Jane & Serge photobook

This grainy and evocative image is taken from a new book of photographs of family life chez Serge and Jane, taken by Andrew Birkin.

I've not seen the book Jane & Serge, but here is a Guardian review, and here is the publisher's blurb.

I can say nothing more except that the candid photos look enticing and entertaining, and that I'm not keen on the cover (but you can't judge...)

Serge: at home, in the studio, and in the musical of his life

Whilst looking for a video for Serge's 'Ford Mustang' for the last L'Amour à la Chaîne post, I re-discovered this ace behind the scenes/making of a song film.

Most of the film features studio footage of Serge, Arthur Greenslade, and co putting together the song 'Initials B. B.' at Chappell Studios, London in April/May 1968. Then at 11m20 there's a brief clip of a 'Ford Mustang' vocal take with some scary, toothy percussion; followed by Serge doing an unused take of 'Black and White'; plus a little bit of that plummy-voiced woman on 'Bloody Jack'...

That video led to me discovering this charming "day in the life of Serge and his kids" video dated Saturday 31 March 1979:

After which I came across this hazy, bar-set interview with Serge and Jane, in which, half-way through, as if seeing himself in some cheesy, soul-searching moment from a musical of his life, Serge breaks into a sad song about Charlie Brown. I kid you not...

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.19

Now that I've sorted out those pesky mp3s, I reckon it's time we got back to la Chaîne.

The last link was Sandie Shaw. She was born and brought up in Dagenham, Essex and briefly worked at Ford Dagenham, one of Ford Motors' British production plants (and location of the famous women sewing machinists' strike of 1968, fact fans!).

So, for the next link I give you the song 'Ford Mustang' by Serge Gainsbourg. But instead of the original, here's a cover-version en Portugais (I think!). This version was originally released in 2000 on the Gainsbourg tribute album Lucien Forever (Pussycat Records).

It's not often these days that a search on the interweb yields scant results about a band or artist, but that is the case with Ars Post Tergum Introet. If my search engine of choice is to be believed, they have released just this cover and possibly one other song 'Rien'. There is nothing else about them whatsoever, other than link upon link to (mostly) non-existent mp3 downloads of this song. If anyone has any info, it'd be great to know more about them.

Let's just enjoy the song now, eh?

Ars Post Tergum Introet - Ford Mustang
[I can't seem to find any copies of the Lucien Forever album anywhere either, so, sorry, no links to buy the CD]

...................................................................
L'Amour à la Chaîne: what will be the next link in the chain?
Leave your suggestions and reasons in the comments.
Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la Chaîne > Françoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis > Les 5 Gentlemen – Cara-Lin > Add N To (X) – Monster Bobby > Serge Gainsbourg – Le Poinçonneur des Lilas > Les Shades – Orage Mécanique > Gillian Hills - Rentre Sans Moi > Zombie Zombie - Psychic Harmonia > Michel Polnareff - Qui a Tué Grand'Maman? > Christine Pilzer - L'Horloge De Grand-Père > Violaine - J'ai Des Problèmes Décidement > Dutronc - Dodecaphonie > Fabienne Delsol - Ce Jour La > Johnny Hallyday - Son Amour Pour Un Jeu > Miss Kittin & The Hacker - L'Homme Dans L'Ombre > Andre Popp - L'Homme Invisible > Future Bible Heroes - Love Is Blue > Sandie Shaw - L'Orage > Ars Post Tergum Introet - Ford Mustang > ?

Cactus versus Brezel

It will no doubt surprise you, dear reader, that my position in society as a music blogger/artist/musician/DJ/toy maker/father has not yet made me my millions. It is because of this that I, plus the good lady V and the little O, found myself in a Holiday Inn up there in up-and-come-and-pretty-much-gentrified Hoxton, East London.

Caught in a moment of pure glamour, we were awaiting the only working lift to reception, and as the doors slid open, who should we spy amidst the packed-in-like-sardines passengers? None other than our old friends Stereo Total (over from Berlin for one night only)...

