Jacques Dutronc - "Madame L'Existence" CD, Album, France, 2003 (Columbia)

When I purchased Jacques Dutronc's "Madame L'Existence" it was more out of curiosity than being loyal to the Dutronc brand.   I was aware of Dutronc's music from the 1960s and 70s, mostly due to my devotion to Serge Gainsbourg's music and his world.  Still, I don't speak French, but my love for French pop and literary culture is an obsession that is hard for me to explain.  All I know is I want to explore this foreign world, and individuals like Boris Vian and Gainsbourg were the bookends on the shelve that allow me to wander between "BV" and "SG" and back again.  

I adore Dutronc's 60s recording because it reminds me of a hybrid between Ray Davies' commentary on London culture as well as garage rock.  Dutronc seemed to do music that had a wink to the eye, and one of great wit.  Perhaps mostly due to the lyricist Jacques Lanzmann, who was much older than Dutronc, still, served as his mouthpiece with respect to music.    Lanzmann was in his 40s when he wrote lyrics for Dutronc, which dealt with the French teenage culture, but with a profound wit of an older man looking over the scene.  A critical eye perhaps, but I often think of his relationship with Dutronc must have been similar to the much older Paul Verlaine's tutoring the teenage Rimbaud, minus the sexual relationship of course. 

So, I was very curious to know what Dutronc would sound like in 2003, and what I heard was a pleasant shock.  For one, it sounded nothing like his 60s work, but in fact covered in a layer of electronic mood pop music, with Dutronc sounding not that far off from late Serge Gainsbourg.  No longer singing, but in a mixture of talking/phrasing his words for dramatic effect, it had a slightly sinister quality to the music.  Not sure if smoking or drinking, or even aging, has caused the great difference from within his voice, it still had the spirit of Jacques Dutronc.  

The one song that stays in my mind like a fly being caught on flypaper is "Face à la Merde" (In Front of the Shit), which has a haunting melody, and it does have a Gainsbourg approach to life.   A superb album, and as far as I know the last studio album by Dutronc.   I will like to hear from him sometime in 2018. 

Les Rita Mitsouko - "Variéty" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2016 (Because Music)

Les Rita Mitsouko is Catherine Ringer and the late (and great) Fred Chichin.  A remarkable French band from the 1980s to the 21st century.   "Variéty" their last album, due to Chichin's death, is an album of many pleasures.  Ringer is one of the great figures in rock/pop music period.   Her expressive attitude and voice and sense of wonder are way beyond other singers of her generation.  Why she is not an icon here in the United States or in the U.K. can only be that most of the songs are in French.   It is the English speaking world's loss if one cannot dwell on Ringer's (and Chichin's) world. 

"Variéty" after repeated listenings is a treasure to behold.  Joyful, witty, strong melodic moments, and superb performances.  Mark Plati is the (not so) secret presence on the album.   He worked with David Bowie for numerous years, and he brings a Bowie touch to the project that reminds me a bit of that singer's "Hours" album.  Very straightforward approach to the song, but hidden textures that unfold on repeated hearings.   In a healthy world, these songs would be played on the radio on a consistent basis.  Alas, that's not the world that we live in.  

Catherine Ringer - "Ring n' Roll" Vinyl, 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 2011 (Because Music)

These days when I think of the word France I immediately think of Catherine Ringer.   She and her late partner in crime, Fred Chichin were in Les Rita Mitsouko, not only the greatest band in France, but I think one of the great groups of the 1980s.  Chichin a great multi-instrumentalist and co-writer along with Ringer was a force of nature that couldn't fail to charm.  When I heard their album in Los Angeles at my friend's studio, I was seduced by the first song on side one.   Since the tragic passing of Chichin, I worried about what will happen to Catherine Ringer.   Worries are worries, but "Ring n' Roll" (released in 2011) is as great as any Les Rita Mitsouko album. 

