STOCKS - Trois (2025, BAD REPUTATION)
Remastered edition including booklet and 3 bonus tracks.

01. FALLAIT QUE J’TE DISE
02. C’EST PAS FACILE
03. OÙ TU COURS ?
04. ÊTRE MEILLEUR
05. SE FAIRE LA BELLE
06. MA RAPE MA GUITARE
07. J’T’ATTENDAIS PAS
08. TELLEMENT FRAGILE
09. SOLIDE COMME UN ROCK
10. BIKERS (LES MOTARDS)
11. FIORA

CD 3 NEW TRACKS:
01. C'ETAIT MIEUX AVANT
02. OLIGARQUE
03. MA COPINE SOLITUDE

Musicians:

Trois
Stocks :
Christophe Marquilly: guitar, harmonica, vocals
Arnaud Delbarre: bass, vocals
Bobby Luccini: drums, programming

Guest Musicians:
Arnaud Van Lancker: accordion
Fred Scamps: Hammond organ
Christophe Lerouge: keyboards
Pascal Deteuf: keyboards

Bonus CD
Stocks :
Christophe Marquilly: guitar, vocals,
Fred Nicolle: bass
Fabrice Trovato: drums

Unfortunately, I can't refer you to the 2002 RTJ review of "Trois": we didn't exist then, in a world where the internet was still in its infancy. I can only remind you of the review that appeared in issue 25 of Bands of Dixie, written based on a pre-production cassette by the late John Molet, "Southern John," a long-time cornerstone of RTJ.

In those distant days, this release, resembling a resurrection, had generated a lot of hope, even though in the meantime Christophe Marquilly had continued to strike with his Outsliders, an excellent blues, soul, and rock cover band that seemed to have shelved Stocks. With time, it seems to me that the quality of the album, written and performed by the musicians who had already "committed" the formidable "Éclats de Rock" in 1984 (more than forty years ago now !), is increasingly confirmed. Inexplicably, this third Stocks album didn't receive the recognition it deserved. At the time, I rushed to buy it… and got it signed as soon as possible by Christophe, who was living in Brittany ! As with the fantastic "Enregistré en public" from 1982 (!) or "Éclats de Rock," already mentioned, I found in it not only something to delight my ears, as our late, great Jacques Dersigny would have written, but also many tracks to play as a band for our own enjoyment. I confess I don't know what the new mastering of the reissue by the French label "Bad Reputation" (a nod to Thin Lizzy?) of these tracks, which have become legendary among connoisseurs, has in store for us, as I only had access to the EP now included as a bonus. Next time. That said, know that I still get just as much (enormous !) pleasure from listening to the original album, which piles one gem after another, all deserving of becoming classics. Quality endures ! If you were too young at the time to be interested in this music, rush out and get this album, which closes unexpectedly with a splendid acoustic moment of Celtic inspiration. This inspiration, perceived as early as the mid-90s, reappears periodically, even in "Rien n'est joué", Christophe Marquilly's solo album, which also contains interesting studio versions of Stocks tracks previously recorded on "Enregistré en public".
With the benefit of hindsight, "Trois" simply has international class.

But as you might have guessed, if I find myself at my keyboard today, more than 20 years after the release of "Trois," it's not just to talk about an album that came out ages ago, however exceptional it may have been, but above all about these three tracks recorded by the new Stocks lineup and included as a bonus EP with the reissue of "Trois."
Backed by a tight rhythm section forged by their shared participation in bands like The Blues Maker and Trente, and composed of Fred Nicolle on bass and Fabrice Trovato on drums, the new Stocks is building on a successful return to the Vouziers Festival (October 2024) to offer its audience these new tracks, hoping to reignite a band that remains very popular in the French blues-rock scene. Concert and festival organizers, please take note and feel free to contact the band…

Just three tracks… But still, three!

From the outset, the new production opens with a powerful guitar sound: the Les Paul from "Suzy" makes an appearance on "C'était mieux avant" ("It Was Better Before"), a gritty blues-rock track very much in the Stocks vein, with the vocals featuring that slightly acerbic and derisive edge already present in the band's earlier songs. Also noteworthy among the band's constants is the presence of that round, massive, heavy, yet distinct bass sound, which doesn't dwell too much on the sub-bass and contributes to a solid, well-defined rhythm section. This is a great live track with a catchy chorus, a nod to Francis Cabrel's caricature ("C'était mieux avang !" - "It was better before!" with an accent of the South of France), and it should be a hit in concert. A great start!

With "Oligarque" ("Oligarque"), we venture musically into a rougher, more aggressive sound, a heavy electric blues reminiscent of ZZ Top's early albums. The more divisive, politically charged lyrics aim to denounce, without mincing words, some of the excesses of the modern world, particularly the workings of the EU, which Christophe doesn't seem to appreciate all that much ! Is it because of this divisive aspect that this track is, to my knowledge, the only one without a music video ? This sarcastic song, whose content we won't discuss further here —everyone can form their own opinion— has a hint of Eddy Mitchell's bluesy "Société anonyme," written by Ralph Bernet and Guy Magenta. In its portrayal of the disconnect from self-proclaimed elites, it also seems to echo, from a different angle and with a more assertive tone, "Où tu cours ?", a magnificent track from "Trois." "Ma copine Solitude" ("My pal Loneliness") offers a much lighter musical experience, a catchy track that plays on the contrast between ethereal music and lyrics that aren't exactly cheerful. It sometimes reminds me (the Stratocaster's treatment ?) of "Ça m'fait tout drôle" ("It Feels So Weird"), a clever, earlier track, more subtle than it's generally perceived, which Christophe recorded twice, live and in the studio, and which already evoked a kind of solitude. The Stratocaster in the intermediate position instills a rather "Ed King" feel and always relies on that huge bass sound whose roundness is so pleasing. The track, supported by a very nice video filmed on the coast of Brittany, ends with a few slide notes played on a resonator guitar, a way of reminding us, while Christophe rightly invokes a connection to J.J. Cale, that his inspiration is firmly rooted in the blues.

In short, alongside a superb album that, like fine wines, seems to improve with age, these three new tracks, true to the unvarnished authenticity and sincerity that forged Stocks' legend, demonstrate that the new lineup is every bit as good as its predecessors. The inspiration remains high: the new songs, drawing on diverse influences, can easily stand alongside the older tracks on stage and contribute to the band's live performances. We might wish for more frequent appearances, perhaps closer to the Celtic West where Christophe now resides, but let's not be spoilsports, and while we wait to see how these new songs translate to the stage, let's fully enjoy this unexpected bonus.

Y. Philippot-Degand
Translation : Y. Philippot-Degand