KAROLINE
KAROLINE (BAD REPUTATION)
Trust and Téléphone reign without sharing on the hexagonal rock scene at the beginning of the 80s. Especially Trust and two albums 'Trust' and 'Repression'.
WEA, lacking a catalog in this French hard movement, saw in Karoline (ex-Amanite) a very restless foal from Nice.
Karoline's first and only LP came out as a nose-thumbing to Trust and the vinyl is rebellion red (quite unheard of at that time for a coloured vinyl LP!).
But where Trust was socially agitated in its texts, Karoline was going towards more daring areas.
However the musical influences of the two bands were almost identical: Motorhead, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo - Karoline frees herself very well from her influences and offers 9 incandescent fireworks.
Basic and efficient. Uppercuts from Joe Frazier, not punches from Cassius Clay. Right in the face.
It's lively, it's sparkling, it's hard-hitting. The recording perfectly transcribes this urgency, this energy deployed with riffs, solos and hoarse voice.
Karoline's rock has seduced the crowds, but not the general public. And yet, its music, carried by a heavy hitting drummer (Daniel Aprosio), a gigantic bass player (Vincent Bommarito), a singer (Serge Tafini) born in the Australian rock pot and a twirling guitarist (Jeff Castaldi), should have competed with Trust.
The band opens on some dates for AC/DC during its French tour "Back In Black Tour": December 13 in Strasbourg, December 19, 1980 in Lyon or December 20 in Lille in particular.
Jacky welcomes them in Platine 45...Unfortunately, the success of Trust, the emergence of the NWOBHM and the lack of ambition of its record company will precipitate the disappearance of this formation, which began to feel some turmoil.
However, a second album is recorded, but remains unreleased.