Marie Laforêt: L'Intégrale Festival (1960-1970)

Popular throughout the '60s and '70s, Marie Laforêt is a French pop singer who garnered fame initially as a film actress during the early to mid-'60s. Born Maïténa Doumenach to parents of Armenian heritage on October 5, 1939, in Soulac-sur-Mer, Aquitaine, France, she made her film debut in 1960 in the René Clément drama Plein Soleil, a big-screen adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Plein Soleil not only launched the acting career of Laforêt; it also made a cinema star of actor Alain Delon. In the wake of her showbiz breakthrough, Laforêt was offered one role after another, notably beginning with Saint Tropez Blues (1961) and La Fille aux Yeux d'Or (1961). Her onscreen performance of the title song from the former film, 'Saint Tropez Blues,' essentially launched her singing career while La Fille aux Yeux d'Or, on the other hand, earned her the nickname the Girl with the Golden Eyes. In the mode of a folksinger, Laforêt's recording career took flight in 1963 in association with the label Disques Festival; among her more notable early recordings was a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind.' She made her full-length album debut in 1964 with a self-titled album comprised of her recording output to date. Successive self-titled full-length albums were released throughout the remainder of the '60s and were likewise comprised of previously released EP material. In the '70s Laforêt more or less abandoned acting and focused instead on a series of recordings released in association with the Polydor label. She returned to the cinema in the '80s and left music behind. This outstanding compilation of Laforêt's complete Festival '60s recordings has plenty of variety in the songs and is equally brilliant at up-tempo cuts and tender ballads. There are covers of international songs here translated into French, such as 'Viens Sur La Montagne' ('Tell It on the Mountain'), 'Marie Douceuer, Marie Colere' ('Paint It Black'), 'Qué Calor la Vida' ('Red Balloon'), 'La Flute Magique' ('El Condon Pasa') and 'Qu'est-Ce Qui Fait Pleurer les Filles' ('What Makes Little Girls Cry'). Marie sings all those songs superbly, but the real appeal of this collection lies in the many delightful original French songs including 'Les Vendagnes de l'Amour', 'Katy Cruelle', 'Mon Amour Mon Ami', 'Qu'y a-t-il de Change', 'La Bague Au Dogit', 'Manchester et Liverpool', 'Julie Crevecouer', 'Les Noces De Campagne' and many others. http://www.allmusic.com/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/

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Marie Laforet singing 'Mon Amour, Mon Amie', 1967:

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Manchester et Liverpool (1967):

Rhetta Hughes: Re-light My Fire (1969)

A decent, if derivative, soul vocalist, Chicagoan Rhetta Hughes seemed about ready to move into the spotlight in 1969, when her remake of the Doors' ‘Light My Fire’ made the R&B Top 40. Later, in 1983, she would have a hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart with ‘Angel Man (G.A.)’. But she never sustained any momentum, and Hughes was soon on the supper club circuit. She starred in the Broadway musicals Dreamgirls, Don't Play Us Cheap, and Amen Corner, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award in the category Best Actress in a Musical in 1984. She appeared in the films Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, The Wiz (as a member of the choir), as well as the film version of Don't Play Us Cheap. She was also seen in the TV version of the musical Purlie, and appeared in an episode of Law & Order. This 1969 album, with arrangements by Mike Terry and lots of tasty original tracks written by Jo Armstead, includes that Rhetta’s funky cover of ‘Light My Fire’, but there are lots of other nice ones, like ‘You're Doing It With Her’, ‘Gimme Some Of Yours (I’ll Give You Some Of Mine)’, ‘Giving Up My Heartaches’, ‘Sooky’, ‘I Can’t Stand Under This Pressure’, and ‘Cry Myself To Sleep’. Hard to find, too! .~ http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.answers.com/

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Bobbie Gentry: Ode to Billie Joe (1967) / Touch 'em With Love (1969)

