Téléphone

Lore & Background

Téléphone released their self-titled debut album in 1977. Their best-known songs include 'Hygiaphone', 'Métro c'est trop', 'La bombe humaine', 'Argent trop cher', 'Ça c'est vraiment toi', 'Cendrillon', 'New York avec toi', and 'Un autre Monde'. The band's members were Jean-Louis Aubert (guitar, piano, vocals), Louis Bertignac (guitar, vocals), Richard Kolinka (drums), and Corine Marienneau (bass, piano, vocals).

In 2015, three of the original members—Aubert, Bertignac, and Kolinka—reunited under the name 'Les Insus', with Aleksander Angelov replacing Marienneau on bass. They performed a few concerts in 2015 and announced a full tour for 2016 and 2017, culminating in a final gig at the Stade de France on 15 September 2017. A live album, Les Insus Live, was released on 8 September 2017.

Reader's Guide

Téléphone remains the best-selling French rock band of all time, with approximately 10 million albums sold, a record still unbeaten for a French rock band. Their album Un autre monde (1984), which featured John Entwistle of The Who, won the French award Victoire de la musique Album Rock in 1985. The band's influence is evident in their continued popularity and the successful reunion tour as Les Insus from 2015 to 2017. Their music, including hits like 'Hygiaphone' and 'Un autre Monde', is considered emblematic of French rock from the late 1970s and 1980s.

Did You Know?

• The band's album Un autre monde featured bassist Corine Marienneau, not John Entwistle.
• The reunion project Les Insus used a name that elides 'insupportables' (insufferable) and suggests 'portable' (cellphone).
• Corine Marienneau did not participate in the Les Insus tour; Aleksander Angelov played bass instead.