Ganafoul - T'As Bien Failli Crever! (Reissue) (1981/1994)

Prior to the breakthrough of Trust and Telephone, rated among the best hard rock bands working in France were Ganafoul. Comprising Jack Bon (vocals/guitar), Jean Yves Astier (bass/vocals) and Yves Rotacher (drums), their music relied on the type of 12-bar blues boogie patented by Status Quo. However, their execution of similar material was altogether tougher, drawing equally on the nascent punk tradition for their rhythmic attack. After their 1977 debut, a cheaply produced and packaged but still incendiary collection entitled Side 3, Rotacher was replaced on drums by Bernard Antoine, who provided more percussive versatility. Subsequent albums for Crypto Records continued to follow the group’s oeuvre of stylistically delimited but brutally played hard rock, which found a ready audience on France’s late 70s club circuit.