Bardot A Go Go Web : What to buy!

I often hear these words - "Pink, where can I get some of this fantastic freaky French stuff that you play at the club?" Fear not true believer, on this very page we provide you with the WHO and the WHAT but also the WHERE!

We have broken it down to three categories:

Fundamental - required listening and owning
Advanced - the adventure continues with more recommendations
Extra-Credit - for the voracious addict and brave seeker of the truth, not for the faint at heart
Collector - some sources for that oh so yummy vinyl

Economy was our first consideration, so many of our first suggestions are bon marche Greatest Hits collections. But we also advise more complete or expanded selections. Though we try to keep with 60s thing we do occaisionally pass 1969 when the artistry warrants it.

Excelsior!

Where

If you live in the Bay Area, New York or Los Angeles then check the following stores:

Amoeba Music - with stores in Berkeley, San Francisco and Los Angeles. They have been stocking this stuff for years and in general keep a pretty good supply. They had it when no one else did.
Other Music - in New York. They also do mail order as well. This store is one of the pioneers in 60s French Pop and their staff is pretty knowledgeable.

Online, you can try Alapage.com in France. It will have pretty much everything and is also an excellent source for French books and movies. We either link to Alapage or Amazon.

Fundamental

	Jacques Dutronc 36 Grands Succes (Greatest Hits) Don't let the cheesy cover put you off. This is solid gold. No one gets the crowd bopping on the dance floor like Dutronc. His fuzzy guitar rock hits are what you hear at Bardot A Go Go, but also included in this phatt double CD are ballads like "L'opportuniste" and "Il est cinq heures Paris s'éveille". Dutronc along with his song writing partner Jacques Lanzman created some of the most inspiring music of the 60s. Unlike other Dutronc compilations, this one contains "Le Responsable" a must have psych gem that will blow your mind and have you say, "wow, the French really could rock if they needed to!" There are a lot of Dutronc compilations available, look for something with the titles mentioned above and the following - "Et moi, et moi, et moi", "Les cactus", "J'ai tous lu, tous vu, tous bu" and "Fais pas ci, fais pas ça". If you buy only on French CD in your life, make sure it is this one.
	Françoise Hardy ma jeunesse fout le camp While nothing on this 1967 album is go-go-able, Françoise Hardy is an integral and indispensable part of any Francophonic music collection. This sad, romantic, and moody album is a personal favorite and even features a songs arranged by Jacques Dutronc and John Paul Jones (future Led Zep, dude). Françoise wrote most of her own material, unlike the other female French pop stars of the time. Consider this Françoise's Rubber Soul (artistically not in sound). We recommend this accomplished album over her earlier material, but we recommend that as well. Do yourself a favor and be enchanted by the periods best chanteuse!
	Serge Gainsbourg Comic Strip If you don't know Serge Gainsbourg by now then we haven't been doing our job! This is a compilation CD of some of his best "pop" material. Actually if you don't have this CD or the material on it by now, then I am a bit worried. But here it is in all its glory. This CD (along with two others that cover a different style of music) was the first time that Serge, as a solo artist, had been released in the United States. It was this music that got me into the whole French Pop thing. It's a pop-culture pastiche of styles, effects and unbeatable sureal lyrics. The tunes are really beyond description or comparison. No one else sounds like it. Well Beck does, but that's another story. If ducats aren't a problem, then the following French compilation includes a much more diverse range of Gainsbourg including his roots reggae and pervy 80s stuff - Phatt Serge Collection - 3 CDs.
	Brigitte Bardot Best of B.B. Many people don't know that Bardot had a singing career in addition to being the sexiest woman in the world. This collection has all of the essentials like the Gainsbourg penned "Appareil à sous", "Contact","Harley Davidson" and the previously censored original version of "Je t'aime...moi non plus". Musically it's rather diverse boppin' twist, psyche-pop, and folky guitar. Yes we know that things are slightly problematic with Bardot politically these days, but since when is 60s French pop ever political? (OK, I can think of a few times.) But she's our name sake and we still love her.
	France Gall Bebe Requin Delicious! If you want unique yé-yé stuff then this is it. An incredible compilation of France Gall's bopping numbers including the Bardot A Go Go favorite "Laisse tomber les filles". Strictly translated it is "Let all those other chicks fall" which means "now that I am your woman, you better not be seeing any of those other girls!" This awesome tune was penned by Serge Gainsbourg as are several other cuts. No cover tunes. This is the stuff that French pop dreams are made of!
	Nino Ferrer Satanee Mirza! Nino Ferrer was heavily influenced by American R & B as evidenced by a cut on this CD - "Je veux etre noir" ("I want to be black"). This compilation kicks ass and includes the essential 60s Nino. "Le téléfon" is a great song for anybody learning French. It was such a big hit that people in France still sing it's catchy chorus ("Gaston y a l'téléfon qui son / Et y a jamais person qui y répond") and many of them don't even know who singer was. It is completely ingrained in French consciousness. Ferrer pumped life into French pop and liberated the lyrics and the sound. Lots of brass, organ and bass (Nino understood bass) and several critics point out just how good his band was. It's a wonder that nobody has sampled this stuff yet, it hits very hard. No party should be without.
	Stella L'intégrale sixties (Double CD) Magic Records is like the Rhino Records of France. They put out all sorts of rare music that nobody else is putting out. This two CD collection of Stella, not just another Yé-Yé girl, is exceptional. The first disc covers her Yé-Yé period. The second disc ventures into the world of psych-rock-pop and is one of my all time favorite CDs. Her uncle penned most of the songs and the content has a cynical, contrarian edge much like Dutronc. In one song called "Cauchemar auto protestateur" she sings "I protest, though I don't know what about." Its great to hear counter-culture getting some counter culture itself. Don't pass this one over.
	Ultra Chicks Ultra Chicks We dedicated a whole page to this compilation series of rare 60s French girl singers. Most of the stuff is only available on these compilations and non-existent vinyl. To make it simple, buy one of the first two.

