Ame Son -

Ame Son was a French post-psych band that released the album Catalyse and the single “Je Veux Juste Dire,” both on BYG Records in 1970.

Members: Bernard Lavialle (guitar), Patrick Fontaine (bass), Marc Blanc (drums, vocals), François Garrel (flute, vocals)

Background

Ame Son formed in June 1969 at Montaulieu, Drôme, when drummer–singer Marc Blanc and bassist Patrick Fontaine left Daevid Allen’s Banana Moon Band (an embryonic Gong) and teamed with guitarist Bernard Lavialle and flutist François Garrel.

Blanc first played drums in a student group at an international school in Switzerland. In 1966, he returned to Paris and formed Les Primitiv’s with Bernard Stisi at Lycée Rodin. Lavialle played lead guitar in the later Primitiv’s lineup, which also included Fontaine, who attended Lycée Rodin and entered Blanc’s circle through the school. Garrel moved through the same Paris underground circle and composed the score for the 1967 Philippe Garrel feature Marie pour mémoire.

Les Primitiv’s worked Paris clubs and private youth rallies, then spent a three-month season at Club Olympique in Corsica. Blanc, Fontaine, and Lavialle returned to Paris as Expression, a trio that replaced the old cover repertoire with open improvisation. The musicians worked with free-jazz drummer Jacques Thollot and saw Soft Machine at the UFO club in London. Filmmaker Jérôme Laperrousaz met Expression at Le Damier and drew the trio into film work. When Lavialle entered military service, Laperrousaz introduced Blanc and Fontaine to Daevid Allen, the Australian-born Softs guitarist denied reentry to the UK after a French tour.

Blanc and Fontaine joined Allen in the first Banana Moon Band lineup and spent 1968 on dates around Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Mallorca, and Spain. Laperrousaz arranged Banana Moon demos at CBE with Bernard Estardy and Pathé with Patrice Blanc-Francard. The musicians settled at Bob Benamou’s property in Montaulieu for the winter of 1968–69 and rehearsed material Allen later developed for Gong. Lavialle returned from military service in April 1969 and moved into the Montaulieu commune.

Blanc saw Soft Machine at the Bataclan on June 25, 1969, where Martin Circus, Triangle, and We Free appeared on the French support bill. He returned to Montaulieu and proposed a new group to Fontaine, Lavialle, and Garrel. Ame Son retained Expression pieces such as “I Just Want to Say” and “Le mal sonne.” The quartet also built longer pieces from prepared themes and collective improvisation, with poems by Blanc. The quartet first played near Saint-Tropez at Le Ranch de la Foux and worked nearby clubs through the summer.

In September 1969, Ame Son returned to Paris with a demo. Laperrousaz directed Blanc to BYG co-founder Jean Karakos, who signed the quartet in a brief meeting. Karakos assigned Pierre Lattès as artistic director and booked the band into a London studio two weeks later for Catalyse.

Discography:

Catalyse (1970)
“Je veux juste dire” / “Unity” (1970 • L’ Ame son)
Primitive Expression (1998, archival)

Sources:

Discogs: Ame Son

References:

Marc Blanc interview, It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine, May 9, 2023. The strongest first-person source for Blanc’s schooling, first drums, Les Primitiv’s, the Fontaine meeting, Expression, Garrel, Montaulieu, the Saint-Tropez engagement, and the BYG approach. (It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine)
Marc Blanc interview, Culturopoing, March 10, 2015. Gives the Primitiv’s–Expression–Banana Moon sequence, the June 25 Bataclan concert, the summer repertoire, September BYG meeting, Pierre Lattès, and the London booking. (Culturopoing)
Marc Blanc, Banana Moon liner-note interview, Planet Gong archive. Supplies Le Damier, Laperrousaz, the early Allen engagement, Avignon and Mallorca dates, CBE/Pathé demos, Montaulieu, and the split that produced Ame Son. (planet gong)
Léon Cobra interview, Albumrock, 2015. Useful independent detail on Lycée Rodin, the Primitiv’s origins, Lavialle, Fontaine, the Paris club circuit, and the 1967 transition into Expression. (Albumrock)
La Cinémathèque française, Marie pour mémoire. Confirms François Garrel as composer of the music for Philippe Garrel’s 1967 feature. (Cinematheque)
Monster Melodies, Banana Moon Band archival release. Confirms Blanc and Fontaine in the 1968 Banana Moon Band, the CBE recordings, the Montaulieu residence, and their decision to form Ame Son. (monstermelodies)
Bibliothèque nationale de France. Catalog authority dates Ame Son from 1969 and identifies the core quartet as Fontaine, Blanc, Garrel, and Lavialle. (BnF Catalogue)
BYG Records, Actuel 24. The label catalog confirms Catalyse, catalog number 529.324, the four musicians, and the official 1970 dating used by the current JRS page. (BYG Records)