I just bought my first Serge Gainsbourg record (and am waiting for it to arrive), so I am excited to dip a toe into this music -- something that I have not really explored before. Somebody posted this video at another board that I frequent, and I thought that it was great:



So, is Michel Polnareff somebody else that I should investigate more deeply? Who else? I know that there are several of you out there who know and are into this music. But we don't talk about it much. Help me Obner, you're my only hope.

I always find Last.fm to be a great resource for finding similar artists:

http://www.last.fm/music/Serge+Gainsbourg/+similar

Not really that up on tons of French Pop as a genre, but I've heard a few of the artists listed on there. Jacques Brel was always a nice foil to Gainsbourg.

I'm not versed beyond Gainsbourg, really, but I do like Jacques Dutronc:

I have a quasi-interest. I don't have a budget to go bonkers on it but I have found some decent downloads and bought Serge, Bardot, and Hardy albums. There seemed to had been a resurgence of the sound in Coralie Clement, Helena, and Carla Bruni's [among others]recent work.


I've always dug this Polnareff one. I think there's a "by the numbers" Luna cover of it out there as well.




[edited for better sound version]


These are good sites for checking stuff.

Francoise Hardy



not my link -


As much as I dig Piaf, Greco, Gainsbourg, Dutronc and the like, this 1967 record is the one I still reach for. Highly recommended.

This record is a must-have for any fan of 60s French pop. Blending the best influences of UK and US pop to create something uniquely of its time. Tinged with a sense of loss, and lifted throughout by strong melodies, written by Hardy herself and a variety of collaborators. I would recommend it both to aficionados and starters in French pop.

Invalid file.

Try this. (not mine). Because of a work firewall, I'm unable to see if the file is still valid. Worst case - I up it from home


password : nigrozinn

this comp is really good:

My link

Which one? I'd recommend probably buying a few more of his before looking into anyone else.

I like Carla Bruni though. Her debut album was really good. Her 2nd album so so and then her third album was great -- my favorite from whatever year it came out.

I also really like what I've heard from Francoise Hardy which is only the Vogue Years comp which I actually got from your pal spade kitty so you might hit him up for it.

Jane Birkin is pretty good and she released a kinda unsung album a few years ago that a bunch of indie folk played on including Johnny Marr which made my top five that year.

I have a Jacques Brel comp but I never listen to it. I keep meaning to give it more of a chance and actually have been carrying it around in my briefcase the past month but I can't really recommend it. I kinda like Henri Salvador too but really I'd recommend going deep into SG before getting much else. There's a reason he's the legend.

Oh, I have one Frances Gall album but kinda think it sucks.

Are Serge's Jamaican trysts worth owning? I only have comp collections of his earlier output.

I was tempted to say yes but probably not beyond the curiousity factor. The one Jamaican album I have isn't bad but it isn't high on the list of things I'd grab for when wanting to hear Reggae and it's also one of my least favorite SG albums so I only very rarely listen to it.

thanks for that, I figured jamaican does better when Jamaican

side note: I bought Culture's remastered 2 Sevens Clash today, and damn I forgot what a great album that was. Somehow that one got lost in my cassettes [grabbed by siblings or others] and never replenished; until I roamed the store today, and funny because I still had comps with their songs on it and ignored not having that album anymore.

Sometimes I feel I'm not as wide-eyed on the internet as I am in a store. I could be wrong, but I find lots of stuff in a store. I guess its some sort of random chaos destiny principle. Whatever, I love a good find.

Just arrived today and I am enjoying the hell out of this; fucking mesmerizing. I can't turn it off. I don't understand a word of French, but it has somehow sucked me in.
I think that I am going to need to get more.

Thanks again, Obner.

Yeah that's a great album. I don't understand a lick of french but I'd be a little careful playing it around others that do at least in a workplace setting. He's pretty much a filthy pig.

I'd recommend these next:



The caution about the lyrics goes double on that last one.

Thanks for the recs, BG.
As to playing it too loud, I always listen with headphones.

Oh, and how is that "Initials 'SG'" collection? Could I get by with just that, or should I be a completest?

This is a really hard thing for anyone to answer for you. I personally hate to go the Greatest Hits/comp route for anyone that's a highly regarded artist whose prime was in the "album era." I don't have a wife and kids to support and a big mortgage to pay and probably more able and willing to waste a bunch of money on records I don't have that much time to listen to though.

You're never going to a completist with SG. He's got far too many albums. I have 8 of his albums and really like most of them. I've never heard that comp but I'd assume it's pretty good. Do you like Melody Nelson enough that you could see yourself owning and listening to 4-5 SG albums and it not being overkill? If so, I'd go the studio album route. He's certainly got more albums that are very good and well worth owning in the same sense that probably a thousand other things you'll never get around to buying are worth owning.

I could tell you that you will certainly buy worse things than another SG studio album over the next couple of years. Maybe, skip that Kevin Junior B'side collection and get two SG studio albums instead. Then again, I could also argue to skip both the Kevin Junior album and the SG albums and buy two Caetano albums you don't have.