Martin Circus

Martin Circus was a French post-psych rock band that debuted with a 1969 live disc, followed by nine studio albums through 1980 on Vogue. After the ambitious two-record set Acte II, the band’s music veered toward comedy pop.

Members: Gérard Blanc (guitar, vocals, 1969-?), Bob Brault (bass), Gérard Pisani (saxophone), Alain Pewzner (guitar, 1969-?), Sylvain Pauchard (keyboards, 1969-?), René Guérin (drums, 1969-?), Patrick Dietsch (vocals, guitar, 1969), Paul-Jean Borowsky (vocals, keyboards, 1969), Jean-François Leroy (drums, 1969)

Background

Martin Circus formed in early 1969 when bassist Bob Brault and saxophonist Gérard Pisani assembled singer-guitarist Patrick Dietsch, singer-keyboardist Paul-Jean Borowsky, and drummer Jean-François Leroi around original French-language material.

Brault came from Les Gentlemen of Tours, a local rock group. Pisani played with the Gamblers led by Olivier Despax, then joined the Blackburds backing Johnny Hallyday on saxophone and flute through the Palais des Sports engagement in Paris. Dietsch came from the Caen rock circuit through Les Vikings and Les Capitals. Pisani penned French texts to the co-authored themes of his bandmates.

Early Activity

The Paris-based record company Vogue took an early interest in Martin Circus through Gérard Hugé, an artistic director who also became the group’s manager. Their first single, “Tout tremblant de fièvre,” appeared in 1969 (b/w “Barbe-Bleue”), followed with “Le matin des magiciens” (b/w “Moi je lis des bandes dessinées”). Martin Circus became a regular act at the Rock’n’Roll Circus in the sixth arrondissement of Paris, where Vogue recorded a twelve-song club performance for the live LP En direct du Rock’n’Roll Circus.

Martin Circus played Festival Actuel at Amougies on October 26, 1969, on a French-group bill with Alan Jack Civilization, Triangle, We Free, Cruciférius!, and Indescriptible Chaos Rampant. The five-day festival also featured Pink Floyd, The Nice, Caravan, Yes, Soft Machine, Captain Beefheart, Archie Shepp, and Pharoah Sanders, with Frank Zappa serving as co-emcee.

Martin Circus represented the French contingent at the Olympia on January 10–11, 1970, for Opération 666, a six-day international rock series that placed the group alongside Richie Havens, Terry Reid, Yes, the Keef Hartley Band, and East of Eden. Vogue issued “Dis-moi” in 1970 (b/w “Chanson pour un cadavre”), the final single from the original five-piece. Martin Circus then joined Johnny Hallyday for a 37-concert summer tour that ran from July 4 through early September.

New Lineup

Personnel changes accelerated across 1970 as Dietsch and Leroi left the group. Pisani, Brault, and Borowsky fulfilled contracted dates with guitarist Michel Libretti and drummer Donald Rieubon. Singer Emmanuel Booz appeared at selected concerts. Borowsky subsequently left the remaining founders Pisani and Brault to reconstruct Martin Circus around a new rhythm and vocal lineup.

Brault recruited guitarist Alain Pewzner and drummer René Guérin from the Alan Jack circle. Pewzner previously played with Pat Winther and the Sounders, then played alongside Guérin in the Alan Jack Civilization. Brault next approached keyboardist Sylvain Pauchard, then working at Vogue. Pauchard joined on the condition that Martin Circus also hire his Balthazar bandmate, guitarist-singer Gérard Blanc.

The rebuilt six-piece made its first public appearance at the Gibus Club in Paris on January 7, 1971, roughly ten days after the Blanc–Pauchard addition. Martin Circus unveiled a new setlist that included “Boudjateelack” and “Ouvrez vos mémoires,” both already assigned to a planned double LP. They played the program at the Saint-Gratien pop festival on April 4, closing with the still-unreleased “Je m’éclate au Sénégal,” written by Brault and Pisani. The song started as a proposed B-side, but radio interest persuaded Vogue to commit to the larger album project. Gérard Hugé produced the resulting studio sessions for the double LP Acte II.

Discography:

• En direct du Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus (live, 1969)
• Acte II (1971)
• Acte III (1974)
• Marylène (1975)
• Tu joues ton cœur (1976)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus (1977)
• Disco (1978)
• Martin Circus (1979)
• Shine Baby Shine (1979)
• De sang Froid (1980)

References and notes

• Born Bad Records — Martin Circus: Évolution Française 1969–1985. This is the strongest recent reconstruction of the early group. It identifies Brault and Pisani as the core, describes Dietsch and Borowsky as the rock/free-jazz recruits, establishes the Rock’n’Roll Circus residency, and gives the detailed rebuild through the Alan Jack farm, Pewzner, Guérin, Pauchard, and Blanc. It also identifies Hugé as manager/artistic director and explains the proposed B-side origin of “Je m’éclate au Sénégal.” (Born Bad Records)
• Martin Circus official biography. The group places formation at the start of 1969, identifies the original five-piece, records the early Vogue single/radio activity and Olympia appearance, and identifies Pewzner/Guérin as Alan Jack alumni and Pauchard/Blanc as Balthazar alumni. (Martin Circus)
• Martin Circus official 2004 interview with Alain Pewzner, Gérard Blanc, and Sylvain Pauchard. Pewzner states that the group completed composition and rehearsals for Acte II in early 1971 and soon played the material onstage. His Saint-Gratien recollection specifically says the set ended with “Je m’éclate au Sénégal” while the song remained unreleased. (Martin Circus)
• Best, No. 31, February 1971 — “Le retour de Martin Circus.” This contemporary report is especially useful. It dates the rebuilt lineup debut to the Gibus Club on January 7, states that Blanc and Pauchard had joined roughly ten days earlier, identifies Pewzner and Guérin as former Alan Jack musicians, and names “Boudjateelack” and “Ouvrez vos mémoires” among the new material. The report also says the group already intended the material for a double LP. (Scribd)
• Encyclopédisque. The database dates Martin Circus formation to 1969 and confirms the sequence of “Tout tremblant de fièvre,” “Le matin des magiciens,” “Dis-moi,” and Acte II. The individual 45 pages supply the correct b-sides and writer combinations; the “Le matin des magiciens” entry also confirms the Rock’n’Roll Circus as the site used for the live first album. (Encyclopedisque)
• Johnny Hallyday concert/session archive. Pisani appears in the Blackburds on tenor saxophone and flute at the 1967 Olympia engagement and remained in the Hallyday ensemble through the April–May 1969 Palais des Sports period. The tour chronology documents the 1970 Hallyday summer run with Martin Circus from July 4 through September 5 and identifies 37 concerts. (Hallyday)
• Festival documentation. The Amougies chronology places Martin Circus among the French acts at Festival Actuel in October 1969. The surviving Opération 666 itinerary places Martin Circus at the Olympia on January 10 and 11, 1970, alongside the international festival bill. (Memoire 60-70)
• Saint-Gratien / “Je m’éclate au Sénégal” documentation. The surviving chronology dates the Saint-Gratien appearance to April 4, 1971. Separate disc documentation identifies Brault and Pisani as the songwriters and Gérard Hugé as producer. (Histoires des chansons)