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Some of the earliest work of Jacques Brel – and some of the best as well! The collection is a massive overview of Brel's first recordings in the mid 50s – all original compositions that marked not only a new generation for songwriting in France, but a revision of the role of the male singer as well! Brel is at once sardonic and emotive – carefully balanced between up-close observation and a slight sense of distance that shows in the wit he brings to the topics of his tunes. Arrangements are often simple and stylish – shifting strongly to fit the spirit of the songs, making for a slightly un-definable quality to the overall album – but in a way that also keeps things interesting. The work was recorded between 1953 and 1956, with backings by Andre Grassi, Michel Legrand, and Andre Popp – and the CD features a whopping 34 tracks that include "La Bastille", "La Haine", "Grand Jacques", "Il Pleut", "S'Il Te Faut", "A Deux", "Les Gens", "Saint Pierre", "Quand On N'A Que L'Amour", "La Foire", "Le Troubadour", "C'Est Comme Ca", "L'Accordeon De La Vie", and "L'Ange Dechu".

Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's been sampled countless times over the years, and which has gotten the album continuous play on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years. The mighty Jean-Claude Vannier handles the arrangements, and Serge mutters the lyrics over the top, in a raspy loud whisper – while the funky rhythms dart in and out of odd washes of sound, and unusual eerie sounds. There's a very strong soundtrack feel to the album, as waves of music envelop the lyrics – tripped out in funky beats that have become legendary over the years, thanks to some very famous samples! Titles include "En Melody", "Cargo Culte", "Ballade De Melody Nelson", "Valse De Melody", "Ah! Melody", and "L'Hotel Particulier". Wonderful US version too – with a 40 page deluxe booklet that features extensive notes on the album – and a 1971 interview with Gainsbourg!

Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's been sampled countless times over the years, and which has gotten the album continuous play on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years. The mighty Jean-Claude Vannier handles the arrangements, and Serge mutters the lyrics over the top, in a raspy loud whisper – while the funky rhythms dart in and out of odd washes of sound, and unusual eerie sounds. There's a very strong soundtrack feel to the album, as waves of music envelop the lyrics – tripped out in funky beats that have become legendary over the years, thanks to some very famous samples! Titles include "En Melody", "Cargo Culte", "Ballade De Melody Nelson", "Valse De Melody", "Ah! Melody", and "L'Hotel Particulier".

A fantastic Serge Gainsbourg album – and the BB initials in the title belong to Brigitte Bardot! This rare gem from 1968 is a second set of tracks that Serge cut with Brigitte Bardot – and it's a doozy! The record repeats a few tracks from their other effort (Bonnie & Clyde) – but it's also got some incredible cuts that are exclusive to this album, and which have that stone funky groove that makes the best late 60s work of Serge so in-demand these days! The best tracks include "Ford Mustang", "Initials BB", and "Black And White" – all of which have incredible funky intros that are totally sampleable – and the set also includes "Bonnie And Clyde", "Qui Est In Qui Est Out", "Marilu", "Shu Ba Du Ba La Loo Ba", "Hold Up", "Torrey Canyon", "Dr Jeckyll Et Monsieur Hyde", "Comic Strip", and "Bloody Jack".

A great Serge Gainsbourg album from 1973 – one that we'd rank right up there with his best work! The record's got a slinky funky groove that's right in a perfect post-Melody Nelson mode – music written by Serge, and played by a hip small combo that includes lots of great guitar from Alan Parker and sweet electric keyboards and organ from the great Alan Hawkshaw – both of whom really help keep the sound great! Many tracks have that mellow funk groove that's become the best-remembered Gainsbourg sound over the years – and as with many of his other albums of the time, this one's brimming over with potential samples and riffs to steal. Titles include "Panpan Cucul", "Sensuelle Et Sans Suite", "Pamela Popo", "Titicaca", and "Par Hasard Et Pas Rase". Nice cover, too, with Serge pictured amidst a bunch of photographs of monkeys!