Advanced

	Wizzz! French pop collection Wizzz! is a great compilation of rare cuts. What really highlights it though is the sound quality and extensive liner notes written by compiler Jean-Baptiste Guillot (J.B. as he is known around Paris). Though a few tracks have appeared on other compilations prior, this marks the first official French release that really understands what this 60s French Pop thing is all about. Almost all of the cuts on this release are from unknowns or forgottens. Artists that put that special sound to the music that sends me jumping around on the dance floor. It is an odd phenomena but the music on this comp is better than the music released by some of the super-star celebrities of the time. Wizz! is great we love Wizz!
	Antoine Les élucubrations - Je l'appelle canelle Seriously, you can't consider yourself a sixties pop fan if you don't know about Antoine. His 1966 hit "Les élucubrations d'Antoine" is still making noise in France. It was the song that drove a wedge in the yé-yé scene, lambasting current kiddie trends and Johnny Hallyday. It even led to the birth of Jacques Dutronc. Another notable song on this collection is "Je dis ce que je pense et je vis comme je veux" ("I say just what I think and I see what I want") a counter critique to all the reactionary feedback from his first hit. On a lot of these songs his backing group is Les Problems, later to become Les Charlots, who infuse the tunes the a fuzz beat groove. This is 2-CD set of 36 songs pretty much has everything that you need.
	Pussy Cat L'intégrale sixties Though Pussy Cat was one of many yé-yé singers some of her music is on that cusp with post-yé-yé psychedelic garage sound that we love so much. This CD collects all of her 7" 45 RPM EPs into one big package including a booklet with color pictures of the original covers. The artist formerly known as the drummer for the group Les Petites Souris took her moniker from the Tom Jones hit "What's New Pussycat?" when she went solo. In addition to doing a few cover tunes she also performs some of her own compositions. Our only regret is the sound quality of this CD. Like other Magic Records releases, it seems to be made from the actual records and fidelity is a looser.
	Michel Polnareff Love me, please love me Just because he is coming further down the list does not mean we love Polnareff any less. 1966 was a magic year around the world for pop music and France contributed their best - Dutronc emerged the same year, Gainsbourg released his classic cuts and from the steps of Sacre-Cœur emerged a troubadour with a sound and an attitude like no other. His breakthrough hit "La poupee qui fait non" is about a guy who's girlfriend refuses his amourous requests. The British band The Birds did a version of it and several others have covered it since. He went on to cause a bit of a scandal with "L'amour avec toi". I'll translate a verse so you get the idea - These are the words that everybody thinks But society doesn't let you say them I'm sick of society And it's pretentious morality I simply want to make love to you It could only be played on the radio after 10pm. Polnareff was one of the most distinct voices in French pop and so was his constantly changing music style. We suggest his first album, but you might want to save some time and order this 3-CD set that contains the first 3 albums.
	Françoise Hardy The Vogue Years When we suggested something other than Françoise's greatest hits previously, we did so knowing that they would come along later. All the hits are here "Tous les garcons..", "La maison ou grandi", "Mon amie la rose" and on and on. The poppy, beautiful and 'new sound tracks' are here. No music collection would be complete without this prolific and long lasting singer. A hyper-Phat 50 tracks!
	Serge Gainsbourg Histoire de Melody Nelson This album from 1971 isn't one you will be hearing at the club. Françoise Hardy considers it to be her favorite. Beck took large chunks from it for his latest album, and almost everyone agrees that this is a great record. Mixing progressive rock with an underlying funk groove Serge accounts the story of a young waif who runs into a dirty old french man (Gainsbarre, peut etre?). One of the greatest French records of all time and an awesome cover to boot. When you are ready to move beyond Gainsbourg's 60s material, this will be waiting for you.

