France Gall - "1968" Vinyl, Album, Reissue, 1968/2020 (Third Man Records)

France Gall, a teenage singer, for whom Serge Gainsbourg wrote many of her hits. That is interesting, but France is also a great Jazz orientated singer singing French Pop. Beside Gainsbourg, her pop, Robert Gall, wrote a lot of her lyrics with various composers. On the surface, Gall sang for teenagers, but the songs were all written by men in their 30s. This is not an unusual occurrence in the world of French pop music. One of her principal arrangers is Alain Goraguer, a remarkable music figure as well. He worked with everyone from Boris Vian, to Gainsbourg and made a significant electronic soundtrack album "La Planète Sauvage." The other arranger on this album is the English composer and arranger David Whitaker. All of the above, including France Gall, contributed to "1968."

The album captures the year 1968 as if it was an early colored photograph. "1968" yells out the decade due to the exotic instrumentation as well as the balance of pure pop with something substantial. The interesting thing about following French pop music is one should not only pay attention to the headliner (the singer of course) but also equally important are the arrangers. Whitaker and Goraguer have a unique sound, and they truly put their mark on their recordings. "1968" is not only a great France Gall disc but also a crucial recording made by the French, with the help of an Englishman (Whitaker) in a highly inventive album. There are two Gainsbourg songs on the album as well. They are highly recommended. 

Popera Cosmic - "Les Esclaves" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969/2018 (Finders Keepers)

Going into the world of Popera Cosmic is like going into a strange foreign neighborhood without a proper map.  I want to say Popera Cosmic is a band, but it feels more like a theatrical experience than a rock band.  What I do know is that the music is arranged by William Sheller, a noted musician/songwriter in France, but unknown outside of French-speaking countries.  The producer (or 'artistic direction') is Jean Eckian, and the rock band is the French progressive rock group, Alice.  Beyond that, it's still a mystery to me.  Still, there is something wonderful about French psychedelic rock, in that when it's trippy, it's really a trip. 

The opening track "Les Esclaves" sounds like a free-form version of The Doors' "Hello, I love You."  "Batman" is what you think it is, but again, approached in a trippy manner that's all nuances and of course, like every song or piece on this album, a groover in the ultimate groove sense of the word.  In such a manner, it reminds me of Gil Evans working with Miles Davis,  that there are two separates thinking patterns at work.  Alice is doing what they are doing, but working in a conceptual model.  I keep thinking that this is a musical like "Hair" but somehow failed to make it big. Still, if one is into French arrangement music, for instance, Jean-Claude Vannier, or admire the conceptual albums of Serge Gainsbourg, one is going to find "Les Esclaves" a fascinating album. 

"Philadelphie Story" is a remarkable and haunting ballad that comes out of nowhere on this album.  They don't make songs like this in the 21st-century.  It's lush but goes with this gorgeous orchestration with the lone female backup vocal that brings everything back to Earth.  "La Chanson du Liévre de Mars" is a mixture of Love era "Forever Changes" mixed with a slow build up of the chorus which is "Whee."   Recorded in 1969, this is very much an album of that era, but that's a great thing.  Listening to Popera Cosmic (they only made this one album) is to marvel the skills and visions of the arranger William Sheller.   It goes from camp to sweet melodies, and it's a bizarre mixture of what can be a soundtrack to a soft-porn film, or a big budgeted counter-cultural (French-style of course) musical.  My favorite album of the year. 

Serge Gainsbourg - "Théâtre des Capucines 1963" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2018 (Jeanne Dielman)

Serge Gainsbourg at his most jazzy, as well as the height of his brilliance as a songwriter.  This is a live recording that he did at Théâtre des Capucines in Paris.  For a short time in his life, Gainsbourg did a tour, and eventually start up touring or performing again in the 1980s.  What makes this live recording so essential is that it captures Gainsbourg with just an electric guitarist Elek Bacisk, and contrabassist Michel Gaudry.  Smokey, profound and very straightforward in the manner of delivery of the songs.  All the tunes on this album came from Gainsbourg's "Confidentiel" which again is backed only by Bacisk and Gaudry.  

