some more Serge, by Alain.

These two giants are dead. But their music still is the reference of the French avant-garde. At the height of their anti-conformism, they even decided to collaborate ; it was for Bashung's "Play Blessures", in 1982. An old but hardly mature Gainsbourg helped a young but successful Bashung to craft the words of his ground-breaking effort. 

Alain Bashung then wanted to break his image of pop singer, supported by hits like "Gaby, Oh ! Gaby", which was too much reminescent of "yé-yé" vedette Jacques Dutronc. "Play Blessures" flopped, just like Gainsbourg solo albums, including "L'Homme A Tête De Chou", which sold a miserable amount of 25 000 copies at a time when people were actually buying records. 

So, when in 2005, two men, Jean-Marc Ghanassia and Jean-Ckaude Gallotta, decided to set up a dance performance based on Gainsbourg's seminal concept album, they contacted the then pope of French music, Alain Bashung. The next year, Bashung took two days to record the whole 12 songs of the original album. In 2009, a few journalists had the opportunity to listen to the whole album, which was set to be performed live a few months later ; this project could not be fulfilled, as Bashung died of lung cancer in March 2009. The best song of the album, "Variations Sur Marilou", leaked nonetheless, and even got a video a few weeks ago.

Now, the whole album, re-sung by Bashung, is done, and available to anyone. Bashung may not be as perverted and mischevious as Gainsbourg, but his voice gives a dark yet warm feeling to the project. It's freaking moving to hear the voice of a dead, just like if this project was being played live.  

One other thing : there's a limited edition of the album in CD that looks like a multi 7" edition. I got cheated, so be warned, it's a CD. The only vinyl edition available is a LP. Silly me... Still, the quality of the album remains, only I got a CD instead.