Lily Fayol "Rue De Lappe" (Marianne Melodie, 2006)
A sometimes-lively, sometimes-dour cabaret singer with a husky voice and an obvious debt to Edith Piaf, as well as a tendency to dabble in styles such as American showtunes and swing where she is notably uncomfortable. On tracks such as "Berceuse" and "Ca Vient Tout Naturellement" (a Gallicized cover of Berlin's "Doin' What Comes Naturally") Fayol sounds resistant to the rhythm and the material, and her resistance makes her delivery quite clumsy... But on the jauntier French tunes and even on the rumbas and other Latin-dance numbers, she's pretty fun. Definitely worth checking out, though there are a couple of clunkers on here.
Fernandel "Etoiles De La Chanson" (Disky, 1999)
The horse-faced comedic actor Fernandel, a major box office draw in the 1930s, was surprisingly effective as a serious singer. To be sure, there are galloping comic recitations on here, but also plenty of "straight" songs that sound pretty swell. This is a generously programmed 25-song collection which includes many of his best musical numbers from 1931-42... all of it quite enjoyable. Recommended.
Fernandel "1931-1948" (Fremeaux, 2003)
Fernandel "Fernandel" (EMI-Pathe, 1997)
Fernandel "Harcourt M. De La Culture France" (Rym Musique, 2008)
Fernandel "Fernandel Of Marseille" (2008)
Fernandel "Paris Music Hall" (2007)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 1: 1961-1962" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 2: 1963-1964" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 3: 1965-1966" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 4: 1967-1969" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 5: 1970-1971" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 6: 1972-1975" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Volume 7: 1979-1980" (Temey, 1988)
Jean Ferrat "Les Annees Barclay" (Box set) (Temey, 1988)
A 5-CD box set, covering his work through the 1960s...
Anny Flore "Anny Flore" (EMI-Pathe, 1998)
Harry Fragson "Succes Et Raretes: 1903-1912" (Chansophone, 1995)
Anne Fratellini "Anne Fratellini" (EMI-Pathe, 1997)
Frehel "Frehel" (EMI-Odeon/Disques Pathe, 1998)
A stellar collection of one of the most fabled and tragic of the great "realistic" singers of the prewar era. Like Edith Piaf, who revered her, Frehel (nee Marguerite Boulch, 1891-1951) learned her craft on the streets, and was "discovered" and became a star when still a teenager. As "Pervenche," she was the toast of Paris before World War One, but left France for over a decade, returning in the early 1920s to take the town again, this time as Frehel. She recorded prolifically and acted in over a dozen films, yet died a pauper at the age of 59. She put in a lot of living before then, though, and took popular chanson to new heights. This excellent 2-CD set gathers three dozen of her best tracks, programmed chronologically from 1931-1939. To put it simply, her voice is just wonderful -- plainspoken, but rich, full-toned and powerful, and packed with emotion. The earlier recordings appeal to me the most, but this is all very fine material, one sad, beautiful song after another. The sound quality is wonderful as well: the entire Pathe series is a delight, and the transfer from LPs to digital format has hurt it not a bit. Highly recommended!
Frehel "Les Chansons Eternelles" (Chansons Eternelles, 1998)
Frehel "1909-1930" (Chansophone)
Frehel "1926-1936" (Chansophone)
Frehel "Paris Music Hall" (Orphee, 2007)
Frehel "Volume 1: 1930-1939" (Fremeaux, 1999)
Another excellent 2-CD set... Like the Pathe collection above, this gathers thirty-eight of Frehel's classic recordings of the 1930s, and there is considerable overlap between the two. I'm glad I have them both, though, since there is a 13-song difference between the two, and having an extra album's worth of Frehel's work is definitely worth it. Taken on its own, though, this is also a very strong set -- either collection would be great to have; this one is a gem.
Frehel "La Java Bleue" (Intense, 2006)
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