STPO Discography**:

** I am working on individual pages for each release by STPO so for now, please follow this page:

Current members of the Shy Society at the Bird Parade:
- JimB : guitar
- Pascal Godjikian : vocals
- Patrice Babin : drums, percussion
- Christophe Gautheur : sax, synth
- Benoît Delaune : bass

Some thoughts from Pascal about STPO:

1986 EP

Back to 1985, it was a time where there were often moves in the line up of the band. In December 1984, the former bassist had left, then in January 85 arrived Patrice Babin. We had no regular bass player, but we had one from circa February to May, but we wanted not to lose his bass lines, so we decided to record two tracks (underground woman, vitellus) with him; he was ok for this, though he was not in the band anymore. We did it in june 85, (It was quite weird as we recorded this. It was not in a recording studio. It was in a kind of bar in a university; and there were outside people training with small motorcycles, for a race which should appear two weeks after. Every time a motorcycle was near us, we had to stop the recording, wait till it was gone, and then start the recording again. crazy!!!). Then we had the people of Illusion Production (DDAA - Déficit des Années Antérieures) listen to this, we just wanted to ask them if they would be ok to put these two tracks on a cassette compilation "Sensationnel"; but they were far more impressed than we would have thought and offered to release an EP, so we could add two more tracks. We were absolutely happy, it was far more than we would have hoped. The real beginning of STPO; that's what we owe to them really. So we went back to record two other tracks (idol, thousand days), this time with J playing both guitar and bass. As the people were really in the artwork thing, they let us (or better to say, JimB instead of "us") do what we want with the cover. JimB invented a big cover gatefold with pop-up birds. This was really beautiful. We received large sheets in different colours with the birds, and we did special cutting/sticking sessions together. We had to cut the birds on the sheets and stuck them on the inside of the cover with a little peace of carton so that they could pop up when the gatefold was open. it was quite a job, but every cover was unique. The EP was released at the beginning of 86. I have heard on an official French radio program about the music in Japan, that once somebody has seen this Ep in a store in Tokyo : it was sold 100 dollars!!! [label note: any early STPO release commands very high dollars as they are highly collectable.]

LP 1990 tracks

We've recorded it through several years circa from 1987 to 1989. It was very long, because the sound engineer which was the owner of the recording studio was acting like a star, and he would give us time for recording only once in a while. It was really hard; hard to keep everybody ready to go on, to make the passion still burning in every member of the band. Many of them left the band during this too long and tiring recording; but they've all recorded what they had created. It's just that when the lp was released, half of the band had changed!! Some stories about the recording: for "asaphum", I wanted to have a distinctive "primitive/prehistoric" feel (the subject of the track being the sacrifice of an animal in a prehistoric society); so I suggested to record the track outside of the studio in the open air. So we were all of us gathering on the ground outside of the studio with the mikes and cables coming from the studio. Because the studio was located inside the town, we had to wait or do it again every time a car or anything would make a noise not in the mood, we could let little birds sing but no car should appear in the recording!! But then, unfortunately, it started to rain and because it was january, it was really cold. We were cold and wet; but we went on, until we were satisfied of the take. And it lasted quite a while!!! (sad story but true ....) For "SIX", there is a kind of climax at the very last end of the track, where every musician is more powerful, and I shout loudly. When we've recorded that for the first time, every one was really nervous; the tension was at its highest, the loops of intricate guitars and the repeated patterns of the drums were close to vertigo, the trumpet was wild, it was fascinating and moving higher and higher and higher. It was really like a tornado, and it was still going higher and higher, but, then, suddenly, the electricity cut down - we had too much tension, so the electricity fell apart -. there was no music left, just the drums alone!!! that was crazy. during several minutes, we could not speak anymore, we were like electrified. but, hey, we had to do it again!!

Pascal: July 15, 2001

Reviews:
March 2002 issue of the Alternatie Press:

"STPO stands for "La Société des Timides à la parade des Oiseaux". Okay... I think that means "the shy peoples society at the parade of the birds". This six piece French ensemble has been around since the mid-eighties, and operates in the area somewhere between Etron Fou axis and Neo-chamber styles, applying humor, avant-gardisms, ultra high energy theatrics, and a well rounded eclectism. They cover a pretty wide field of material within those realms, using guitars, bass, contrabass, drums, percussions, saxes, mallets and synths, plus a lot of unusual stuff like balafon and viola de gamba. The latter are used when they take on some of the neo-chamber/folk based pieces like "Sarajevo-Stepanakert" or ethnic styles on tracks like "Rouge, Bleu, Orange", which leads into the more RIO styled "Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue?", where saxes, strings and taped sounds are applied to quieter sections; punctuated by loud, funky bass driven sections supporting aggressive vocal outbursts. Definitely EFL territory, and althrough vocalist Pascal Godjikian is nothing short of excellent in variety of styles, and musicianship is top notch all around, this is still fairly extreme music that is probably more excessive and explorative than most would be comfortable with in their daily musical diet. Still, for those who know this style of music and love it, STPO is the ticket. Recommended for the intrepid explorers, not the Marillion crowd." Peter Thelen-EXPOSE- USA

