Christine Pilzer

Born in Nice, France c.1942. She is the big sister of another yéyé girl, Violaine. She only released two EP's in the sixties before becoming a fashion designer under the name Christine Van den Haute.

A yéyé freakbeat classic, 'L'Horloge du grand-père' is an adaptation of the English folk-song ('Grand-dad's clock').

Christine Pilzer - L'horloge De Grand-Père

In 2001 Christine's song "Champs Elysées" was featured on the compilation album 'Wizzz!' and to promote the record Christine did a few concerts with French group Les Terribles. She also appeared with them on French tv.
Video: Christine Pilzer et Les Terribles (looking goood!)

More info: YYG Website, Ready Steady Girls

Suzanne Gabriello

It's been over a year since I posted 'Z' Avez Pas Lu Kafka' so I guess it's time for another for a song by the late Suzanne Gabriello. This was a parody of colleague Nino Ferrer's song 'Oh ! Hé ! Hein ! Bon !'

Suzanne Gabriello - Votez Hein Bon!

Video: Suzanne Gabriello singing 'Votez Hein Bon' live, accompanied by the Raymond Levefere orchestra.

Christmas a go go!

CHRISTMASAGOGO

Is back!

Go get your groovy vintage Christmas tunes!

Claire Dixon

I don't know much about this true yéyé girl Claire Dixon.
But I sure am crazy about this song with its dramatic sound.
Her song 'Je n'ai besoin que de tendresse' is featured on the compilation Swinging Mademoiselles Vol .2.

Claire Dixon - Fleurs, vent (listen/download)

More Ann Christine

How could I forget to post this song? So groovy and maybe even better than 'Playboy'!

Ann Christine - Odota en (I won't wait) (1964) (listen/download)

Danielle Denin

Not much is known about Danielle Denin, besides that most of her songs were The Beatles covers.
Here she covers one of my favourite Beatles songs; Michelle.
In her version it's sung in French only, and it's a guy called Michel, but that doesn't make the songs less good.. rather far from it!

Danielle Denin - Michel

Plus: A rare video of her singing the song!

Elsa Leroy

Elsa Leroy was "Miss Mademoiselle Age Tendre" 1965. The French teen magazine used to choose a new Miss every year. And most of the time, the winner tried to become a pop singer. In 1966 she had a small role in Jean-Luc Godards film "Masculine Feminine" as "Miss 19". She has the typical Yé-yé girl story: Met her husband and dissapeared leaving us 1 excellent EP of pure yéyé goodness.




The guitar riff in "Comment Fais-tu" reminds me a lot of The Who's 'My Generation', which seems to be the most typical song for inspiration of yeye songs in the mid-60s. I haven't seen this song posted on other blogs, so I hope you will enjoy it! "Comment Fais-tu", along with her 3 other ones, are featured on Sixties Girls 5 available on Magic Records.

Elsa Leroy - Comment fais-tu (listen/download)

Source: The YYG website

Ann Christine

Ann-Christine Nyström (b. 26 July 1944 in Helsinki) is a Finnish singer who performed on the Eurovision contest in 1966 in Luxemborg with the great popsong Playboy. She was placed at 12th out of 18 participations. It was the same year when Ulla Pia participated with 'Stop, mens legen er god'. Ann Christine made about 24 singles and 3 ep's in the period between 1962 and 1969.

Here is Playboy in the Finnish and English version.
Ann Christine - Playboy (Finnish)
Ann Christine - Playboy (English)

He's a maker of fashion, he's a faker of passion

If I was going to write a biography about naughty Princess Stephanie and her many scandals it would take up all my blogspace. Ok, almost then. Anyway, props goes to Mordi where I first discovered this nearly forgotten 80's europop song. Why, I don't know why 'cause the popcess sold 5 million lp's of Ouragan with an English version on the B-side. Which lyrics are funny as hell.

Stéphanie de Monaco - Comme un Ouragan (1986)
Stéphanie de Monaco - Irresistible (English version) (1986)

Video: Comme un Ouragan
Video: Irresistible

Ulla Pia

Ok, that was a short comeback. I've just been very busy with a new study, new job, new apartment.. Can you forgive me? :-)
Now I believe I'm settled, and can't wait to share new tunes and records I found with you.

Ulla Pia Nielsen was born on February 17, 1945 in Copenhagen. She debuted at a very young age, playing jazz and schlager with great Danish orchestraleaders. In 1966 she won the Danish Eurovision with the song 'Stop Mens Legen Er God' (Stop, while the going is good). She was placed 14 in the final Eurovision but the song is still remembered today. In 1979, after a period of sickness, she withdraw from the buisness, to take care of her daughter. In 1980 she was given an honor goldrecord from her recordcompany, EMI.
In 1995 she released an autobiography.

