Now, I'm certainly not the world's expert on traditional French pop, and certainly haven't heard as much of it as I'd like to... This section deals with two branches of pre-rocknroll Gallic popular music, chanson and musette... As time and knowledge permit, I hope to expand this page considerably, and am certainly open to suggestions from my ever-so-knowledgable readers...
Anyway, here's my rudimentary understanding of the music involved:
"Chanson" refers to French popular vocals, particularly romantic ballads, and the style spans back at least as far as music recording technology, and survives well into the present day. Many of the classic chanson singers were also movie stars, particularly Charles Trenet, Jean Gabin, and Maurice Chevalier. Others, such as the great tragic diva, Edith Piaf, were primarily cabaret performers (although it should be noted that there is also a great deal of crossover between "concert" singing and theatrical and music hall traditions, perhaps moreso in France than in, say, the United Kingdom...) Musette music is a less sleek, but no less compelling style, which is normally characterized by a prominent accordion, and by bleakly "realistic" lyrics -- often morality tales about fallen girls who come to tragic and untimely ends. Musette arose out of the fairly rough-and-tumble world of the bal musette, Depression-era Parisian dance halls that were usually filled with and controlled by gangsters. Hence, the style has a lot of the same declasse cultural mystique as early American jazz and blues, and for many decades was not necessarily accepted by polite society. (It sure sounds great, though!)
Fred Adison "Fred Adison Et Son Orchestre - 20 Succes" (Forlane, 1996)
Fred Adison "Grands Orchestres Du Music-Hall" (Marianne Melodie, 2006)
A 2-CD set...
Fred Adison "Le Swing A L'Ecole"
A 2-CD set covering the work of Fred Adison, one of France's most successful swing/big band bandleaders... I'm on the prowl for this one!
Alibert "La Star De 'Operette Marseillaise" (Forlane, 1992)
Alibert "Le Meilleur De Alibert" (EMI-Odeon/Disques Pathe, 1998)
A 2-CD set...
Alibert "Etoiles De La Chanson" (Marianne Melodie/Etoiles De La Chanson, 1998)
Alibert "1932-1945" (Fremeaux, 2003)
A 2-CD set...
Mathe Altery "Mathe Altery" (EMI-Odeon/Disques Pathe, 1998)
A 2-CD set...
Arletty "Succes Et Raretes: 1925-1939" (Chansophone, 1996)
Arletty "Les Chansons Eternelles" (Chansons Eternelles, 1999)
Arletty "Comme De Bien Entendu" (Sony, 2001)
Arletty "Arletty" (Buda Musique, 2002)
Arletty "Paris Music Hall" (Orphee, 2007)
French Music Index
French Rock & Pop