There is not a major 'oh wow' difference between the live recording and the studio work, but it does capture an era and time when Gainsbourg worked in what sounds like a nightclub.  There is no small-talk from Serge to the audience.  What is impressive is that Gainsbourg rarely looked back. Like David Bowie, he consistently re-invented himself and his music.  Lyrically it is always Serge, but he wasn't afraid to explore new sounds, and like capturing a young Bob Dylan in a live recording, it is more of a testament of his worth at the time.   Essential for the hardcore Serge collector, and a great listening experience for the casual fan as well.  Jeanne Dielman is a label that I suspect specializes in releasing records that are in public domain but only for only a short period of time.  Like Doxy, they are a label of excellent curating.  But, I suspect that they are not here to exist forever. 

Serge Gainsbourg & Michel Colombier - "Le Pacha" Vinyl, LP, Album, OST, 2018/1968 (Wewantsounds)

This newly released album is the original soundtrack of the film "Le Pacha," composed and made by Serge Gainsbourg and Michel Colombier.  The critical song here is Requiem Pour Un Con, which is one of the classic Gainsbourg pieces.  Easily my top three for four (or five) Serge recordings.  The relentless rhythm is brilliant, and the minimal guitars, with Gainsbourg's unique and unusual voice over the track, is essential listening.   One of the great dance pieces as well.  Nevertheless, the genius of Gainsbourg, besides his literary talents, is his ability to work with arrangers who contribute significantly to his recordings.  Michel Colombier is one of three significant arrangers who worked with Serge, to make fantastic music.  Colombier's talents were used for the late 1960s recordings. 

This release is the first time where all the music used in the film is on vinyl.  The theme of Requiem Pour Un Con runs through the album, and it's fascinating to see how they play with this remarkable melody.  Included in this package are two songs from "Mr. Freedom," a film by William Klein, which one can get through Criterion.   Funky soul, but French style.  Another win-win from the Gainsbourg/Colombier team.  Serge made numerous great OST albums or EP's and "La Pacha" is very much an essential Gainsbourg purchase and listen. 

Jacques Dutronc - "Les Play-Boys" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1966/2016 (Disques Vogue)

Jacques Dutronc is up there with the great Serge Gainsbourg, as a cultural force and music-making in 20th-century France.  Since I don't know the French language, I have to just presume what Dutronc's songs are about.  I understand the title "Les Play-Boys."   What is provocative for me is his handsomeness but mixed in with a great deal of humor.  Also, I'm intrigued by his songwriting partner and is responsible for the lyrics, Jacques Lanzmann.  A poet and lyricist.  I believe Lanzmann was in his forties when he wrote songs with the much younger Dutronc, who was in his twenties.  Not a great difference of age these days, but in the 1960s, there was a generation difference between those two decades, and unusual for someone much older, working with a youngster (in theory) to write for the teenage/youth market. But perhaps I'm thinking too much of the American or British, who had a distrust of anyone over 30!

Still, one of the most enjoyable albums to come out of France is "Les Play-Boys" which is 12 songs that seem to be absurd, light on the touch, but I suspect that they are also a deep commentary on culture in Paris and elsewhere in France at the time.   Music-wise, Dutronc reminds me of Ray Davies during the 1960s.  I sense he's very disciplined and focused artist and there is a learned or studied charm in his work.   Like Davies, Dutronc (and Lanzmann) are cultural humorists commenting on the fads ("Mini Mini Mini") and the self-absorption of the young generation("Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi").  Superb entertainment!

Michel Polnareff - "Michel Poinareff" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2008/1966 (Universal)

The Lou Christie of French rock is Michel Poinareff.  Well, mostly due to his vocal style, which can go as high as the stars, if he chooses that route.  Ponareff's first album is classic French pop.  Still, I suspect that he wanted to go beyond his country's borders.  Side one I presume was recorded in England, due that he worked with lyricist Keith Reid, who either at the same time or a tad later, became the words-man for Procol Harum.  He also used Charles Blackwell as an arranger, who worked with Burt Bacharach on the soundtrack "What's New Pussycat" as well as working with my favorite eccentric producer Joe Meek.  So, with those two, our M. Poinareff was in excellent hands. 

This is a very strong debut of a songwriting talent, who is still with us, and for me, a mysterious figure.   In fact, I suspect he's a mystery to a lot of people.  Like the tide in an ocean, he comes and goes as he pleases.  Still, from 1966 to the end of the 1970s, he was an iconic presence in France.  Visually stunning, but with an incredible knack for writing memorable melodies.   There's not a bad cut on this album, and I would recommend it as an introduction into the world of Poinareff.  The garage rock sound of "La Poupée Qui Fait Non," "Time Will Tell"  (lyrics by Reid) and his fifties orientated (and could be a Morrissey favorite) "Love Me, Please Love Me" are essential cuts. 

