Five full albums of hip French pop from the 60s – all packaged together, with a fair amount of bonus work too! First up are the first two albums by Francoise Hardy – filled with original tunes that have a really fresh presentation – not just in the lyrics, but in the overall presentation – which was a huge change from the overly emotive modes of the generation before. Hardy plays a fair bit of acoustic guitar along with her vocals – furthering the groovy feel of the set – and backings are by the orchestra of Roger Samyn, who adds in some slight rockish touches! Next is Johnny Hallyday chante Johnny Hallyday – a set that features all original material by the famous French rocker – really showing his growing strengths as a songwriter, which helped give him a uniquely French style! Next is Brigitte Bardot Sings – classic 60s work from Brigitte Bardot – the roots of French female pop, with a set of tracks that mix together bits of rock, pop, and lively jazz-based arrangements – all in a unique blend that's totally great, and every bit as wonderful as you might expect! We might go so far as to argue that Brigitte Bardot on record is almost sexier than on the screen – and thanks to backing from the likes of Claude Bolling, Francois Rauber, and Pedro Serrano – the grooves are as great as the lovely lady's vocals! Twiste Et Chante follows – groovy early work from Sylvie Vartan – some of the earliest sides we've ever heard from this fab French singer, and done at a time when she was clearly inspired by early rock from the US scene! A number of the tracks here are French remakes of American songs – like "Twist & Shout", "Comin Home Baby", "So Long Baby", and other groovy 60s numbers – mixed with French originals, and all given some sprightly orchestrations by Eddie Vartan, in a way that allows Hammond, guitar, and other electric bits to mix nicely with larger arrangements. Last up is Serge Gainsbourg Et Le Cinema – a set that shows early soundtrack contributions from the legendary French singer – really cool work that resonates strongly with the mix of jazz and Latin in his other early recordings! CD

Excellent French crime soundtracks from the 60s – handled up with a great mix of jazz, mod, and other groovy modes by the mighty Michel Magne! Fantomas was this creepy blue-faced master criminal – depicted in three French films at the time – Fantomas, Fantomas Se Dechaine, and Fantomas Contre Scotland Yard – all movies based on the much earlier series of crime books from earlier in the century The films have disappeared a bit from film culture – but the soundtracks seem to get more and more notoriety over the years, thanks to the current revival in lost groovy b-grade scores! Michel Magne scored all three films – and titles include "Fantomas Se Dechaine", "Une DS Dans Le Ciel", "Theme De Fantomas", "Operation Artaban", "Ma Chere Helene", "L'Ultime Evasion", and "Fantomas S'Echappe". (Soundtracks, French) LP, Vinyl record album