Henriette Coulourvat -Rockin’ on the Red Book // Paddy Field (MM Records) 1979. What the fuck is this? Well it’s a totally whacked out French-synth obscurity, that’s what. Back in the day when all the whacked out synth obscurities had to have a Chinese theme. You think I’m kidding? I’m not. Who is Henriette Coulouvrat? I don’t really know. She is on the great Des Jeunes Gens Modernes compilation with a more overproduced song that I do not like as much. Why am I posting this? Cuz I like to Rock On The Red Book and hang out in the Paddy Fields as much as the next guy. I think these songs should have been on the classic Tin Drum LP by Japan. It could have lightened the mood a bit. I love David Sylvian and all, but does State-sponsored paddy farming really need to be such a dire subject? Indoctrination into Maoism doesn’t always have to be thru the barrel of a gun. Analogue synths can be the hammer which we use to crush the enemy! Look at the cover of this great release (if you click it, you can see the full-res version). Doesn’t that look like fun? Sure as hell beats a Decembrists gig.
Hardcore Podcasts
September of 2010 I put together eight Hardcore Podcasts. You can check them out here if you are interested. For more insight into how I came up with the years 78-90 for the First Wave you can read about The Hardcore Superiorty Myth.
YAY! Communist propaganda can be fun!
wow this is good. dude french synth wave? wow not bad for some hardcore/metal lover. thanks for this one good stuff.
I recently rediscovered Henriette through this video on Youtube. She appeared several times on French and Belgian TV back in the early eighties. I didn’t know this early single. Thanks a lot !
It’s weird almost all her early stuff was asian tinged. The B-Side of “Can’t you take a joke” is called “yellow fever” and talking about chopsticks and Kabuki men. Its kinda weird and maybe a little culturally inappropriate. Her songs start off so good and kinda pitter out as the keep going, especially on that “Can’t you take a joke” 7″. I had heard “Paddy Fields” but not “Rockin’ on the red book”. And what was up with the Asian fetishization in French Synth? There was her, the Tokow Boys, Mathmatiques Modernes, and even Metal Urbain after they became The Metal Boys made that Tokio Airport album. Anyone know what was up with that? All I can assume is it was veiwed as futuristic or something. Anyone?
@TBE – I had not really thought about this but you are correct. I think Asia in general was very in vogue at that time “Turning Japanese”, Asian themed shirts etc etc. But France did seem particularly obsessed with it