226. Histoire de Melody Nelson

Histoire de Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg
1971

Tracks
1. Melody
2. Ballade De Melody Nelson
3. Valse De Melody
4. Ah Melody
5. L'Hotel Particulier
6. En Melody
7. Cargo Culte


I have listened to some weird albums in my time but this has got to be one of the strangest.  The whole experience was odd because I was trying to decipher Ulysses while trying to translate the French.  Result?  Brain explosion.


Anyway, I don't think we have had French music since Jacques Brel so I was excited to hear something different.  This is a concept album.  From what I could gather, some guy is in love with a young girl named Melody and it doesn't work out.  Interspersed between the album was some girl saying "Melody!" over and over again and something really obnoxious laughter.


This album was unusual for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is a little under a half hour long.  For another, the singer tries to do this really sexy voice thing throughout which is not wholly successful. 


The whole album is in rapid French which if you can't understand, there is really no point in listening to it since it is more of a story than music.

RATING: 2/5

43. A L'Olympia 1964

A L'Olympia 1964
Jacques Brel
1964

Amanda: I have had the most pleasant evening.  I went to dinner with my cousin at this cool Caribbean place.  The food was actually pretty awful (we are talking sunny side up egg on tofu on goatcheese on tomatoes on bread) but I tried it.  I have been trying so many new things lately (props to the 1001 books!).  Anyway, I actually have free time so I can watch a movie and go to bed early!  Woohoo!

So this is our first French album.  French people have some pretty odd tastes.  I mean, the Prime Minister gave Jerry Lewis an honorary award.  Jerry Lewis.  Still, I expected to like this because pretty much everyone else does.  I was disapointed however.  The music was kind of boring, the kind I heard people singing in the Metro.  It also sounded choppy to me.  I think that makes me the only person in the world who dislikes this album.  Prove me wrong, Brie.  Prove me wrong.

RATING:

Click here for a link to a really good French song.

Brie: If my French was more fluent I probably could appreciate the wonderful songwriting of Jacques Brel a lot more. But, as it is, I completely adored this! (Sorry, Mandy) Some of these made me want to be very stereotypically French (see Le Dernier Repas) and wear horizontal striped shirts, black skinny pants, and smoke cigarettes. Someday, someday. Brel uses a very tender, pensive tone to his voice on some of the songs. Also I became a bit depressed when listening to this because it just reminded me that my French accent will never be that good. :( So overall an awesome album to listen to if you want a taste of critically acclaimed French music. It won't be a waste of your time, I promise.

RATING: