All I want for Christmas is...

The Melody Nelson 40th Anniversary box-set

*DROOLS*

Yep, Finders Keepers have got me salivating again.  This limited edition box-set will be available from 21st November for the princely sum of seventy-five pounds and forty-seven pence, and includes:

• The original album on CD
• A CD of alternative versions of the tracks
• The original vinyl album
• A vinyl album of bonus sessions from the time of recording
• An exclusive 30-minute DVD documentary
• A large-format 52-page book in English and French, including lyrics from the album

*DROOLS AGAIN*

I shall be ordering my copy from Finders Keepers as soon as it becomes available, and you should order from them too (they need support having lost the majority of their stock in the PIAS warehouse fire in August)

Here's a little teaser for the documentary.

And we can only hope the Melody Nelson TV show will be included too!

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...