Ringer has that 'it' quality that is difficult to define.  A great beauty, but the additional charm of her personality and force is breathtaking at times.   Beside Grace Jones, there is not another chic artist like Catherine.  She can walk into the room and transform it into another dimension.  So when she gets hold of a song, it's a wow moment.  On the most elementary level, I think of her as a French female Iggy Pop.   Another artist who has that 'it' quality that is hard to dispute or understand.  For one, Ringer knows how to rock.   As a singer, she can sing the most heartbreaking melody, but then in a flip of a coin, she can be hysterical.  Truly a star at its most glamorous and profound stature.  "Ring n' Roll" is 12 songs long and not a bump in the road for the entire album.  She works with RZA, Mark  Plati (one of David Bowie's great musicians), who I presume is her son, Rauol Chichin (on guitar), and a Japanese artist by the name of Coba.  Which funny enough the song, "Rendez-Vous" sounds like a Shibuya pop song from the 90s, but with Ringer bringing the music to a more textural level.  

Life cannot be a bowl of cherries for our Catherine, but when I listen to this album, I'm smiling from Side A to Side C (three-sided album).    The production (by Ringer, as well as RZA and Plati) is always a surprise, in that it follows the logic of one's imagination.   It has the Iggy "Lust for Life" zeal, but I feel Ringer takes it to the next level - a genius level.  One of the great artists of the 20th and 21st century.  

Les Rita Mitsouko - "The No Comprendo" CD, Album, France, 1987 (Virgin)

In 1987, I was visiting my friend Erik Blum in his studio in Los Angeles, and he played this album by Les Rita Mitsouko, and I was immediately transformed into a  hardcore fan.  At the time, or that first listening experience, I thought to myself T Rex meets Sparks, but singing in French.   It's a very confining album made by a couple, who were totally self-contained.  And with help and assistance from Tony Visconti.   Somehow a friend of mine made me a VHS tape of their videos off this album, and that was another little explosion that went off in my body. I must have been the only person in the United States that had a copy of all their videos at the time.  I have never seen such a visually appealing and seductive band like Les Rita Mitsouko.  In two words: Catherine Ringer.

Ringer is what one would call "the real deal."  She's the gift that keeps on giving.  I want to say she resembles or perhaps even influenced by Edith Piaf, but that's wrong.  I think she is even better than Piaf!  This woman can walk across a room and cause an emotional riot within me.  For me, she represents everything that is good regarding a musician and the perfect set of songs.  "No Comprendo" is perfection as practiced by a skilled duo (with her husband the late and great Frank Chichin) with the right attitude, and performance (of what I have seen on numerous live videos) that is perfectly made out of our elements.  She's too good to walk among us, humans!

"No Comprendo" is a combination of chanson and synth-pop, with rock overtures.  Catherine and Frank played most of the instruments, with the help of Visconti, and Ringer's vocals are exceptionally heartbreaking, fun, and of course, erotic.  Ringer, who worked with Sparks and told Serge Gainsbourg to fuck off is clearly a hero of mine.   Why Ringer is not the biggest star in the English speaking world is beyond my brain.   In three words:  I love her. 

Various ‎– "Mister Melody - Les Interprètes De Serge Gainsbourg" 4 CD Box Set, 2006 (Mercury)

Amazing box set of Serge Gainsbourg's music, but performed by other artists besides the mighty and great Serge.   Hours of Serge music throughout his career.  A lot of the recordings on this collection he actually partakes in their production or arrangement.  So, his presence is very much felt throughout every song here.  The famous and iconic recordings with Birkin, Bardot and France Gall is here, but also artists like Les Frères Jacques, Michèle Arnaud, Juliette Gréco, Philippe Clay, and even Petula Clark.   There are no bad tracks here and very much essential listening and ownership. If I have to choose a favorite it is probably Nico's "Strip-Tease."  Very well thought out with song selection and excellent packaging.  

