Alain Bashung (1947–2009) was a French singer-songwriter and influential figure in French rock and chanson, best known for albums such as Fantaisie militaire, L'Imprudence and Bleu pétrole. He collaborated with lyricist Jean Fauque and numerous notable musicians.

Died in 2009 of lung cancer at age 62. Bleu pétrole (2008) won multiple Victoires de la Musique; Bashung received the Legion of Honor in early 2009. Fantaisie militaire (1998), L'Imprudence (2002) and Bleu pétrole (2008) are frequently highlighted in criticism.

Three DeBaser reviews praise Bashung's late-career albums — Fantaisie militaire, L'Imprudence and Bleu pétrole — highlighting inventive arrangements, Jean Fauque's lyrics and notable collaborators. Critics consider L'Imprudence a career pinnacle and Fantaisie militaire a decisive turning point. Bleu pétrole was widely awarded in France.

For:Listeners of French rock and chanson; readers who appreciate inventive arrangements, poetic lyrics and late-career albums.

 In many ways, it probably represents the absolute pinnacle of Bashung's career.

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 This Fantaisie Militaire from 1998 marks a decisive turning point: together with a group of top-level musicians (including Rodolphe Burger from Kat Onoma and guitarist Adrian Utley from Portishead) and thanks to the decisive contribution of Jean Fauque's visionary and surrealist lyrics, Bashung releases an extremely accomplished album that manages to be simultaneously experimental (Samuel Hall) and traditional (La nuit je mens) with the same incisiveness, and moves with surprising freshness despite being mostly within dark and hermetic tracks.

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 Probably also due to non-musical reasons (during recording and the last tour, Bashung was already terminally ill), the album was triumphantly received in France by both the public and critics, winning three Victoires de la Musique and ranking 46th on the list of the best French rock albums of all time.

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