The night train is leaving...
- Nostra Dam
- Nov 9, 2020
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 5
Nicolas Peyrac, whose real name is Jean-Jacques Tazartez, is a singer-songwriter who shouldn't have been a singer but rather a doctor. Indeed, the son of doctors, he originally intended to carry on the family tradition and spent 6 years on the benches of the medical school.
But art in general, whether through photography or music, gradually took a predominant part in his life at the start of the 1970s. And it was the meeting in 1971 with Patrick Legrand, editor of music and Michel's brother, who will suddenly be a game-changer.
Indeed, the latter takes certain texts that the young Jean-Jacques has just written, which has the joy of finding one sung a few months later by Marie Laforet, just that. As happiness never comes alone, this unexpected success earned him a signing at Pathé-Marconi.
But the bellows fell as quickly as he went up because the first two 45s that he released under his own name went completely unnoticed and the label is seriously considering ending their collaboration. They still leave him one last chance with a title called "So far away from L.A.", a title which, this time, will not go unnoticed, far from it.
The title was a hit during 1975 and thrust the artist into the limelight in a shattering fashion. Title that we find on his first album "D'où venez-vous" which was released the same year.
Follow in the wake of another flagship title that is "Et mon père", taken from the album "Nicolas Peyrac" which will be released a year later in 1976. Title which immediately positions the artist as one of the most big phenomena of the moment on the French music scene.
Another major success two years later in 1977 with the titles "Je pars" and "Le vin me saoule". Which will unfortunately be almost his last notable successes.
Other tracks were released later, but the artist missed the turning point of the 80s and was unable to adapt to new musical trends. This did not prevent him from continuing the adventure in the decades that followed with the release of new albums of more than certain interest.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Entre l'ombre et la lumière 1974
So far away from L.A.1975
D'où venez-vous ? 1975
Et mon père 1975
Satanée question 1976
Comment t’appeles-tu 1976
Il neige sur Madrid 1976
Habanera 1976
Comme font les ruisseaux et les rivières 1976
Je pars 1977
Et la fête est finie 1977
Il y aurait du soleil 1977
Le vin me saoule 1977
Ne jouez plus 'God save the queen' 1978
Good bye California 1978
Et nous voilà 1979
80s Decade :
Sébastien 1980
Ca prend du temps c'est difficile 1980
J'voudrais pas qu'on s'abîme 1980
Je l’aime 1981
Tu vois j'vais bien 1981
Elle sortait d'un drôle de café 1982
Elle disait 1982
Dans les yeux de Stéphanie 1982
Attends moi j’arrive 1983
A 6 ans 1983
J'm'oublierai 1983
Les eaux du Mékong 1983
From Argentina to South Africa 1984
Anomalie 1984
Changement d'adresse 1984
Neuvième 1984
Vahinés 1985
Quand elle dort 1986
Love you quand même 1986
Laissez moi rêver 1986
Plus j'avance 1987
Tu m’oublieras 1988
Et même 1989
Vivre ici 1989
J'l'aime quand elle s'en va 1989
90s Decade :
Si elle veut 1990
J'T'aimais trop, J'T'aimais tellement 1991
Ceux qui nous aiment 1993
J'vous aimais 1993
Tout c'que j'ai vu 1993
Echec et mat 1995
Amis 1995
Maintenant 1995
Toujours une route 1998
Comme s'il fallait 1998
Santiago 1998
2000s Decade :
J'écrirai 2003
Seulement l'amour qui vaille la peine 2003
C'est d'quel côté les iles 2003
Et vice versa 2006
Pourquoi pas 2006
Laisser glisser 2006
Entre elle et lui 2009
M'écoute pas 2009
Tout reste là 2009
2010s Decade :
On aura tous les deux 20 ans 2018
J'aimerai bien dire au temps qui passe 2018
J'changerais rien 2018
2020s Decade :
L'air qu'on respire 2024
Comme jamais avant 2024
On est d'ici ou d'ailleurs 2024
Tracks :
1974 ... first steps which immediately set the trend : this young man has talent to spare, that's clear. And the rest will prove it in a brilliant way !
1975 ... the proof with this title ! He simply signs here one of the most beautiful ballads of the decade and takes the opportunity to make a sensational entry into the big leagues. MAS-TER-FUL !
1975...this title will go much less unnoticed but it shows once again that this young artist has everything it takes to do great things...
1975 ... an incredible 1975 which saw him literally explode on the French music scene with this new title. The singer then becomes one of the biggest phenomena of the moment, a recognition well deserved !
1976 ... after a sumptuous year 1975 in all respects, 1976 will turn out to be somewhat pale. It is true that the bar has been set so high that it would have been miraculous for the year 1976 to be even a better vintage !
1976 ... the year ends better than it started with this title which allows the singer to record a new notorious success. Nothing to worry about then ...
1976...a title that will never be officially released but which deserved to be brought back into the spotlight. This has been done given its obvious interest...
1976...same for this one. The number of titles produced in the mid-70s is impressive, to say the least...
1976...it would therefore be a shame not to dwell on certain titles which would possibly have deserved to be given a little more light...
1977 ... a year 1977 which will prove to be as exceptional as it was in 1975. Starting with this title which allows the artist to enter definitively into the musical legend of the end of the 20th century. HU-GE !
1977 ... very simple titles but formidably effective. A quality of writing well above the average which allows to produce Intimist moments of Premium quality...
1977 ... even if this title will not have the same level of success as 'Je pars', it is clear that the singer's level of inspiration does not weaken by an iota. One of the best inspiration of the moment !
1977 ... a year 1977 which ends as it began, that is to say in beauty with this title which allows him to attach a new star to his prize list !
1978 ... even years are much more successful than odd years, go figure. And yet it is not for lack of offering titles of more than certain quality !
