Françoise Hardy [1944-2024]

Artist: Françoise Hardy

LP: The Best of Françoise Hardy

Song: "Only You Can Do It (Je Veux Qu'il Revienne)"

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Song: "I Still Love Him (Pourtant Tu M'Aimes)"

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I was sad to hear that French singer-actress-icon Françoise Hardy died on Tuesday of this past week after a years-long battle with cancer. Hardy passed away on the same day I was with my mother, celebrating her 81st birthday. 

 

I really didn't know very much about the life and career of Françoise Hardy until reading all about her today on her Wikipedia page. But what I did know is that whenever I found any of her records for sale, I should just go ahead and buy them. They're guaranteed beautiful, moody, ultra-cool pop tonic every time. There's a wonderful piece here from The New York Times that explores what it means to the French to have lost at this particular time their "voice of melancholy cool." 

 

Françoise Hardy

[ January 17, 1944 — June 11, 2024 ]

We will miss you, Françoise.

Quartz

Artist: Quartz

LP: Camel In the City

Song: "Camel In the City"

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The next record shop I went to in Minnesota (my 4th) was Electric Fetus in Minneapolis, a place that has evidently been around since 1968. (Electric Fetus, I mean. Minneapolis has been around even longer.) Why, that's even before I was born! One of the neat things I found at Electric Fetus is this 1979 LP from a French disco-synth outfit called Quartz. I'd try to glean more information from the worldwide web about Quartz, but I keep falling asleep while I'm typing. Good night.

[ Electric Fetus — Minneapolis, Minnesota ]

Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus

 

Artist: Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus

LP: Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus

Song: "Kavalie O Dam"

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Song: "Se Ou Mwen In Me"

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Happy New Year! I realize I'm arriving a little late with my greeting, but so much has already happened in 2021, I simply haven't had time to post anything. Our President tried to ruin our country with insidious lies, zillions of his devotees ransacked the U.S. Capitol Building with all of the country's representatives inside (while the President reportedly sat at home, watching the unfolding of events and eating popcorn), and my lovely Auntie Karen died of COVID-19. 

I know a new year is supposed to be the turning of a corner, the slate wiped clean and starting anew...but with so much smelly crap already being slung at us in 2021, I've decided to pretend that the new year begins on January 20th, with the ushering in of a new administration. Here's some music in the meantime from French-Guadeloupe artists Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus that I hope will bring you cheer.

 

[ Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus in early 2014 ]

Isabelle Adjani

Artist: Isabelle Adjani

LP: Isabelle Adjani
Song: "Ohio"

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Song: "Le Bonheur C'est Malheureux"
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I was thrilled recently to discover that there existed this 1983 recording by French actress Isabelle Adjani. She's been one of my favorites since I first watched her captivating performance in THE STORY OF ADELE H when I was in college. With songs written and produced by Serge Gainsbourg, I was only slightly disappointed to find that the record is more ISHTAR and SUBWAY and NEXT YEAR IF ALL GOES WELL than it is POSSESSION or THE TENANT or NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE. Still...at least it's not, you know, BEACHES.

[ Isabelle Adjani ]

Shirley and Company

Artist: Shirley and Company

LP: 7" single
Song: "Mr. Frenchman"

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Here's a lively little musical bonbon I was delighted to find in my collection the other day; I don't remember buying it! The pricetag indicates it was probably one of the singles I found on my trip to Norway back in the spring of 2017. According to Wikipedia, Shirley Goodman was persuaded out of retirement to contribute vocals to "Shame, Shame, Shame," which became a dance-floor favorite around the globe. This 1975 follow-up single, however, did not, and Shirley retired from the music business again in the late 1970s. Appropriately, my copy of the single was produced in France. I love the street accordion featured here! 

[ Shirley and Company ]

 

[ Shirley Goodman: June 19, 1936 — July 5, 2005 ]

Charles Aznavour [1924-2018]

Artist: Charles Aznavour

LP: Charles Aznavour Canta en Español, Volumen 2
Song: "Isabelle"
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Song: "Si Tu Me Llevas"
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I was bummed a few days ago to read that Charles Aznavour had died earlier this month, at the age of 94. Born in France of Armenian immigrant parents, Charles' birth name was Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, which admittedly doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. With a career in music and film spanning over 70 years, Aznavour was one of the most popular performers in the history of France. People sometimes called him the French Frank Sinatra! Charles wrote more than 1,000 songs during his career, and he claims to be one of the first to write about controversial subjects like homosexuality, referring to his lovely/sad 1972 song "What Makes a Man?" Also, he often performed with Liza Minnelli, which is pretty gay too.

