Paris Olympia [Import]

Edith Piaf | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Emd Int'l
• ASIN: B000006X53
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,775 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Milord

2. Heureuse

3. Avec Ce Soleil

4. C'est a Hambourg

5. Légende

6. Enfin le Printemps

7. Padam...Padam

8. Hymne ŕ l'Amour

9. L' Accordéoniste

10. Mon Mančge ŕ Moi (Tu Me Fais Tourner La Tęte)

11. Bavo Pour le Clown

12. Les Mots d'Amour

13. Les Flonflons du Bal

14. T'Es l'Homme Qu'il Me Faut

15. Mon Dieu

16. Mon Vieux Lucien

17. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

18. La Ville Inconnue

19. La Belle Historie d'Amour

20. Les Blouses Blanches

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available

Track: 10: Mon Manege A Moi,

Track: 11: Bravo Pour Le Clown,

Track: 12: Les Mots DAmour,

Track: 13: Les Flons Flons Du Bal,

Track: 14: Tes LHomme Quil Me Faut,

Track: 15: Mon Dieu,

Track: 16: Mon Vieux Lucien,

Track: 17: Non Je Ne Regrette Rien,

Track: 18: La Ville Inconnue,

Track: 19: La Belle Histoire DAmour,

Track: 1: Milord,

Track: 20: Les Blouses Blanches,

Track: 2: Heureuse,

Track: 3: Avec Ce Soleil,

Track: 4: Cest A Hambourg,

Track: 5: Legende,

Track: 6: Enfin L Printemps,

Track: 7: Padam Padam,

Track: 8: Hymne A LAmour,

Track: 9: LAccordeoniste
Media Type: CD
Artist: PIAF,EDITH
Title: AT THE PARIS OLYMPIA
Street Release Date: 01/11/2005
Import
Genre: FRENCH

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inconsistent sound, but one of the very best Piaf discs, January 14, 2004

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paris Olympia (Audio CD)

Edith Piaf sang at the Olympia Theatre in Paris many times, making the venue so synonymous with her own name that eventually Jeff Buckely dreamed of playing there. EMI's AT THE PARIS OLYMPIA DISC contains material from five Piaf concerts from 1955, her first show there, until 1962, one of her last concerts, for a total of twenty tracks. These include truly stunning songs, such as the moving "Heureuse" and energetic "L'Accordeoniste", and fortunately there is only a few spots where Piaf sings in English, a style which alienates many fans.

In contrast to the myriad budget Piaf compilations, it is clear that care has been taken with AT THE PARIS OLYMPIA. The sound quality is better than one would expect from 1950's live recordings. There are detailed liner notes written by one Ralph Harvey which discuss each concert and the sungs performed there, speaking frankly about Piaf's ill health and drug dependency in her final days.

Unfortunately, this compilation from four separate sources means that the audio quality is inconsistent. The opening "Milord", dating from 1962, is clear and distinct, but 1961's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien", for example, sounds flat and uninspiring (though from the applause, the audience present certainly enjoyed it).

All in all, this is one of the best Piaf discs, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. I feel it would also make a better introduction to her work than her studio albums or any of the low-quality compiliations which mix studio and live material.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Finest of Her Late Live Recordings, April 7, 2007

By 

James Morris (Jackson Heights, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paris Olympia (Audio CD)

To the French, Edith Piaf is a source of great national pride, and continues to be an enduring icon nearly 50 years after her death. To Americans, she has unfairly been labeled by some as, "The French Judy Garland" more for the circumstances of their tragic life stories, their drug addiction, and the fact that both died at age 47, than because of any vocal similarity. Still, both were powerhouse singers of enormous strength and dramatic ability, especially for their uncanny ability to transform a song into heartfelt expressions of amazing intensity.

When it comes to Piaf, there are many different camps of opinion on the subject of her best recordings. I find that many fans who are fluent in French prefer her 1940's studio recordings to the more dramatic vocal beseeching of her live 1950's and early 1960's recordings, made shortly before her death. Conversely, her English speaking fans, many of whom understand little or no French, frequently prefer the later period, and the live recordings from that period in particular. I am among those who champion her late period, although lately I have found a new fascination for her earlier works.

As such, I believe there are few better introductions to Piaf than this collection, which contains my favorite versions of some of her biggest hits, in particular the songs Milord, C'est a Hambourg, Enfin L'Printemps, Padam...Padam, L'accordeoniste, Mon Manege a Moi, Bravo pour Le Clown, Hymne A L'Amour and Non Je Ne Regrette Rien. Piaf's voice was never stronger, and the appreciation of her audience (as heard in the abundant applause) never more heartfelt, than on these live tracks, all recorded at the Paris Olympia - her artistic home, and scene of some of her greatest triumphs during the last decade or so of her life.

There are also a few songs on this CD that I was previously unfamiliar with that I have also become quite fond of. Avec Ce Soleil and Mon Vieux Lucien (which has a rather bizarre false start that elicits quite a bit of laughter and applause) have added themselves to my list of Piaf favorites. And while I have one or two favorite live performances from the Olympia on vinyl that EMI has chosen to exclude from this recording, the list of my favorites is complete enough that I cannot hesitate to recommend this wonderful CD. I own about a dozen CD's of Piaf from various periods of her life; for me, this collection contains some of the most thrilling performances by this wonderful artist, a singer who had few equals in the 20th century.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Olympic heights, August 30, 2007

By 

M. A Newman (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paris Olympia (Audio CD)

It is one thing to listen to old digitally remastered versions of Edith Piaf records, but quite another thing to hear live recordings of her actually performing. The songs on this CD are actually a collection of a variety of performances that Piaf gave at the famous Olympia Theatre. The songs on this CD are all very excellent and what really comes through is Piaf's sheer joy in performing. There are some amusing moments where Piaf struggles to remember a detail about a song which are charming as they doubtless were when she was performing. Her skill as an incomparable artist comes through at this CD. It is the overall excellence of this series of recordings and others that have contributed to the status of Piaf as a major artist of the 21st century.