I have to presume the songs here are what brought money to the Gainsbourg pocket.  As a hired songwriter, he brought the tunes to these artists, but all of them have the Serge wit and bite.  He didn't compromise or cheapen his work when he wrote these songs for other artists.  I sense respect between singer and songwriter here.  Love this package of goodies. 

Serge Gainsbourg - "Théatre Des Capucines 1963" CD, France, 2003 (Mercury)

This is an album or CD one doesn't see around that much.  It's perfect.  I have the CD, but I really want the 10" vinyl that came out in 2003.  I don't think the album was ever released in 1963, the time of its recording.   Why?  Nevertheless, it's a brilliant live set from one of the great songwriters of the 20th century.  For me, the jazz/latin Gainsbourg period is the best. I know he's mostly acknowledged for "Melody Nelson" and his work with Jane Birkin, which of course, is fantastic.  But the music that he made and recorded from the year 1959 to the early 1960s is incredible.  Gainsbourg was on a streak that was like a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto.  Just non-stop pleasure. 

"La Javanaise," "Intoxicated Man" "Negative Blues" and others - all magnificent.  The backing band was just Elek Bacsik on electric guitar and Michel Gaudry on double bass.   Minimal precise, and no wasted space.   Whatever you do, do not ignore the early Gainsbourg magic or his genius at the time. 

Serge Reggiani - "Poètes 1" Vinyl, LP, Album, France, 1973 (Polydor)

One of my favorite figures from the French cinema world, who also happens to be a great singer.  To make a comparison, he reminds me of Bryan Ferry.  Not his identity or characteristics, but his voice. Ferry singing other people songs naturally make it is own, due to the limitations and tone of his voice.  Serge Reggiani is exactly the same.  Reggiani doesn't do the American songbook but instead tackles the poetry of Jacques Prévert, Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, and Louis Bessières.   On "Poètes 1" it's bare music with a focus on the words.  My inability to understand French may limit me the enjoyment of this album, but that's not fully the case here.  Reggiani brings a sense of cool, but passion at the same time.   There is a long tradition of making songs out of poetry in France, and Reggiani is one of the greats to take on this medium.   There is "Chanson De Maglia" with music by Serge Gainsbourg.  How great is it to hear music with credit: written by Victor Hugo and Serge Gainsbourg.   I have three other albums by Serge Reggiani that features more Gainsbourg, but also Boris Vian material.  Reggiani is one of my favorite vocalists.  And not a bad actor!

Evariste - "Do You Know The Beast?" LP, Vinyl 45 rpm, Limited Edition (Nosmoke)

I discovered Evariste's music either on YouTube (still there, look) or on someone's website.  My first reaction to this French Ye-Ye singer was 'oh a Jacques Dutronc" type.  Very little information on Evariste in  English.  For one, he's a Ph.D. doctorate in theoretical physics, at the age of 23, and was very much swept up in the May 68 Paris world of politics.  His hairstyle was extreme with one side short and the other very long.   And watching the promotional films he made in 1968 struck me as eccentric.  And that may all be the case, but also his music is great.  

Michel Colombier did the production and musical arrangements, and this is his best work.  That's saying a lot considering Colombier's work with the great Serge Gainsbourg and others, but here his arrangments are out-of-this-world.  Evariste's songs are over-the-top, and his vocal mannerisms are humorous, but re-listening to his work on vinyl  I now find it fascinating.  There is almost a musique concrete aspect to his vocals, in that he uses different tones, voices, and Colombier seemed to have an endless amount of impressions done musically to fit with the songs as well as the character of Evariste. 

The scientist aspect of his work is alluring and very much part of the image of Evariste.  His real name is Joel Sternheimer, and he took the name from Évariste Galois, a brilliant mathematician, who was able to determine a condition for a polynomial math problem when he was a teenager in 1829.   Galois was killed in a dual when he was 20.   The James Dean of Science!

