Various Artists "LES ARTISTES TOT OU TARD EN DUO" (Tot Ou Tard, 2005)
Duet and trio collaborations between various artists on the (fabulous!) French label, Tot Ou Tard. Available through the label's website, http://www.totoutard.com )

Various Artists "LA BELLE EPOQUE -- EMI'S FRENCH GIRLS: 1965-1968" (EMI-Zonophone, 2007)
Here's a rare bird: an above-board compilation of French girl-groupish 1960s ye-ye pop-rock... While this collection does sport much cleaner, brighter sound quality than many of the bootlegs that've been coming out over the last decade or so (see below), it's also kinda tame by comparison. While there are a few outlandish arrangements, these vintage singles tend to be more pop-vocals oriented than rock'n'roll, more about co-optation than innovation. Still, there are some fun tracks, notably Christine Laume's giddy, teenyboppin' "Agathe Ou Christine" and "Te Te Moques De Moi," by Ria Bartok. A lot of this is more in the Connie Stevens/Petula Clark vein, but then again, for fans of that stripe of girly pop, this might be a real gem. Nothing terrible, but if you're a rocker, this won't get your blood pumping the same way as, say the ULTRA CHICKS collections. Worth a spin!

Various Artists "BONJOUR PARIS! BON BON FRENCH SPECIAL" (Universal, 2006)

Various Artists "CUISINE NON-STOP" (Luaka Bop, 2002)
David Byrne's far-reaching Luaka Bop label has finally made it to the Gallic territories, with this loopy set of kooky, postmodern cabaret tunes, a quirky update of the Parisian cafe music of the 1930s. The album opens with the crosscultural acoustic world-jazz of Lo'Jo, and moves into a succession of likeminded contemporaries... The spirits of Tom Waits, Serge Gainsbourg, Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet hover over this collection, which gives a welcome alternative to the more staid tradition of French pop vocals. A set like this bodes well: I hope Byrne & Co. have a volume or two of other French material on tap -- samplers of great indie rock by the likes of Francoiz Breut, Katarine and Etienne Charry would also be welcome, as well as a look at modern French hip-hop and electronica. Oui!

Various Artists "FEMMES DE PARIS, v.1" (FGL/Anthology, 2002)

Various Artists "FEMMES DE PARIS, v.2" (FGL/Anthology, 2002)

Various Artists "FEMMES DE PARIS, v.3" (FGL/Anthology, 2004)

Various Artists "LA FRANCE ET LES BEATLES, v.1" (Magic Records, 2006)
The first volume in a multi-disc series of French-language Beatles covers... Ooo, la-la! This rather faithfully charts the progress of the Lennon-McCartney-Harrison ouvre as interpreted across the english Channel. Some recordings are disasterous (such as I Trovatori's take on "Please Please Me," which opens the album, and Les Blue Notes' near-lifeless "Girl") others are merely dutiful and a few are spunky and fairly inspired. All of these recordings have tremendous historical and kitsch value, and some are utterly delicious. (The irony of having an all-French translation of "Michelle," for example...) Only about a third of these tracks are songs I'd really want to listen to regularly... but that's not such a bad ratio, really! I'll probably try and track down the rest of these discs: I'm pretty sure that with five volumes (so far) I'll be able to put together a pretty fun playlist!

Various Artists "LA FRANCE ET LES BEATLES, v.2" (Magic Records, 2006)

Various Artists "LA FRANCE ET LES BEATLES, v.3" (Magic Records, 2007)

Various Artists "LA FRANCE ET LES BEATLES, v.4" (Magic Records, 2007)

Various Artists "LA FRANCE ET LES BEATLES, v.5" (Magic Records, 2007)

Various Artists "FRENCH CUTS -- POP MUSIC FRANCAIS LES ANNESS 60, v.1" (Panatomic, 2002)

Various Artists "FRENCH CUTS -- POP MUSIC FRANCAIS LES ANNESS 60, v.2" (Panatomic, 2002)

Various Artists "GENTLEMEN DE PARIS" (FGL/Anthology, 2004)
The gender-balanced companion to the FEMMES DE PARIS series, this electrifying disc features seventeen sizzling examples of the finest rare rock records late '60s France had to offer... Several things recommend this record, foremost being the high quality of the music -- this record is great from start to finish. There's also the welcome obscurity of the artists involved -- other than one track by Antoine and one with Serge Gainsbourg, it's packed with unknowns such as Les Lionceaux, Les Anges, Les Gypsies, 5 Gentlemen, et. al. who all kick out the jams... who knew!? Finally, there's the preponderance of Mod-styled ampheti-rock.. Most of these tracks come from 1964-66, when the Kinks were ascendant in the UK, and their influence is keenly felt, as is that of the Small Faces and the Yardbirds. There are also some flambuoyant, grandiose psychedelic freakouts, but it's the tighter, jangly fast songs that stand out. This set catches the French rock scene just before the more florid, orchestral work of Gainsbourg and his clique held sway -- it's one of the rare glorious moments when the French really rocked... and it's a lot of fun! Highly recommended.

Various Artists "ILS SONT FOUS C'EST GAULOIS v.1 & 2" (Disques Ronnie, 1996/1997)
These two LPs collect a couple dozen of the finest Jacques Dutronc-influenced frog rock rarities ever to escape from the Francophone sphere of influence. Inevitably, Jacqueline Taib's classic "7 Hueres Du Matin" (previously heard on the GIRLS IN THE GARAGE series...) appears on Volume One, as well as several other melodic greats from France, Quebec and Belgium... Surprising evidence that the French actually can rock!

