Guitars and backing vocals for Phantom feat. Marie-France's album.
Released on Freaksville Record, 2008.

• Phantom Feat. Marie-France.

Link to SoundCloud.
Link to iTunes.

Written by Jacques Duvall, composed by Miam Monster Miam,
except "Marie-France se suicide", composed by Jay Alanski.

Recorded by Grumph at Gam studio (Waimes, B) on september 14 and 15, 2007,
and at Chênée Palace (Liège, B) on december 1, 2007.

Mixed and masterd by Kramer in Florida on december 2007.

Produced by Miam Monster Miam for 36 Cowboys.

Benjamin Schoos : guitar, harmonica, Theremin.
Marc Morgan : guitar, slide, guitar, backing vocals.
Pascal Schyns ; bass
Geoffray Degand : drums
Philippe Laurent : trumpet
Henri Greatz : violin
Jacques Duvall : backing vocals
Illustration : Jampur Fraize
Photography : Richard Dumas
Graphic design : Scalp

Click to enlarge (will open a new window).

What Edie Sedgwick and Nico were to Andy Warhol's Factory, Marie France was to Le Palace in Paris. From the early seventies in Saint-Germain-des-Prés she was a muse, fascinating a lot of artists, from Marguerite Duras to Serge Gainsbourg, underground french innovators such as Pierre Clementi, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Jean-Jacques Schuhl, Pierre et Gilles, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and international stars passing through like Nico herself or Chrissie Hynde.

Her impersonation of Marilyn Monroe at Jean-Marie Rivière's Alcazar gave her a first taste of fame. She then made some appearances on film, André Téchiné's "Barocco" remaining her most treasured memory. Music always was the love of her life. She recorded an album with rock band Bijou (Gainsbourg backing band in the late seventies) and another one with former Taxi Girl members Daniel Darc and Mirwais (yes, Madonna's collaborator). She also was invited to perform a duet with Marc Almond, who later wrote a couple of songs for her.

Her first effort was a punk single in 1977 on Romantik Records, "Déréglée". And thirty years later, here she reunites with the man who wrote her first song, Belgian songwriter Jacques Duvall, known for his work with Jane Birkin, Etienne Daho and others including Sparks and The Runaways.

The man in charge with this project is another mad man from Belgium, Miam Monster Miam. He's providing some minimalist rock'n'roll, phantom blues and existential country music. Marie France rants over these tracks like a parisian Ronnie Spector, with carefree sex appeal and yet an almost painful sense of tragedy.

Marie France is an ambiguous character, her life is a spicy comedy and a mysterious melodrama at the same time. It all shows in this record mixed and mastered by the legendary Kramer (ex-bassist of Butthole Surfers, Bongwater, Half Japanese, Galaxy 500's producer...)

Porté par un rock garage tarantinesque, le groupe Phantom mené par Jacques Duvall et Benjamin Schoos alias Miam Monster Miam offre à Marie-France un voyage dans des contrées désertiques et sauvages. L'icône parisienne des 70's surprend une fois encore en s'appropriant à merveille les ambiances country blues et rock'n'roll minimales du duo. Pour preuve, l'album sobrement intitulé "Phantom feat. Marie France" chaudement sorti sur le label Freaksville Records.

Phantom featuring Marie-France : more news on my blog.
Phantom featuring Marie-France on Discogs.
Freaksville Record.
Phantom featuring Marie-France : my pictures on Flickr.
Marie-France (Wikipedia).