The picture above is in a poor quality, but I scanned it from my crappy scanner. Can someone sharpen the image? Please? :-)

Ulla Pia - Stop Mens Legen er god
Ulla Pia - Tu no (Italian version of Stop mens..)
Ulla Pia - Flower power tøj

Video of her perfoming the song at 1966 Eurovision.. check the sweet dancing couple

Pink Martini

I'm still translating, scanning pictures and ripping, so bear over with me.

This song is from 1997 and the band apparently sold 1.3 million of their debutalbum (according to their wiki), but I never heard of them until recently.

Invite your friends over for some tea and cookies with this song rotation on your stereo . You really get in that Paris Café mood, and aren't we all suckers for that :-)

Pink Martini - Sympathique

Twiggy: Small girl, little voice..

Okay, so she didn't have the strongest voice, but she had a great presence. It's Twiggy-supermodel-doll, with 'Beautiful Dreams', the first song she made which she can't remember recording. The second one 'I need your hand in mine', is my personal favorite... I don't care much for her 'hit' 'When I think of you', but these two are just sweet sweeet....

Twiggy - Beautiful Dreams (1967)

Twiggy - I need your hand in mine (1967)

Yugo Girlpop: Sanjalice

Back again, this time with a a real treat for obscure girlgroup lovers.
Sanjalice (Dreamers) were one of, probably not many, girl bands in 60's Yugoslavia. They had a relatively short career, and as I know of, released 3 EP's. The girls were: Ljiljana Mandic, Slobodanka Miscevic, Ljiljana Jeftic and Snezana Veselinovic. They played their own instruments.
Slobodanka Miscevic (guitar) was the best student in her class and Ljiljana Jeftic (bass) was only 15 years old.
They mostly recorded coverversions of Italian and English language hits including Those were the days (Mary Hopkins), a fantastic cover of Happy together (Turtles) and the 1965 San Remo song Io che non vivo senza te (You don't have to say you love me, the Dusty Springfield classic). Their Puppet On A String is sung in Serbo-Croat (that's what it was called in the Yugoslavia era).
Other popular Yugo girlgroups: Lutke and Sigele

Sanjalice - Marioneta/Lutka na koncu (Puppet on a string)
Sanjalice - Srecni zajedno (Happy Together)
Sanjalice - Bez Reci (Without words)

Extra: Yugoslavian article about Sanjalice. You are more than welcome to translate some interesting facts!

Vanessa Paradis

Vanessa Paradis' 2000 album 'Bliss' is so underrated and unknown. Still, I consider it one of the best albums of 2000. After 7 loooong years, she will finally release her new album in the summer of 2007. Warm up, and listen to these two beautiful songs by the woman with the most beautiful name in the world - and understand why she is Mrs. Depp going on 9th year.

Vanessa Paradis - Que fait la vie
Vanessa Paradis - Pourtant

Extra: Video for 'Pourtant'

Kathy

In the early seventies many tried to follow and 'copy' the success Gainsbourg had with 'Je t'aime.. moi non plus'. Breathy, sensual songs - in French.
Kathy Lowe was a US female folk singer travelling in France during the early seventies. This pop record is from 1973. She returned home in 1974.


Kathy - La moto
Kathy - Je T'aime

Thanks Soulmarcosa

... remember to visit the great new blog Así se fundo Carnaby Street which has a yé-yé special this month.

Les Gam's covers a go go

More from Graziella, Annie, Michele and Suzy aka French 60's girlgroup Les Gam's!

Les Gam's - Toi l'ami (The Beatles - All my loving)

Les Gam's - Wo ist unsere liebe (The Supremes - Where did your love go)

B.B.

Long time no see at the Café

Brigitte Bardot - Ne me Laisse pas L'aimer (ohshare)

Daniela

Danielas real name was Danica Milatovic. She was born in Munich, Germany on December 13th, 1949. Her parents had come from Yugoslavia some years before. In 1960 she recorded her first 45. Between 1965 and 1973 there were 12 more 45s and two LPs with German songs. Her biggest hit was "Im Jahre 2002" ("In the Year 2002").
Daniela released two EPs in Yugoslavia singing in Serbian. She made one with the band Plamenih Pet (The Flaming Five) around 1967. This low-fi EP has competent covers of I Got You Babe and These Boots Are Made for Walking sung in English.
The real gems are on the b-side, Dan Je Divan Dan (on web translators the title comes up as "Presently Had Wondrous Light"!), written by G. Aber and V. Olear, and Ja Nekog Želim ("I Someone Desires"), written by V. Olear and Daniela herself.

