Téléphone

Telephone fused the swagger and energy of hard rock with the urban aggression of punk to emerge as the most admired and influential French band of the post-student revolt era. Their roots lie in Sémolina, an unheralded trio formed in late 1975 by singer/guitarist Jean-Louis Aubert, bassist Daniel Roux, and drummer Richard Kolinka. When their lone WEA single, "Et J'y Vais Déjà," vanished upon its mid-1976 release, Sémolina quickly split; Aubert and Kolinka remained roommates, however, frequently jamming in the cellar of their Paris home. In late autumn of 1976, Kolinka secure...