1978 ... whatever the case, the artist remains in the leading pack with obvious ease. His talent is enough to maintain him at a level of excellence that outclasses the competition without too much difficulty...
1979 ... surprisingly, he freewheeled the decade with only one title on the clock for 1979. What to worry about ?
1980 ... the level of success plummeted. The transition to the 1980s is painful and the singer will have to adapt very quickly to the new musical trends of the moment, that's clear...
1980...the level of productivity remains high, which clearly shows that the artist still has a certain level of inspiration...
1980...and even though the latter is no longer necessarily in step with its time. So it wouldn't take much for business to pick up again, as they say...
1981 ... the quality of his compositions is not to be questioned, but rather his style which does not really correspond to what the public now expects in this new decade ...
1981 ... we have the impression of being stuck in the 70s. The singer is literally on the spot and the questioning is more than urgent !
1982...and unfortunately, this title isn't going to change things. His talent in Intimist is undeniable, but everything is changing around him, and he doesn't see it...
1982 ... one feels like a hint of evolution of sound with this title but the evolution is unfortunately most timid. There is still a long way to go, it's clear ...
1982...we therefore hope that he quickly realizes that the world of before has given way to new, radically different trends...
1983...in any case, he's trying to find a solution to this problem of relative inaction. Let's hope his efforts pay off...
1983...on some tracks, the evolution is clear, and on others, much less so. The proof is in this new track, which harks back to his style from years past...
1983...a shame because we can tell that he's not missing much to finally reverse the trend...
1983...so we'll have to wait a little longer to see any real developments. It's simmering, it's simmering, but nothing more...
1984 ... slowly, year after year, things are moving in the right direction. On the other hand, the texts involved tend to scare away part of the general public in this decade of the 80s. So risky bet ...
1984...the level of productivity is not weakening in any case and this can at least reassure us that he still believes in it...
1984...the main thing for him is to continue to enjoy what he does and if he succeeds, so much the better, otherwise too bad...
1984...and as in music nothing is ever finished, a miracle cannot be excluded as they say regarding a return to grace...
1985 ... we will have to wait for the year 1985 to see a frank and massive improvement on the sound side. But the public has already moved on and the change is coming far too late ...
1986 ... a finally trendy sound that could have allowed him to come back to the race. But when it doesn't want anymore, it doesn't want anymore ...
1986...the big problem is that competition is plentiful in the 80s and competing with the younger generation is quite simply a feat...
1986...he will have done everything he can to try to get back in the race but the delay with the competition is now impossible to make up...
1987 ... anyway, he resists and hangs on at all costs. Even if it is almost impossible mission, he still hopes to make a miraculous comeback. But unfortunately there will be no miracle ...
1988 ... another some very high caliber Intimist, a field where he really excelled. Too bad he really missed the turn of the 80s because it really would not have taken much to keep him in the big leagues for years to come ...
1989 ... the end of the decade on the hats of the wheel. We feel that the desire to get back into the race is real, as is the desire to do well. But it's the public who always have the last word in the end ...
1989...we will benefit in any case from what he continues to offer because there is still quality in all of this, it must be said...
1989...as the level of inspiration remains more or less constant, he still manages to produce titles of considerable quality...
1990 ... he will even attempt the transition to the 90s. But the result will be the same as during the previous decade ...
1993 ... already 20 years of career. A beautiful longevity that we can only salute but the best is behind him, it is clear...
1993...that's not going to stop him from continuing the adventure no matter what. An adventure that is far, very far from over...
1993...he still has things to offer and especially to sing at first sight which can only delight the fans of the first hour to the highest degree...
1995...so we'll continue to follow him to see what he'll offer us in the years, but also in the decades to come...
1995...what is certain is that he will not give up until the end, it is clear. A desire to believe until the end that undoubtedly commands respect...
1995...he will continue against all odds and it doesn't matter if the audience decreases year after year, decade after decade...
1998...the 90s didn't see any major upheavals in the singer's discography. We're sticking with continuity...
1998...he's sticking to the course he's set for himself, regardless of the consequences. A long-standing commitment, as they say...
1998...for the moment in any case he is still there which is not necessarily the case for a lot of artists who started at the same time as him...
2003...which proves his career strategy isn't all that bad. While it certainly deprives him of some public recognition, it ultimately protects him at the same time...
2003...he therefore continues his adventure outside the star system and now only works for himself. Everyone leads their career as they see fit...
2003...in any case, that took him to the 2000s, which is quite an achievement in itself, isn't it ?
2006...who would have imagined when he started his career in the 70s that he would still be around several decades later ? Not many people, that's for sure...
2006...and yet he's still here, which proves that hope keeps us alive. That's what he tells himself every morning when he gets up...
2006...how long will he keep this up ? Good question. Only him can answer that question, and especially the future...
2009...and it's certainly not the core fans who are going to complain about this extraordinary longevity. Core fans who are bound to keep asking for more and more...
2009...so he will have gone through the 70s, then the 80s, then the 90s, and now here he is at the end of the 2000s. Quite a journey...
2009...in any case, an adventure of more than certain quality, despite the weight of the years and especially the decades, which is no small thing...
2018...certainly we will lose sight of him for almost 9 years but here he is again, faithful to the door as always...
2018...it is certain that the weight of the years is increasingly felt, especially physically, and that the enthusiasm is no longer necessarily the same as at the beginning...
2018...but he still manages to continue writing songs that are more than certainly interesting and that is extremely reassuring...
2024...this time 6 years will pass between this new opus and its predecessor but as always he comes back again and again...
2024...it is normal for the production of titles to slow down decade after decade, the opposite would frankly be most astonishing...
2024...so, last title or not ? Knowing him, it's quite possible we'll see him again at some point...
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Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :
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