Come on! how come nobody's recommended this yet?
great repetitive, driving string backing, fantastic hiccup-monkey-like vocal hooks, faboulous performance.
essential.
(stereolab has an absolutely fantastic slow twangy version of this on the album spacey double spiral. very, very highly recommended.)
available on CD - comic strip
22 Dec 04 ·ronin: Relentless violin beat, depressing song, memorable, moves toward its inescapable conclusion...makes me think of a well loved coworker who died in '01. 01 Dec 05 ·sonore: the "stereolab version" wouldn't happen to be the Luna (feat. Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab)'s hidden track from the Penthouse LP would it?
Anyway, the Luna f. Laetitia version of Bonnie & Clyde is absolutely fantastic. : )
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)
Excellent early jazz song from Serge with a very sparse arrangement and a lively rhythm. Further proof that the man could do anything he wanted.
from Gainsbourg Confidentiel (Polygram) available on CD - Du Jazz Dans le Ravin (Polygram)
04 May 01 ·delicado: yeah, I was completely blown away when I first heard the 'du jazz...' compilation! Astounding stuff, and you're right - he tried everything and was almost always successful... 18 Jun 01 ·tempted: Have you heard "Nazi Rock"? 18 Jun 01 ·delicado: ok, emphasis on the 'almost' I guess. I actually have friends who enjoy 'rock around the bunker', but it's not really my cup of tea. 09 Apr 02 ·tempted: The saddest thing about Gainsbourg's restless life is that he got most popular in France on the most awkward musical road he ever followed. That was the half-arse reggae music he made. But still he's a hero of mine.
Early Serge Gainsbourg masterpiece with an "exotica" feel. The backing track is a far-east melody while the lyrics are simply beautiful. Gainsbourg used the characteristics of the anthracite to describe his feelings about a girl. It's a kind of first step into what was to be the apex of his first period, the "Gainsbourg percussions" LP of 1964.
from N�2 (Philips) available on CD - Couleur caf� (Mercury/Philips)
04 Jan 04 ·whoops: sorry, in place of "far east" please read "middle east" in the recommendation above.
