In The Trashcan Records
GARBAGE04
"This volume contains 16 artists
singing in French, from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Spain and 1 I
don't know. All sixties stuff from beat & yéyé to soul and more exotic
sounds. For more French sounds check out vol 23,
vol 24
and vol 37.
And if you like Spanish, German,... listen to vol 28...
Is this the next "Ils sont fous ces Gaulois"?"
Let's start with a Swiss guy who recorded this fantastic soul beat tune for a Swiss label called Mabel. It was a different sleeve as well. There was only one guy I know that could tell me something about this Swiss beat guy. Organ, guitars, bass, drums and the crazy vocals of José. The flip is "Il n'y a pas d'amour" and is a typical love ballad.
Again an unknown gem nobody seems to know. Kiki, a boy of 10 or 11 who jerks like the best French yéyé singers of those days. 'L'agent secret" is like the French answer to Nancy Sinatra's "The last of the secret agents". This ain't no kids stuff! Because he's so unknown and remained undiscovered for all those years, it's also possible he was Belgian. "Ta-shi-blou" is recommended as well while the other two songs on this EP are slows. I was even surprised to see an anti-racism song "Mon ami Mustapha" (My friend Mustapha). A year earlier he recorded his first EP and I'm still looking for that one. Kiki, wherever you are, show yourself!
Jacques was a Belgian guy, I think from Liège whose recordings were made for the French market and he broke many a girl's heart. This song is not a warning against marijuana. "And still your dad doesn't smoke marijuana". And this was the single's A-side! The B-side is a ballad called "Un jour sans toi". Just go for the Marijuana side!
If you are a 60s punk lover, you certainly know "It just ain't right" by London & The Bridges, a 1966 release on Date. This is as you might have guessed, the French version. And what version! It easily equals the American original. Les Players have recorded several 45s in the mid and late 60s (including a terrific French Louie Louie). I think this single was released in 1967. Don't forget to check out the flip "Les Indiens" because it's even better (is that possible???). See vol 24.
Like the two previous recordings this song was also written by the artist himself. Carré Blanc is a typical late 60s beat tune with horns, but it's still extremely groovy to dance to! And like the first two it's also backed by a ballad "Ne t'en vas pas" (=Don't go).
??? A Spanish band on a French compilation? The intro is in Spanish, but then the band starts freaking out in French. This must be around 1967 and I really would like to know more about this band. I'm sure this song must have been a dancefloor filler on mod parties in Barcelona and Gijon.
Ooooh yeah: SEX and that's the only word you're going to hear. Wild percussion, frantic bass lines, groovy organ sounds and more. If you like the compilation "Wizzz" you're gonna fall in love with this tune. On the flip you'll find "Qu'est-ce qu'il dit?" (=What does he say?) with vocals by Viviane Blassel and Bob Martin who have an erotic laden conversation. Great 45 with a super cool sleeve.
"The clock" is the only song on this 4-track EP that can entertain a party crowd. Too bad Michel Paje didn't record more songs like this. He is not interesting, but this song sure is.
Fonseca came from the Cape Verde Islands and landed in Paris in the late 50s. He discovered the cha cha cha and combined it with his native rhythms: the result is unbelievable. You're gonna get hot (the song means "You're gonna dance tonight without shirt and without your pants"). I've never heard a more sexy cha cha cha song. He recorded several singles and an album and then disappeared. The flipside is on vol 36.
"Les trois cloches" is the a-side of this 45, but it's the b-side I'm attracted to. Fantastic late 60s French psych which should have been on the best 2001 compilation "Wizzz", at least if you like French pop. "Perdu" (="Lost") is drenched in a pool of fuzz, echoed vocals, loads of dementia
Maybe the best known zydeco artist who mixed French patois, English and Creole. This is a translation of "Keep-a-knockin' but you can't come in". The accordionist died in 1987 aged 62, but was already sick for a long time (which costed him his right foot). This song was coupled with a fine version of "Choo choo ch'boogie"; both songs were also issued on the Blue Star album "Frenchin' the boogie".
And here finally a Canadian band. Les Million-Aires recorded four 45s and one album in 1964 and 1965. "J'étais son copain" (="I used to be her boyfriend") was their last. This is amongst the finest you can find in Quebec sixties beat punk. "Sois fidèle", the b-side, is a love ballad about being faithfull.
Super French pop and I've never ever heard it before on the zillion of French parties I went to. The girls at the backing vocals are the point final that makes this song so fantastic and swinging. Only few seem to know that he was a Belgian guy or at least lived in Belgium and turned stages upside down in the early sixties. Most of his songs (unlike this "jerk") were latin influenced, mostly rhumba like the b-side "Taxi keba".
If my memory serves me well, this was recorded in 1962 and the band included Jacques Dutronc on leadguitar. This is a French version of "Tiger". The flip side also contains a cover, "Skinny Lizzy"
And again a Belgian singer from around Brussels. "You're joking", but still I love you; that's the story behind this lovely French song. "J'ai mis les bouts" is the other side and maybe it wil reappear on a future volume because it's a great song as well, but not as charming as this one.
"C'est fini, bien fini", a song I often play at the end of a show (="It's over, all over"). This EP contains at least one other great song: "Tu l'as voulue" which might be used for a future volume of this series. It was released by the French division of His Master's Voice.