I was going to post a couple of songs by her, but Garagehangover has 6 songs up by the Yugo-doll. It's kinda cute how she can't sing in English and mumbles the words out. Go go check for yourself!

Uschi Glas

I have been going Uschi-crazy since Spiked Candy posted Wenn dein Herz brennt with her. So thanks to Jan, I'm happy to have got even more fantastic tracks by her, which seemed impossible to find! Apparently she's a really unpopular 'German hausfrau with ultraconservative views' in her homecountry, but do we care? No, no, U-schi-so-schön!

Uschi Glas - Mein Wochenende

Uschi Glas - Chucky

Michele Mercier

Another request, this time by Kris: The beautiful actress Michele Mercier singing 'La fille qui fait chic ti tchic' (1969) by.... Serge Gainsbourg (surprice!)

Michéle Mercier - La fille qui fait chic ti tchic

Mireille Darc

Someone requested these songs a few weeks ago:

French Actress Mireille Darc made a few EPs, but was most successful as an actress. She had the leading part in Jean-Luc Godards Week End. She kind of reminds me of Vivi Bach.

Here is her, -in my opinion- best songs: A sweet duet with France Gall and Helicoptere, written by Serge Gainsbourg.

Très Bien.

Mireille Darc & France Gall - Ne cherche pas à plaire

Mireille Darc - Helicoptere

Mireille Darc at Youtube

Stone

Argh, I was so close to win a copy of Clothilde's saperlipopette EP, but someone overbid my 100 dollars (!).. what a lucky rich bastard that won :)

Annie Gautrat (b. 31/7/47, Paris) took the pseudo Stone when she was elected as Miss Beatnick in 1966.
Stone was then very fond of Rhythm & Blues, The Beatles, The Who and of course The Rolling Stones. She even got her nickname from her friends of Discothèque Bus Palladium which called her 'small stone' because her resemblance to Brian Jones of Rolling Stones (check out the hair!)
She released five EPs, and Fille un garçon' is from the second one; in English it means "Boy or girl"; It's about the youngsters with long hair. Then she got married to Eric Charden (who wrote songs for her), and they became the most successful and the most cheesy duo in French varietes. They split in 1977, but came back many times.
Stone has made soo many great songs, so I'll recommend you to buy her stuff (feat. on several yeye compilations)

Stone is on tour in 2007! Check the tourlist for dates.

Stone - Fille un garcon (Beach Boys - Sloop John B)?

Stone - Baby Stone

Stone - Patati et patata (Plouf!)

Stone - Garde ton sang froid (The Troggs - I can't control myself)

Stone - Seul (The Beatles - Norwegian Wood)

Extra:
Video: Stone - Patati et Patata
Interview from 2003 on Bide-et-musique (In French)
- Click here for an English translation (babelfish)

Source: YYG, BEM

Jocelyne at The Fun House

Pssst, Yé-yé addicts... Mike from Funhouse just posted the whole Jocelyne - Twistin' the Rock with 32 great gems by the late Miss Jocelyne. Read more about her at YYG.

Alicia Granados

Alicia Granados was only 12 years old in 1966, when she won first prize in the 8th song-festival of Benidorm (in Alicante, Spain) with the ballad "Nocturno". She was the youngest Spanish singer ever to win.

Following her success, she released two EP's with 4 songs each, pure yéyé goodies.

She began to study music and dramatic art, and had a role in the 1967 movie "La Banda de las Pecas".

In 1971 she became the frontsinger in the band "Nubes Grises" (Grey Clouds) They had some minor hits, but never gained a national breakthrough.

In 1973 she left the music industry for good. It is not confirmed, but rumors has it, that she is working with medicine.

Alicia Granados - Profesor
Alicia Granados - El Juguete Extraordinario
Alicia Granados - ABC Ye Yé

Thanks and credit goes to Mel of the great spanish yeye blog meltorm

More Les Flechettes

Superfemme 60's yéyé... LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Les Flechettes - Les gens

Even more Flechettes


Buy record

Giorgio Moroder

Godfather of Italian disco, Giorgio Moroder's own (crazy) version of the theme from the famous 'Muppet Show'. It is included on the Italian various artists CD "Arriva La Bomba - The Easiest Italian Party of the Year" It has also been released in France under the name 'Stop Studio Group' and reissued in Jan 1977 as a German single under the name 'Stammer the Hammer'.

Annoying or just genial? You decide.

Giorgio Moroder: Mah-na mah-na (1968)

Katarzyna

Poland can pop? Sure! Just listen to this little gem from 1967. Katarzyna Sobczyk (born 1945) was Polands 60's girl and queen of pop.

