Veronique Chalot sings in French, but she cut this beautiful album for the Materiali Sonori label in Italy – with a really groundbreaking mix of styles that definitely loves up to the other gems we love on the label at the time! As you might guess from the cover, Veronique plays dulcimer, and sings in a dreamy style that befits her image on the front – but the small group behind her also brings in all sorts of other unusual instrumentation – flutes, percussion, bass, and violin – used in these eerie ways alongside Chalot's moody vocals – creating a vibe that's somewhere between early solo work by Nico, and the soundtrack to Wicker Man! A really haunting record throughout – a lot like the best experiments on the Saravah label – with titles that include "L'Empoisonneusse", "Chant De La Montagne", "Le Souliers De La Belle", "Danse Des Sorcieres", "Chant De La Mer", "An Dro-Ronde", and "Bourree". LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy sounds from the legendary Michel Legrand – working here in a mode that's maybe a bit more lush and romantic than some of his later soundtrack work – yet at a level that's still head and shoulders above most of his 50s instrumental contemporaries! The set's got a melancholy vibe throughout – that sense of leaving that not only evokes a visitor having to head home after a trip in Paris, but also all the sadness and loss that the city experienced during the wartime years as well – even later, as American Gis had to head home – and were an obvious market for a record like this in the US! Tracks include "Bonjour Paris", "French Can Can", "Le Mer", "Two Loves Have I", and "A Paris Dans Chaque Faubourg". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including Yves Montand singing "Joli Maie", plus the tracks "Domino", "Pigalle", "Clopin Clopant", "Le Gars De Rochechouart", and "Boum". (Jazz, French) CD

A totally fresh take on French sounds of the late 60s – served up here with a sound that's as revolutionary as the image on the cover! This isn't the dreamy strings of familiar Paris in the Spring – but instead, the sound of change that happened in and around 1968 – as a whole new generation of younger French musicians, singers, artists, and intellectuals were really making themselves known in bold new ways! You'll recognize a few names here – like Serge Gainsbourg or Brigitte Fontaine – but the collection goes way beyond those bigger names, and features loads of obscure artists from the scene that will be a real revelation. The collection was done by the same Saint Etienne team that gave us the excellent English Weather and Songs For The Carnegie Deli compilations on Ace – and titles include "L'Elu" by Ilous & Decuyper, "La Metaphore" by Jacques Dutronc, "Looking For You" by Nin Ferrer, "Chanson D'Un Jour D'Hiver" by Cortex, "Couleurs" by Leonie, "Leslie Simone" by William Sheller, "Litanies" by Triangle, "Baleines" by Francois De Roubaix, "Lileth" by Leonie, "Ystor" by Ys, "Chanson Pour Que Tu M'Aimes U Peu" by France Gall, "Le Victime" by Karl Heinz Schafer, "Les Adventures Extraordinaires D'Un Ballet De Banque" by Bernard Lavilliers, "Helicoptere" by Mireille Darc, "Les Garde Violent Au Secours Du Roi (alt version)" by Jean Claude Vannier, and "La Chanson D'Helene" by Romy Schneider & Michel Piccoli. (Funky Compilations, French) LP, Vinyl record album