[I wondered aloud if they always stayed at the Holiday Innn, but apparently they rather regret writing that song: "Next time we will write about a more upmarket hotel!"]

We checked out and found a café bar to pass the time until their flight, and they very kindly furnished me with a vinyl copy of their new LP Cactus versus Brezel. And then they were off, refreshed by breakfast, Guinness and rosé wine.

There was no sign of the fisticuffs promised by that title, but just supposing...

"LAYDEEZ AND GENTLE MEN, in the coin Français, on vocals, kazoo and banging the drums: FRRRRANÇOISE CACTUSSS!!!"

*DAGG-A-DAGG-A-DAGG-A-DAGG-A-DAGG-A-DAGG-A-DAGG-A-DAGG-A*
"It doesn't pay to try, all the smart girls no why..."

Trust Françoise, she's a smart cookie and she knows.

She knows it makes good sense to take a rough pop diamond by smacked-up heartbreaker Johnny Thunders and to turn it into a dirty, shuddering, synthetic hymn to love, loss and empty arms.

*this is the sound of a filthy, dirty arpeggiator*so there*

Françoise Cactus - You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

[only released on the 3-disc Girl Monster compilation (Chicks on Speed Records), which is out of print, but there are 2nd hand copies here]


"And in the Deutsche ecke, on guitars, synths, trautonium und neu!-ses:  
BRRRRREZEL GÖRRRING!!!!"

*BEEP*
"We can hear you coming through loud and clear on the answerphone."
*BEEP*
"No, you're breaking up. You're breaking up into a stuttering, electro cut-up xerox of an old Serge Gainsbourg Freggae number..."
"Is that you Françoise? Brezel? Just what is this bad news filtering in on the solar winds? Tell us, what news from way up there in the celestial heavens?"
...
"No, you're breaking up again..."
*BEEP*
---message terminated---

Brezel Göring - Bad News From The Stars

[originally released on the Brezel Göring/Barom One split LP (buy it from Gagarin Records); confusingly, a virtually identical version also came out on Stereo Total's Discotheque remixes album (buy); and then there's an alternate version, with our other friend Vice Cooler rapping over it on Hawnay Troof's sprawling double album Dollar and Deed (buy)]

Je T'Aime - Sex Please, We're British

Tonight Stuart Maconie presents The People's Songs on BBC Radio 2 - a look at how the British public received Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus back in 1969. 

It's on air at 10pm, here's a synopsis:

We've always had an uneasy relationship with our European cousins and their continental mores and morals, especially when they come over here and rub our face in it. Here was a bug-eyed Frenchman performing a racy duet with his young lover. And she was blatantly mimicking sexual pleasure. And what was worse was she was British! The cheek of it!

It was the Sixties and sex seemed to be everywhere in the arts. Lady Chatterley's Lover had been banned for thirty years and triumphed in an obscenity trial that same decade. The musical Hair was delayed from opening in London because of censorship. The Rolling Stones' "Redlands" court-case, ostensibly about possession of drugs, had been further mired in suggestive sexual misbehavior. And a little later the counter-culture magazine Oz went through the longest obscenity trial in the UK.

But in the case of Je T'Aime, despite it being foreign, and despite it seeming to be quite rude, we loved it. And unlike many other countries, the UK didn't ban the track. In fact we bought it by the truck-load; it flew into the number one slot.

But perhaps in hindsight this shouldn't have been so surprising. The music hall had been founded on innuendo. George Formby had become a massive star, singing songs that were pretty much predicated on a single innuendo. So we willingly absorbed Je T'aime into our 'nudge-nudge, wink-wink' Benny Hill, Carry On pop culture.

In this episode Stuart will attempt to trace the evolution of British attitudes to sex, scandal and pop music. Do you recall the release of Je T'aime? Were you offended... or aroused? The People's Songs wants to hear from you...

 

Songs and Souvenirs of Serge

Jane Birkin performed in Glasgow on Saturday. And I couldn't go. Nah Nah! Not fair!