Various Artists "ILS SONT FOUS C'EST GAULOIS v.3" (Disques Ronnie, 1999)
I'm not entirely convinced that this volume was put out by the same folks as the past two-- but who knows? At any rate, the disc's focus is much wider, encompassing surf, Gallic Merseybeat and rockabilly, in addition to the garage-psych and ye-ye of the earlier volumes. I'm not sure that the musical quality is as high, but it must be said that this is still quite fun... and how the hell else would anyone ever hear this stuff?

Various Artists "KILLED BY DEATH 200: RIOT AND DANCE - RARE PUNQUE FRANCAIS: '77-'83" (Redrum, 1998)
Yet another entry in this bewildering "series" of punk rock bootlegs. A strong collection of Gallic punk and hardcore, with a more melodic edge than many KBD collections. (For more information about KILLED BY DEATH, check out Max Hedgehog's article in browbeat noise 'zine). By the way... speaking of French punk, does anyone out there know much about the band Ted Destroyer? I've heard one album of theirs (from 1985) and have been curious about them for years...

Various Artists "POP A PARIS, v.1: ROCK'N'ROLL AND MINI SKIRTS" (Universal/Sunnyside, 2004)

Various Artists "POP A PARIS, v.2: MORE ROCK'N'ROLL AND MINI SKIRTS" (Universal/Sunnyside, 2004)

Various Artists "POP A PARIS, v.3: C'EST LA MODE" (Universal/Sunnyside, 2003)

Various Artists "POP A PARIS, v.4: MINET JERK" (Universal/Sunnyside, 2003)

Various Artists "POP A PARIS, v.5: S.O.S. MESDEMOISELLES" (Universal/Sunnyside, 2003)

Various Artists "POP! POP! PIGALLE!" (2003)
Another collection of mysterious provenance, this dips deeper into straight pop-rock releases, stuff that takes its cues from Sergio Mendes and Herb Alpert as well as Dylan or The Beatles. There are well-chosen tracks from many of the better-known singers, including France Gall, Sylvie Vartan, Antoine, et al, yet this 27-song set is also packed with less high-profile artists, such as Robert Gogoi, Marc Aryan, Michelle Torr, Christopher Laird, and others. Wide variety of styles, and a lot of odd songs, well off the beaten track. Worth checking out!

Various Artists "PSYCHEGAELIC: FRENCH FREAKBEAT" (2001)
A barebones bootleg, complete with snaps and crackles from the original vinyl, but jam-packed with super-cool, hard-rock mod psychedelia of the Cream/Small Faces variety. No liner notes, no inside art, and not even a fake label name adorn the packaging, but the music is hard to beat. These bands picked up where Jacques Dutronc left off -- if you can find this disc, it's well worth checking out! The sound isn't super-duper, but I've definitely heard worse.

Various Artists "ROUGH GUIDE TO THE MUSIC OF FRANCE" (Rough Guide, 2003)
An interesting assortment of modern French music, from the old-school chanson and musette of Edith Piaf and Jo Privat to folkies like Gabriel Yacoub and a whole raft of newer oddball artist who mix pop, jazz, rock and worldwide influences... This collection is admirable both for its breadth and the quality of its program -- the songs flow well together, keeping your attention while opening your ears up to an unexpectedly wide array of artists and styles. Recommended!

Various Artists "SIXTIES GIRLS, v.1" (Magic, 2005)

Various Artists "SIXTIES GIRLS, v.2" (Magic, 2005)

Various Artists "SIXTIES GIRLS, v.3" (Magic, 2005)

Various Artists "SIXTIES GIRLS, v.4" (Magic, 2005)

Various Artists "SIXTIES GIRLS, v.5" (Magic, 2003)

Various Artists "SWINGING MADEMOISELLES v.1-2" (Sasha Monett Records, 1999)
I admit, when I saw the first of these collections, I didn't have high hopes... but boy, was I mistaken! A fun, well-programmed collection of mid-to-late '60s ye-ye material, with plenty of semi-psychedelic instrumentation. There's some overlap between these albums and the ULTRA CHICKS series below, but not so's you'd really notice. Sound quality is very good, as is the song selection. What really sets these compilations apart from similar unlicenced collections, though, are the detailed liner notes -- not only are the artists' career's outlined, but the recording dates are also included! Volume 2 turned out to be quite nice, as well. Well worth searching for!

Various Artists "SWINGING MADEMOISELLES" (Hip Bop, 2005)

Various Artists "ULTRA CHICKS v.1-6" (1996/2000)
A great series, with plenty of punch compared to similar releases. Whether you're a francophile or a ye-ye girl-groupie, these comps are worth tracking down. Yes, Jacqueline Taib is on here, too, but so are a whole host of others, including dozens of artists zat no one has evair 'eard of... All three CDs are high-test; Volume Three gets a little more modern, but in a power-poppy kinda way, not new wave. As with the ILS SONT FOUS LPs, this covers France, Belgium and the new world... v.3 also includes Tuesday Weld, which seems to be stretching things a bit... but who am I to say? HIGHLY recommended!

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French Music Index
French Chanson et Musette

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