Introducing…
THE BOGEYMEN
ALT003 (LP / Digital)
Reissue of cult album from 1994, originally released on CD only, now available on vinyl for the first time. 12 slices of raw garage and Rhythm&Blues, totally english-sounding — these frenchmen knew what they were doing!! Up there with the Cynics, the Chesterfield Kings, the Creeps, Fuzztones and all those that built up the 60s revival scene back in the day.
Why the Bogeymen’s first album was never available on vinyl, I can’t explain. I had listened to their CD during my teenage years, addicted to those 12 songs, mostly clocking in under the three minute mark, delivering a good dose of adrenaline whenever needed. After I started looking for the vinyl version, somebody delivered the devastating news: CD only. The band was well known in the sixties scene, because of their raw sound – one of the few bands around who had that true 60s British sound. Wild. Raw. A mix of Garage and Soul/R&B. You can’t tell if you listen to the music, but… this is France. And it’s the 90s.
The Bogeymen formed around Laurent Bauer (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards and harp) in the small town of Angoulême in the south-west of France, 100 Km away from Bordeaux and some 400 from Paris.
By the time they released their first single, the band had already grown a name in the underground 60s scene and was starting to tour extensively around France, well known for delivering a blowing live set of raw garage / R&B. During a show at the UBU Club in Rennes, the band met Stéphane Robert from DIG! Records, who would subsequently release both their albums. “We financed the recordings of the albums putting money aside playing in clubs, bars and all kinds of venues”. This first full-length album was recorded on Laurent’s own home, in his own words “recorded in my bedroom and mixed on shitty speakers”, using a 4 Track recorder.
In the four years that the Bogeymen lasted, the band played around 500 concerts in France and 100 abroad, leaving unforgettable memories on those who managed to see them live.