Mick Harvey "Intoxicated Man" CD, album, 1995 (Mute)

In 1995, Mick Harvey put out his first album of Serge Gainsbourg songs.   This is not an easy process to do because Gainsbourg's lyrics are very tricky to do in English.  There are many layers of puns, jokes, and something meanings in his songs.  Very textural work, and it takes a master to translate the lyrics from French to English.   Harvey does the job swell, as well as my translator for the Gainsbourg biography I published (TamTam Books) by Gilles Verlant.  Paul Knobloch catches the layers as well.  But here we concentrate on Harvey's album of Gainsbourg tunes.

Gainsbourg as a songwriter, singer, arranger is a vast canvas.  Harvey doesn't just focus on the hits here on 'Intoxicated Man," but also the 'deep cuts' of this songwriter.   Also Harvey, perhaps due to his lifetime association with the world of Nick Cave, he automatically has a sense of sophistication.  So Harvey matching up with Gainsbourg is a great fit.   A wonderful introduction to the world of Serge's songs, but also the French Jazz/Pop culture as well.  

Harvey has done five Gainsbourg albums, and "Intoxicated Man" is his first of the series.  The hits are here as well as some of the more obscure songs - but the Bardot/Gainsbourg combination is well represented with "Ford Mustang," "Bonnie & Clyde," and "Harley Davidson."  Harvey stays close to the song's purpose and melody, but he adds his own unique arrangements to the works here.  This is very much of an album by a musician who is quite talented, perhaps brilliant as an arranger.  I have always imagined that Harvey was Cave's music director in The Bad Seeds, and here he uses his talent in that sense by the selection of the songs, but their production/arrangement as well.  Exceptional work.  I can't imagine any Gainsbourg fan would find fault in these recordings.   There's not a bad cut here because Harvey is an excellent editor and a man of great taste. 

Boris Vian by Claude Vence - "Je Voudrais pas crever"

Boris Vian by Claude Vence - Je Voudrais pas crever

CD Album, France, 2005

EPM Musique

In my typical fashion I am attracted to an album of Boris Vian’s poetry, in French, a language I don’t speak or understand but put to music by Claude Vence.   It seems it is a class French move to add music  to poetry. it is not uncommon to run upon music with Rimbaud, Baudelaire and of course Jacques Prevert - so why not Vian?

I found this CD  at a bookshop in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and I bought it without knowing what it was, except it had the words “Boris Vian” and that was reason enough to exchange some euros for this product.   Nevertheless an enjoyable listen, and all the words are from Vian’s classic book of poetry Je Voudrais Pas Crever.  I know nothing of Claude Vence, but his music is lively, tuneful and the arrangements are tasteful and very textured, which I imagine would mix well with Vian’s words.

Boris Vian - "Rock n' Roll: Naissance d'un Nouveau Rythme en France" Vinyl Lp

Boris Vian - Rock n’ Roll: Naissance D’un Nouveau Rythme en France

Vinyl, LP Compilation, France, 1976

Disques Jacques Canetti

Boris Vian, in his last decade, focused on the world of making music.  Both in the studio as well as being an A&R man for Phillips and other labels.  Vian became a mover and shaker in the French music industry, which is incredibly fascinating when you look at his whole career of being an icon, writer and then a music industry figure. 

Vian was a hardcore jazzier, so I think he had mixed-thoughts regarding the world of commercial Rock n’ Roll.  Yet, ironically enough, he probably recorded the first French rock n’ roll record.  This is a fascinating compilation of Vian’s strongest ties to two artists:  The actress and singer Magali Noel and the great over-all everything talent of Henri Salvador.   Vian wrote songs with Henri, that were mostly humorous and sort of a piss-take on the rock n’ roll medium.  Yet, they’re a joy to listen to.  Noel is sort of a muse for Vian in the recording studio.  She reminds me of a teenage Lottie Lenya (although she was an adult) due that she’s all character, and Vian had her voice in mind with such songs like “Fais-Moi Mai Johnny (a duet with Boris on top of that).  Also Vian shared her talents with another great artist - Fellini!

Henri Salvador is probably looked upon as a humorist singer, but the fact is he was a great guitarist, and a wonderful singer.  He had a long career in the French world, and is often treasured as a gem of an artist. 

This collection is a good introduction to Vian’s world of the 1950’s.  Also all the great arrangers worked on these recordings such as Alain Goraguer, Claude Bolling, and Michel Legrand.