I was a little surprised to discover that I don't actually own any French-language records by this international legend—only one where he sings in English and two on which he's singing in Español. Here are a couple of songs from one of the latter. (I chose this one because he's smoking on the cover, so he at least looks really French even if he's not actually singing that way.) Click here to find everything you've ever wanted to know about the life and career of Snr Aznavour, and read his New York Times obituary here. And then go here for a photo of Charles when he was very young.

Charles Aznavour

[ May 22, 1924 — October 1, 2018 ]

We will miss you, Charles.

Juliette Greco

Artist: Juliette Gréco

LP: No. 7 [10" EP]

Song: "On N'oublie Rien"
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I was excited to find this 1960 Juliette Gréco 10" EP at Georgetown Records a few weeks ago. The only downside, really, is that it's called "No. 7," which seems to indicate that there's probably a No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 that I still don't have in my collection. You can read about the fabulous Ms. Grego, who turned 91 earlier this year, on Wikipedia here and go here to read a career retrospective assembled by The Guardian on the occasion of her 90th birthday.  

[ Juliette Gréco ]

Brian Burd

Artist: Brian Burd

LP: 7" single

Song: "Quels Jours de Paix (Oh Happy Day)" 
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It's Oscar Sunday—Oh Happy Day! It's been a very fine day, indeed. After hitting the gym in Ballard this morning, I felt compelled to drive south to the Georgetown neighborhood to grab some breakfast at Square Knot Diner. I was reading my six-month old copy of "Film Comment" and noticed that the gal next to me at the counter was reading a copy of "The New Yorker." I commented that it was nice to see someone else reading a paper copy of a magazine. A conversation ensued, and we eventually ended up talking about the Academy Awards. We are both big Oscar nerds! In fact, she had even printed out several extra copies of the Official 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Ballot, so she gave me one, which saved me from having to try to make a trip to Kinko's sometime before the show. Both she and I are pulling for MOONLIGHT and LA LA LAND, but she also extolled the virtues of TONY ERDMANN, which I have yet to see. I've got it on my list.

All the while I was thinking that Jennifer (that's her name) would be a really fun new movie buddy, but it was such a lovely conversation that I didn't want to risk turning it weird by suddenly asking (in sultry low purring voice), "I've had such fun. Do you mind if I get your number?" My friend Edwardo told me I should have mentioned how much I LOVE Bette Davis and waved my hands a lot, and then everything would have been fine. I wish I'd thought of that. 

In any case, it was a wonderful morning, and I've got an Oscar Ballot courtesy of Vanity Fair, via Jennifer at Square Knot, and I found this Brian Burd 45 at Georgetown Records right after my meal. (In sultry low purring voice) "Mr. Burd is one of the sexiest fellows I've seen on the front of a record in quite some time." I'm pretty sure the Black Sabbath backing Brian here is not the one I'm already familiar with.

Sheila & B. Devotion

Artist: Sheila & B. Devotion

LP: Singin' In the Rain

Song: "Singin' In the Rain"
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Song: "Love Me Baby"
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Sheila (her real name's "Annie," but that was taken) had already been a pop star in France for several years when she hooked up with B. Devotion to record and release a couple of disco records in the late '70s and early '80s, right before disco became a four-letter word. I had already been grumbling in the rain for several hours today when I went to see Darla at my friends' house up in Northgate. All signs indicate that Darla will definitely be disco. It's amazing, the power a little baby girl has to lift you, soaring, out of the doldrums.

[ Sheila & B. Devotion ]

Monty

Artist: Monty

LP: Monty

Song: "La Devise Des Copains"
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Here's some jaunty '60s French pop music I've been listening to in a desperate attempt to lighten up what's turned out to be a thickly grey, water-soaked Seattle afternoon. Initially known by the perfectly acceptable name of Jacques Bulostin when he was born in 1943, Jacques changed his name to Monty sometime before this not-self-titled LP came out in 1965. I'm pretty sure there's a crystal clear explanation for the name change here...for those who can read French.

[ Monty in 2014 ]