Video

Coeur de Pirate at Massey Hall

Mark Sullivan writes:

Massey Hall, Canada’s most prestigious music venue (in Toronto), which dates from 1894, hosted Coeur de Pirate on 31 May 2014. A 28-minute film of highlights of her concert has now been released on-line.

Any one who doubts that Béatrice Martin is the supreme writer and performer of popular music in her generation should look at this. Shot in black-and-white from several angles, and with perfect acoustic recording, this film takes us far beyond the thousands of amateur recordings of CdP that crowd Youtube. As amateur filming was not permitted, this is a unique record of a completely professional performance, with elegant bilingual introductions. It is so good that one can only hope that the full concert, which must have included as many songs again, will be issued on DVD.

There is a voice-over by Béatrice at the start, and the audience is seen entering over the sound of the first track. The songs shown are

Le Long de large
Francis
Ensemble
Golden Baby
Adieu
Place de la République
Comme les Enfants
Berceuse is played over the closing credits.

It is notable that (as the credits show) Coeur de Pirate has kept all four of her band for the whole six years of her career so far – Renaud Bastien, rhythm guitar (her lead musician), Emmanuel Éthier, lead guitar, Alexandre Gauthier, bass, and Julien Blais, drums. No wonder the quality is so high.

RIP Rod McKuen

Singer Rod McKuen passed away recently. So we’re reposting this ode to Rod, written by Sky, posted earlier on this blog:

There probably will be no music at my real funeral. I’d rather prefer a reading of the last three pages of Pierre Drieu la Rochelle’s Le feu follet. However, at my fictitious funeral this All Saints’ Monday, my future ghost will engulf in the kitsch grandeur of the English version of Le Moribond. Jacques Brel’s 1961 original is a bit too snappy for my tastes, and Terry Jacks’s 1974 smash hit adaptation – originally to be recorded by the Beach Boys (!) – well, let’s put a shroud over it. The ultimate version is undoubtedly by Rod McKuen, close Brel friend and translator of many of his lyrics. His rugged-voice US version, adapted first by the Kingston Trio in 1964, sentimentalizes Brel’s chanson for sure, and simultaneously transforms it into big-scope American death disc drama. Paradoxically, the starfish on the beach granted him a nice bit of immortality.

Zaznavour

  • Posted on 19/01/2015
  • /Under Video

Compilation on Youtube of ‘Hier encore’, a tv-show with musical guests looking back on French chanson. With Louane, Claire ‘ohlala’ Keim and ‘Zaznavour’ (on 10m50s).

(thanks Mark Sullivan)

Je m’appelle Charlie

Four singers, La Grande Sophie, Jeanne Cherhal, Camille and Emily Loizeau, expressed their feelings about the slaying at the Charlie Hebdo offices in a song. Read the lyrics in this Figaro piece.

Best of the Best 2014 (part 1)

A few days ago, we asked you to send in the songs and/or albums that rocked your world the hardest this year. In the coming days, the FS-writers (Steve, Sky, FransS, Mark, Guuzbourg, David) will post their picks.
Below are a few contributions by readers (and one regular contribuant).
–
Mart writes: ‘My Song of the Year is ‘Il pleut’ by Elodie Frégé, from the Bande à Renaud-tribute album. Her voice, the crescendo in the music and Renaud’s remarkable lyrics. He’s a wordsmith in the trues sense. I love the whole album, the covers really add to the original versions.’

Dany (from Germany) writes: ‘My French song of the year is by Les Maggy Bolle, “La Cougar”. Maggy´s from Besançon. I saw her live on a deep romantic summer nigh in the south of France.


Les Maggy Bolle – la cougar – Lure le 13… door Ricky_Banlieue

Iris writes: ‘Chaleur Humaine by Christine and the Queens is the best in the Francophone world that happened to us. It’s a perfect and very original mix of French and English, I just keep playing it.’

Steve (manager of Vanessa Contenay-Quinones) writes: ‘Well Guuz as much as i hate to be blindingly obvious, I genuinely am in love with Vanessa’s bitter sweet and sensual track ‘Pardonne’ taken from her latest LP ‘Made In France!’

Sami writes: ‘So far, my pick would go to Yelle’s ‘Complètement fou’, it has as usual some great energic and danceable tunes, and it’s even better in concert.’

Sami adds: ‘My favorite song is Camelia Jordana’s ‘Ma gueule’, beautiful voice and lyrics,the Ethio-jazz sound, I’ve been really impressed and hope that her next album will be the masterpiece she tried to make with this one.’

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