Damia "La Tragedienne De La Chanson: 1928-1931" (Chansophone, 1990)
Marie-Louise Damien, who went by the stage name Damia, was one of the great practitioners of a style called the "realistic song." These were popular compositions known for their outlandishly morbid lyrics, typically about a fallen girl whose flirtation with big city ways led to her tragic death by disease or gruesome accident. In the cheerful versions of these songs, the dying lass might get the chance to make amends with her parents before meeting her maker, but not always. I'm told that these "realistic" songs were meant as pure camp, not as actual moral lessons -- they were the Scream movies of the prewar French cabaret. These early recordings are a bit stark and glum, but they are also great art... You'll probably want to listen to these songs in small installments (and not mix them with alcohol) but if you don't mind a little depression and abject misery, this can be richly rewarding art.
Damia "La Tragedienne De La Chanson: 1928-1935" (Chansophone, 2008)
Damia "La Tragedienne De La Chanson: 1933-1937" (Chansophone, 2008)
Damia "La Tragedienne De La Chanson" (Forlane, 1993)
Recording later in her career, Damia seems to have lightened up a bit, or at least become friendlier to well-rounded melodies... Although this shares the same title as the Chansophone collection above, there are only a half-dozen songs in common. This set spans 1930-39, and finds her working with two of the premiere dance bands of the era -- the Orchestre Wal-Berg and Orchestre Pierre Chagnon -- and the performances are all first-rate. While the previous volume had a rather bleak feel, this one is markedly warmer and more accessible. It's all quite good, though I found this disc more enjoyable.
Damia "1926-1944" (Fremeaux & Associes, 2003)
For a more comprehensive view of her work, there's also this 2-CD set... Haven't heard it yet, but I'm looking forward to the day I do!
Damia "Grand Frise" (WEA, 2004)
Damia "Guingette A Ferme Ses Violets" (Intense, 2006)
Damia "Les Chansons Eternelles" (Chansons Eternelles, 2007)
Danielle Darrieux "Integrale: 1931-1951" (Fremeaux, 2003)
Danielle Darrieux "Le Premier Rendez-Vous" (Intense, 2006)
Andre Dassary "Etoiles De La Chanson" (Disky, 1999)
Andre Dassary "Andre Dassary" (2002)
Andre Dassary "1939-1945" (Marianne Melodie, 2004)
Lucienne Delyle "Les Chansons Eternelles" (Galaxy Music, 1998)
At first, this sounds quite nice... Delyle was a chanson vocalist whose first hits came in the late 1930s and early '40s, and whose career continued through the early '60s, when she passed away... She had a lovely voice, confident and deep, and she sang tragic songs much in the style of Edith Piaf, Berthe Sylva, et. al. But I have to confess this disc left me cold; after a while all the songs sounded the same, and there was little variation in the musical or emotional tone... It should be mentioned, though, that this album doesn't contain the songs she's most identified with, so another collection might better represent her...
Lucienne Delyle "Le Meilleur De Lucienne Delyle" (EMI-Pathe Disques, 1998)
Lucienne Delyle "Nuages" (Musique De France, 2000)
Lucienne Delyle "1939-1946" (Fremeaux & Associes, 2003)
Lucienne Delyle "Mon Amant De Saint Jean" (Rym Musique, 2008)
Sacha Distel "CD Story - Album Luxe" (Universal, 2004)
Sacha Distel "Master Series" (Universal, 2006)
Sacha Distel "Profession Chanteur" (Universal, 2006)
A 4-CD box set, with guitarist Distel dipping mightily into the font of Sinatra-style crooning. Lots of punchy, swank brass and loping, rhythmic string arrangements, framing his hep, happening vocals. There are also a bunch of lamentable English-language numbers, though the French numbers have their appeal.
Sacha Distel "Sasha's Guitar" (El Records/Cherry Red, 2007)
Sacha Distel "La Belle Vie..." (Universal, 2006)
A 3-CD box set
Sacha Distel "Jazz Guitarist" (Universal, 2006)
Sacha Distel "45 RPM EPs" (?)
Dranem "1929-1935" (Chansophone)
Dranem/Georgius "Grands Succes" (Chansophone)
Pierre Dudan "Pierre Dudan" (Chansophone, 2000)
Lively, jazz-flavored music hall and comedic material, with a bright, appealing delivery. Dudan, a singer-composer whose father was Swiss, had a bit of swing and swagger to his style; his frequent duet partner Edith Burger (who appears on eight of the album's twenty-four tracks) was also kinda fun. Not a major talent, but still lots of fun. This disc gathers two dozen tracks, spanning 1940-1948, all of which were written or co-written by Dudan, and many of which feature him on piano... Quite a satisfying set!
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