Sunday 18 January 2009

Danse dans la rue : Motown est Cinquante!

Motown celebrates its 5oth anniversary this year. I've been rooting around for some French versions of the Motown hits.

Here's what I dug up:

Two Supremes covers, and a Martha and The Vandellas hit. All of which appear on the super-hard-to-find bootleg compilation Girl Group Power- Histoires De Filles: Quebec 60's Go-Go Music

First here's Les Beatlettes with a gutsy stab at The Supremes' 'You Can't Hurry Love':

Les Beatlettes - C'est Grâce à Toi


Next, Les Coquettes with their charmingly shaky rendition of Martha Reeves and The Vandellas' 'Jimmy Mack':

Les Coquettes - Jimmy Mack


Best of all is Souers Malette, who do a pretty raucous cover of 'Back In My Arms Again' (also by The Supremes):

Souers Malette - La Première Fois


Here's a little bonus: A David Holmes re-make of a Serge Gainsbourg track ('Melody' from Histoire de Melody Nelson) - remixed by Arab Strap, with a drawled Aiden Moffat narrative about a girl he met on a teenage holiday - which samples the opening piano chords from 'More Love' by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Phew!:

David Holmes - The Holiday Girl (Don't Die Just Yet - Arab Strap remix)


If anyone knows of any more, tell us, we'd love to hear 'em...

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