She was appearing at the Glasgow film festival backed by a band of handpicked Glasgow musicians singing a selection of Gainsbourg-penned numbers. Before the performance they screened a short doc titled Souvenirs of Serge.

"A rare glimpse into the personal life of Serge Gainsbourg by the woman who knew him best: his lover and creative collaborator, Jane Birkin.

Few figures in the history of popular music have left more of an enduring legacy than Serge Gainsbourg. Across a career that spanned three decades, Gainsbourg left his mark on jazz, pop, funk, rock, reggae and more, while becoming the greatest musical star France had ever seen.

Souvenirs of Serge reveals a different side to the man. Compiled from Super 8 footage taken on holiday with Serge and the kids in the 1970s, Birkin creates a unique and intimate portrait of her passionate love affair with this charismatic and conflicted man. Moving and painfully honest, Souvenirs of Serge is a small but total tribute to a beautiful, doomed relationship that would define both their lives forever."

This seems to have been the UK premiere for the film, and it has only shown at selected film festivals so far (blurb taken from the Melbourne International Film Festival site). There's scant info about it and I couldn't find even a teaser or trailer video out there on the internet...

Does anyone know if it will have an official release?

Someone who might know more is Mr Duglas T Stewart who spoke to Jane about her protection of Serge's legacy for the Scotsman. There's a real warmth and candour between the 2 of them in the interview which you can read here >>

ATTENTION! XMAS AVALANCHE!

Already had enough of Christmas? Then why not enjoy seeing Jacques Dutronc being buried under a symbolic avalanche of captiatlist Christmas-ness?


If only he'd been dressed up as Père Noël too.

Oh dear, sounds like poor Christophe is aching again this yuletide season, but at least he still believes in Father Christmas...



I posted this a few years ago, but in case you've never seen it, this is the Dim Dam Dom 1966 Christmas nativity, with Serge as Joseph, Chantal Goya as Mary, Sylvie Vartan narrating and Jacques Dutronc being... odd.

Let's be honest the whole thing is quite odd, very French, and very of-its-time.
l
Noël à Vaugirard (1966) avec Serge Gainsbourg... by rikiai  


I had hoped to post a couple of festive mp3s, but there's a problem with the site that hosts my files and I can't upload or access any files at all.  Snowballs!

Joyeux Noël readers, I'll be off for a while ("so what's new?" you all cry),  enjoying a 1st familial christmas and scoffing my body-weight in stollen.

Sweet tooth

Back in August when I reviewed the FG compilation Made In France I was bemoaning the fact it was missing the France/Serge duet Dents De Lait, Dents De Loup, and how it would make a lot of people (i.e. me and my many personalities) woop with joy to have a well-mastered audio clip of that theme from the one-off Gallic 60s TV music show directed by Pierre Koralnik and Jean-Pierre Spiero in early 1967.

Well reader, I finally stopped my griping and done it myself.

And so I gift it to all of you out there on the interweb, ripped in high-quality from my very own collection.

France Gall et Serge Gainsbourg - Dents De Lait, Dents De Loup

Whilst I was about it, I figured I may as well kill 2 mp3s with one, er, audio-rip, and did this one too.

Just watch that knowing old rascal Serge smirking to himself as naive miss Gall sings about sweet little Annie and her love of aniseed lollipops...

Just in case you are completely in the dark, some bright spark has altruistically pasted together a load of archive clips to explain the story behind the song.

And here it is, it's not available in the shops (or anywhere else as far as I know), c'est Serge and France duetting together on  l'émmission Dents De Lait, Dents De Loup circa 1967, as seen in that there video above.

France Gall et Serge Gainsbourg - Les Sucettes
 
If you enjoyed these two vintage French pop rarities, please leave a comment to let me know. Merci x

France Grrrl

As promised here is the first of 2 posts of France Gall-related tuneage.

Here, for all you obscurists out there, are a couple of indie pop cover versions that have been sat on the shelves of my mp3 library gathering digital dust...

