VA - SO YOUNG BUT SO COLD (UNDERGROUND FRENCH MUSIC 77-83)

This well-constructed compilation, is significant not only for opening up these sounds to a larger audience but also for putting a definite perspective on a music scene that was all too short.
It is the late Seventies in Europe. The political tensions of the Sixties are now manifest in the extremes of hedonism and direct action. Youth feels alienated once again, this time its worse with constant violence on the television and industrial upheavals at home.

Urban decimation and Postmodernism at its height, further isolating people from their surroundings. European identity has been eradicated in shame and frustration. But something is happening. Punk Rock in the United Kingdom has shown kids all over the world that its easy for them to release music on independent labels. Current technological trends make access to new electronic instruments (ARP and MS10 among others) easy. In France a new youth culture is born. So Young But So Cold illustrates that trend brilliantly.
It begins with the most poppy tunes and gradually goes back in time, as more instruments are added to each song and the experts (mostly influenced by and creating progressive rock) take over. The first half of the disc the instrumentation is sparse, consisting of drum machine or keyboard and vocals primarily. By the end of the disc the tracks get more (analog) synthesizer oriented and denser in construction.

TRACKLISTING:

1 - Suis-Je Normale – Nini Raviolette 00:04:03
2 - Euroman – J.J. Burnel 00:03:29
3 - Roman Photo – Ruth 00:05:02
4 - Disco Rough  – Mathematiques Modernes 00:04:00
5 - Carnival – Metal Boys 00:01:45
6 - Person To Person – The (Hypothetical) Prophets 00:06:09
7 - Wallenberg – The (Hypothetical) Prophets 00:06:18
8 - So Young But So Cold – Kas Product 00:03:00
9 - Synchro – Charles De Goal 00:04:00
10 - MAE – Artefact 00:03:18
11 - Switch On Bach – Moderne 00:03:08
12 - Triangle – Jacno 00:03:29
13 - Lighthouse – Tim Blake 00:06:47
14 - The Force (Part I) – Droids 00:03:26
15 - Welcome (To Death Row) – Bernard Szajner 00:06:14
16 - Iceland – Richard Pinhas 00:09:38

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