A very important, and therefore a priceless document of Serge Gainsbourg's French nightclub performance in the year 1963. Gainsbourg never had that awkward moment when he wasn't a genius. Backed by a stand-up bass and an electric guitar, Gainsbourg covers his iconic 'jazz-like' songs, such as "Intoxicated Man," "Maxim's," and the ultimate ballad of all-time, "La Javanaise." In my opinion, there are better eras for Gainsbourg than others, and I think most of the listeners who live outside of France, probably prefer the Jane Birkin/Bardot recordings. Which is understandable, because they are great songs, but I tend to fancy the jazz-era Serge. I feel he was at the height of his songwriting skills, and he knew how to convey complex feelings into what seems to be like a love song. In truth, he is expanding those emotions to express a world-view of the landscape that humorous, but also deadly serious at the same time.
This was the tour before he released his album "Confidentiel," which this live album is a reflection of that official studio recording. The sound is not that different due to the simple set-up of the guitar (Elek Bacsik), bass (Michel Gaudry), and voice. Gainsbourg is not known as a great singer, but the truth is, he's unique, which makes him a superb vocalist, especially in the early years of his music career. For me, this live album is like listening to The Beatles at the Cavern, or The Heartbreakers at CBGB's. Not only is the band of great importance, but even more so, the theater or concert all. Gainsbourg didn't tour much. He did tour during the late 50s to early 1960s, and then again, in the 1980s. One gathers that he preferred to be in the studio or composing than being in front of an audience. Still, he never lost his iconic cool, and "Thêâtre des Capucines" captures an important moment in the Serge Gainsbourg world.
Like the mysterious record label Doxy, Jeanne Dielman seems to be a European record label that specializes in re-issues of recordings that somehow fell between the cracks of copyright laws. Therefore many of their releases are in limited editions. I gather that the sound source came from digital or the medium of the CD. Still, the packaging and sound are good.
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