Genre: garage
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Title: Les Sultans
Company: Teledisc
Catalog: TD-356
Year: 1966
Country/State: St-Hyacinthe, Quebec Canada
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: gatefold sleeve
Available: 2
Catalog ID: 4903
Price: $120.00
Let me mention that there's quite a bit of web-based material on Les Sultans, but almost all of it is in French and if you run a translation program on the material you end up with gibberish. Since my French is pretty lame (sorry mom), you'll have to take my comments with more than the usual grain of salt.
Formed in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec Les Sultans evolved out of an early 1960s instrumental quintet known as The Dowries. The original 1962 line up consisted of guitarists Andre Dion, Giles Henry, Claude Reid and Marcel Richard, but by 1963 the group had expanded to include former Les Majestics singer Bruce Huard. Like thousands of other groups, by 1964 the group had fallen under the spell of The Beatles. Dropping their old name and instrumental catalog, they reworked their catalog into a more-rock oriented focus and reappeared as Les Sultans.
Over the next couple of years the band released a series of singles for a string of small Quebec-based labels:
- 1964's 'Toujours Devant Moi' b/w 'Cielito Lindo' (Fontaine catalog number F-1606)
- 1964's 'La Bamba' b/w 'Oh Lady' (Fontaine catalog number F-1621)
- 1965's 'Vivre Sa Vie' b/w 'La Bohmeme' (Laniel catalog 3001)
- 1965's 'Sois Mienne' b/w 'Le Pere Jean' (J. Franco catalog number JF-4019)
- 1965's 'On Est Trop Jeune' b/w 'Va T'en' (J. Franco catalog number JF-4040)
- 1966's 'Dis-Lui' b/w 'Je T'aimes Bien' (J. Franco catalog number JF-4046)
Signed by Teledisc Records, 1966 found the group finally given a chance to record an album. Produced by Denis Pantis, in spite of the fact all twelve songs were sung in French, the cleverly titled 'Les Sultans" was nothing short of spectacular. Showcasing a largely original set, the album featured a great mix of radio-friendly pop ('La Poupée Que Fait Non' and ''Je T'aime Bien') and tougher fuzz-propelled rockers ('Tu es Impossible' and ''C'est promis). Huard had a fantastic voice that was more than capable of handling the entire spectrum of material in their diverse repetoire and the rest of the band played with an intensity that you simply don't hear very often. Highlights included their two Zombies covers 'Je T'aime Bien' ('You Make Me Feel Good') and 'Dis-lui' ('Leave Me Be') Curiously both tracks are credited as Sultans compositions, as is a Kinks cover 'Il N'ya Rien au Monde que Je Ne Ferais Pas Pour Cette Fille' ('Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout The Girl'). Other highlights included the two singles pulled from the album:
- 1966's 'Tu Es Impossible' b/w 'Paronnes-Moi' (Teledisc catalog number 22)
- 1966's Le Poupee Qui Fait Non' b/w '' (Teledisc catalog number 24)
Easily one of the best albums to come out of a Quebec garage band, tad these guys released an English version of the album they would have been superstars.
"Les
Sultans" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) La Poupée Que Fait Non (Michael Polnareff - F. Gerald) -
2.) Tu es Impossible (Bruce Huard - Les Sultans) -
3.) Pardonne-moi (Bruce Huard - Les Sultans) -
4.) Apprends a Vivre (Les Sultans) -
5.) Je T'aime Bien (Les Sultans) -
6.) Tout Le Monde me Dit qu'elle est Belle (Les Sultans) -
(side
2)
1.) Va t'en (Roger Beaudey -
Ghislain Dufault) -
2.) Angelique (Michael Orso) -
3.) C'est promis (Berns - Bruce Huard) -
4.) Dis-lui (White - Huard) -
5.) Il N'y a Rien au Monde que Je Ne Ferais Pas Pour Cette Fille (Bruce Huard) -
6.) Le Douzieme (instrumental) (Bruce Huard - Les Sultans) -