Extra Credit

	Johnny Hallyday La génération perdue It is difficult to find a really decent Johnny compilation. So we are going with this actual album from 1966. This disque marks not only the 'new sound' of Johnny but also the new sound of French pop. A switch that was provoked by Antoine. In fact, Johnny's response to Antoine is on this album - "Cheveux longs idées courtes" (Long hair, short ideas). Here we get the harder rock sound (ie goodbye yé-yé) through his hit and cover tune "Noir c'est noir" (Black Is Black). It lacks his charming early material like "Souvenir souvenir" but it's a good place to start. It was also the first album from Johnny after his suicide attempt. Not all anglo ears are sympathetic to certain French vocal qualities. Listen to a sample to see if you can take it.
	Sylvie Vartan Est-ce-que tu le sais? 30 songs of classic yé-yé and lots of cover tunes (a yé-yé trademark). Sylvie was the first of the new generation yé-yé girl singers and was The Queen yé-yé to yé-yé King Johnny. In fact they were married and had a yé-yé son, David Hallyday, together. Sylvie still has quite a bit singing career and has released a huge number of albums. Most of her other material from the 60s is only available on expensive Japanese imports.
	Chantal Goya Les années 60s Looking for that innocent early 60s French pop sound? This is it. All originals, no cover tunes. Before she started singing for children in the 70s Chantal had her own little yé-yé career. Jean-Luc Goddard even used her in his film Masculin-Feminin and the songs that she sings from that film are on this disc. You can definitely hear that kind of 50s sound in these songs (like you can in early Beatles). Not the best sound quality but tons of cutes and charm. Very recommended.
	Femmes de Paris Vollume 1 and Volume 2 This is an official French release, meaning that the recordings were taken from the original tapes and remastered. Sound quality alone makes these discs worth having even though some of the tracks appear on other comps like Ultra Chicks. Vollume 1 standouts include Marie LaForet's wicked cover of "Paint it Black"; the Jacqueline Taieb freak-beat classic "7 heures du matin" about a teenage girl getting-up in the morning to do her thing, which she dreamily hopes will include Paul McCartney helping her with her English homework; Jocelyne's version of "Nitty Gritty", Eileen doing "Ces bottes sont fais pour marcher" (hopefully you can translate that) and the somewhat haunting "Les papillons noirs" by Michèle Arnaud. The second vollume highlight has to be "et toi, et soi, et moi" by Cléo and with musical arrangements by Jacques Dutronc before he was a star, a very rare treat indeed.
	Jocelyne Twistin' the Rock The Brenda Lee/Wanda Jackson hybrid of French pop. At 13 she might have been the youngest yé-yé, but don't let that put you off - She can belt it out, and a lot better than some of her more popular contemporaries. Lots of covers including my favorite "La la la la la" which she does complete justice too. It's a two-cd set collecting her EPs.
	Gillian Hills Twistin' the Rock The Beat Girl. Really, she was the one in that movie. She also appeared with Jane Birkin during the naughty bits of Blowup But this CD covers her early to mid 60s French singing career of this pussy cat. Great sounds and very diverse. Unfortunately none of her work with Serge Gainsbourg made it on this disc, probably for liscensing reasons. Another great comp on the Twistin' the Rock series.