Hearing Evariste's recordings on vinyl is like being in the country air for the first time after being locked up in a smokey room.  This 45 rpm master of 10 songs by Evariste, who only released two French EP's (four songs each) and one 45 rpm single (two songs) is the complete works.  Beautifully arranged and recorded, Evariste needs to be heard in its proper format.  The videos are great as well.  

Evariste, December 2012, photo by David Tinkham

Serge Gainsbourg/Brigitte Bardot - "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" b/c "Bonnie & Clyde" 45 rpm (Philips)

I think most of us have heard the Brigitte Bardot/Gainsbourg recording of his "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus, but in actuality, I bet most of us only heard the Jane Birkin/Gainsbourg recording.  That officially came out in the late 1960s, but it took ten years for the Bardot version to be released on the French/world market.  According to legend, the then married (to someone else) Bardot was having an affair with Serge, and they recorded this rather literate song of eros.   Gainsbourg wrote the song for her, and it seems he was crushed when Bardot requested that he doesn't release the song, due to the husband's jealousy at the time.  

Both versions of the song are excellent, but I have to choose between the two, it will be the Bardot version.   For one,  Michel Colombier's arrangement is superb.  The strings are lush, romantic and feverish.  It's the most erotic part of the recording.  Bardot and Gainsbourg are very cool in their delivery of the song.  Birkin, on the other hand, does the heavy breathing, and the format is more organ/guitar orientated than the Bardot crazed orchestration.   Not to make a personal judgment between the two great female icons of the 20th century, but Bardot strikes me as a master of a cool sexuality that is smart and perhaps deadly.  Birkin is very much the girl next door - erotically fun and beautiful of course, but perhaps not fully aware of the world - or the seduction techniques of the Gainsbourg method.   Bardot is acutely conscious of the 'whole' game.  

But like all things that deal with Eros, it is very much part of the listeners take on such a magnificent song and recording.   If you have the chance, do compare the two versions, and come to your own conclusion.  

Françoise Hardy - "C'est a l'amour auquel je pense"/"Ca a Rate"/Le Temps de L'Amour"/J'ai jeté mon coeur" (Disques Vogue) EP, 7" 45RPM, 1962

Is there a more perfect recording than "Le Temps de l'Amour?"   I suspect the hand of Jacques Dutronc is part of the songwriting, but it's the Hardy magic that makes it work.  Her iconic coolness slips off the vinyl and she is a unique artist in the French pop music world.  Since I don't understand the French language, her approach to her singing is a mystery to me.  The four song EP is a perfect format, and I'm sorry that it doesn't really exist anymore as an art form for recording artists.  The French seemed to have a thing for that format in the early 1960s.  Hardy had released a lot of her great material as an EP, and it's like a brief time with a great lover.

"Le Temps de l'Amour" and the three other songs on this EP are exceptional.  It's like a well-balanced meal and I'm fully satisfied as a listener.  The orchestration behind her is just guitar, percussion and perhaps an electric bass - it's very simple sound, but it's all there to support her voice. French pop music of this time, like France Gall, is an aural sculpture to me.  I feel I can walk through the sounds and look at it from a distance. 

LEWIS FUREY - "Lewis Furey" (A&M Records) Vinyl, 1975

I picked up on this album when shopping at Moby Disc on Ventura Blvd, and it stood out in the cut-out bin.  I was kind of surprised to see something worthwhile in that section of the store - although, now we have sort of the romantic memory of finding gems for 99 cents to $3 in this section, mostly it was a horrible drudge.  Nevertheless, Lewis Furey's eyes spoke to me.  When I flipped over to see the back cover, I was impressed that there was a song on it called "Hustler's Tango."

