Tag Archives: 60s French pop

Aug200711

7

Qui est PAMELA?


Pamela is a mystery to me. Her beautiful Vogue single from 1969 is one that has seemed to escape almost everybody, including L’Encyclopédie du Rock Français . It’s even absent from Vogue’s catalogue (at least the online one).

Poor Pamela, it seems no care went into the design of her record sleeve. The record’s cover is shocking in its dullness; Pamela’s facial features are hard to make out, the cheap black and white photo makes it look like a photocopy and the back only lists the songs, with no credits or the label’s usual plugs for other Vogue artist releases. I am just baffled. Maybe this copy was a promo release? Who knows.

Too bad because the record is very nice. Sure, Pamela didn’t have the greatest voice but the arrangements are pretty and she does a remarkable cover of Antoine‘s beautiful “Une autre autoroute”.

(Which reminds me: I should do a giant post about all the Antoine covers I have and invite people to post theirs!) :)

If anybody has any info on Pamela, I would love to know. Tell me!

Pamela – Le jour où
Pamela – Une autre autoroute (Antoine)

Aug200705

3

Les Costa


This is one of my favorite 45s.

Les Costa are 2 brothers, George and Michel, who started writing music together at a young age, strongly influenced by The Beatles and the British pop sounds of the time. They were only 16-17 when they released this first single on Gemini and it is just sublime, with beautiful melodies and harmonies. The song “Ce soir je veux rester chez moi” (Tonight I want to stay home) is just so wonderfully poppy and sweet that I can’t help but feel good every gosh darned time I hear it.

Their harmonious brotherly vocals led Les Costa to a successful career as back up singers for big names like Michel Sardou and Johnny Hallyday, and in the late 80s they started their own company specialising in commercial jingles. They are also employed by Disney in France as musical directors for the dubbing of songs to French.

I recently wrote to Les Costa (their email is available through their website) just to tell them I had this early 45 and how much I loved it. They wrote back in less than 24 hours, thanking me for writing. They said my email made them happy and that this was their first record and the beginning of their “musical adventures”. As short and sweet a correspondence as it was, it made me smile to know that people can openly write to them, even if only to say “bonjour” and that they take the time to respond, with a smile and a “merci”. Now that’s class!


Les Costa – Ce soir je veux rester chez moi
Les Costa – J’étais hippie

May200713

7

Gainsbourg covers, part 1


In a category I like to call “The poor man’s version of…”, here is Michèle Richard and (what appears to be) Denis Pantis trying to sing the Gainsbourg/Bardot classic “Bonnie and Clyde”. Now, since music blogs and sites like Youtube have started popping up, I’ve noticed that there appears to be a heartwarming love for Michele Richard amongst 60s French pop lovers out there. As someone who hails from the same province as her, I have to say that perhaps the cultural context in which I grew up prevents me of sharing the same affection. I guess it’s the same thing with all the Italians I’ve met (all 5 of them) and their mutual disdain for Rita Pavone. I mean…how can you not love Rita Pavone?!? But I disgress. Let me explain…where I come from, Michèle Richard is known as someone who embraces qualities such as tackiness, trashiness, not too much of a singing talent-ness, and prima donna-ness. Perhaps the Québécoise “Britney”of her days. Just look at the photo of Michèle and her dog! (oh the joke possibilities…) And that was deemed good enough for a record cover! She has famously defecated (yes) in the lobby of a four star hotel in Montreal in the 70s and was arrested for stealing fur coats, twice. She’s had live, on-air prima donna fits on her tacky tv shows in the 80′s and has starred in her own reality tv series a few years ago (in which she gave one of her dogs a funeral and burial).

Oh but don’t be fooled by my writings. It’s a love-hate thing. :)

In this post we also have Québécoise cutie Denise Brousseau (pictured) singing an upbeat version of “N’écoutes pas les idoles”, with Georges Tremblay and his orchestra. And finally québécoise Maryka doing a GREAT cover of Hold-Up. I unfortunately know very little about her.

BANG! BANG!

More Gainsbourg covers from La belle province in a few days.

Michèle Richard – Bonnie and Clyde
Denise Brousseau – N’écoutes pas les idoles
Maryka – Hold-Up

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