Vince Taylor and his Playboys - "Le Rock C'est Ca! Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 2015 (Rumble Records)

All serious students of David Bowie know that Vince Taylor had a role in Ziggy Stardust mythology. Vince was an American who moved to England at a young age, became a rock n' roller before the Fab Four hit the radio waves.  Eventually, he became a mega-star in France and had a series of hit songs/EPs.  He also went insane for a while, which at this point, David Bowie met him somewhere in London, and Vince went off about God, and therefore the long link from religion to rocking.  More than his music, Vince Taylor had a strong visual image that was extreme and highly sexual.  Watching old film clips of Vince and band on YouTube, is a combination of a Kenneth Anger film and a visual interpretation of the entrance of hell, through a rock n' roll performance.  Clad in black leather and heavy chains around his neck, Vince even outdid Elvis with his hips, which seems to be more made out of flexible rubber than bone. 

To be honest, his actual singing is just average, but the whole package is the real deal, the real art.  Vince Taylor and the Playboys are a combination of classic Gene Vincent and genius Eddie Cochran. The 18 songs on "Le Rock C'est Ca!" is a snapshot of how a French sensibility eroticizes the rock n' roll imagery.  Mostly a collection of French EP's released in the early 1960s, this is music that will go will with the photographs of Swiss photographer Karlheinz Weinberger, another European sensibility who understood the visual and erotic power of rock n' roll. Musically not as important as Gene Vincent, but visually and presence:  Essential rock n' roll.  

Serge Gainsbourg - "Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin" CD, Compilation, Remastered, 1996 (Mercury)

In the year 1996, Philips/Mercury organized a series of releases focusing on a specific time and music style of Serge Gainsbourg.   For me, it was my first real introduction to Gainsbourg's music and his world.   So, for the last 21 years, I have been obsessing about this man's music, which led me to publish a full biography of Serge as well as releasing a fictional work by him as well, with my press TamTam Books.   

"du jazz dans le ravin" is a collection of Gainsbourg's early recordings, that are mostly jazz-based, but still in a pop song format.  Lyrically, he was on the button of greatness.  Like most English speaking people I sort of knew Gainsbourg through his recordings with Brigitte Bardot and of course, Jane Birkin.  Beyond that, I knew very little till I bought this CD compilation.   Compared to his pop and Latin-based pop music, I love his jazz period.  At this time, he was singing in a croon, that conveyed wickedness and someone who can give great advice.   The music is very seductive,  but not always in the physical, sexual sense.  He was a writer that could convey a world and make it into a "Gainsbourgian" landscape, and us listeners are just passing through the neighborhood.  

His partner-in-crime was the great arranger/songwriter/jazz player Alain Goraguer.  Gainsbourg throughout his career depended on these sort of musical characters, and Goraguer was the jazz guy for him.   It's either Goraguer's jazz arrangements or the great recordings with electric guitarist Elek Bacsik and double bass player Michel Gaudry.  A Minimal arrangement with Gainsbourg's voice floating over these two instruments.  Yet, the songs are incredible. "Chez Les Yé-Yé" and others are Serge's most excellent commentary on the Paris world at that time (the late 1950s/early 1960s).  

Often I'm overwhelmed when someone asks me what's the entrance to Serge Gainsbourg's music.  For me, I'm one of those who gets one,  I must have everything.   To properly understand his work, you have to dive in with head and body - and head first!

Michel Polnareff - "Âme Caline" EP, Vinyl, 7" 45 RPM, France, 1967 (Disc'Az)

If Lou Christie was French.  This perfect French pop EP is Michel Poinareff at his height, creatively speaking.  Polnareff has the tendency to go over-the-top, in that I suspect his life was one of the great lows and intense highs.  "Ame Caline", the opening song of this EP, is a piano ballad, but sweeping strings, and Polnareff's Lou Christie-like high voice coming in, as a wave hits the beach.  Compared to other French pop at the time there is a bite and a greater music scope or landscape in his work.  A lot of his early work is an odd combination of garage rock meets grandeur arrangements.  "Le Roi des Fourmis" has a lot of percussion, a prominent organ, and is beautifully arranged into a wall of sound.  

