A guest posting by J.C. Brouchard (our French Correspondent)
TAXI GIRL : Nous Sommes Jeunes, Nous Sommes Fiers, an Imaginary Compilation Album
Taxi Girl started in Paris in 1978 and went on to be one of the best French New Wave bands.
The band that released its first single in 1980 (Mannequin, produced by Kraftwerk friend and collaborator Maxime Schmitt) was made up of Daniel Darc (Vocals), Stéphane Erard (Bass), Laurent Sinclair (Keyboards), Mirwais Stass (Guitar) and Pierre Wolfsohn (Drums).
By the time the band split up in 1986, it had been reduced to a duo of Darc and Stass, after Erard was kicked out in 1980, Wolfsohn died of a drug overdose in 1981 and Sinclair was also asked to leave in 1983.
The band’s biggest hit was their second single, Cherchez Le Garçon, a synth pop classic.
Their only full length album is Seppuku (1982), produced by Jean-Jacques Burnel of The Stranglers, with drummer Jet Black standing in for the recently deceased Wolfsohn. It was a strong, compact and very dark record, which failed to repeat the band’s previous success. It was released in 1983 in the UK with vocals
adapted into English.
Over the next four years, the band released one mini-album and three great singles, which were more and more confident.
After the split, Daniel Darc embarked on a solo career. He died in 2013 at 53.
Mirwais Stass released two albums with the band Juliette Et Les Indépendants, and a low-key solo mini-lp in 1990. His second solo album Music (2000) was a worldwide hit and led to him producing several records for Madonna.
Laurent Sinclair relased one solo single and collaborated with many artists. He died in 2019 at 58.
I have been a big fan of the band all along and I hope this cross-section of their discography will make you want to hear more of them. Unfortunately, due to legal disputes, their catalogue has not been properly reissued. The title of the compilation stems from one of the band’s singles, Dites-Le Fort (Say It Loud :
We’re Young, We’re Proud).
Side 1
1. Find The Boy (1982)
This is the hit Cherchez Le Garçon, with film noir referencing lyrics. I never realized it at the time, but the keyboard intro was strongly ‘inspired by’ the intro to the Magazine song, Definitive Gaze !
The single was released in French by Virgin in the UK in 1980. It did nothing. To ease up comprehension for international Vinyl Villain readers, I’ve selected the English language version that was added as a bonus to the UK release of Seppuku.
2. Quelqu’un Comme Toi (1983)
The title track of their 1983 mini-lp, their first release as a duo. There’s flute-like synth and a jaunty rhythm, but the atmosphere is still sombre (« Night is closing in, hell is ours »).
3. Mannequin (1980)
There’s obviously a strong Kraftwerk influence (the Trans Europe Express song known in English as Showroom Dummies was recorded for the French issue as Les Mannequins), but it’s lively and with live drums. You must realize that, when this was released, the first Depeche Mode single was at least one year away.
4. On Any Evening (1982)
The band’s punk roots surface a little on N’Importe Quel Soir, and even more so in a 1979 live version available on the Quelque Part Dans Paris album. This is the English version from Seppuku.
5. Aussi Belle Qu’une Balle (Special Club Remix) (1986)
Mirwais’ skills for electronic music show up in this New Order-worthy 12 inch remix of their final single.
Side 2
1. Jardin Chinois (Nouvelle Version) (1981)
Originally the B side to Cherchez Le Garçon, Jardin Chinois was given its own single release a few months later, in a new, slightly faster version. It’s one of my favourite songs by the band, with strong lyrics (« I will kill you, I will kill you slowly. Your body is so soft to tear up »).
2. La Femme Écarlate (1982)
Another instance of Daniel Darc’s interest in all things Asian. This rather poppy Seppuku track was released as the second single from the album, in the same version, I think, but with a great cover drawn by artist Denis Sire.
3. Je Rêve Encore De Toi (Stephanie Says) (1985)
Taxi Girl took part in 1985 in the Virgin Records-curated tribute Les Enfants Du Velvet. They chose to cover the 1968 song Stephanie Says, which had only recently been made officially available on the V.U. album. Their contribution is a master stroke, if only for the original (not translated) French lyrics.
4. Thirteenth Section (1982)
The lyrics to Thirteenth Section read like an Ed McBain 87th Precinct novel. I even seem to remember an early bootleg version featured Inspector Meyer Meyer. He was replaced by Al Grundy in the album version.
5. V2 Sur Mes Souvenirs (1980)
It’s not a coincidence if I’ve included here all three tracks from Taxi Girl’s second release, Cherchez Le Garçon, a perfect EP. To round off the compilation, here’s this great song, propelled by Pierre Wolfsohn’s energetic drumming and Laurent Sinclair’s Dave Greenfield-inspired keyboards.
and with a live rendition to enjoy too.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 