Serge Gainsbourg
Intoxicated Man – Serge Gainsbourg (El Double) CD ACMEMD2 46CD
Those generous folk at El Records and Cherry Red have got together to put out this excellent, highly affordable double CD of the early, pre-Jane Birkin years of Serge Gainsbourg’s work. If you’re already familiar with the louche Gallic troubadour, it’s a very neat, comprehensive package that would otherwise take much time, expense and aggravation to compile. If your only exposure to Serge’s work is the ever-so-naughty ‘Je t’aime’ which topped music charts all over the place in the late 60’s, you would do well to immerse yourself in this collection. Four LPs, an EP, live tracks and covers by such luminaries as former muse Juliette Greco and bilingual British chanteuse Petula Clark all make this CD a pleasure, if sometimes a dark one.
Coming from a country that preferred Jazz to Rock and Roll, and staunchly held on to its ‘Chanson’ tradition in the face of the US/UK pop onslaught of the 50’s and 60’s, Serge was a misfit throughout his career, and his life. Starting out in the smoky Left Bank Jazz clubs, singing his tales of existential angst and forbidden love to an older audience of intellectuals does not seem the background of the pop behemoth he would later become. Pre- ‘Je t’aime’, Serge’s best known song was arguably the urgent, melancholy train ride of ‘Le Poinconneur des Lilas’ (the ticket-puncher), the opening track on ‘Du Chant A La Une!’(1958). Basically a showcase of Serge’s clubland versatility, standouts number Charleston Des Demenageurs De Piano’ (Piano-movers Charleston) looking back to the lively 20’s, musically at least, and the feline creep of ‘Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin’.
‘Serge Gainsbourg No 2’ (1959) opens with another classic of its type, ‘Le Claqueur De Doigts’ (finger-snapper), Serge muttering ’Juke-Box, Juke-Box’ to the ‘claques’, a sign that he wisely had one eye on the emerging coffee-bar culture of the young, even when hanging out on the Left Bank. As varied as ‘Du Chant A La Une!’, in amongst the infectious dance rhythm of ‘Mambo Miam Miam’ and the flippant kiss-off of ‘Adieu Creature’, ‘Jeunes Femmes et Vieux Messieurs’ (Young Women and Older Men) appears, disguised in a jolly country-tinged tune. This subject would re-appear throughout Serge’s long career.
The ‘Romantique 60’ EP (1960) includes the irritatingly catchy ‘Cha Cha Cha Du Loup’ and the Joe Meek-like production of the declamatory ‘Judith’, complete with heavenly choir. The disc closes with ‘L’Etonnant Serge Gainsbourg’ (The Astonishing…) LP. The classic lament, ‘La Chanson De Prevert’ opens, and the LP has more US –style crooning, with ‘Le Rock de Nerval’ and ‘Le Sonnet D’Anvers’, and ‘Viva Villa’s cheerful flutes belying a song of human pursuit and bounty.
Disk 2 opens with ‘Serge Gainsbourg No 4’, a cooler affair with some wistful Jazz (Black Trombone) to accompany a tale of love and detachment, and Hammond fetishists will have a ball with title track ‘Intoxicated Man’ and ‘Requiem Pour un Twisteur’s stylings. Those of us who wish we had a time machine have no need to fantasise, as we are also offered a live recording of Serge at ‘Theatre Des 3 Baudets’, (1958) sweet melodies accompanying scandalous tales of mad love, the disappointments of serial seduction and the matter of fact treatment of polysexual trysts. This isn’t the Hogmanay Show.
A taste of Serge’s varied film soundtrack work is collected here, including ‘L’Eau A La Bouche’(Water in the Mouth) and ‘Les Loups Dans La Bergerie’ (Wolves in the Sheep-Fold) and ‘Week-end En Mer’ (…by the sea). Proving that Serge had as much a feel for mood music as he had for deft lyrics, they may leave you with a desire to track down the films for the music alone. Juliette Greco’s brandy and granite voice works particularly well on the affecting ‘Valse de L’au-revoir (Goodbye Waltz)
Covers of Serge’s work make up the rest of this CD, including terrific close harmony and timekeeping by Les Frères Jacques on ‘Le Poinconneur Des Lilas’ more sepulchral tales interpreted by Juliette Greco, and Petula Clark’s handling of an affectionate romp ‘Vilaine Fille, Mauvais Garcon’(Naughty Girl, Bad Boy).
Something of a marathon at 66 tracks, this disc is well worth the time investment whether you’re a confirmed Gainsbourgian or just plain curious.
What language barrier? Buy HERE!
The Winkies
The Winkies (Lemon Records) CDLEM 215
Turning up just in time for the UK’s Pub Rock scene of the mid 70’s, treading the same boards as bands like Brinsley Schwarz and Dr Feelgood, The Winkies are barely a footnote in the history of rock. Originally released by Chrysalis, this reissued LP inadvertently goes some way to explaining why.
Pub Rock, some would argue, was the true ancestor of Punk, it’s hard, uncompromising attitude to the live, ballsy experience of rock and roll music would see off many of the old fashioned plodders who played it safe with one limb in rock and others in folk, blues or country.
Much of ‘The Winkies’ has the feel of an LP released in 1970, rather than the 1975 it copyright mark attests. A strong driving rock opener (‘Trust in Dick’) is followed by some of the stodgiest blues-rock (‘Long Song Comin’), weakest folksy strumming (‘Mailman’) and weediest crooning (‘Put Out the Light’) I’ve ever heard. Only when we get to ‘Davey’s Blowtorch’ do we hear any of the promise shown by ‘Trust in Dick’. ‘North To Alaska’ and ‘Red Dog’ would have sounded hokey even in 1970, but somehow were included in an LP that Chrysalis felt could do battle with the likes of Bad Company.
Even Guy Stevens’ production can’t save it, and their later semi-fame as backing band for Brian Eno’s only tour is a curiosity best left to collectors of such fare.
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