Jean-Yves Liévaux -

Jean-Yves Liévaux is a French chanson-folk/psych musician who recorded three albums for Pathé and Trema between 1976 and 1984. He also fronted the New Wave five-piece Lievaux-Transfo for two albums at the start of the 1980s.

Jean-Yves Liévaux is a French singer-songwriter whose 1970s and 1980s catalog includes solo records and two albums with Liévaux-Transfo. Pathé issued his debut LP; Trema released two Liévaux-Transfo albums and two subsequent solo records through Voyages sans lumière. Liévaux later formed Dakota with Patrick Chompré and Alcaz with Vyvian Cayol.

Liévaux-Transfo: Jean-Yves Liévaux (vocals, guitar), Jean-Claude Touzet (guitar), Patrick Dattas (bass), Philippe Juteau (drums), Yves Marquette (keyboards)

Background

Jean-Yves Liévaux, born in 1953, grew up in the Paris suburbs. Pathé-Marconi signed the 17-year-old self-taught musician. In 1973, the label issued “Neige, neige tombe” (b/w “L’enfance”) and “Cheval de Troie” (b/w “Que diraient les voisins ?”). The next year, Liévaux returned with “Tu as tapé du pied” (b/w “La vieille de Saint-Denis”). Pathé followed those singles with a full-length release under Liévaux’s name.

Comme Avant – Dis-Moi Fanny – C’est Pour Toi Que J’écrirai

Jean-Yves Liévaux released his debut album, Comme Avant – Dis-Moi Fanny – C’est Pour Toi Que J’écrirai, in 1976 on Pathé.

Guitarist Jean-Claude Touzet supports Liévaux across the record and begins a collaboration that extends through Liévaux-Transfo and the later Trema albums.

A1. “Comme avant” [As Before] (2:59)
A2. “Dis-moi Fanny” [Tell Me, Fanny] (3:40)
A3. “Ce que j’entends” [What I Hear] (2:54)
A4. “Prends ce bouquet” [Take This Bouquet] (3:17)
A5. “Aime-moi” [Love Me] (2:43)
A6. “Si tu sautes la barrière” [If You Jump the Barrier] (3:47)
B1. “C’est pour toi que j’écrirai” [I Will Write for You] (3:17)
B2. “Je sais des paradis” [I Know of Paradises] (3:20)
B3. “Je moissonne et je déraisonne” [I Reap and Lose My Reason] (3:30)
B4. “Il m’apparut” [It Appeared to Me] (2:07)
B5. “Le moulin bleu” [The Blue Mill] (3:56)

Jean Musy arranged and conducted “Comme avant” with “Dis-moi Fanny.” His 1976 schedule also included arrangements for Georges Moustaki and Nicole Croisille before his film work with Francis Lai.

Pathé paired “Comme avant” with “Dis-moi Fanny” on a 1976 single. In 1976, the label also issued “Il pleut tellement” (b/w “Vaut mieux rêver”) as a non-album single.

Liévaux-Transfo

Liévaux formed Liévaux-Transfo in 1978 with guitarist Jean-Claude Touzet and drummer Philippe Juteau. Keyboardist Régis Gaubert and bassist Philippe Germain completed the first lineup; Yves Marquette and Patrick Dattas occupied those roles by the debut LP.

Passage public

Liévaux-Transfo released their debut album, Passage public, in 1979 on Trema.

Every member receives a composition credit, and Liévaux appears on nine of the ten titles. The album presents “Le sauras-tu un jour” in short and long versions across opposite sides.

A1. “Le sauras-tu un jour (version courte)” [Will You Know One Day? (Short Version)] (4:00) – Dattas, Liévaux
A2. “Le téléphone” [The Telephone] (7:00) – Marquette, Liévaux
A3. “Jef Ferson (J’ai mis pour moi)” [Jef Ferson (I Put Aside for Myself)] (5:25) – Liévaux
A4. “Je jette dans la vie” [I Throw into Life] (3:20) – Juteau, Liévaux
A5. “Passage public” [Public Passage] (1:55) – Touzet
B1. “À peine entré chez moi” [Just Inside My Home] (3:40) – Touzet, Liévaux
B2. “Marcher tout seul” [Walking Alone] (5:10) – Touzet, Liévaux
B3. “Le sauras-tu un jour (version longue)” [Will You Know One Day? (Long Version)] (7:00) – Dattas, Liévaux
B4. “Quand j’y pense” [When I Think About It] (3:40) – Liévaux
B5. “Petite sœur” [Little Sister] (1:55) – Marquette, Liévaux

Liévaux-Transfo recorded at Studio Harry Son in Paris with engineer Pierre Braner and producer Gérard Melet. Former recording artist Gérard Melet served as Trema’s artistic director and also oversaw Michel Sardou’s label projects.

Gressler and Blondeau conceived and photographed the sleeve. The image places the group across a tiled architectural space, with a red electrical cable connecting the figures to a foreground plug.

Trema issued an edited “Le sauras-tu un jour” in 1979 (b/w an edited “À peine entré chez moi”) as a promotional single.

Porte 50

Liévaux-Transfo released their second and final album, Porte 50, in 1981 on Trema.