Boris Vian - "Inédits Radio" CD Compilation

Boris Vian - Inédits Radio

CD, Compilation, France, 2003

INA

For the Boris Vian fan, this is very much the holly grail of listening pleasure.  Among other talents by the Jacques-of-all-trades Vian also had DJ skills, which makes perfect sense because he was such a vinyl addict of his time.  I’ve read in a biography on Simone De Beauvoir that he helped purchase a sound system for her apartment, and also chose the recordings to go with that system.  A music lover, especially a jazz fanatic, is part of a small world.  Here Vian shares that world with listeners over the medium of the radio.

Vian had a thing for Duke Ellington, like he should of course, and the entire radio broadcast or the ‘best’ of his shows, he clearly has an understanding to what makes this music so cool.  Also included is Vian playing music with the Le Tabou orchestra.  And his priceless commentary (in French of course) on the music plus him interviewing Ellington. 

Boris Vian - "Chansons possibles et impossibles" CD album

Boris Vian - Chansons Possibles et Impossibles

Vinyl Album, Reissue

Phillips

My life for the past twenty years can be two words.  Boris.  Vian.   I devote my press TamTam Books to  this Jacques-of-all-trades, and slowly and surely been collecting his books, his recordings, and like Chick in “Foam of the Daze” would also collect his nail clippings.   On the other hand it is probably best and more sane just to focus on his work - which is his writings and of course, his music.  

This album originally came out as two 7” EP’s.  Chansons Possibles and Chansons Impossibles, and then eventually as a 10” vinyl LP, and what I have is the CD version of the vinyl album.  I want to get the originals of course, but the inner-Chick in me has to wait.  Nevertheless I do have the songs and they’re quite remarkable.  Half of the songs were co-written by Alain Goraguer and the other half with Jimmy Walter.  Think of it as Morrissey working with Johnny Marr, Alain White or Boz.   Different melodies but all with the unique witty Vian lyric and voice.  

For a man who over a hundred songs, this is his only solo singing album that he released or made.  The record wasn’t successful in the sales department, but like they say about the first Velvets album, this album is still around, and many many French singers, including from America -  Peter, Paul & Mary have recorded his tunes. 

It is a shame that Vian’s singing career didn’t take off, and from all accounts it seems he was uncomfortable to be on the stage.  Chansons Possibles et Impossibles is a classic piece of pop-music making.  Its not the music itself (although wonderful) but his lyrics that set them apart from the rest of the pack.  A major influence on Serge Gainsbourg, Vian had the right combination of outrage and humor in his songs.  “Je Suis Snob” can be easily covered by an older Iggy Pop.   He brings the role of the snob as the ultimate aesthetic figure.  And how true is that!

Chansons Impossibles

Chansons possibles

Boris Vian - "Boris Vian á Saint-Germain-Des-Prés" - "Pauline Julien Chante Boris Vian Box Set"

Boris Vian - Boris Vian Á Saint-Germain-Des-Prés - Pauline Julien Chante Boris Vian

3 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Box Set, France, 1978

CBS

In theory this 3 LP set captures the magic of Boris Vian’s early fascinating with playing traditional jazz in smoky bars that are located in the Saint-Germain des Prés area of Paris.  So there is a great deal of romance with respect to listening to this album and reading the jacket as well.  You can smell the existential angst off the vinyl!

For those who want to investigate and enjoy the early years of Vian making music, this box set is pretty much all you need.   The first two disks focus on small jazz combos that he was in.   The first disk is Vian in the Claude Luter band, and the other is with Claude Abadle and his jazz orchestra.  Both recordings are from 1944, so it was slightly before Vian started writing his novels - both the Vernon Sullivan and the books under his name.   What is interesting is that during this time there were two parts of the Jazz world in Paris at the time.  One totally into playing New Orleans jazz and other grouping was into Be-Bop.   Vian was unique in that he played New Orleans jazz but was a champion critic for the Bop scene that was making noise in Paris, as elsewhere.  As usual,  Vian was doing several things at once and just taking the whole Jazz music world in one gulp.   His jazz criticisms are excellent and actually for its time it sort of reminds me of Lester Bangs or punk-era critics writing about music. 

The third LP in this box set is a set of songs written by Boris Vian, all of them classic works, done by Quebec citizen Pauline Julien, a feminist and pro-Quebec personality.  The beauty of having a rebel doing the songs from the ultimate rebel is simply fantastic.  These recordings were made in the mid 60’s as Vian’s writings became better known through out the French speaking world.