A record as revolutionary as the French year in which it was recorded – an amazing batch of late 60s grooves from Parisian pop madame France Gall! The set's upbeat and jaunty, with plenty of fuzz – almost a psyche pop sound, with lots of groovy guitars that make the album sparkle with plenty of razor-sharp notes! Gall's vocals are as wonderful as ever, and almost sound a bit more sinister in this setting – thanks to arrangements by Alain Gouraguer and the great David Whitaker. There's plenty of France Gall classics here – including versions of the Serge Gainsbourg tunes "Nefertiti" and "Teenie Weenie Boppie" – plus "Toi Que Je Veux", "Made In France", "Bebe Requin", and "Avant La Bagarre".

Incredibly groovy work from France Gall – easily one of our favorite French singers of the 60s! France has a sound that's really unique – one that comes from the Frenchified pop of the "yeh yeh" generation, but which really packs a lot more punch than her contemporaries – a bold, proud, loud quality that's really wonderful – and which makes just about every number from the time a total killer! Part of the help here comes from Serge Gainsbourg – who wrote a good number of tracks for the young Gall – but the style's also quite different than that of Serge, too – often with an emphasis on punchy drums at the bottom, which creates a hint of funk – bringing a nice nasty feel to France's little girl vocals. The set's a great one – overflowing with key cuts from singles of the 60s – and titles include "Made In France", "Poupee De Cire Poupee De Son", "Laisse Tomber Les Filles", "Quand On Est Ensemble", "Rue De L'Abricot", "Bloody Jack", "Le Temps De La Rentree", "Mon Bateau De Nuit", "Baby Pop", and "Les Sucettes". 22 tracks in all!

A pretty wonderful album by Michel Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and working with a stellar set of American jazz players to give the tunes a sound that's as jazzy as possible – and swinging them with the inherent lyricism that always makes us love his music! Players are a great lineup – with Clark Terry and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Urbie Green and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Phil Woods on alto, Julious Watkins on French horn, Gary Burton on vibes, and Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones on piano. Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Falling In Love With Love", "Bali Hai", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "There's A Small Hotel", and "The Lady Is A Tramp".

A groovy groovy treasure! The work of The Swingle Singers is well known to any fan of 60s French tunes – as their groundbreaking approach to vocalese had a huge influence on other pop, easy, and soundtrack work of the time. This nicely-done set features jazz scat versions of tunes by all three members of the Bach family, Handel, and Vivaldi – with tracks that include "Air", "Badinerie", "Gigue", "Prelude No 7", "Solfeggietto", "Allegro", and "Preambule".

One of our favorite albums by the Swingle Singers – a really cool batch of tracks that has them working with compositions by French composers – rococo tunes that have a bit more of a flourish for them to work with their vocal trickery! The sound is great, and tunes are short, very groovy, and have a really nice soundtrack feel to them. Titles include "La Couperin", "Concerto For Six", "Presto", "Fugue In D Minor", "Coucou", "Allegro", and "Vivace".

The ninth in Phillips' compilation of the work of this twisted French singer, and material culled from the time when he was really pushing the envelope. As with all of his recordings, this one features a spare folksy sound – with Brassens accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Titles include "Le Fantome", "La Fessee", "Le Pluriel", "Le Bulletin De Sante", "L'Epave", and "La Non-Demande En Mariage".

Fantastic stuff – and a record that may well be the greatest ever from the mighty Serge Gainsbourg – high praise indeed, considering the greatness of Gainsbourg's other music! The album is one long suite built around a spare, electric bass-driven theme – a slow funk riff that's been sampled countless times over the years, and which has gotten the album continuous play on both sides of the Atlantic for many many years. The mighty Jean-Claude Vannier handles the arrangements, and Serge mutters the lyrics over the top, in a raspy loud whisper – while the funky rhythms dart in and out of odd washes of sound, and unusual eerie sounds. There's a very strong soundtrack feel to the album, as waves of music envelop the lyrics – tripped out in funky beats that have become legendary over the years, thanks to some very famous samples! Titles include "En Melody", "Cargo Culte", "Ballade De Melody Nelson", "Valse De Melody", "Ah! Melody", and "L'Hotel Particulier". Great new LP reissue package – with 180 gram vinyl, notes, an interview, and even lyrics in English & French!

