Serge Gainsbourg

[Jason]

I'm getting more and more into his work, mostly his later concept LPs. Singular (some might say sick, can't hedonistic thrills be art too?) talent and one of the finest French artists, along with Johnny Hallyday.

For those who only know "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus",  there is MUCH more to Gainsbourg than his lone American chart entry.

[dogbreath]

As one of the two (?) resident Frogs here, I can totally get behind where you're at with this one, dude-man.

Try "The Ballad of Melody Nelson", a short concept album (really a short story set to music) that sounds like nothing else. Even if you don't understand his smoky Gauloise drawl, you'll get off on the mood and the music. The story is about sex with a schoolgirl, a preoccupation of his shared by a few other "rock luminaries", let's not forget.

He's much-loved here in France - the original "bad boy" who said what everyone was thinking, while smoking and drinking his way to death (so you don't have to). There's a famous clip that gets shown regularly on French TV, of him telling Whitney Houston, live on a primetime TV chat show - "I want to f  u  c  k you." In very clear English, which he repeated. Whitney was, to her credit, pleasurably outraged, Serge totally out of his (and Whitney's, I imagine) box.

[Jason]

Listened to The Ballad Of Melody Nelson, what an outrageous album. How controversial was that album when it came out? I've translated some of the lyrics, and they're quite shocking (by today's standards, and I'm only 21).

What kind of controversy did Serge run into in France?

[Jason]

Oh please let's not have this thread make a beeline for the bottom of the page.

[dogbreath]

What kind of controversy?

Actually, very little. the French are very tolerant of what they see as "artistic excess" - Serge was much-loved, and more loved the worse he got. He went too far (unforgiveably) when he recorded a song to the joys of incest, featuring his daughter Charlotte in the video. It traumatised her. His video for (I think) "My Légionnaire" feature very dodgy footage of a very pretty young boy. Astonishingly, these were both hits. He became more attractive to women the uglier he became (really, excess suited him - as a young man he was gawky and nerdy), and had relationships with the most beautiful women in France (and therefore, folks, the world) including, of course, Jane Birkin. He frequently appeared and performed drunk and/or stoned, and his recorded legacy is astonishingly varied (he loved African and reggae music), but I'm afraid you're flogging a dead horse by trying to build a thread around him here. Americans (mostly) don't want to listen to someone singing in a foreign language (ie a language they don't understand). Especially French. It's your loss, America!

[Jason]

Ian likes him, maybe he'll chime in.

[Chris D.]

I'm getting more and more into his work, mostly his later concept LPs. Singular (some might say sick, can't hedonistic thrills be art too?)

Well, isn't is all art pretty hedonistic?  Besides -- you know tons of people here love Prince.

Americans (mostly) don't want to listen to someone singing in a foreign language (ie a language they don't understand). Especially French. It's your loss, America!

I don't know man, Oasis are pretty popular around here.

Seriously, Serge Gainsbourg is so trendy among music fans.  You can't seriously think no one likes him here.

Also, that song he did about incest was pretty good.  Perhaps...paradise.

[dogbreath]

Just being provocative. If it saves this thread from falling off into cyberspace.

(Nice line about Oasis, btw)

[Chris D.]

Thanks.  And I get that too -- this should be a cool thread, hopefully people do participate.  I've heard Serge but don't own anything.  Is his stuff easy to find on vinyl?

[dogbreath]

Even in France, his vinyl is fairly scarce. And pricey. Strange thing about French recordings; they never seem to press anything in great quantity, and don't bother when it goes out of stock. Just give a Gallic shrug and wait for the next one. I also like L'Affaire Louis Trio, Les Innocents, and Vanessa Paradis, but finding out-of-print recordings (CD or vinyl) is oddly difficult. F'rinstance, the first Mellow CD was almost impossible to find on release, and disappeared in a flash. Bizarre. There are exceptions - the vast legion of "pretty boy" male singer-songwriters always fills the boxes at car boot sales.

[I. Spaceman]

Ballade De Melody Nelson is nothing, outrage-wise, in comparison to later stuff.
My lord, the man did an entire concept album about the sexual pleasures of farting and shitting. He was kind of the French Zappa, just far more subversive, shocking and intelligent.

[zelilgirlI1cenu]

Mieux vaut tard que jamais. I finally see this thread. Salut dogbeath!

Controversy? Shane McGowan eat your heart out, we had Serge way before.

Achem he did burn real money on TV


AND

heume heume "Aux armes etcaetera".... he did do a reggae version of the French National anthem.

Listen to everything you can lay your hands on.

[dogbreath]

"Listen to everything you can lay your hands on."

I think that's a quote for our times. Rebienvenue!!!

[zelilgirlI1cenu]

"Listen to everything you can lay your hands on."

I think that's a quote for our times. Rebienvenue!!!

