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Product Description
Dorset Echo, June 1, 2007
Now, I've probably mentioned before in
this column that if I go to heaven when I
die - the chances are slim, but I know a
couple of blokes on the inside - it will look
like Paris in the 1960s. Just in case, I'm
getting some practice in by listening to the
fantastic compilation La Belle Epoque -
EMI's French Girls 1965-1968 (Zonophone)
which contains a significant clue in its title
as to what to expect.
For a deliriously pleasurable 50 minutes, you are
sitting at a glass-topped wicker table outside a café on
the Champs Elysees circa 1967 with a croissant in one
hand and a bowl of coffee and a fistful of Gauloises in
the other, watching a succession of laughing
demoiselles saunter past backlit by the sparkling
sunlight reflected off of the hubcaps of your Facel Vega.
Ria Bartok, Christie Laume, Les Roche Martin, Alice
Dona... this music is nothing less than
therapy, bearing your spirits aloft on
champagne bubbles of uncomplicated
delight. All of the heroines mentioned above
released singles on EMI's evocatively-named
French labels in the `60s (Pathé, Odéon,
Ducretet Thomson) and the cream of the
crop is here, crisply remastered and
supported by knowledgeable sleeve notes
which bear reproductions of those
mouthwatering original picture sleeves
alongside. Is there anything more beautiful
than a French EP sleeve from the 1960s?
Trust me, there isn't - I've done the research.
this column that if I go to heaven when I
die - the chances are slim, but I know a
couple of blokes on the inside - it will look
like Paris in the 1960s. Just in case, I'm
getting some practice in by listening to the
fantastic compilation La Belle Epoque -
EMI's French Girls 1965-1968 (Zonophone)
which contains a significant clue in its title
as to what to expect.
For a deliriously pleasurable 50 minutes, you are
sitting at a glass-topped wicker table outside a café on
the Champs Elysees circa 1967 with a croissant in one
hand and a bowl of coffee and a fistful of Gauloises in
the other, watching a succession of laughing
demoiselles saunter past backlit by the sparkling
sunlight reflected off of the hubcaps of your Facel Vega.
Ria Bartok, Christie Laume, Les Roche Martin, Alice
Dona... this music is nothing less than
therapy, bearing your spirits aloft on
champagne bubbles of uncomplicated
delight. All of the heroines mentioned above
released singles on EMI's evocatively-named
French labels in the `60s (Pathé, Odéon,
Ducretet Thomson) and the cream of the
crop is here, crisply remastered and
supported by knowledgeable sleeve notes
which bear reproductions of those
mouthwatering original picture sleeves
alongside. Is there anything more beautiful
than a French EP sleeve from the 1960s?
Trust me, there isn't - I've done the research.
Telegraph, April 28, 2007
This Collection of 40-year-old Gallic pop is distinguished by its
delicious melody and sophistication, but also clinging to it is an
unmistakable whiff of cabaret kitsch. Beautifully orchestrated and
featuring names such as Les Roche Martin, Christie Laume, Ria Bartok and,
less obscurely, Sandie Shaw, it's a silver of semi-forgotten musical
history pitched midway between show tunes and cheeky Parisian strip-parlour
sass. Naturally Serge Gainsbourg puts in an appearance, crooning on
Michele Arnaud's Les Papillons Noirs, which he also wrote.
delicious melody and sophistication, but also clinging to it is an
unmistakable whiff of cabaret kitsch. Beautifully orchestrated and
featuring names such as Les Roche Martin, Christie Laume, Ria Bartok and,
less obscurely, Sandie Shaw, it's a silver of semi-forgotten musical
history pitched midway between show tunes and cheeky Parisian strip-parlour
sass. Naturally Serge Gainsbourg puts in an appearance, crooning on
Michele Arnaud's Les Papillons Noirs, which he also wrote.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Firstly, I can't believe that no-one else has yet reviewed this album. Amazon recommended this album to me after I bought the Francoise Hardy Vogue Years CD. Fairly similar in a round-about kind of way, most of these tracks sound like they could be the soundtrack to a bizarre yet intrinsically cool 60's French film (lots of big bands, brass and breathy vocals). Definitely recommended to fans of Francoise Hardy (and maybe even Saint Etienne) though possibly not quite as good as the album I mentioned above - In truth the album deserves a rating of 4.5 stars but the bargain price makes it a 5. Buy it now !!!
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Bought this at a good price after being recommended via Amazon. I was on a school trip to Paris in 1966 (age 13) and even now these songs seem to seep back from my 'long forgotten past'. They are superb. They evoke a time when life walked rather than run, and the song and melody lingered in your soul. Have a listen; and then buy. You won't be disappointed.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The sweet sounds of canaries singing in 60's goldmines. Beautiful francais cadences sung in the language of love, this is coated in the floral paisley patterns and revealing mini skirts at a time when the world turned on and France found the beach under the paving stones. The songs are bitter sweet but never cloying.
Lights up the day time with it sounds of pathos. No need to understand the language, the emotional richness transcends understanding. Just sit back and dream.
A fine addition to any exquisite collection.
Lights up the day time with it sounds of pathos. No need to understand the language, the emotional richness transcends understanding. Just sit back and dream.
A fine addition to any exquisite collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hidden Gems from La Belle Epoque
Came across this compilation when trying to find something else - but went with this instead - and since then continue to revisit on any number of occasions. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. B. J. Weatherup
Great only from the outside
Apart from the obviously brilliant Gainsbourg & Sandie Shaw entries, this collection of songs largely ignored at the time, is the ultimate nadir to Françoise Hardy's high... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Pat Land
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