Serge the pop icon.
Serge the song stylist. Serge the lover of beautiful blondes. Serge the
poet. Serge the perve. Serge Gainsbourg is many things to many people.
During his 30+ years in music, he was also a movie maker and movie music
composer. This
three-disc retrospective captures his soundtrack work for 34 films made
between 1959 and 1990.
For anyone familiar
with Serge's pop work -- through albums such as Histoire de Melody
Nelson and compilations such as Comic Strip and Du Jazz
dans Le Ravin, to name but a few -- it is quite apparent that Serge
was a versatile music maker. His influence on pop music rivals that of
the Velvet Underground (and rivals anyone in France). (If French is a
language barrier, more hesitant listeners are encourged to hear Mick Harvey's
English-translated cover albums Intoxicated Man and Pink Elephants.)
Not surprisingly,
Serge's movie music carries over from his pop work. After all, there are
a few (just a few) tracks included that also appear on the Mercury/Philips
collections (Couleur Cafe, Classe X, etc.) And while there
are more instrumentals here than vocal tracks, the sense of Serge
remains consistant.
Disc one (1959-1967),
for films such as Strip-Tease and Anna, is the jazziest
of the lot. Small group settings proliferate. Latin percussion, horns,
piano, jazz guitar and vibes are put to good use. As is the case throughout
the collection, vocal duties are split between Serge and female singers
such as Juliette Greco and Jane Birkin.
Disc two (1967-1970),
for films such as Slogan and Cannabis, is more stylistically
varied. There is sitar rock, lush orchestral, proto raps, psychadelic
afro-beat experiments, dancefloor ravers, baroque rock, you name it. If
anything, this disc reinforces the idea that 67-70 was an incredibly fertile
period for Serge.
Disc three (1972-1990),
for films such as Sex-Shop, Je t'Aime Moi non Plus and Goodbye
Emmanuelle, is also stylistically varied. In addition to rock and
lush orchestral, Serge ventures into reggae, disco funk, new wave and
-- dare I say -- soft rock. It could be argued that disc three is the
least charming of the lot, but necessary for a complete picture of Serge's
soundtrack output. This disc also includes some bonus tracks from as early
as 1962.
In conclusion, casual
fans of Serge may have little use for this box, but anyone who digs Serge's
gift for moody melodies will love it.
The package includes
copiously illustrated liner notes in French and English.
Also see a review
of the Serge Gainsbourg remix disc, "I
Love Serge".
"Diafanoidi
