Il y a une excellente critique (en anglais) de ce coffret sur amazon.uk:
4/5****
""For anyone who doesn't know Francoise Hardy (1944-) she was the only French artist of the 60s who made any impact in the UK charts. Admittedly, 'Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles' (1962) only reached number 36, but for a French artist this was unheard of. Her next success on the UK charts, 'All Over The World' (1965) peaked at number 16 and stayed in the charts for 15 weeks.
When contextualizing Francoise Hardy, music journalists (they who hold the opinion that nothing significant ever came out of Europe except ABBA & 'Je T'aime Moi Non Plus') find it convenient to write her off as another Ye-Ye singer like France Gall or Jacqueline Taieb. Quaint, camp, fun and about as musically significant as the yearly winner on X-factor. But if one ignores the pop frippery that is 'Tout Les Garcons Et Les Filles' (a song she detests), her work of the period reveals her to be leagues apart from the ye-ye singers. Her sound veered towards the folksy, but she retained a pop sensibility that set her apart from a singer like Joan Baez. Unlike the Ye-Ye singers, she wrote and composed her own songs and, in dress style, presented herself as thoroughly urban and un-manicured.
Now, aged 70, Francoise Hardy is still beautiful and, more importantly, still recording.
To the music.
Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp (1967): Classic Francoise, before the orchestrations blew her in new directions. Francoise might wear a daisy on her lips, but these 12 songs conjure up a Paris boulevard of wind swept autumn leaves. I can't speak French but her words feel sad, wistful and longing. This is the voice and look of the dream French girl every male would-be-poet traveller to France desired to meet. Perfect!
Comment Te Dire Adieu (1968): This album contains only 2 Francoise originals, the remaining 10 tracks are covers, including 'Suzanne' (Leonard Cohen), 'There But A Fortune' (Phil Ochs) & L'Anamour (Serge Gainsbourg). Her choice of material is beyond reproach, and, though never eclipsing the originals, her readings make each one sound as if they belonged to her. The only clunkers are the sickly 'Lonesome Town', complete with choral singers, and Étonnez-moi Benoît...!' which sounds like bad burlesque. Interestingly, the album was recorded in both London & Paris, her British arrangers include Arthur Greenslade who worked with Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross & Shirley Bassey; John Cameron who founded the group C.C.C.S (Whole Lotta Love) & composed the film score for 'Kes'; and Mike Vickers of Manfred Mann.
Soleil (1970): For her tenth album Hardy composed only 3 tracks and is perhaps why the album sounds unsatisfyling uneven. The orchestrations are more intrusive than elsewhere and the album could best be desribed as dramatic pop. Stand-outs include the gorgeous 'Fleur De Lune' and the folksy 'Soleil' which recalls her early years. The album art, a particularly awful collage, features a cut out of Francoise by the side of country road, shedding a single blood red tear. Perhaps, if I could understand French, I might grab the significance.
La Question (1971): Most tracks composed in conjunction with the late Brazillian guitarist Tuca (Valeniza Zagni da Silva). Very sparse with subtle orchestrations, Tuca's guitar style is more flamenco than bossa and brings out the very best in Hardy's voice which is breathy, dreamy and utterly sexy. Unsurprisingly, Hardy has decared La Question among her favourite albums, and with 'Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp' are the essential listens in this set.
Et Si Je M'en Vais Avant Toi (1972): Most tracks penned by Francoise Hardy, hurrah! Sadly, the majority of these tracks are arranged in the country rock style pioneered by Gram Parsons. It's not a tragedy, one might even call it a pleasant hoe-down, but the country stylings do not suit her. How much better 'Bruit De Fonds' would sound without that darn guitar twanging in the back-ground. The stand-out track (it's a gem in the Hardy canon) is titled 'Bowm Bowm Bowm'. Mercifully it escaped the country styling and bears the influence of Nick Drake whom she met in 1970. Now, that would have made for an interesting pairing.
A 5 disc set in a flimsy cardboard box, each disc is housed in a card sleeve featuring the original art. No sleeve notes. No song credits. And no bonus tracks. All albums were mastered in 1995 and are in desperate need of a sensitive, and I do mean sensitive, re-mastering.
To sum-up, this isn't the best introduction to Francoise Hardy - there's 'Best Ofs' aplenty to wet your lips, but it's a must purchase for those wanting to replace their worn vinyl without going to the added expense of buying each album separately.""
Accueil 
