Bernard Chabert

I have to say…it’s quite unnerving to write about an artist you don’t know much about, but when you search what’s out there on Bernard Chabert, there really seems to be a sea of non-information. Or maybe I’m just not looking in the right places.

Regardless, Bernard Chabert is someone I am completely fascinated by. Chabert himself also appeared to be completely under the spell of The Beatles – who wasn’t? – and their distinct sound seemed to easily melt into French pop gems, under Chabert’s masterful direction. I’m absolutely certain that if Chabert had kept up at it, he’d be right up there with Polnareff as one of the greats. Heck, I’m almost to a point of giving him that winning title anyway.

Chabert also seemed to think he was all that…take a look at the cover of his most coveted single (unfortunately not available in this post, due to the fact that I don’t have the ridiculous amount of money it would cost to acquire it):

“Those who don’t believe in Chabert, are the same people who, in seventeen hundred and some peanuts, didn’t believe in WOLFGANG A. MOZART. So there” says the cover.

Oh dear.

Don’t get me wrong: I kinda think Chabert is all that too, and quite frankly I’ll admire anyone who is willing to write *that* on a record cover.

Anyhoo, back to the three records featured on this post.

If you have my friend Satan Bélanger’s fantastic Freakout Total* comp, then you already have one of his songs: Olga Selzer (spelled Helga Selzer on the cover, but Olga on the original record). By far, this is one of his best, and one of THEE most underrated French rock tunes of the late 60s. Again, I’m always baffled as to why Chabert was not a superstar in his own right. The B-side was a cover of Hot Leg’s (ie 10CC’s) Neanderthal Man. Both these songs feature French prog band Triangle.

All these songs are just brilliant. Even that Dear Prudence sort of rip off (Dear Jean). My personal faves are L’Ascension sociale de Francis F and Il part en Californie.

Bernard Chabert – Olga Selzer
Bernard Chabert – L’homme de l’univers (Neanderthal Man)
Bernard Chabert – Easy Miss Lizzy
Bernard Chabert – Mare Serenitatis
Bernard Chabert – Tramway 7B
Bernard Chabert – Dear Jean
Bernard Chabert – Il part en Californie
Bernard Chabert – L’Ascension sociale de Francis F

* available through Mucho Gusto Records: http://www.muchogustorecords.com/

You can click on each of the three cover shots for a closer look.

Victoire Scott

Well well well…look who’s back!

I know, I had such high hopes for this blog, and then *poof*, I disappeared! Or so it seems. Actually, I moved to a new appartment in October and before Otis and I could get our little music studio back in order, our turn table broke! Now we have a cheap but cute little thing hooked up and here I am.

What better way to make a grand comeback than by posting about the lovely Victoire Scott? This beautiful lady is such a mystery, even her (non official, of course) Myspace invites people to write in if anybody has any info on her.

Baroque Pop never really catched on in France in the late 60s, but as far as the genre goes, Victoire Scott has recorded some of the finest and most beautiful sweet Baroque Pop sounds I have ever heard.

When I bought this record some time in the mid 90s, I didn’t know who Victoire Scott was. I took it home, listened to it, and had chills all over from the absolute beauty of what I was hearing. “4ème Dimension” is a stunning piece of work, describing drug-induced psychedelic hallucinations of angelic proportions.

Strangely enough, it was re-recorded 10 years later by Al Turban, (brother of Christian Turban, who originally wrote the song). I’d love to hear it!

All songs from this Decca EP are beautifully orchestrated by JD Mercier and will just warm your heart with awe and fuzzy goodness.

Joyeux Noël!

Victoire Scott – 4ème Dimension
Victoire Scott – Une fleur dans le coeur
Victoire Scott – Par delà le sang de la terre
Victoire Scott – L’amour en couleur