Francoise Hardy
Band members Related acts
|
line-up 1 (-2024) - Francoise Hardy (RIP 2024) -- vocals, guitar
|
- none known
|
|
Genre: pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Francoise Hardy Company: Vogue Catalog: LD 600-30 Year: 1962 Country/State: France Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: French pressing; mono pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 256 Price: $80.00
Best time to play: when your feeling down and out, or just plain unloved
|
Francoise Hardy was the ultimate Yé-Yé girl ... Most folks reading this will be familiar with the term, but in case you aren't, here's the Wikipedia definition:
"[Ye-ye] was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term yé-yé was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as the Beatles."
Nothing but sexist speculation on my part, but I'm guessing that thousands of young men (and probably quite a few women), bought this album just for the cover photo ... I certainly would have if I'd been of the record buying age in 1962.
Originally eleased with the title "Francoise Hardy", based on the hit single, the collection was widely referred to as "Tous les garçons et les filles" (roughly translated as "all the boys and the girls"). From a musical standpoint one of the album's most interesting interesting characteristics came in the form of writing credits. Unlike most of her contemporaries, the then-eighteen year old Hardy wrote most of her own material (largely co-written with producer/composer Roger Samyn) and was allowed to actually record it. Of the twelve tracks on the debut LP, only two were outside covers. Even established acts like The Beatles and The Stones had a hard time convincing labels to allow them that much creative latitude. Musically the set was pretty impressive. Admittedly, Hardy didn't have the greatest voice you've ever heard. If pushed, she could belt it out with considerable energy (check out the up-tempo 'Le Temps de L'Amour'), but her natural disposition seemed to be the aural equivalent of neutral gear, Exemplified by songs like the stark ballad 'La Fille Avec Toi' and 'C’est à l’amour auquel je pense' her comfort zone seemed to be mid-tempo ballads where she could sulk along in a slightly anonymous, quasi-monotone. As an 18 year old, she also displayed a penchant for depressing, love-focused lyrics which might well have driven emotionally tenuous folks to do bad things to themselves. A couple more up tempo numbers wouldn't have hurt the mix. All those criticisms aside, Hardy had a special appeal making these twelve songs well worth hearing.
"Francoise Hardy" track listing: While it was a gigantic French hit, admittedly the title track isn't going to appeal to everyone. Penned by Hardy and composer Roger Samyn, 'Tous le Garcons et Les Filles' was a highly sentimental (almost saccharine), heavily arranged love song saved by the fact the French lyrics covered up some of the other flaws. Also in it's favor was the fact this was Francois Hardy and you barely noticed the French lyrics YouTube has a cool early-60s promotional video for the song. Admittedly the amusement park setting was a little bizarre as was the segment showing girls' skirts flying up in the air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKBI2kc_x-I For hardcore fans, Hardy's record label pushed her to record an English version of the song under the title 'Find Me a Boy'. Because her English was limited, the results were pretty rough, though the accompanying low-tech promotional film clip was cute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM5gCwVk15s 2.) Ca a rate (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 2:02 rating: *** stars Another Hardy original, 'Ca a rate' was an interesting change of pace. Musically the song exhibited what sounded like a touch of Elvis Presley/rockabilly swagger with some really strange pauses. Sounds strange and it was, but somehow Hardy managed to pull it off. 3.) La Fille Avec Toi (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 2:40 rating: ** stars 'La Fille Avec Toi' ( I think it translates as 'The Girl with You'), showcased Hardy in a folk spotlight; imagine a young, French Joni Mitchell, or Joan Baez. Just Hardy accompanied by some strummed acoustic guitar and a plucky bass line, there wasn't a great deal to the song. Pretty enough, but a touch too fey for my personnel tastes. YouTube has a black and white television performance of the song: even the audience seemed relieved when the song was over. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAOyFsNE3Hk \ 4.) Oh Oh Cheri (Jil et Jan - Bobby Lee Trammel) - 2:22 rating: *** stars Bobby Lee Trammel recorded the song under the title 'Uh Oh' back in 1958, giving it a cool, if slightly goofy Buddy Holly-vocal and arrangement (well worth checking out). I have absolutely no idea how Hardy stumbled across this obscurity, but her cover (retitled 'Oh Oh Cheri') stuck pretty close to the original arrangement. It must have sounded pretty wild to her French audience. 5.) Le Temps de L'Amour (Andre Salvet - Lucien Morisse - Jacques Dutrone) - 2:27 rating: **** stars Originally recorded by José Salcy and his Jam’s, Hardy's cover of 'Le Temps de L'Amour' was one of my picks for standout performance. With a nifty, hipster edge, it was probably the album's closest brush with a rock feel. YouTube has a short black and white performance clip of the sing at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snys9LGMAmo 6.) Il est Tout Pour Moi (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 1:58 rating: **** stars 'Il est Tout Pour Moi' (I think it translates along the lines of 'he's all mine'), was kind of an oddity for Hardy in that it had an uplifting, positive lyric and a bouncy, poppish beat. Just because it was different, I love it.
