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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
'Couleur Cafe' is a companion compilation to the excellent compilation 'Comic Strip' - the latter focusing on Gainsbourg's most celebrated era in the mid to late 1960s that lead towards the critically revered concept LP 'The History of Melody Nelson.' This compilation generally focuses on Gainsbourg's early work, 19 of the 20 tracks emanting from the 1959 - 1964 period; it feels bizarre that one track from 1975 ('l'ami Caouette') is tacked on at the end - shouldn't that be on a companion compilation from 1971 onwards?
Your first thought, following the instrumental version of 'cha cha cha du loup' that opens this compilation, will be "This sounds like the music to Austin Powers..." - this material feels very much of the era, though it would sound fine next to the soundtrack to 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg', 'The Best of Bardot'(released a few years ago), or 'The Vogue Years' compilation of Francoise Hardy (the latter also from the early to mid 60s). Still, if you want something different to play this summer, this compilation is it - there is a distinct world music vibe here, so this should appeal to the many who enjoyed 'The Buena Vista Social Club.'
The arrangements and production of the material do suggest the great work of Gainsbourg that would follow later, the invocation of 'Baudelaire' on, er, 'Baudelaire' highlights the type of poetic lyric Serge would focus on at a later date. It is excellent to be reminded that upon Gainsbourg's death in 1991, Mitterand declared, "He was our Baudelaire'! - though I am sure no one was celebrating 'Rock Around the Bunker' or 'Nazi Rock'! There's little of the provocative punk-rock Serge here, 'Pauvre Lola' sounds like a precursor of 'Comic Strip' - the girl's laughter indicative of the circular elements Gainsbourg would use later on, e.g. the looped noise on 'Bonnie & Clyde.'
There's quite a lot of chanson-inflected work here, which may or may not be your thing - if starting out with SG, I'd plump for 'Initials SG', or if you have more pounds, 'Comic Strip' and 'The History of Melody Nelson.' I quite like 'New York USA', which I was familiar with from the version on Mick Harvey's album of SG-translations 'Intoxicated Man' - the female/choir style backing vocals and relentless percussion is great, sounding like a song that managed to influenced both 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' and 'Sympathy for the Devil'! Songs like 'Joanna' and 'marabout' showcase the world music side of Serge, the latter has some fantastic repetition on! The compilation closes on 'l'ami Caouette', a 45 from 1975, the year he released the infamous 'Rock Around the Bunker'- it doesn't sound much like the rest of the material on 'Couleur Cafe', Serge's vocals are stronger, while the backing vocals and fairground organ sound even stranger - a good song, but possibly in the wrong place!
'Couleur Cafe' should probably be purchased for the cover alone, its budget price nature should also be a factor when considering this slightly fromagey-collection! Still, currently I'll stand by by new motto, "All Serge Gainsbourg is good Serge Gainsbourg..."
Your first thought, following the instrumental version of 'cha cha cha du loup' that opens this compilation, will be "This sounds like the music to Austin Powers..." - this material feels very much of the era, though it would sound fine next to the soundtrack to 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg', 'The Best of Bardot'(released a few years ago), or 'The Vogue Years' compilation of Francoise Hardy (the latter also from the early to mid 60s). Still, if you want something different to play this summer, this compilation is it - there is a distinct world music vibe here, so this should appeal to the many who enjoyed 'The Buena Vista Social Club.'
The arrangements and production of the material do suggest the great work of Gainsbourg that would follow later, the invocation of 'Baudelaire' on, er, 'Baudelaire' highlights the type of poetic lyric Serge would focus on at a later date. It is excellent to be reminded that upon Gainsbourg's death in 1991, Mitterand declared, "He was our Baudelaire'! - though I am sure no one was celebrating 'Rock Around the Bunker' or 'Nazi Rock'! There's little of the provocative punk-rock Serge here, 'Pauvre Lola' sounds like a precursor of 'Comic Strip' - the girl's laughter indicative of the circular elements Gainsbourg would use later on, e.g. the looped noise on 'Bonnie & Clyde.'
There's quite a lot of chanson-inflected work here, which may or may not be your thing - if starting out with SG, I'd plump for 'Initials SG', or if you have more pounds, 'Comic Strip' and 'The History of Melody Nelson.' I quite like 'New York USA', which I was familiar with from the version on Mick Harvey's album of SG-translations 'Intoxicated Man' - the female/choir style backing vocals and relentless percussion is great, sounding like a song that managed to influenced both 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' and 'Sympathy for the Devil'! Songs like 'Joanna' and 'marabout' showcase the world music side of Serge, the latter has some fantastic repetition on! The compilation closes on 'l'ami Caouette', a 45 from 1975, the year he released the infamous 'Rock Around the Bunker'- it doesn't sound much like the rest of the material on 'Couleur Cafe', Serge's vocals are stronger, while the backing vocals and fairground organ sound even stranger - a good song, but possibly in the wrong place!
'Couleur Cafe' should probably be purchased for the cover alone, its budget price nature should also be a factor when considering this slightly fromagey-collection! Still, currently I'll stand by by new motto, "All Serge Gainsbourg is good Serge Gainsbourg..."
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Stop plucking your nose hairs and buy this CD
26 Sep 2000
Format:Audio CD
Gainsbourg was an incomparable French composer of high-quality, sophisticated pop tunes of all kinds. He sounds like a much more upbeat, hipper, peevish version of Leonard Cohen. In fact, if you don't understand two words of French, Serge's music sounds even better, since your imagination is free to roam anywhere it likes.
There are 3 major compilations of Serge's '60s output that are on the market, "Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin," "Coleur Cafe," and "Comic Strip." All three are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL music for self-respecting pop conneisseurs. In fact, whip out your credit card right now and buy all 3, because THERE IS NO BETTER POP MUSIC MADE BY ANYONE ANYWHERE.
"Coleur Cafe," which is a mostly Mambo, Latin, and African beat influenced collection is the most consistent of the three. "Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin" is a Miles Davis/Dave Brubeck influenced collection of ultra-cool Jazz-pop fusion. "Comic Strip" is a less consistent, late '60s, psychedelic-rock influenced set which features some of Serge's most spectacular songs such as his collaborations with Brigitte Bardot (Bonnie and Clyde) and Jane Birkin (je t'aime...moi non plus).
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Loungey French with African & Latin thrown in
11 Feb 2002
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Serge Gainsbourg put his extraordinary talent to merging Euro-Pop music with Latin and African rhythms on this album, and comes up with the most hip & happening lounge music you'll find. I gave my Esquivel away because after getting hooked on this, it just fell short. Couleur Cafe never fails to make everyone feel like having a party and transports one to an easy state of mind. At first listen, I smiled and laughed. At the second listen, I was chilling out in my own space and at the third, I realized Serge is an extremely sensitive, deeply philosophical man who can extract the very elements of an eclectic range of styles that, when combined, lightly uplift the soul.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
comment about the critics
18 Jun 1999
Format:Audio CD
I just wanted to make a comment about "What the Critics Say:" Maybe the author of that critic should have made better research about Jane Birkin. She was his WIFE. She sang a lot of songs that Serge Composed. She was not just put in that song because of the song being "filthily." If you want to check other songs where Jane sings, check-out the Gainsbourg "Musiques de Films." There you can find a lot of songs that he composed for movies and where Jane Birkin sings. As a matter of fact, I'm listening to the album right now. He was a great composer and I remember when he passed away, it was a great loss. Also did you know about a dictation that was givin by the French Academy to some French celebrities (song composer etc.), Serge scored best. He might have been very eccentric but that was what made him. He could intimidate a lot of scholars that way, even though he always had a glass of alcohol and never forgot his cigarettes "Gitannes."
Cardamar.
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