Free Kitten is about as close to a Riot Grrrl supergroup as you're likely to get - a duo formed by Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Julie Cafritz (Pussy Galore), later joined by Yoshimi P-We (The Boredoms) on drums, and Mark Ibold (Pavement), as token man-on-bass.

[image source]

The kitten promptly escaped onto the US underground music scene and coughed up a rugs-worth of discordant pop furballs, including this cover-version of Serge's ode to a teenie-bopper's mis-adventures on LySergic acid Diethylamide...

Free Kitten - Teenie Weenie Boppie
[taken from the album Sentimental Education - you can buy it on LP or CD from Kill Rock Stars, or as various Download formats from the KRS bandcamp page]

In a pleasing moment of serendipity, I've just read that Kim Gordon launched a clothing line Mirror/Dash, in 2009, inspired by the wardrobe of one of our other French faves Françoise Hardy.


Now for some 90s twee-pop from post-C86 dream-poppers Heavenly - a sugar-spangled jangly guitar cover of another Serge-penned hit from France Gall's unbeatable mid-60s period

[image source]

Heavenly - Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges
[originally released on their final album Operation Heavenly, which you can still buy direct from K Records]



Stay tuned for some unreleased France/Serge interplay coming very soon...

Made In France by France

Well I finally got round to buying myself a copy of Made In France: France Gall's Baby Pop - that CD I was getting all hot under the collar about a couple of months ago.

Now, all the publicity blurb for the release has been just a teenie weenie bit mis-leading: Perhaps making out that all the tracks are Gainsbourg-penned (to be honest if I'd just looked a little more closely at the tracklisting, I could have told myself that nope Serge certainly didn't write all of those for Mademoiselle Gall). But that's not to say it ain't all good!

The running order is ace, they’ve clearly approached it like a good mix tape: with injections of stomping exuberance lifting the pace whenever the subtler slowies and mid-tempo compositions lull you off into dreamland. Particular treats for me are the pure joy of Cet Air Là followed by the ever-so-slightly sinister Attends Ou Va-T’en; the heavy strings of Tu N’As Pas Le Droit; the harpsichord pop of Le Temps De La Rentrée; the woozy exotica of Chanson Indienne and Nefertiti; oh, and you get all the more “well-known” hits, from the galloping Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son to the bad trip woes of Teenie Weenie Boppie and of course the salacious double entendres of Les Sucettes (if you don’t know about Les Sucettes, watch this video…)

Just a few minor gripes from this happy listener:
- The sleeve notes are a bit shonky - terribly written and rather pedestrian: you won't learn much more than you can find out on wikipedia! Which is a shame, because RPM have, in the past, put together some very fine inlays with fanatically scribed liner notes.
- There is one Serge song missing from this era that would have made a lot of people very happy. Admittedly it was never officially released but why, oh why couldn’t they have got hold of the tapes of the Gall and Gainsbourg duet Dents De Lait, Dents De Loup?
- There is also a glaring spelling mistake in the tracklisting: "Nous Nous Sommes Pas Des Anges", anyone?

I’m probably picking too many holes in what is essentially a damn fine compilation that manages to strike the fine balance of working as a perfect introduction to France Gall's classic 60s yé-yé material, AND also has enough obscurities to give an old hack like me, who has all the obvious stuff, a few treats too!

My current fave is the title track Made In France: a subtle little tête-à-tête pitching all the good things that come from England (David Bailey, Mary Quant, the jerk, Radio Caroline, mini skirts, long hair, Julie Christie and, er, Shetland ponies) against all the good things made in France (Gauloises, pétanque, the Eiffel Tower, Maurice Chevalier, Camembert, Beaujolais, Pastis…). The romp concludes with what would appear to be an ahead-of-its-time argument about who made the tunnel under the English Channel/La Manche: “No, made in England” they chorus; “No. Made. In. France!” stomps an incorrigible little miss Gall, and you suspect the French won that bout.

