Now damn hot stuff by O.T. H. (On Tender Hooks), a five piece from Montpellier and formed 1977 by Spi (vocals), Dom & Gilbert (guitars), Phil (bass), Beubeu (drums) and stopped January 1992 and this is their great debut on Art Trafic. A bit info: "OTH is the flagship of FrenchRock, which has left an indelible mark in the community. They not really part of the punk movement, it is more of a very greasy rock and burned as it should be. Even the social lyrics retain a good dose of humor, without taking themselves seriously. It was not until 1984 that Réussite was released, a first opus full of ardor and exemplary maturity. It will forever be the bands best manifesto. They will quickly fall into a more commercial rock, but this is another debate. On Réussite, we take it all in the face from start to finish, with a lot of exceptional speed tracks: the awesome "On Est Tous Des Acculés", which sounds almost like US punk, "Le Sex Prime", not very far from Motörhead, are such intense. No doubt, guitarists have learned the lesson of rock greats, there are even a few well-sent rocker solos. No, frankly, if there is one flagship group that represents the best of FrenchRock at that time, it is (well, it was) OTH. But they will not meet the success they would have deserved, despite some attempts in this direction. And even their peers will agree that OTH was the locomotive for many French groups in the alternative punk/rock scene of the 80s." So enjoy twelve rockin' Hymns in thirty minutes and check more records of them, there are enough available.
Another winning post! I used to think I was pretty knowledgeable about punk but your blog shows me I still have a lot to hear and experience. Thanks for all you do.
ReplyDeletethat's exactly what I think too, and I'm always pleasantly surprised with undiscovered treasures that slumbered and now shine. I guess, that's not all.... thx for your comment!
DeleteGreat band with witty lyrics and a definite mastering of their instruments. When on stage, they had few equals.
ReplyDeleteThe ''On est tous des acculés'' (acculés=cornered)is a sweet distorted version of ''on est tous des enculés'' (no need for a translation, ist there??)