Geez, sorry for being so "banale", work will do that to you, ya know lol lol lol.

I am jumping the other side of the pond for a few days, after which I have great hopes to find I dont know what back, but it has to do with some modicum  of coherence.

[Fantastico!]

I really love Melody Nelson, I dont give a fucck what it's about.  It's in French baby.

Anybody ever heard Michel Polnareff's "Polnareffs" from 71?

Holy hell, the arrangements are just astounding.  It's a cross between something like Melody Nelson and Bacharach and "What's Going On?".  So much subtlety and beauty.  I poo not.  Seek out a track called "Petite Petite"

[dogbreath]

Get in touch, zelil! I'd like to listen to you ...

[zelilgirlI1cenu]

I really love Melody Nelson, I dont give a fucck what it's about.  It's in French baby.

Anybody ever heard Michel Polnareff's "Polnareffs" from 71?

Holy hell, the arrangements are just astounding.  It's a cross between something like Melody Nelson and Bacharach and "What's Going On?".  So much subtlety and beauty.  I poo not.  Seek out a track called "Petite Petite"

Michel Polnareff,my best of :

Lets see
La Poupée qui fait Non
Dans la Maison Vide
La Michetonneuse
Le Bal des Laze
Love me, please love me
Qui a tué Grand-Maman
Tout tout pour ma chérie   

Polnareff can be really cheesy though

But dont forget Bijou, Jacques Dutronc (La fille du Père Noël), Téléphone, Nino Ferrer

[Fantastico!]

I really love Melody Nelson, I dont give a fucck what it's about.  It's in French baby.

Anybody ever heard Michel Polnareff's "Polnareffs" from 71?

Holy hell, the arrangements are just astounding.  It's a cross between something like Melody Nelson and Bacharach and "What's Going On?".  So much subtlety and beauty.  I poo not.  Seek out a track called "Petite Petite"

Michel Polnareff,my best of :

Lets see
La Poupée qui fait Non
Dans la Maison Vide
La Michetonneuse
Le Bal des Laze
Love me, please love me
Qui a tué Grand-Maman
Tout tout pour ma chérie   

Polnareff can be really cheesy though

But dont forget Bijou, Jacques Dutronc (La fille du Père Noël), Téléphone, Nino Ferrer

I dont doubt it!  But that one album that I have of his rules.

[Jason]

Dogbreath, how hard is it to find Johnny Hallyday records in France?

I just found a huge bit torrent of Serge, 21 albums. Most all of his released output.

[zelilgirlI1cenu]

My very first single was Killy Watch by Johnny, twas given to me by my Godmother, I was 3.

[I. Spaceman]

Dogbreath, how hard is it to find Johnny Hallyday records in France?

I just found a huge bit torrent of Serge, 21 albums. Most all of his released output.

Album titles?

[Jason]

In alphabetical order -

Aux Armes Et Caetera
Confidentiel
De Gainsbourg a Gainsbarre
Du Chant a la une
Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin
Gainsbourg Percussions
Histoire De Melody Nelson
Initials B.B.
Jane Birkin - Serge Gainsbourg
Le Cinema de Serge Gainsbourg
L'Etonnant Serge Gainsbourg
L'Homme a Tete De Chou
Love On The Beat
Madame Claude
Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Etoiles
No. 2
No. 4
Rock Around the Bunker
Theatre le Palace '80
Vu de l'Exterieur
You're Under Arrest

[Nick T.]

Interestingly I was tipped off to investigate Mr. Gainsbourg through the sampling of his work on De La Soul Is Dead; Prince Paul may be a fan, or at the least Serge was something he liked digging through the crates.  I didn't pursue it, partly because of the language barrier, his image and the scarcity of material to be found.  Very interesting though...fresh thread.

[I. Spaceman]

That's all his regular albums minus soundtracks, singles and comps.

[dogbreath]

Just a quick note re. Johnny Halliday - his only English language album, recorded with US musos in the US - is unbelievably good. A genuine tough rock jewel. Sold zilch here, of course, where they could care less about Johnny singing in English, and sold worse in the US, for the same reason. Called "Rough Town", it's kind of River-era Springsteen with a definite Allmans/southern rock n' roll vibe. One or two lighter tracks as singles fodder, but they're pretty neat, too.

His albums are heavily collected in France, mint copies of originals being as highly-priced as you'd hoped they wouldn't be.

Interesting guy - got better as he got older, and he's a long way from being the joke I thought he was when I lived in the UK. He's a genuine star. Absolutely the closest to Elvis, in terms of live charisma and sheer balls, that's still on the planet. He's a bit thick, though, so interviews are inevitably grunt-fests, and has zero taste, so his looks depend on whatever stylist he's using at the time, and boy, he makes us suffer sometimes. Great and undervalued actor, too, especially as he ages.