I sense a glam Velvet Underground vibe, so what the hell, worth the $1.99 or so.  When I got home and played the album, that very instant, it became one of my all-time favorite albums.  The cover and the song title didn't lie.   Here was a guy who has the John Cale genius for arrangements, and seemed to have one foot in the music of the theater world, and the other is .... kind of gay-oriented pop, but with dark overtures to the night world.  There's accordion, piano, banjo - which gives it Brecht/Weil orientation, yet very American sounding.  Which is strange from a musician/songwriter from Quebec Canada, and now lives in France.

The album is co-produced and arranged by John Lissauer who also served the same duties on Leonard Cohen's "New Skin for the Old Ceremony" and "Various Positions" as well as the classic Cohen song "Hallelujah."   There is a strong connection between Furey and Cohen -not only sound wise, but both write songs that are very poetic, yet direct.   For those who love albums or artists who are beautifully orchestrated and arranged, will love this album.  Why, Lewis Furey fell between the cracks here in the U.S. (he's known in France, but also in Japan) is beyond me.  This album needs to be re-released.  Beautiful melodies, stark lyrics, street wise, and witty.

Many years later, after losing most of my vinyl collection due to past economic situations, I was deeply surprised to see his first two albums on CD, displayed in a music store in Tokyo.  Truly one of my happiest moments when I discovered the album again, and just waiting for my hands.   You must Locate, and buy it!

MICHEL LEGRAND - "Michel Legrand (WEA) Vinyl 1981

I found this album yesterday, at Amoeba on Sunset.  I'm a fan of Michel Legrand.  I try to avoid the 80s material. Because I always felt that was a bad era for everyone - and this album was recorded and produced in 1981.  What caught my interest, is that he wrote both music (of course) and lyrics.  So this is truly a hardcore Legrand solo project.   If not the greatest Legrand, it is still pretty good.  Side one is the most interesting, due that it has a full orchestration on that side.  Legrand doesn't only do lush, but he's intense as well.  There are only a handful of recordings or albums where he sings, and this may have been the last Legrand singing album - but I'm not sure about that.   Nevertheless, he sings great.  Side two is basically different from the first side, due that it is very much guitars, bass, keyboards and drums setting. Not exactly rocking, but some tunes do have a 'funk' feel to them.  I can imagine a Steely Dan fan be into side two, while us Jacques Demy lunatics will be into side one.  As far as I know, this album never appeared on a CD, but one can find used vinyl here and there. I would pick it up - especially if you're into the Legrand/Demy world (side one). 

Antoine - "un éléphant me regard" EP

Antoine starts off Donovan and goes into Jacques Dutronc land.   So if one looks at his career he went folk to garage rock to psych-garage rock.  And I don’t know what he did in the 1970s but I find his later 60s work really interesting.  “un éléphant me regard” is kind of wacko.  But I like the slowly built up “qu’est-ce que je foes ici” which has sort of an Animals drive.  For those who like their folk music in French with some 60's poison. 

Antoine - "Lolita Lolita" EP

Antoine - Lolita Lolita EP

Download, 1967

Vogue Records

Antoine is hardcore French folk-pop.  The Donovan affect is so strong in his music.  It is almost if you can't get enough of Donovan’s music, then thank god for Antoine.  Like all great folk songs “Madame Laure Messenger, Claude, Jermie et L’Existence de dieu” borrows from the melody of “Hey Joe” but done in a snappy jazzy way - its a great cut.   On this four-song EP, besides the track mentioned, has a big production or big band sound.  He’s an artist who serves his songs with whatever it needs.  My question is, was there any bad songs put out in 1967?

Antoine - "La Guerre" EP

Antoine - La Guerre EP

Download

Vogue Records

The garage French rock version of classic Donovan.  “La Guerre”  I am going to have to presume that this is either an anti-war song, more likely about Vietnam, which makes it very May 68.  I like his voice, his music, well, everything. “Ne t'en fais pas pour cela, ils revent” (Don’t Worry About, They’re Dreaming) is Bob Dylan if he landed on St Michel sidewalk.  It even has that Al Kooper organ sound.  The beauty of the EP format is that the music, the image, the whole package is compact.   Like a full album, the EP works it magic the same way.  