Amazing music – at an equally amazing price! The set features every studio album ever recorded by Serge Gainsbourg – monumental sounds that completely transformed the world of French music in the 60s and 70s, and have gone on to have a global impact well into the 21st Century! The sounds here are amazing right from the start – a mix of jazz, Latin, and other hip modes – all set to playfully sinister lyrics by Serge – which get even better as the 60s move on, and Gainsbourg dips into fuzz, funk, and other amazing elements to push out some far frontiers in his music! The 70s sees some great electronics, classic collaborations with Sly & Robbie, and gives way to some surprisingly great 80s material towards the end of Serge's too-short career. Box features 14 albums on 12 CDs – with records that include Du Chant A La Une, No 2, L'Etonnant Serge Gainsbourg, No 4, Gainsbourg Percussions, Initials BB, Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire De Melody Nelson, Vu De L'Exterieur, L'Homme A Tete De Chou, Aux Armes Et Caetera, Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Etoiles, Love On The Beat, and You're Under Arrest.

Serge's 4th album – and another wonderful gem from his early years! The record's like some of the others from the time, mixing together jazz, Latin rhythms, and all the offbeat existentialism of the postwar Paris scene. The record was originally only ever issued as a 10" LP – and it's been wonderfully redone here, with the original cover art. Titles include "Les Cigarillos", "Intoxicated Man", "Les Goemons", "Baudelaire", "Black Trombone", and "Requiem Pour Un Twisteur".

A late 60s soundtrack by Serge Gainsbourg – but a record that's easily as great as any of his studio albums from the same time! The bulk of the album has a spare, punctuated groove that's somewhat funky – quite a bit like Melody Nelson in its sense of space and timing – and its sex-heavy groove that bubbles up nicely from the bottom of bassy backings and mod orchestrations. Serge sings a bit – as does Anna Karina and Jean-Claude Brialy, Gainsbourg's co-stars in the film – and the orchestrations on the record were handled by Michel Colombier, and easily rank as some of his greatest work ever! Titles include both vocal and instrumental versions of "Sous Le Soleil Exactement", "Pas Mal Pas Mal Du Tout", "Boomerang", "Un Jour Comme Un Autre", "Ne Dis Rien", "Roller Girl", "GI Jo", "Pistolet Jo", "Photographes Et Religieuses", "Rien Rien J'Disais Ca Comme Ca", and "Un Poison Violet C'Est CA L'Amour".

Some of Serge Gainsbourg's first recordings – a mixture of left bank chic, jazzy rhythms, and some of the strangest songwriting to grace the Parisian scene! All titles feature great backings by Alain Goraguer, Serge's longtime musical partner, who brings in some wonderful elements to the songs – embellishing them with cool vibes, offbeat piano, snapping snare drum, and bubbling bass to match the oddly-crafted lyrics of the tunes. Titles include "Ronsard 58", "Ce Mortel Ennui", "Le Poinconneur Des Lilas", "Douze Belles Dans La Peau", "Charleston Des Demanageurs De Piano", and "L'Alcool".

A fantastic Serge Gainsbourg album – and the BB initials in the title belong to Brigitte Bardot! This rare gem from 1968 is a second set of tracks that Serge cut with Brigitte Bardot – and it's a doozy! The record repeats a few tracks from their other effort (Bonnie & Clyde) – but it's also got some incredible cuts that are exclusive to this album, and which have that stone funky groove that makes the best late 60s work of Serge so in-demand these days! The best tracks include "Mustang", "Initials BB", and "Black And White" – all of which have incredible funky intros that are totally sampleable – and the set also includes "Bonnie & Clyde", "Qui Est In Qui Est Out", "Marilu", "Shu Ba Du Ba La Loo Ba", "Hold Up", "Torrey Canyon", "Docteur Jeckyll et Monsieur Hyde", "Comic Strip", and "Bloody Jack".