The Vogue Years [IMPORT] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Francoise Hardy

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 19, 2001)
• Original Release Date: March 13, 2001
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Camden International
• ASIN: B000056Q81
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,026 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #5 in	Music > World Music > Rock
  #21 in	Music > Imports > International
  #23 in	Music > Pop > Euro Pop > French Pop

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
UK 'Best Of' compilation for the French singer/songwriter/superstar, compiled from her recordings for the prestigious French record label Vogue. This definitive 50 track remastered collection includes her international million-selling hit, the self composed 'Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles'. Includes extensivesleevenotes and rare photos. Slimline double jewel case housed in a slipcase. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the "ye ye" years, September 2, 2001

By	Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Françoise Hardy was one of my favorite icons of the '60's, with her sweet clear voice, her songwriting talent, and her incredible style. She just oozed style. Eventually getting bored with the life fame brought her, she followed her own path out of the limelight, but these songs from the "ye ye" years of international stardom are a treat for her fans.
Though some of the early tracks have less than perfect production and backup musicians, it's a terrific overview of her early career. She penned 40 of the 50 songs on this CD set, and some of them are beauties. "L'amour ne dure pas Toujours", "La Nuit est sur la Ville", "Voila", and many more.
There's a gentleness and a simplicity to these songs that delights me, and her voice, though limited, is expressive and appealing. The booklet insert is excellent, with lots of photos, a bio, and detailed song info...to quote from it, "...the Françoise Hardy of the mid sixties still looks and sounds truly modern", and I agree wholeheartedly.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable!, September 25, 2005

By	Morten Vindberg - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This double CD collection covers Francoise Hardy's recording period with Vogue Records 1962-1967. Hardy was only 18 years old when she recorded the songs for her first album in 1962; so it was very unusual that she was allowed to record so much of her own material; great thing she was, because she was ( still is ) a very accomplished songwriter. In fact most of her biggest were written or co-written by Hardy herself.

The song selections concentrate on her first 5 albums ( 1962-66 ) and contemporary singles and EP tracks. Her 6th much-acclaimed Vogue album "Ma Jeunesse Fout le Camp" is only represented by "Qui Peut Dire" and "Voila". Most surprisingly that her last Vogue original album ( in Frech language ) "Comment te Dire Adieu" is not represented at all.

Never the less, this is a great compilation featuring the vast majority of her best songs of the period - obviously some great songs had to be left out; simply because lack of space. I can't help mentioning just a few songs that are missing ( seek them out elsewhere!) . The 1964 EP-track "Jaloux" is one of my favourites, which I have not yet been able to find on a CD. The album tracks "Avant de tén Aller" and "Je Pensais" would have been great additions as well.

These early recordings from Hardy which founded her reputation as the greatest French international pop-star of the 1960's have stood the test of time, and sound remarkably appealing after all these years; where the output by many of her contemporary colleagues like Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Connie Francis or even Marianne Faithful ( her sixties recordings!) often sound pretty dated.

If you are not familiar with the early years of Francoise Hardy's career this collection would be the ideal place to start getting to know her. Outstanding songs like "Le Premier Bonheur du Jour", "Le Maison Ou Jaí Grandi", "Ce Petit Coeur" or "Rendezvous Automne" are more than likely to hit you - actually most of these songs are!

The 16 pages booklet features some nice pictures and a short biography, but only sparse information about the songs themselves; where they were first released etc. Personally I would have loved to have a little more information about the recordings, circumstances around them etc.

Still, until the 4 CD box featuring her complete Vogue recordings is available again, this CD is indispensable!

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Overview of 1960s Career, August 20, 2001

By	Randall E. Adams (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As other writers have pointed out in reviews of other releases by this artist, Ms. Hardy was one of the relatively few female singers in the 1960s to pen her own material. This means a welcome absence (or near-absence) of cover versions. This set offers a nearly chronological anthology of her work from 1962 through 1967.

I was lured to this set by her association with British producer/songwriter Charles Blackwell who handled her recordings in 1964, 1965 and early 1966. Blackwell's most well-known accomplishment is probably P.J. Proby's first album, but he also arranged a number of early Joe Meek productions and produced many of the better records by admittedly obscure singer Samantha Jones. Blackwell's productions with Francoise Hardy do not disappoint, although Samantha Jones' "Don't Come Any Closer" still pips Hardy's French equivalent "Non Ce N'est Pas Un Reve." For that matter, Mina's original Italian version of "Se Telefonando" trumps Ms. Hardy's "Je Changerais D'avis." But both of those competing performances figure among the very best work by their respective artists, so this is no dishonor; it just shows the fine quality of the material used by Ms. Hardy when not doing her own. She even records a French-language version of one of the very few songs written by Dusty Springfield ("C'est le Passe" or "Once Upon a Time").

Bearing in mind that I bought this set for the Blackwell recordings (nearly half of the tracks on here), I found the work with producers Mickey Baker and Jacques Denjean to be equally effective. Baker created a Gaullic Spector sound which could pass for Charles Blackwell himself (but Baker worked with Hardy before Blackwell did). Following a ho-hum series of recordings under the auspices of Johnny Harris, Denjean created a more muscular but still balladic sound for Hardy's songs that seems much more recent than 1967. Her "Voila" from this period is positively timeless. Amazon lists a couple of albums from 1967 for Ms. Hardy. On the strength of her three 1967 tracks here, I will be eagerly buying them.

The early material pre-dating 1964 does less for me but there is the campy spy thriller theme soundalike "Le Temps de L'amour." And the first track "Tous les Garcons et les Filles" is charmingly French.

I know no French, and even so the terrific songs, arrangements and delivery serve up ample entertainment. And fifty tracks for less than $17 is very good value.