France Gall - Made In France

[you can buy Made In France: France Gall's Baby Pop direct from RPM/Cherry Red, and at a very good price too!]


France Gall fans should stay tuned for some ripped vinyl treats coming very soon...

Oh so high

Yesterday, all eyes were on the London skyline as Europe's new "tallest building" The Shard was opened in a laser show that might have made Jean-Michel Jarre jealous...

...had Jean-Michel Jarre not been able to play his lasers, that is!

It doesn't actually look that tall in real life, and I can't say I'll be queuing up to pay 25 quid to see the view from the top.  No, this post is really just an excuse to give you some L'Amour Electronique friendly songs about tall buildings.

Serge Gainsbourg - New York USA

[Gainsbourg's New York USA was re-issued on Couleur Cafe and Comme Un Boomerang, both still available]

The Human League - Empire State Human

[you can buy Reproduction by The Human League from yr favourite online music emporium]

France Gall's Baby Pop

I noticed with joy on the last Ready Steady Girls mailout that there's a new France Gall comp coming out. Made In France: France Gall's Baby Pop is released this Monday 4th June on the always-dependable RPM records and collects together all of her Gainsbourg penned output recorded for Phillips between 1963 and 1968.

Aside from the classics, there are a few titles which are new to me (Rue de l'abricot, Mon Bateau de Nuit, Quand on est ensemble, Tu n'as pas le droit...), and it's good to have a proper release of her version of Bloody Jack and Poupée De Cire... in Japanese too!

If you want to start your France Gall collection, buy it!  If you have a France Gall collection, buy it, there must be something you don't already have! If you hate France Gall, why are you still reading, go buy it too, you might be surprised by the sugary audio confections within!

You can buy Made In France: France Gall's Baby Pop direct from RPM/Cherry Red.

La Chanson de Serge

Not sure how I missed this, but 6music repeated La Chanson de Serge: The Serge Gainsbourg story,  a radio doc narrated by Malcolm McLaren, earlier this week.

For some reason I can only find episode 2, which is available to listen again on the iPlayer until 11.59pm on Tuesday 3rd April >>>>>> LISTEN HERE

Here's the blurb from the 6music website:

"There is no equivalent of Serge Gainsbourg in the contemporary British music scene. At his traffic-stopping funeral in 1991, President Mitterrand described him as "our Baudelaire, our Apollinaire. He elevated the song to the level of art." Today, his former home in the suburbs of Paris's Left Bank is covered in graffiti and the "wall of Serge" is a bigger shrine than Jim Morrison's grave in Pere Lachaise cemetery.

He became famous the world over for a heavy breathing hit; propositioned Whitney Houston on live TV; and caused outrage with his reggae version of Le Marseillaise. Over here Gainsbourg is known chiefly for his steamy duet with Jane Birkin, Je T'aime, a worldwide hit in 1969 which was banned by the Beeb and condemned by the Vatican.

The song was originally recorded by Gainsbourg and his then girlfriend Brigitte Bardot. When the subsequent Birkin version was released, some assumed the couple had simply placed a tape recorder under their bed during a night of passion. In fact, they were standing in two separate booths in a studio in Marble Arch.

Gainsbourg knew no musical barriers, recording jazz, reggae, pop, disco, psychedelia and rock 'n' roll. But although the French regard Serge as their very own John Lennon or Bob Dylan, his work was not so highly regarded outside his native country.

In a programme first broadcast in 2009, the late Malcolm McLaren, who lived in Paris for many years, visited the people and places central to Serge's story. These include Saint-Germain des Pres, where Gainsbourg first performed in the rive gauche cafes and bars; his former home in the Rue de Verneuil; his grave at Montparnasse cemetery; and contributors include Jane Birkin, Francoise Hardy, Petula Clark, David Holmes and biographer Sylvie Simmons."

The 200th Post

*FANFARE* This is the landmark 200th post on the L'Amour Electronique blog! Of course, L'Amour Electronique was in existence for a few years before the blog began, but I still couldn't let it pass without flagging it up.

