain_Bashung_Fantaisie_militaire.jpg
Released:	6 January 1998
Recorded:	Studio Miraval Studio Davout (strings) Studio Pierce Entertainment (mixing)^[1]
Genre:	French rock, alternative rock
Length:	50:38
Label:	Barclay Records, Universal Music Group
Producer:	Ian Caple
Prev Title:	Confessions publiques
Prev Year:	1995
Next Title:	L'Imprudence
Next Year:	2002

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

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

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,^[2] 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".^[2] In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named Fantaisie militaire the ninth greatest French rock album ever made.^[3]

Personnel

Musicians

• Alain Bashung - vocals
• Édith Fambuena - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar (8), programming
• Jean-Louis Pierot - synthesizers, Hammond organ, harpsichord, Leslie piano, vibraphone, piano, programming
• Martyn Barker - drums, Turc and African percussion
• Simon Edwards - electric bass guitar, sentir, percussions, harpsichord
• Adrian Utley - electric guitars
• Rodolphe Burger - guitars (8), programming (8)
• Joseph Racaille string arrangements
• Alhambra - string ensemble
• Virginie Michaud musical direction^[1]

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

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)	Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[4]	71
French Albums (SNEP)^[5]	28

Notes and References

1. Fantaisie militaire . . 1998 . album booklet . . 539 488-2.
2. Book: fr . Gilles . Verlant . Gilles Verlant . La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock . Hors Collection . 2006 . 978-2-258-08007-2.
3. Rolling Stone, n°18, February 2010,
4. Web site: Rapports Annuels 1998. Ultratop. 7 January 2021.
5. Web site: Top de l'année Top Albums 1998. SNEP. fr. 7 January 2021.