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.