Back soon..

:-)

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