Another bouncy, highly commercial pop song, 'On se plaît' actually generated a bit more energy than your typical Hardy song. The track also has some nice lead guitar wailing away in the background. 2.) Ton meilleur am (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 2:10 rating: *** stars 'Ton meilleur am' ('Only Friends'), found Hardy reverting back to downbeat, depressing ballad. This one at least had some interesting circus organ going for it. I've only heard it a couple of times, but there's also an interesting English version of the song. YouTube has a black and white performance clip of the track. Wonder if she could have found a stiffer backing band ...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_9XCxDSeE 3.) J’ai jeté mon cœur (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 2:33 rating: *** stars Originally I didn't think much of the mid-tempo ballad 'J’ai jeté mon cœur', but it's one of the songs that grows on you with time and underscored Hardy's instantly recognizable voice. It also features one of the nicer electric guitar performances (not that you buy a Francoise Hardy LP for the electric guitar solos). 4.) Il est parti un jour (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 1:49 rating: **** stars 'Il est parti un jour' found Hardy returning to rockabilly territory ... well as rockabilly as an 18 year old French girl could get. Again, probably because it was just such a strange sound, I've got to admit a fascination with this one. Great rock-oriented backing instrumentation on this one. 5.) J’suis d’accord (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 2:05 rating: *** stars 'J’suis d’accord' shook things up with Hardy using her best 'little girl lost' voice and adding a touch of country twang to the mix. She performed the song in the Roger Vadim produced comedy Château en Suède (known in the States under the title Nutty, Naughty Chateau). YouTube has a clip of the performance at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmXWWrWTAo4 6.) C’est à l’amour auquel je pense (Francois Hardy - Roger Samyn) - 3:10 rating: *** stars The closer 'C’est à l’amour auquel je pense' was another track with a modest country-flavor. Nice lead guitar on this one.
I don't claim to understand French marketing schemes, but in case you didn't want to buy the album, you could have bought a series of three EPs that covered the same territory; all twelve songs on the debut LP, spread across three EPs. The only advantage that comes to mind from such a purchasing option would be the fact you got three EP photos of Ms. Hardy, as opposed to one with the LP.
1962's "Contact avec Francoise Hardy" (Vogue number EPL 7967) (side 1) 1.) J'suis d'accord
(side 2) 1.) Tous les garçons et les fille
1962's "C'Est L'Amour Auquel Je Pense" (Vogue catalog number EPL 8047)
(side 1) 1.) Ça A Raté 2.) Le Temps De L'Amour
(side 2) 1.) J'Ai Jeté Mon Cœur 2.) C'Est L'Amour Auquel Je Pense"
1962's "Ton Meilleur Am" (Vogue catalog number EPL 8048) (side 1) 1.) La Fille Avec Toi 2.) Il Est Tout Pour Moi
(side 2) 1.) On Se Plait 2.) Ton Meilleur Ami
It took three years, but in 1965 Kapp Records Four Corners of the World subsidiary finally got around to releasing the album in the States. Same cover, same track listing, though a slightly different album title - "The Yeh-Yeh Girl from Paris!" (Four Corners catalog number FCS-4208).
© Scott R. Blackerby June, 2024
|
Genre: pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Francoise Hardy Company: Vogue Catalog: CFH 2 Year: 1964 Country/State: France Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: French pressing; gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4 Price: $50.00 Cost: $1.00
|
Superficially, you
couldn't blame anyone stumbling across this album from comparing Francoise
Hardy to England's Marianne Faithful. Both are stunning blondes, promoted by
their respective record labels to take full advantage of their looks ...
Luckily that's pretty much where the comparison ends. Whereas Faithful never
had much of a voice and was little more than a pretty face at the mercy of
her producers, Hardy was very much her own boss (check out the inner sleeve
photos of her in the studio). Produced by Charles Blackwell and released by
the French Vogue label, 1964's cleverly titled "Francoise
Hardy" serves to spotlight her multiple talents. In
addition to owning a gorgeous voice, she was an accomplished songwriter - 11
of the 12 songs were written or co-written Hardy. Like most of her Vogue
catalog, the collection's a little to heavy on touching ballads ('Tu Ne Dis
Rien', 'Pars' and 'La Nuit Est Sur La Ville'), but Hardy gets a couple of
opportunities to strut her stuff in a more rock oriented fashion. 'Pourtant
Tu M'aimes' comes off as a neat Gallic version of '60s Brill Building girl
group, the sneering 'Je N'attends Plus Personne' sports a couple of great
guitar solos and the Marty Wilde co-written 'Pas Gentille' offers up a weird
country influenced sound. Curiously, while all 12 songs are performed in
French, the track listing includes a couple of English translations. (Never
released in the States, the album was originally issued with a gatefold
sleeve.)
|
Genre: pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Francois ... Company: Four Corners Catalog: Year: 1967 Country/State: France Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: laminated cover in excellent shape Available: SOLD Catalog ID: SOLD Price: SOLD $35.00 Cost: $1.00
|
Signed by Kapp's
newly formed Four Corners Records subsidiary, "Francoise
..." served as a nifty introduction to Hardy's catalog.
