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4 comments about De Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre, Vol. 1.

1. This was the first Serge Gainsbourg album I bought and it was an excellent introduction to the music of this man. One thing is certain, although he is now dearly departed, love him or hate him Serge Gainsbourg will affect you. He's the type of man who seduces you with his personality more than his music. Serge wasn't an outstanding songwriter (some of his songs can be slightly repetitious), but he knew exactly how to make a song interesting and keep you listening. And De Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre displays this excellently. The amazing thing about Serge was that he was the last thing you'd expect a pop star to be. He was able to take all sorts of pop styles and perform them, and instead of looking like an embarrasing aging pop [poor], he ended up looking more cool than ever. Sea Sex and Sun is truly delicious as Serge comes over as this horribly lecherous sleaze singing this disco song that would fit perfectly into a [flcik]. Wonderfully trashy. Les Enfants de Chance is another classic song which presents Serge probably the way he'll be remembered with that alcohol and tobacco ravaged, gravelly talk-over singing. New York USA is the best example of Serge's excellent foray into African music, while Chez les Ye Ye is classic early 60's rock/jazz combo. Another great adaptation of musical styles is L'Ami Caouette done in an infectious reggae style while Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais is a well crafted almost hypnotic song. Album also includes the famous Gainsbourg and Birkin number Je t'aime...moi non plus. A truly great buy.



2. The urgency of "Le poinconneur des lilas", the provocative innocence and "groovy" guitar of "Les Sucettes", the romantic fatalism of "La Javanaise" (we were in love til the end of the song...), the standard but unsurpassable "Je t'aime... moi non plus..."-- an excellent overview of Gainsbourg's career. Not a moment of the CD bothers me until it reaches the utterly dismal discoesque "Sea, Sex, and Sun" or "Sorry Angel." As a previous reviewer wrote, many (most!) of Gainsbourg's works are ones which should be listened to as a complete product, not in pieces like this sort of collection. Nevertheless, this is fabulous way to sample the man who provoked and inspired throughout his career.

   The best moments of this particular collection are "Ballade de Melody Nelson" which is best heard on the CD (not available on Amazon apparently) called L'Histoire de Melody Nelson. Is there anything as sensual and distinctive as the voice of Serge Gainsbourg, seductively singing or even whispering sometimes very erotic words and sometimes very innocent ones (albeit with their ever-present double entendres)? I think not. Despite being recorded in the early 1970s, the seven-song L'Histoire de Melody Nelson has aged well. Each song rolls right into the next, until the album builds into one final climax in "Cargo Culte." The only unusual departure in this album is the inclusion of "En Melody" which is a strange, upbeat (and yes, dated) instrumental (think Stone Roses "Fool's Gold" long remixes, as a contemporary comparison) piece, apart from the sound effects of someone in the background laughing, giggling, and making other noises of pleasure, surprise, and/or delight. (You take your pick.) This song breaks up the flow of the other songs, but it is not too large a distraction to take away from the overall flow of the record.

   The other highlight of De Gainsbourg a gainsbarre is the beautiful "Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais" which I adopted as my "driving song." The music and lyrics fit perfectly for a relaxing but melancholy (long) drive... and I found myself listening to it over and over for such drives (which used to be frequent.) Naturally you will find other uses and meanings for Gainsbourg's music. Before you can do that, of course, you have to find the music, and I hope you will. It is worth it.




3. Recently a friend asked me if I'd heard of Serge Gainsbourgh. He was surprised to have heard Gainsbourg listed as the French equivalent of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. One borrowed CD (this one) later, he understood.

   Gainsbourg is unequivocally French, from his bawdy wit to his love of the implacable. He is both a poet and a satirist, a visionary and a lecher. This is indeed a good CD to give a broad overview of the breadth of Gainsbourg's style, although the hops and skips from one style to the other on this compilation disc can at times be bewildering.

   The beauty of "Je suis venu te dire..." is rarely surpassed, and "La Javanaise" is unfiltered smoke...jazzy and low-brow. Gainsbourg is the musical equivalent of Hemmingway or Bukowski, somewhat sleazy, purely genius, and brilliantly poetic when you least expect it.




4. This album is a good way to initiate yourself to "Gainsbar" and the broad variety of his musical styles. A lot of his hits are featured here. And they will give you a good sense of what periods you like are dislike.

   However, it's impossible to fit his work on a best-of because most of his major albums are built with a begginning and an end, and are designed to be listened to as a whole. Strongly recommended albums: Couleur Cafe (earlier jazz-based music), Ballade de Melody Nelson (French hippy phase), Rock around the Bunker( harder rock sound and political statement about begining Jewish), Aux armes etcaetera (amazing French Reggae album), L'homme a tete de chou (fusion of rock, pinkfloydesque influences, erotiscism, French poetry, in a rock-opera format).

   The albums before Couleur Cafe are not as innovative. The ones past Aux Armes Etc are too focused on provocation. But I enjoy listening to every single album put out by this amazing artist who marked French music as much as Miles Davis marked the world of Jazz.

   By the way, the name "gainsbar" came to him because the man smoked 5 packs of unfiltered cigarettes and drank one to two bottles of strong alcohol each day for over 60 years. He died of a cancer, and liked to shut up the press with this quote from Hemingway "the smoke to preserve the meat and the alcohol to preserve the fruits."

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