Beside this EP, I have a greatest hits collection that I purchased in Fukuoka Japan.  Again, it's not hard to locate Polareff in Japan, it seems he's a well-known figure there compared to the United States, which is not the easiest place to find his recordings (although, not impossible).   Since I don't read French, I'm sure there's information about him that is missed between the languages.  Still, I suspect that he's a very unique figure in the French pop world.  He writes his material, and I sense no one controls his output except himself.  

There are four songs on this EP, besides the two mentioned already there's "Fat Madame" sung in English and co-written by Ray Singer, who worked with the British band Nirvana.  An excellent track which weirdly reminds me of Cockney Rebel.  Or if Steve Harley meets Peter Noone of Herman Hermits fame.  The last track "Le Saule Pleureur" is a sonic soup of various ingredients.  A mixture of flute, unique backup vocal, - in 1967, it was a great year for experimentation in the pop format, and I think Polnareff was very much part of that world. 

Chantal Goya - "Masculin Féminin" CD, EP, French, OST, 1966/2006 (Magic Records)

It's funny that I can recall the day when I found a CD version of the OST EP of Jean-Luc Godard's "Masculin Feminin."  I was shopping in Tower Shinjuku Tokyo and was with a friend, and bingo, this came out of nowhere.  I bought a copy for a friend who was taking me around Tokyo that day, and one for myself.   As an artifact, it's priceless, as art, it's not bad.  What makes it great is that it's the soundtrack to Godard's great film.   In essence, one feels that they own something that is from ground zero on the planet French New Wave.  

Originally the "Masculin Feminin" was released as a 7" EP in 1966.   It has six songs on it, which is unusual because most French 7" EP's had only four songs.  Nevertheless, this is a compact pop history that is even hard for me to write about with respect if it's good or not.   The last three songs (on vinyl, side two) are superb and iconic Yé-Yé recordings.  The first three is good, but for me, it's side two that kicks butt.   

On the other hand, compared to artists like France Gall and of course Hardy, she doesn't come close to their greatness.  Still, this being connected to such a perfection that is Godard's work, it's a must for anyone who has the Jean-Luc bug.   Very difficult to find in any format at the moment.  The French label Sam Records has put out a lot of fascinating (CD) reissues from the 1960s, including British artists as well as French, of course.   They do great packaging as well as preserving essential music that may have fallen through the cracks of time. 

Sacha Distel - "La La Song" 7" 45rpm EP, French, 1964 (RCA)

The Last of the International Playboys, if that were a social club, then surely French singer/guitarist Sacha Distel would have been a member.   I discovered him through my obsession with the world that surrounded Boris Vian, the author I published with my press TamTam Books.  Distel was a guy who was in the right place, Paris, and to be specific, at the Saint-Germain des Prés nightclubs and had an obsession with be-bop jazz.   Studied under and pal with the great Henri Salvador, Distel played guitar with artists like The Modern Jazz Quartet, Dizzy Gillespie, as well as with top French jazz musicians.  In the late 1950s, he became internationally famous for being Brigitte Bardot's lover, which in turn introduced himself into a favourite vocalist.

When I think of Sacha Distel, it is in two separate compartments.  One as a massive French pop singer star, and the other as a great jazz guitarist.  Rarely did the two forms of music met on his recordings.  For the casual fan, he is probably thought of as an entertainer who sings.   It's much harder to locate his work on vinyl/CD of his Jazz-leaning guitar work.  I went to Amoeba yesterday and found this French issued 7" EP, of Sacha singing  "La La Song," which is not fantastic, but nevertheless a good French pop song.  The other three songs on the EP are based on Amerian songs with French lyrics written by Maurice Tézé, who worked a lot as a lyricist with Distel.   The best song on this EP is J'aimerais Être Là (I Wanna Be Around) which is based on a Johnny Mercer tune.   The real stars of these recordings are the arrangers.  Three songs are arranged by the Boris Vian/Serge Gainsbourg associate Alain Gorgaguer (as well as doing the futuristic soundtrack to the animated "La Planète Sauvage) and Michel Colombier, another artist who worked with Gainsbourg.  For those in the know, when you see those names attached to a recording, it is usually a good sign that they're good.