Jean-Claude Collo joins the authorship pool on “Gamin tirelire” and “Cellule 317.” Manager Christian Hée shares credit with Touzet on “Le théâtre millénaire,” while the seven-track format replaces the debut album’s ten-song layout.

A1. “Mauvaise graine” [Bad Seed] (2:15) – Touzet, Liévaux
A2. “Gamin tirelire” [Piggy-Bank Kid] (3:55) – Liévaux, Collo
A3. “Cellule 317” [Cell 317] (4:00) – Liévaux, Collo
A4. “Porte 50” [Door 50] (5:26) – Touzet, Liévaux
B1. “Le théâtre millénaire” [The Thousand-Year Theatre] (3:25) – Touzet, Hée
B2. “Je suis fêlé” [I Am Cracked] (10:00) – Juteau, Liévaux
B3. “Aux environs des étoiles” [Near the Stars] (6:00) – Liévaux

The group recorded in March 1981 at P.S.M. in Québec with engineer Jacques Montminy. Melet retained production control for the Canadian sessions.

Jean-Claude Asse devised the sleeve model, and D.D.P. supplied the photography. The cover surrounds a central bandaged figure with the four remaining band members against a blue star field.

Trema previewed the album in 1980 with “Je suis fêlé” (b/w the non-album “Pauvre mec”).

Transformances

Jean-Yves Liévaux released his second solo album, Transformances, in 1982 on Trema.

Liévaux resumed solo billing and retained Touzet as principal composer. Gong colleagues Pierre Moerlen and Didier Malherbe supplied percussion and reeds; keyboardist Jean-Philippe Rykiel and guitarist Yves Jaget added further parts. Liévaux wrote every lyric; Touzet composed nine songs, and “Mond’entier” carries Liévaux’s sole music credit.

A1. “C’est pas difficile” [It Is Not Difficult] (3:40)
A2. “Shot Gun” (3:35)
A3. “Pas de blues” [No Blues] (4:00)
A4. “Masculin féminin” [Masculine Feminine] (2:23)
A5. “Mond’entier” [Whole World] (3:00)
B1. “Elle me zoom” [She Zooms In on Me] (3:55)
B2. “Fâche” [Annoys] (3:20)
B3. “Pauvre Johanne” [Poor Johanne] (2:39)
B4. “Même si” [Even If] (2:57)
B5. “Après l’show” [After the Show] (2:30)

Pierre Braner, engineer on Passage public, recorded Transformances at Studio Harry Son in Paris. Gérard Melet directed the project, while Touzet and Liévaux arranged the songs.

Jean-Claude Asse conceived the sleeve, which layers cutout performer photographs over geometric planes and painted strokes.

Trema issued “C’est pas difficile” in 1982 (b/w “Pas d’blues”).

Voyages sans lumière

Jean-Yves Liévaux released his third solo album, Voyages sans lumière, in 1984 on Trema.

Liévaux and Touzet reduced the sequence to eight songs for the final Trema album. Boris Bergman wrote the four side-two texts, extending his contemporary work with Alain Bashung.

A1. “Petit à petit pas à pas” [Little by Little, Step by Step] (3:50)
A2. “Faut surtout pas qu’tu craques” [Above All, Do Not Crack] (3:08)
A3. “Voyages sans lumière” [Journeys Without Light] (3:14)
A4. “Au nord de la ville” [North of the City] (4:12)
B1. “L’électricité” [Electricity] (3:37)
B2. “Même en été” [Even in Summer] (4:13)
B3. “C’est plus la peine” [There Is No Point Anymore] (2:48)
B4. “Chambre 108” [Room 108] (3:52)

Liévaux and Touzet recorded Voyages sans lumière in Montreal, three years after their Québec work with Liévaux-Transfo.

Trema paired “Petit à petit pas à pas” with “L’électricité” on a 1984 single.

Later Activity

Trema issued “Vivre à ciel ouvert (Picasso)” in 1985 (b/w “J’aime bien passer chez toi”). Liévaux released Et na, na, na in 1995, then formed Dakota with Patrick Chompré the following year as an electronic-poetry project. He self-produced 7step for an independent release in 1999 under his own name.

Liévaux formed Alcaz with Vyvian Cayol in 2002 as a touring duo. The pair issued six albums from La vie va through Portés par les vents. In April 2025, Alcaz released the 14-track Le Miel des Anges through the Transformances imprint.

Discography

Solo albums

Comme Avant – Dis-Moi Fanny – C’est Pour Toi Que J’écrirai (1976 • Pathé)
Transformances (1982 • Trema)
Voyages sans lumière (1984 • Trema)
Et na, na, na (1995 • solo)
7step (1999 • self-released)

Liévaux-Transfo

Passage public (1979 • Trema)
Porte 50 (1981 • Trema)

Alcaz

La vie va (2003 • self-released)
Live in Saarbrück (2006 • self-released)
On se dit tout (2008 • self-released)
Vent fripon (2011 • self-released)
Là sous la lune (2013 • self-released)
Portés par les vents (2018 • self-released)
Le Miel des Anges (2025 • Transformances)

Discography: