Aux Armes et C¿¿tera

by Gainsbourg

Overview

This is one messed up set. Dig the fact that this is Serge Gainsbourg in dread beat and booze. Aux Armes et Caetera is literally Gainsbourg on the rocksteady tip with Sly and Robbie, Flabba Holt, Michael "Mao" Chung, Ansel Collins, I-Threes, Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt, Sticky Thompson, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, and a bunch of French folks playing puff-the-ganja and help the white man in Kingston. Gainsbourg knew what he wanted -- a Lee Perry-styled dubber and dread outing -- and he knew the cats to hire to get it. It contains 15 cuts; some, such as "Javanise," are remakes, while others, ("Des Laids, Des Laids") were written for the session. The Jamaican studio musicians are solid, rocking it down the pipe dark, smoky, and deadly in their grooves. While Serge would seemingly be at a creative impasse, having been one of the whitest men ever to record a side, his tunes work here because he's allowed them to be completely transformed by the Rastas, and his vocals work because they are chanted rather than sung. This is weird, dangerous, and campy music, but it works like a charm. In its day this album was reviled: now it's the work of a visionary. Go figure, but if you dig Gainsbourg, this is for you. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	11/25/2016
Label:	Mercury Records
UPC:	0600753718551
Rank:	47690

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Serge Gainsbourg   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Piano
The Spectacular   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
I-Threes   Primary Artist
LMJ   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Big Youth   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
King Stitt   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Dr. Kex   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Lisa Dainjah   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Brady   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Bruno Blum   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Spectacular   Primary Artist
Telegram   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Spydaman   Primary Artist
Devon "Rizzlamigo" Black   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Lone Ranger   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
President B   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Buffalo Bill   Primary Artist
Mr. Murphy   Primary Artist
Culture T.   Primary Artist
Culture-T   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Courtney "Spydaman" Allen   Featured Artist
Burning Spectacular   Featured Artist
Rupert "Buffalo Bill" Reeves   Featured Artist
Kenneth "Mr Murphy" Phillips   Featured Artist
Michael "Mao" Chung   Guitar,Piano
Robbie Shakespeare   Bass
Rita Marley   Vocals (Background)
Marcia Griffiths   Vocals (Background)
The Wailers   Vocals
Ansel Collins   Organ

Technical Credits

Anthony Waldron   Composer
Jacques Plante   Composer
Serge Gainsbourg   Composer,Performer
Geoffrey Chung   Engineer
Manley Buchanan   Composer
Sam Theard   Composer
Frederick "Doctor Kex" Henry   Composer
Courtney "Spydaman" Allen   Composer
Lord Snowdon   Photography
Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle   Composer
Lisa Mitchell   Composer
Philip Ziadie   Assistant Engineer
Devon Black   Composer
Jean-Yves Billet   Editing
Rupert Reeves   Composer
Carl Reid   Composer
Philippe Lerichomme   Photography
Jean Guerin   Mastering
Bruno Blum   Composer
Anthony Watson   Composer
David Grant   Composer
Rupert "Buffalo Bill" Reeves   Composer
Kenneth "Mr Murphy" Phillips   Composer