Extra Credit

	Stereo Total Stereo Total Stereo Total would be in our Fundamental section, but since it isn't 60s music and contains such things as 'electronic keyboard sounds' we didn't want the purists belly-aching. But Stereo Total IS French 60s Pop, among a dozen other things as well. They sing in English, French, Japanese and German! If anybody had the an Electro Clash sensibility years before the term was coined, it was them. Don't let that catch word put you off though, buy anything by them. Their self titled album is a best of from their first two import albums. Juke Box Alarm is my personal favorite, if I had to pick only one. The album My Melody contains a booty-rockin' version of "Baby You Can Drive My Car" sung in French! 'Nuff said!
	Ronnie Bird Twistin' the Rock The official French Beat rocker. Ronnie Bird took a path less followed than his contemporaries and produced some really great mod-rock. This is a two-CD set and contains everything. The sound quality is superior to earlier Ronnie releases. He looks cool, sounds cool, and got to tour with The Stones! One time, very hard to find but, with this release, not so rare anymore. We are thankful.
	Long Chris and the Daltons Twistin' the Rock You know Johnnie, and Eddie, Sheila and Sylvie. Clo-Clo and Antoine, France Gall and Jane B. But do you recall... Long Chris was there man. He was there with Johnny, Eddie, Frank all those cats. Though he didn't start recording with the Daltons until 1962, Long Chris was definitely a man on the scene in the microcosm of French pop. Long Chris was heavily into American rock and country music and the influence shows, in a good way. Check out this charismatic figure and the early sounds of French rock.
	Jacqueline Taieb The Complete Masterworks of the French Mademoiselle I would be remiss in my duties if I did not report to you that this CD was available. The original 45 EP of Taieb's "7 heures du matin" goes for well over $100 and deservedly so, the song just kicks big garage rock butt. The rest of the CD is good but nothing comes close to that driving guitar goody that she is famous for. Sample the tunes before you buy.
	Les Chaussettes Noirs Twistin' the Rock: Les Chaussettes Noirs Story For historical purposes you gotta talk about Les Chaussettes because they were the first rock 'n' roll group in France. Front man Eddy Mitchel went solo several years later and still has a career today, though he tends to end-up in movie screens rather than on stereo speakers. It's charming stuff this early French rock, with its obsession for the Twist and other dances. This Cd is definitely for the purist.
	Pop à Paris Special 2-CD set This CD set is included because it does have some neat stuff on it. But what is more interesting or agravating is what it doesn't have on it. This is the first 'serious' 60s French pop compilation by a major label and unfortunately they don't quite get it. The problems: 5 different vollumes but no vollume has a theme or style, each vollume has the same liner notes, no information about the artist, original EP artwork is missing for many of the tracks, can't tell if there are unreleased cuts, and no rare stuff like "Dents de lait, dents de loup". The Austin Powers-like cover art really hinders the credibility and further prooves that they just don't get it. Rumor has it that the idea for these comps was a somewhat stolen idea by somebody who really doesn't understand the current interest in the genre. It shows. The CDs lack consistency, excitement and information. That said, there is some interesting stuff here and for historical purposes it fills in the gaps.