But how to commemorate this double-century?

At first I thought I could post a song or artist with "two-hundred" in the name or title - but a quick search through my hard-drive put paid to that idea. So thinking laterally I give you a song that is 200 seconds long, or 3 minutes 33 seconds in old money.

Of all the mp3s I had that fit this criteria, one stood out from all the rest, by an artist who quite probably started this whole obsession with French music for me. Step forward Monsieur Gainsbourg. And the song: a classic that featured on the very first album I picked up by old Serge, and has been a mainstay at our little soirées since the very start.

I give you his homage to the divine Brigitte Bardot in all its bass-funk and Ski Sunday string-fuelled drama.

Serge Gainsbourg - Initials B.B.

[buy Serge Gainsbourg from iTunes |  Amazon.co.uk]

I do love this film clip of footage from the Initials B.B. studio sessions.

Beau Oui Comme Bowie

Today is dame David Bowie's 65th birthday.

Here is a Gainsbourg penned tribute by Isabelle Adjani
(you can enjoy the English lyric translation here)

(for an actress, she's not very good at miming, is she?)

And now, how about some Dave en Français?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, 

MISTER THIN WHITE DUKE!

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!

c'est Lulu

Thanks to Guuzbourg at Filles Sourires for posting this on facebook

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.5

Whenever I’m on the Paris Métro the doors-closing horn always reminds me of that opening klaxon-salvo on Monster Bobby (see pt.4).

Deep in the belly of the Porte des Lilas Métro station, the ticket-puncher sits, going slowly crazy in the half-light.  Day after day after day, over and over, again and again and again: punching "Little holes, little holes, always little holes…"

He dreams of getting away. He's seen exotic places in the Reader's Digest, places he can only dream of reaching on his pitiful wage - if the Métro doesn't go there, neither will he.  He eyes a first-class suit with jealousy as he punches another first-class hole: summer holidays are coming, and I'll be stuck here with this ever growing mountain of little holes gathering at my feet.

And at night: he dreams of nothing but the little punched holes that he leaves in Hansel & Gretel-style trails all the way back to his flea-pit of a home.  He wakes in a cold sweat in the dead of night, the little holes falling like confetti from the ceiling, littering the squalid bed-clothes, and peppering the floor as he staggers to the bureau and feels for the cold, hard steel of his papa's army-issue rifle.

"Little holes, little holes, always little holes…"

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and makes one last little hole

.

And then some poor sod has to dig another, bigger hole to put him in.



There is now a "garden" at Porte des Lilas, dedicated to Serge and his song. Not much bigger than a metro ticket and overlooking the Boulevard Périphérique, it's hardly an oasis of tranquility for your average stir-crazy ticket-puncher. Perhaps they've planted some ornamental cabbages...

If you do go to Paris, visit Serge's house, or go and leave a metro ticket on his grave at the Cimetière de Montparnasse.

Serge Gainsbourg – Le Poinçonneur des Lilas

[buy Serge Gainsbourg from iTunes | Amazon.uk]

...................................................................
L'Amour à la Chaîne: what will be the next link in the chain? Leave your suggestions and reasons in the comments.
Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la Chaîne > Françoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis > Les 5 Gentlemen – Cara-Lin > Add N To (X) – Monster Bobby > Serge Gainsbourg – Le Poinçonneur des Lilas > ?

Gainsbourg remembered

20 years ago today Monsieur Gainsbourg stubbed his very last Gitane...



Serge we salute you.

L'Amour Electronique soirée this Saturday

We will be holding our next L'Amour Electronique soirée this Saturday, and since it is almost 20 years since Monsieur Gainsbourg stubbed out his final Gitane, we will be digging out an extra helping of Serge-related sounds in his honour (as if we needed an excuse to play more Serge!)




L'AMOUR ELECTRONIQUE
Saturday 26 February
9pm - 3am
The West Hill, 67 Buckingham Place, BN1 3PQ
entry = FREE / GRATIS / £0.00

So, who's 'in' and who's 'out'?