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here it is now, your long awaited copy of this milestone in pop history - finally re-released on our own label called PANATOMIC
(disappointed by small hippie record companies S.P.E.C.T.R.E. decided to found its own to become a cheerful and major part of the
global record industry able to pay for our artists' work).
But now for something completely different ...
As Wise Tom Bohnet once wrote: »The interest in French pop from the sixties is stronger than ever - and not only in France. Also here
in Germany francophile music fans and hipsters are discovering the class of French stars of the sixties like Jacques Dutronc and Serge
Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy and France Gall, Nino Ferrer and Antoine. By the way, being a fan of French pop music you're in good company:
You share your preferences with quite a few famous young pop musicians in Europe like Strereolab, St. Etienne or Blur from England.
Damon Albarn & Co. even recorded a song together with Françoise Hardy, as well as Air from France who put the song 'Jeanne' which they
had recorded with Hardy, on the flip side of their hit 12" 'Sexy Boy'. In Germany for example, Ted Gaier of the Goldenen Zitronen is known
to be a francophile as well as Stereo Total from Berlin, the band of exile French singer Françoise Cactus who have covered several French
pop songs so far. Nowadays you are likely to hear classics like 'Comment Te Dire Adieu' by Françoise Hardy (featured on volume 2 of this
compilation series - also available now), 'Le Responsable' by her husband, sixties pop icon Jacques Dutronc, or the weirdelic organ piece
'Mirza' by Nino Ferrer at many quality clubs all over Europe again (and of course in Japan, too).
In France, the conservative defenders of the classic French chanson had prejudices against many of those artists - for example Françoise
Hardy or France Gall. "Our music was very simple; simple songs, influenced by English and American pop music. Back then, we were called the
'yeh-yeh-singers' in France because we supposedly imitated the English and kept saying 'yeah'" (Françoise Hardy). For national heroes like
Serge Gainsbourg or Jacques Dutronc it was a little easier. Since the mid eighties a lot of young French musicians have begun to search for
their roots.
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Françoise Hardy, who had completely retreated from the music business for years, suddenly became fashionable again. Etienne Daho, one of
the most popular singers in France wrote a wonderful biography about the singer in 1986 which is called 'Françoise Hardy - Superstar Et
Ermite' (superstar and hermit). In exchange Hardy wrote several songs for Daho. Anyhow, today in France it is absolutely 'branché' -
that means fashionable - to be a Françoise Hardy fan. Join the club!
Even for the francophile music fan it tends to be quite hard to get hold of some of the songs on this album. One extremely sought-after
tidbit is the legendary 'Mirza' mentioned above, which is rarely found on Ferrer compilations. 'J'Ai Tout Lu, Tout Vu, Tout Bu' isn't
included on every 'Best Of Dutronc' as well and curiosities like the 'anti'-drug song 'Hashish Faction' by Sullivan or Ritas funny moaning
on 'Erotica' are nearly impossible to find, neither in second hand record stores nor on eBay. This record was made to save you a lot of
searching time and contains popular hits by Jacques Dutronc or Brigitte Bardot as well as several lesser known pearls from the French sixties.
In 'Beatnicks D'Occasion' the young singer Stella mocks the pseudo beatnicks of her time ("When the bohème are bored in their blue jeans,
they ask their father for a job in his factory") and in '7 Heurs Du Matin' Jacqueline Taieb wishes for Paul McCartney to help her with her
English homework. Rather prudish lovesongs like 'La Fermeture Éclaire' (the zipper) are combined with macho messages like 'Les Bons Conseils'
by Jo Alan or 'Sado Maso' by De Giafferi which tells about the smell of burnt nipples. While France Gall is raving about blue eyes ('Les
Yeux Bleus') Antoine demands: 'stop telling me about making love' ('Arretez De Me Parler De Faire L'Amour') and Pierre Barouh celebrates
the Brazilian samba with bossa.
Oh boy, we think they really didn't know what it was all about - but this era was like that.
Although these songs have reached a certain age, they still work very well - either on the dancefloor, at your next beat party with friends
or simply as a soundtrack for a life full of brambles, stylish wardrobe and alternating sex partners.«
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| We wish you a merry French Cuts! |
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