UPC: 602527782539
Format: CD & DVD (3 disc)
Release Date: Nov 08, 2011
Regular price
$22.95 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$22.95 USD
Unit price
per
Couldn't load pickup availability
FREE SHIPPING
This item is currently out of stock and may be on backorder.
Brimming with lust, drama, and dark humor, HISTORIE DE MELODY NELSON is widely acknowledged as Gainsbourg's masterpiece. The 1971 release was criminally ignored outside France-despite the godfather of French pop's decade of cutting-edge songwriting. It's now something of a cult classic, and artists as diverse as Air, Nick Cave, and Portishead have all cited the album as an influence.
Don't be put off by the "concept album" tag. There are no goblins here. Instead, Gainsbourg concentrates on his favorite subjects-sex and death. The story line concerns a chance meeting between a middle-aged man and a teenage girl that develops into a passionate affair. Never one to shy away from controversy, Gainsbourg plays his character with consummate sleaze. Remember, this man wrote the playfully obscene "Les Sucettes" for young, innocent France Gall (who thought she was singing about lollypops). Most of the lyrics are intoned in Serge's seedy seductive whisper, intertwined perfectly with the cinematic music. From the slow, smoky funk of "Melody" through intricately arranged ballads and the final apocalyptic "Cargo Culte" (featuring a 70-strong choir), there's never a dull moment. In lesser hands, this would be an overblown mess. MELODY NELSON, in its subtlety and invention, remains a testament to Gainsbourg's genius.
Don't be put off by the "concept album" tag. There are no goblins here. Instead, Gainsbourg concentrates on his favorite subjects-sex and death. The story line concerns a chance meeting between a middle-aged man and a teenage girl that develops into a passionate affair. Never one to shy away from controversy, Gainsbourg plays his character with consummate sleaze. Remember, this man wrote the playfully obscene "Les Sucettes" for young, innocent France Gall (who thought she was singing about lollypops). Most of the lyrics are intoned in Serge's seedy seductive whisper, intertwined perfectly with the cinematic music. From the slow, smoky funk of "Melody" through intricately arranged ballads and the final apocalyptic "Cargo Culte" (featuring a 70-strong choir), there's never a dull moment. In lesser hands, this would be an overblown mess. MELODY NELSON, in its subtlety and invention, remains a testament to Gainsbourg's genius.
Tracks:
Disc 1:
1 - Melody
2 - Ballade De Melody Nelson
3 - Valse De Melody
4 - Ah ! Melody
5 - L'hôtel Particulier
6 - En Melody
7 - Cargo Culte
Disc 2:
1 - Melody [Complete Take - Unreleased]
2 - Ballade De Melody Nelson [Alternative Voice Take – Unreleased]
3 - Valse De Melody [Alternative Voices Take – Unreleased]
4 - Ah ! Melody [Alternative Voices Take – Unreleased]
5 - Melody Lit Babar [Voice Version – Unreleased Track]
6 - Melody Lit Babar [Instrumental Version – Unreleased Track]
7 - L'hôtel Particulier [Complete Take – Unreleased]
8 - En Melody [Alternative Take – Unreleased]
9 - Cargo Culte [Instrumental Version - Unreleased]
Disc 3:
1 - Melody
2 - Ballade De Melody Nelson
3 - Valse De Melody
4 - Ah ! Melody
5 - L'hotel Particulier
6 - En Melody
7 - Cargo Culte
8 - Documentary
1 - Melody
2 - Ballade De Melody Nelson
3 - Valse De Melody
4 - Ah ! Melody
5 - L'hôtel Particulier
6 - En Melody
7 - Cargo Culte
Disc 2:
1 - Melody [Complete Take - Unreleased]
2 - Ballade De Melody Nelson [Alternative Voice Take – Unreleased]
3 - Valse De Melody [Alternative Voices Take – Unreleased]
4 - Ah ! Melody [Alternative Voices Take – Unreleased]
5 - Melody Lit Babar [Voice Version – Unreleased Track]
6 - Melody Lit Babar [Instrumental Version – Unreleased Track]
7 - L'hôtel Particulier [Complete Take – Unreleased]
8 - En Melody [Alternative Take – Unreleased]
9 - Cargo Culte [Instrumental Version - Unreleased]
Disc 3:
1 - Melody
2 - Ballade De Melody Nelson
3 - Valse De Melody
4 - Ah ! Melody
5 - L'hotel Particulier
6 - En Melody
7 - Cargo Culte
8 - Documentary