"STPO is the abbreviation for "La Société des Timides à la Parade des Oiseaux" a crazier group name there never was (in English: The Shy Society at the Bird Parade) and really there's not been many crazier bands! STPO are of that crazy RIO vein, a little like Etron Fou, Debile Menthol, Look de Bouk... except much more theatrical and schizophrenic, thus a little like Albert Marcoeur too. Intensive, complexe and overloaded with French jabbering vocal theatrics." Alan Freeman-AUDION Magazine- UK

"La Societe des Timides a la Parade des Oiseaux '86-90' (Beta-Lactam Ring Records) Like the similar sounding Etron Fou before them, these guys prove the French are capable of more than just smooth pop chanson. Jagged rhythms, fast time changes, and bizarre vocals create seriously crazed experimental progressive rock. With all their energy and chops, they come off something like a Euro-John Zorn, but they throw heavy doses of humor into the brew as well." Rolf Semprebon-Willammatte Week

S.T.P.O. - La Societe Des Timides A La Parade Des Oiseaux

(Beta-Lactam Ring Records MT005, 2001, CD) Mike Ezzo - Expose Magazine

   Here is an experimental oddity, the likes of which French bands often excel at -- call it a sort of iron fist in an R.I.O. velvet glove. The release seems to be a composite of two previous vinyl efforts, from 1986, and 1990. S.T.P.O.'s style comes across as very much a studio project, something difficult to pull off in a live situation, in how it utilizes every trick of the avant trade: stark contrasts between chaos and order; blindingly fast jump-cut editing which spans the extremes of dynamics; wicked humour (well, from what I can glean by their attitude anyway...); every instrument you could imagine (acoustic and electric) is employed in painting the S.T.P.O. dada portrait of modern insanity. They appear as an eight-piece lineup, with four guests; all vocals are in French. I dare not conjecture too deeply about influences, but honestly this band makes Art Bears and Captain Beefheart sound positively tame by comparison (and I don't mean that as any kind of derision of those two bands). For those who seek the farther flung realms of no-boundary avant rock, trod by the likes of Motor Totemist Guild, Hunk Ai, The Residents, Ne Zdhali, etc., S.T.P.O. is just what you have been waiting for.

From Aural Innovations #18 (January 2002)

La Societe Des Timides A La Parade Des Oiseaux (La STPO), which means "the shy people at the bird parade", have been active since the mid-1980's, and fit firmly into the same RIO branch of avant-progressive rock that bands like fellow Frenchmen Etron Fou Leloublon did. The band have apparently had a turbulent history as the information at the Beta-Lactam site indicates they've had 30 members over the years (they still play concerts). This set reissues an EP from 1986 and an LP from 1990, making for 22 tracks that are often less than a minute in length, and rarely exceed 3 minutes. Instrumentation includes guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers, trumpet, cello, clarinet, and vocals.
   There are lots of stylistic influences here. The music has the same quirky rhythms and theatrical (often humorous) vocals that Etron Fou did, and one singer is even a dead ringer for Gigou Chevenier. But the trumpets also provide a powerful reminder of Dr Nerve, and I also hear wee traces of more standard jazz trumpet. Transitioning at lightening pace between tracks and themes, the music will at one instant be embroiled in an avant-prog stage drama, and then move on to what sounds like free improvisation along the lines of Henry Cow in their more abstract moments. The band can also rock hard and have a very good guitarist who I would have liked to have heard take a more active role. The guitar adds lots of free improv styled noise and aggression, but can also kick out some fiery shred soloing.

   If you're a follower of RIO styled prog rock then it's pretty much assured that you'll like La STPO. They follow in the footsteps of others, making analogies easy, but do a good job of making these sounds their own as they come roaring out of the starting gate and taking continual abrupt twists and turns that manage to flow seamlessly from start to finish. Just as fun as they are intense, I enjoyed being swept through La STPO's whimsical multi-themed set of creative constructions.