This track opens with a twinkling sound, and a thick chord carried by harmonized vocals. It quickly builds into a ‘Mission Impossible’–like jazzy groover, with piano and bongos. Although this seems to owe a great debt to Lalo Schifrin, the overall sound is somehow very different and refreshing.
available on CD - Up! The Psycho Mellow (Schema)
27 Feb 06 ·jezandliz1: Not sure why this has been listed in the French section as Barbara Moore is, I think, English.
The whole album is fantastic though for fans of wordless female voices like Edda Dell'Orsa and a dreamy long-forgotten-summer vibe. Worth every penny of the steep import(Japanese_)cost. 28 Feb 06 ·n-jeff: Barbara Moore was the go-to gal for wordless vocals on the UK session scene, she did soem great work on things like "Sort of Soul" by Birds and Brass etc.
A slow number from Gainsbourg�s classic concept album, �Ah melody� opens with that picked acoustic guitar sound which the group Air have now imitated and made one of their trademark sounds. The arrangement is very bare, with the guitar accompanied by just a vocal, bass, and a spikey, funky drum beat. Later in this short track, strings and Bacharach-style horns slip in and out of the mix, before everything stops abruptly. It�s a great track from what I find otherwise to be a slightly disappointing album.
from Histoire de Melody Nelson, available on CD (Philips)
09 Dec 01 ·e: ah delicado.... 03 Jan 02 ·Mike: Wonderful track; absolutely magic, and second only to "Manon" in Gainsbourg's output for me. In the context of the album, it's a kind of foil to the more vigourous remainder, an all-too-short lyrical interlude. 05 Sep 02 ·Liv: Stellar. "Histoire de Melody Nelson" is one of THE best concept records of all time..period.(But you don't have to understand French to appreciate this wicked album..) The lush string arrangements, interweaving deep&funky bass, Gainsborough's sleazily "seductive" voice:sometimes whispering,sometimes "singing"..all adds to the perfection. I will always treasure this album..
("Ah!Melody" is one of the "lighter" songs from the album as the overall atmosphere of the album is darker,creepier:a feeling of perversion, death & doomed love..) One of his best. Pure magic. 12 Mar 04 ·olli: got to love that. one of the definite highlights in his amazingly diverse output for me.
I've tried quite a lot to get into African music and have only got into bits and bobs so far. However, what I have very successfully got into is a white frenchman, with an all french choir, based in Paris, singing songs in an african style. Any amount of race-focussed amateur psychoanalysis can be done on the above I know, but I also know that this song is absolutely fantastic.
As far as I can tell, Serge's african work seems to be inspired by a genuine love of african music and singing, but it also has a very pop edge - maybe it is this crossover aspect that makes it so accessible. Anyway, in this one the lyrics are pretty seedy ("ce soir la nuit sera blanche"), but the singing and drumming are just so beautiful - it's a brilliant song.
from Gainsbourg Percussions available on CD - Couleur Caf� (Mercury)
I have this on the original CD (or at least a CD-R of it) and a French remix 12, which has 3 good mixes including a fantastic one by Manta 1000. Both are very good. The song itself is a mix of the traditional and the modern (with Production by aging Gong-ster Steve Hillage), Arabic and Indian. Violins, Bollywood style singing from Amar blending with Khaleds' gruffer style - all with an irrisistable rhythm underpinning it.
Another one chock full of great hooks, where I can't understand a word, perhaps I should take up the study of languages.
from Khaled, available on CD
15 Jul 04 ·Difool: Hi..
I just want to say that i love that song!!!
El-Harba Wine. And as you say, i dont understand a singel word of what they sing. That only makes it more fun.
Do you know of any other songs like this one? 15 Jul 04 ·n-jeff: It seems from one site I've found that "El Harba Wine" means "To run but where". That aside, Khaled (aka Cheb or Young Khaled) has quite a few album's out, this track is from "Kenza", and is also on a comp "The King of Rai".
You could also check out another Algerian artist Cheb Mami - The "Prince of Rai" but the album of that name is from the 80's and a little dated. I'm also quite fond of Egyptian star Hakim, who adds Spanish guitar touches and the accordian. My favourite track is possibly called "Habibi" from the LP "Comosuena". His most recent LP "2004" has either big samples or a guest appearance from James Brown.