Yes another repost, because it's so good.

Katarzyna Sobczyk - Trzynastego

The rare Jacqueline Taieb record on ebay *sigh* I can only dream ;)

Remember to welcome the new blog at freche früchtchen - tell I sent you ;)

The Savage Rose

A post from last year, but since my visitors has increased, I would like to repost and expose the fantastic music to new visitors as well.

allmusic.com says:
One of the most well-known rock groups from Continental Europe, Denmark's Savage Rose recorded a wealth of intriguing and eclectic progressive rock in the late '60s and '70s. In their early work, one hears faint echoes of the Airplane, Doors, Pink Floyd, and other psychedelic heavyweights combined with classical jazz and Danish-Euro folk elements. Their arrangements rely heavily on an incandescent, watery organ that sounds like nothing so much as psychedelic aquarium music. The most striking aspect of the band's sound, however, was the vocals of lead singer Annisette. Her childish wispy and sensual phrasing can suddenly break into jarring, almost histrionic wailing, like a Janis Joplin with Yoko Ono-isms, and eerily foreshadows Kate Bush's style.
Stars in their native land, Savage Rose also achieved a bit of underground success abroad, and several of their albums were released in North America. Between 1968 and 1978, the group released nine albums, moving from vaguely psychedelic rock and heavily gospel.

"...Hundreds of thousands have experienced the magic of this band, who have walked barefoot across the planet, among the lowliest, voicing their hope, longing, dreams, pain and struggle........."David Fricke(Senior editor "Rolling Stone") on The Savage Rose (2000)

The Savage Rose - A Girl I Knew
The Savage Rose - Long Before I Was Born

More Hedika

Another rare song from the lovely Hungarian Hédika!


Hédika - L'amour c'est tout ou rien


Anyone have this book? Is it filled with yummy rare pics and articles?

Trude Herr

Trude 'Tutti' Herr (b. 4 May 1927, Cologne, d. 16 March 1991, in Provence) was a German actress, singer, and theatre director.

A loooong biography about her here (in German, urgh;)
I would love to know more about her, so any contribute are more than welcome.

As me and Spikedcandy talked about, it's really hard to find quality German pophits that isn't cheesy schlager. Here is the best 1.56 m Deutsch dolls ever, full of humour and self-irony. I do hope you will enjoy these fantastic pophits by her.
Buy her best of cd
Germans Under Cover blog

Trude Herr - Ich will keine Schokolade

Her breakthrough single from 1959.
She want's a man, not chocolate (but of course we don't believe her)

'Ich will keine Schokolade' is a repost, by a request. QQF was kind to translate the lyrics.


Trude Herr - Weil Ich so sexy bin

I love how she pronouche 'sexy'!

From 1961.

Petula Clark

Petula Clark, (born November 15, 1932), is an English singer, actress and composer, best known for her upbeat popular international hits of the 1960s. Remember "Downtoown, things will be great when you're dooowntooown"? Sure you do. Yep that's her. She lived in France for some years, before she got her global breakthrough. I'm really not into her English stuff, but the French - wowzie it's great!

Petula wrote this song as a James Bond theme, apparently disappointed that she wasn't given the chance to do such a theme. It's no secret that I love James Bond music, but this song just isn't for Bond - it's too uptempo and fun - but still love it though! (I have no idea what the male puke sounds is about, maybe it's suppose to sound like a fight?)
Update: Thanks to Le Chpoum, we now have the English translation of the song. Go to the comments and try to follow the lyrics while playing the song. I did that, and I like it even more now!

Petula Clark - L'agent secret

Credit and more info: Wikipedia

Yma Sumac

Peruvian exotica diva, Yma Sumac, was a phenomenon in the music world during the early 1950's. With an amazing vocal range of four octaves, this attractive, mysterious woman with a voluptuous figure catapulted onto the American music scene with a 10" album "Voice Of Xtabay" that topped the US charts in 1950. Everything surrounding Yma Sumac had an air of mystery about it, she was said to have been born in a tiny village in the Peruvian high Andes and was a descendant of the Inca Kings and her exotic repertoire was said to be based on Inca legends.

Yma Súmac - Gopher Mambo

Buy Cd

Nicole Paquin

Nicole Paquin (real name Nicole Desbiolles) was born in Paris in 1940. She was launched as the first French female rock'n'roller, when she began performing in 1958. This girl did all in a few years: comedian, actress, dancer, painter, writer, singer and journalist. In 1961 she had a small role in Jean-Luc Godard's 'Une femme est une femme'.
That year, she also recorded two 45t ep's for Polydor.
Her successes were "Comme in clou" (adapted from Elvis Presley -Stuck on you) and "Mon mari c'est Frankenstein" (adapted from Phil Spector). She gave up rock'n'roll in 1962 considering the difficulty being a girl in rock'n'roll industry.
After that, she got her own headline section for "Salut les copains" in the weekly magazine CinéMonde and in the monthly magazine Age Tendre.
She briefly reappeared in 1966 with the group Les Minets.