Antoine - "A Tramontane" EP

Antoine - La Tramontane EP

Download

Vogue Records

Antoine is totally underrated in the English speaking world, well… more like totally unknown, which is a shame because’s he really good.  On the surface he reminds me of Mickie Most era Donovan.  With a touch of Jacques Dutronc thrown in the mix, with unusual production sounds.   “La Tramontane” is a pysch-pop song with a hint of Nino Rota thrown in.  “Mon auto m’attend” is a relaxed jazzy ballad that goes well with drinking on the patio on a warm day. But really all four songs sounds like a great Donovan b-side.  Truly fab.  

Annie Cordy - "Cigarettes, Whisky et P’tit’s Pépées" EP

Annie Cordy - Cigarettes, Whisky et P’tit’s Pépées EP

Download

One of the greatest recordings I heard this year, and it came somewhere in the internet and onto my computer.  For the past two years I have been trying to track down French EP’s because I like the format and design of these precious objects of desire.   Nevertheless, and sadly I can only find the music through other’s blogs.  Finding a copy one can hold is not impossible, but takes a great deal of time to track down.  Annie Cordy’s ep Cigarettes, Whisky et P’tit’s Pépées is such a haunted piece of recorded music.   My guess is the recording is from the early 50’s and what stands out is Cordy’s great vocal, but with an understated organ, and a crisp electric guitar.  The other three songs are not that special, but the leading track is a real ‘wow’ to me. 

André Popp - "If You Go Away"

André Popp - If You Go Away

Vinyl LP, UK, 1972

Circle of Sound (Download)

Probably the worst album in my collection that is still, somewhat interesting due to the fact that he knew Boris Vian.  André Popp was one of the key arrangers during the post-war years in France.  Worked with Bardot and Gréco on their recordings and also with Boris Vian, right before he passed away.   Popp in the Fifties made almost experimental ‘lounge’ music, especially for the hi-fi market that was a big thing at the time.  Vian, without a doubt, being an mechanical engineer, had an interest in new recording equipment and developments in that world.  Would he liked the CD format?  Nevertheless this is not an important album to own. In fact it is on my computer, so it is almost not really here in physical space. 

Brigitte Fontaine - "Prohibition"

Brigitte Fontaine - Prohibition

I-Tunes, France, 2009

Polydor

Older, and still beautiful.  “Prohibition” is Brigitte Fontaine going forward.  She strikes me as total ‘now’ person, and not someone who really looks back.  The album has the electronica sound with middle -eastern flourishes but it is still 100% Brigitte.  With Grace Jones as well!  

It’s funny but i never heard of her till my friend Howard request that I locate a specific CD for him, that was only released in France and Japan.  And since I was in Tokyo at the time, his request lead me to discover her music.  But one cannot really be exposed to her by one album, you have to suck up and get everything by her.  She is an unique artist, and gone through many changes over the years.  In that sense she is like Gainsbourg, who was always true to his identity, but changed musically with the times - and in most cases, not getting buried under the weight of change, but rolling with it.  Fontaine is superb, and “Prohibition” is a strong ‘pop’ album.  Pretty great considering she was around 70 years old during this recording. 

Brigitte Fontaine - "Comme a la Radio"

Brigitte Fontaine - Comme à la Radio

I-Tunes, France, 1971

Saravah

One of those great mood shifters, where France meets American avant-jazz that equals a French sensibility.  Magnificent percussion with the low sounds of a stand-up bass is a very seductive sound. Middle-eastern sounds creep into the framework, and Brigitte Fontaine is simply part of the landscape.  I often think of her as the French Grace Jones, due to her going into unknown territory with no fear.  The music is wonderful and The Art Ensemble of Chicago offers layers of sounds that suits Fontaine’s  voice perfectly.  Torch singing for the adventuress and those who lurk in the 3 AM night.