Gifted with a decent and versatile voice (far better than Faithfull's little
girl wallow), the majority of the 12 tracks were Hardy originals. While
material such as 'Ce Petit Coeur', 'Il Se Fait Tard' and 'L'Amitie' fell
firmly under the whispery chick singer category, elsewhere 'Tout Ce Qu'on
M'a Dit', 'En T'Attendant' and 'Je T'aime' displayed a much tougher
girl-group/rock sound. "'Non C'e N'est Pas Un Reve' was our personal
favorite for it's dead-on Phil Spector wall-of-sound knock-off. All-in-all
it was a pretty cool set; particularly for folks who thought French pop was
little more than accordions ... 1.) Ce Petit Coeur
(Francoise Hardy) - 2:08 (side 2) 1.) Non C'e N'est
Pas Un Reve (Charles Blackwell - Francoise Hardy) - 2:55
|
Genre: pop Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Star Company: Peters International Catalog: PLD-2016 Year: 1977 Country/State: France Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4669 Price: $30.00
|
Admittedly I was a late-comer to the Francois Hardy party. I didn't discover her until the mid-'9170s when I was in my mid-teens and living in Belgium with my family.
I'm kind of at a loss to explain why I like this album ... Come to think about it, I'm at a loss to explain why I like Francoise Hardy period !!! At best she's an MOR talent ... geez, I can't even understand most of her lyrics. Still, there's something captivating in much of her work.
Produced by Gabriel Yared (who also co-wrote a couple of tracks with Hardy), this mid-career release is far from her best work. Even the normally glowing Hardy looks somewhat tired, depressed and pensive on the front and back covers. That said, 1977's "Star" has enough going for it to warrant a spin. Written by Janis Ian, the extended title track was pretty, though the heartache-of-stardom storyline was over-the-top cheesy. 'A Vannes' had a catchy, upbeat melody and some horns that sounded like they were lifted from a Paul McCartney song. Equally likeable were 'Flashbacks', 'Enresgistrement', and 'Je ne Suis Que Moi'. Perhaps not the best place to start exploring Hardy's catalog, but worth hearing.
"Star" track listing: 1.) Star (Francoise Hardy - Janis Ian) - 7:33 rating: *** stars A writing partnership between Hardy and the late Janis Ian ... well, I'm guessing it really wasn't a partnership, rather Hardy got a credit for translating Ian's lyrics into French. The stark arrangement (Hardy and acoustic guitar), didn't stray too far from Ian's version, but I'll admit I liked Hardy's cover better. Maybe the song's depressing vibe simply sounded better in French. YouTube has a clip of Hardy lip synching the song in front of a French television audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOMbVEBh2C0 2.) Chason Sur Toi Et Nous (Francoise Hardy - Gabriel Yared) - 4:10 rating: ** stars Moody ballad that was a bit too supper club-ish for my tastes. YouTube has a copy of a promotional video for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOX9Xmatkhk There's also a hysterical clip of her lip synching for a television program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTEB1VW9w-s 3.) Enresgistrement (Sergi Gainsborough) - 2:43 rating: *** stars After the ballads 'Enresgistrement' came off as a pleasant surprise. Not exactly a rocker, but it had an upbeat melody and an interesting burping bass line. 4.) A Vannes (M. Jonasz) - 3:20 rating: *** stars For some reason the breezy 'A Vannes' has always reminded me of a Brazilian tune - maybe something Astrud Gilberto might had tackled. The song had a highly commercial pop edge. You almost had to laugh at this corny televiision performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6OYmDJ5R-E
(side 2) 1.) Flashbacks (L. Plamondon - R. Vincent) - 3:50 rating: *** stars Opening up with one of those pseudo-jazzy adult contemporary sax solos, the ballad 'Flashbacks' just never really kicked into gear. Here's another lip synching television appearance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocxeH42oL7I 2.) L'impasse (Francoise Hardy - P. Papadiamandis) - 2:29 rating: *** stars By the time you got to 'L'impasse' the heavy reliance on hyper-sensitive ballads began to take a toll on your nerves. Sure it was a pretty enough tune, but how much personal pain can anyone take in one setting? And here's another YouTube clip that probably will not win Hardy any awards for dynamic stage presence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Ur1oQkCDI 3.) Ton Enfance (P. Grosz - A. Goldsetin) - 2:35 rating: ** stars I think the title translated along the lines of "your childhood". Adding a country waltz tinge to one of her ballads just didn't do much to improve it for me. 4.) Je ne Suis Que Moi (Francoise Hardy - C. Lara) - 2:17 rating: *** stars The keyboard opening sequence was nice, and Hardy's fragile vocal left you thinking this was going to be another bland ballad ... and then the song exploded into a strange, upbeat orchestrated segment, complete with bleating chorus. Kind of cool, if only because it was different. 5.) Drole de Fete (Francoise Hardy - W. Sheller) - 3:12 6.) Fatiguee (Francoise Hardy - Gabriel Yared) - 2:14 rating: ** stars So why not end the album with a stark, piano-powered ballad? Yeah, I was pretty tired at this point.
© Scott R. Blackerby June, 2024
|
BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
