Tracks :
Sale Romance, 3' 29
Les garçon au fond du wagon, 2' 43
A l'ouest rien de nouveau, 2' 25
Tout pret du mur, 3' 35
Le dernier Nabab, 5' 20
PARIS MATCH, 3' 35
Violence, 2' 53
Ensley ALABAMA, 2' 24
Rien, 3' 53
Je m'endors toujours au cinéma, 2' 25

Credits :
Recorded at BASING STREET STUDIOS LONDON and mixed at WESSEX / London and at POWER STATION ( NYC)

Engineers : NORMAN MILES( Basing Street), GARY EDWARDS ( Wessex), LARRY ALEXANDER ( Power Station).

JEAN JOVENET: Vocals& Guitars
Murray WARD: Bass
Nick Sykes :Keyboards
Additional musicians:
DRUMS: SIMON FOX
SAXOPHONES by Davey PAYNE : Courtesy of STIFF Records
Special guitar on "SALE ROMANCE" by Tony ROBERTSON (POLYROCK) Courtesy of RCA Records.
Guitars:Robin MILLAR

Produced by Eric DUFAURE

Cover design and Photos:
Mathilde MALAVAL




SALES  ROMANCES

I had all the songs, a great band but I felt suddenly really alone. The sub plot of what's coming next desrves to be known.

Robin Millar was progressively becoming blind, there was no positive end to this issue and as he knew it would be the last album where he would be able to play guitar and be on stage, we had to hire an executive producer to adress all remaing issues.
SO...We contacted Eric Dufaure to do the job.

What surprised and schocked many people in the Audience was the "editing" perceived as " squeaky clean " performed on the tracks by Eric Dufaure.

We had to follow these new strucures, All musicians became far too self conscious and the loss of Spontaneity was predicible and obvious.
Well spotted the contact with Tony Robertson in Nyc and Davey Payne's input , but Heavens above it was tedious to have to folow such a formatting experience!
There is a great sound in this album, thanks to Norman Mighles in Basing Street and because we chose the Power Station in Nyc where Larry ALEXANDER did some fantastic mixes, whilst working on "The River", Bruce springsteen 's master piece just next door.
Never ever listen to : "Paris Match", the only track that I consider in my vintage works as a major flop... Hit n Miss.

Almost all songs are born from suffering, decline , absence, those were the emotions that overtook me in that tme frame.I had NOTHING left of me, no essence ... RIEN. Boredom at the bottom of the Subway car , an increasing disgust for politics... etc...

The Warden, the Screw's silhouette inducing paranoia... is all over this album
"Tout prés du Mur" is a Belin by the Wall plea and it all desintegrate in a Last Tycoon mode, Orson Welles style.

I was looking at the NYC skyline from this appartement flat on Central Park South and I was seeing snipers on the roofs... Ensley Alabama.

All along I kept thinking ..." what a shame..." we shall only score 7 out of 10 out of this one...", a very depressing thought to have.


Remains a collection of rather bluffing songs such as: "Rien", "Tout prés du Mur", "Sale Romance" , "le dernier des Nababs ", "Ensley Alabama", ou "A l'Ouest Rien de Nouveau".

August 8th 1980, Robert Malaval, my painter friend commited suiide in his Atelier:rue du Pont Louis Phillipe.

Time is a great teacher, unfortunately , it kills all of his students.

Press Review:

French Rock Music has his own hero, his cursed poet, his name is Jean Robert Jovenet / EXTRABALLE, That's him, with already many records achieved and a Star Aura that can only seduce you. With a sound coming from the Stooges and the Velvet Underground spheres , he has words that flirt with Jim Morrisson's. An incantation, a soft Parade. The unique class of Rock when all is meaningful.


Yan Plougastel - Les Nouvelles Littéraires  numéro 2803