Nicole Paquin - Comme un clou

For more Nicole, check Schlocker

NB! If you are a visitor of this site, please join my new Last.fm group!

Credit: RetroJeunesse

George De Giafferi - Sado Maso

With a Jean-Yanne mouth and sideburns, George De Giafferi sings this hilarious song, making fun of sadism and masochism. The song opens with the Giaferri screaming "Oooow! That's GOOD!" then leads to exchanges like: Man: It's time for you to get whipped! Woman: Oh great, I love that! Man: Now burn my chest! Woman: With what my love? Man: Use your cigarette! Woman: It's smells like grilled pork! If someone have a full translation, please tell me!
I would love to have this one on vinyl! Have a good laugh with this cult classic and remember to watch the video before you download the mp3.
Credit: Scopitones

George De Giafferi - Sado Maso (mp3)
George De Giafferi - Sado Maso (video)

Hédika

Real name: Sylvia Hedika Penzes b. Budapest, Hungary, 1946.
Her parents worked the music-hall circuit. In 1961, aged 15 she won the "Miss Juke Box Paris" competition, organized by Eddie Barclay. That year she cut two EPs for Festival. The tracks were all rock numbers including covers of songs popularised by Elvis and Chubby Checker. Her voice is quite raw and shrill, with a lot of youthful energy. All eight tracks appear on 'Twistin' the Rock Volume 4' (shared with Nicole Paquin). After spending the 60s performing in clubs, Hédika retired from the music scene in 1971.

I just love Hédikas energy. What a cutie. You can find her song 'Hey Pony' on Ultra Chicks vol. 3

Hédika - Il ne veut plus être un dragueur (Shoppin' Around)

Buy cd/Listen to clips

Source: YYG

Annie Phillippe

Born 17/12/1946, Menilmontant, France.
Philippe was discovered when she was around the age of 17; it has variously been reported that at the time she was a disc jockey in a Paris nightclub called Twenty-One discotheque or that she was working in a record shop by day and as an exotic dancer at night. At any rate, she began releasing discs in 1964 under the direction of Paul Mauriat, arranger for Charles Aznavour, and famed in the U.S. a few years later for his huge easy-listening instrumental hit "Love Is Blue." Mauriat also co-wrote a couple of Philippe's discs, which went all over the map as far as '60s pop went.

Annie Phillippe - C'est la mode

Annie Philippe - J'ai tant de peine

Annie Philippe - Ticket De Quai
Annie Phillippe - Le mannequin

left picture: Annie Phillipe with Claude François (Fléche label owner)

Ticket De Quai musicvideo

French article on Annie Philippe (pdf)

Credit: All Music

Arlette Zola

Swinging Swiss mademoiselle Arlette Zola was born Arlette Jaquet in the city of Fribourg on April 29, 1949. Her mother and stepfather ran the Restaurant de la Grand-Fontaine there. Still a child, she already sang for the guests, accompanying herself on the guitar. The driving force behind her career was her stepfather, René Quazzola, from whose surname Arlette’s stage name is derived. He financed Arlette Zola’s first record and built up contacts with the music industry. Soon, Arlette Zola adorned the front pages of teenie magazines, appeared in many TV programs and gave live performances at home and abroad. Her 1967 guest appearances in Brazil and in Bulgaria, where she won an international song contest, deserve special mention. She also aroused interest in Germany and made a considerable number of recordings there. But there were no more major hits. As of 1970 Arlette Zola gradually withdrew from show business. Arlette resurfaced in 1982 as Switzerland's entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest singing 'Amour on t'aime' which finished 3rd. Today, Arlette Zola lives in Fribourg, works in a restaurant, owns a fashion boutique, and as I can see from a concert calender on her website, she still performs to this day.

Arlette Zola - Mathématique élémentaire
Arlette Zola - 2 garçons pour une fille

Arlette Zola - Je ne suis plus une enfant

Source/Credit: Swiss Disco
Her official website

Happy birthday

Today it's Dans Mon Cafe's 1 year birthday.

Please tell me what you would like me to post more of in 2007! Yeye-boys? New French music? 60's club music? Trans-world? Like the long biographies? Don't care about them? Leave a comment!

The girl on the left is Vanessa Paradis.