Tuesday 18 June 2013

Serge: at home, in the studio, and in the musical of his life

Whilst looking for a video for Serge's 'Ford Mustang' for the last L'Amour à la Chaîne post, I re-discovered this ace behind the scenes/making of a song film.

Most of the film features studio footage of Serge, Arthur Greenslade, and co putting together the song 'Initials B. B.' at Chappell Studios, London in April/May 1968. Then at 11m20 there's a brief clip of a 'Ford Mustang' vocal take with some scary, toothy percussion; followed by Serge doing an unused take of 'Black and White'; plus a little bit of that plummy-voiced woman on 'Bloody Jack'...



That video led to me discovering this charming "day in the life of Serge and his kids" video dated Saturday 31 March 1979:



After which I came across this hazy, bar-set interview with Serge and Jane, in which, half-way through, as if seeing himself in some cheesy, soul-searching moment from a musical of his life, Serge breaks into a sad song about Charlie Brown. I kid you not...

Monday 17 June 2013

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.19

Now that I've sorted out those pesky mp3s, I reckon it's time we got back to la Chaîne.

The last link was Sandie Shaw. She was born and brought up in Dagenham, Essex and briefly worked at Ford Dagenham, one of Ford Motors' British production plants (and location of the famous women sewing machinists' strike of 1968, fact fans!).

So, for the next link I give you the song 'Ford Mustang' by Serge Gainsbourg. But instead of the original, here's a cover-version en Portugais (I think!). This version was originally released in 2000 on the Gainsbourg tribute album Lucien Forever (Pussycat Records).


It's not often these days that a search on the interweb yields scant results about a band or artist, but that is the case with Ars Post Tergum Introet. If my search engine of choice is to be believed, they have released just this cover and possibly one other song 'Rien'. There is nothing else about them whatsoever, other than link upon link to (mostly) non-existent mp3 downloads of this song. If anyone has any info, it'd be great to know more about them.

Let's just enjoy the song now, eh?

Ars Post Tergum Introet - Ford Mustang
[I can't seem to find any copies of the Lucien Forever album anywhere either, so, sorry, no links to buy the CD]

...................................................................
L'Amour à la Chaîne: what will be the next link in the chain?
Leave your suggestions and reasons in the comments.
Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la ChaîneFrançoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis > Les 5 Gentlemen – Cara-Lin > Add N To (X) – Monster Bobby > Serge Gainsbourg – Le Poinçonneur des Lilas > Les Shades – Orage Mécanique > Gillian Hills - Rentre Sans Moi > Zombie Zombie - Psychic Harmonia > Michel Polnareff - Qui a Tué Grand'Maman? > Christine Pilzer - L'Horloge De Grand-PèreViolaine - J'ai Des Problèmes Décidement > Dutronc - Dodecaphonie > Fabienne Delsol - Ce Jour LaJohnny Hallyday - Son Amour Pour Un Jeu > Miss Kittin & The Hacker - L'Homme Dans L'Ombre > Andre Popp - L'Homme Invisible > Future Bible Heroes - Love Is Blue > Sandie Shaw - L'Orage > Ars Post Tergum Introet - Ford Mustang > ?

Nothing but the truth


This is my new favourite Clothilde song.

It was the 4th track on her 2nd (and final) ep, and it has all the hallmarks of this quintessential Swinging Mademoiselle: The disaffected vocal; a hyperactive bubblegum groove; some ridiculously strangulated fuzz-guitar; ding-dong bells; all manner of plinky-plonky percussion; horns a-plenty; a bit at the start of the chorus where she goes "Heh!"; not to mention the kitchen sink... All thrown into the mixing console and stirred up by French pop svengali Germinal Tenas.

I really can't understand why it hasn't already been on any of the umpteen Swinging Mademoiselle/Ultra Chicks/Femmes De Paris/Pop A Paris comps to date... But it's now available to us all on the Born Bad Records released French Swinging Mademoiselle 1967 album, and the CD and LP versions include a full transcript of a candid interview with Élisabeth Beauvais (Clothilde's real name), plus interjections from the aforementioned Mr. Tenas.

Clothilde - La Vérité Toute La Vérité [buy Clothilde - French Swinging Mademoiselle 1967 on CD, LP or all manner of digital formats from Born Bad Records]

Friday 14 June 2013

I can haz mp3s!

Finally I have sorted out the AWOL mp3 situation.  I've re-instated files as far back as L'Amour à la Chaîne link 17 (all mp3s from older posts have now been deleted. so if you missed any of them, it's too late now - though I'm sure I could find an excuse if you ask nicely!)

Now that that's all sorted, I can start posting some new stuff, expect at least 1 new post in the next few days.

Thanks for being patient.
Domx