Bobbie Gentry's eerily beautiful, ornate, and almost gothic approach to country music means there's never really been another artist quite like her, and this disc, which pairs 1967's Ode to Billie Joe, her debut album, with 1969's more pop and polished Touch 'Em with Love, offers plenty of that uniqueness. The opener, 'Mississippi Delta,' is raw, energetic, and raggedly funky. 'I Saw an Angel Die' is an effective mating of Gentry's country-blues guitar riffs and low-key orchestration, while 'Papa, Won't You Let Me Go to Town with You' is so desperately bright that it's easy to overlook the fact that Gentry, who is a wonderful songwriter, has painted an amazingly detailed portrait of a young girl's hopes and dreams. Then there's the creepy, eerie, and absolutely fascinating 'Bugs' and, last but not least, 'Ode To Billie Joe,' a storytelling tune about a secret love affair whose doom is related over a Sunday dinner. The song’s enigmatic question - what was it that Billie Joe and his lady friend threw off the Tallahatchie Bridge? - was the topic of conversation in supermarkets and over dinner. It even became the subject of church sermons. The tune itself was irresistible, a four minute audio book with an unforgettable acoustic guitar hook, bass, and occasional strings swooping into and out of the mix. Released in the summer of 1967, it almost immediately shot to #1 on the strength of sales and radio play. Touch 'Em With Love is Bobbie Gentry's finest studio effort, a fascinatingly eclectic and genuinely affecting record that broadened her musical horizons far beyond the limitations of the Nashville sound. Gentry's husky, sensual delivery proves as ideally suited for the Southern-fried funk of the opening title track as it does for the bluegrass-flavored 'Natural to Be Gone,' deftly moving from genre to genre to encompass everything from faux-gospel ('Glory Hallelujah, How They'll Sing') to lushly orchestrated pop ('I Wouldn't Be Surprised'). Even more eye-opening is that Gentry's originals stand tall alongside material from composers including Burt Bacharach ('I'll Never Fall in Love Again,' which earned her a chart-topping single in the U.K.) and Jimmy Webb ('Where's the Playground, Johnny') — her folky 'Seasons Come, Seasons Go,' an acute tale of lost love, offers Touch 'Em With Love's most profoundly beautiful moment. I have added as bonus tracks EIGHT duets with Glen Campbell from the lone album the two did together. http://www.answers.com/
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Bobbie Gentry's live performance of her classic 'Ode to Billie Joe', from the Smothers Brothers show:

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Bobbie Gentry: Patchwork (1971) / Fancy (1970)

This two-fer combo is a worthwhile roundup of two of Bobbie Gentry's more overlooked records. From 1971, Patchwork is by far the more artistically ambitious of the pair, as it consists entirely of original (and self-produced) material, whereas 1970s Fancy is mostly cover versions. Patchwork, oddly, ended up being the still-young singer/songwriter's final long-player, and found her Southern pop-country-folk-soul fusion going in a somewhat slicker, more orchestrated direction than her early work. That's part of the reason it's not one of the more impressive Gentry albums, another being that the songs don't rate among her very best, sometimes going off in unexpectedly bouncy or middle-of-the-road directions. Still, her singing remains fine, and some of the more serious and intimate songs ('Beverly,' 'Belinda,' 'Lookin' In,' and 'Marigolds and Tangerines') are fairly impressive. Fancy is an odd entry in her discography in that, though it features a self-penned title track, it's otherwise devoted entirely to outside material, recorded (à la several white blue-eyed soulstresses circa 1970) at Muscle Shoals. The title track is a "Billie Joe"-type story with a similar guitar figure; it also has a host of West Coast horns telling an unapologetic rags-to-riches story without regrets that mirrors Gentry's own. From here, Gentry, assisted or perhaps directed by producer Rich Hall, cuts a pair of Bacharach/David numbers ('Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' and 'I'll Never Fall in Love Again'), James Taylor's 'Something in the Way He Moves,' Leon Russell's 'Delta Man,' Nilsson's 'Rainmaker,' Rudy Clark's 'If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody,' Laura Nyro's 'Wedding Bell Blues,' and a few others with full strings, horns, orchestras, and glockenspiels for accompaniment — along with a honky tonk piano, drum kit, and electric bass. As such, it was never going to be among Gentry's more distinguished efforts. But that's not to say it's not enjoyable, mostly for her superb earthy singing.

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Bobbie Gentry sings 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head', 1971 :

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Bobbie Gentry: The Delta Sweete / Local Gentry (1968)

Bobbie Gentry's second and third albums, Delta Sweete and Local Gentry may not have been as successful as their predecessor, Ode to Billie Joe, but how could they have been? If they didn't sell near as well, they certainly were more adventurous. Banking on Ode to Billie Joe's success, Delta Sweete, released in March of 1968, was a concept album based on modern life in the Deep South. A lot of emphasis was put on the unique sound of Gentry's guitar and her unique singing and phrasing styles. Gentry wrote eight of the album's 12 tracks, with 'Okolona River Bottom Band' using the same basic cadence as her smash single's; the track is accented by a beautiful, sophisticated horn chart and some breathy strings. Likewise her reading of Mose Allison's 'Parchman Farm Blues' brings out the brass and strings in full jazz, big band fashion. The way it fades into Gentry's own 'Mornin' Glory,' with its high lonesome harmonica and shimmering strings and bells, is a forgotten '60s pop classic. 'Sermon' is a fine southern take on Neil Diamond's 'Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show' with a smoking lead trumpet part. Local Gentry is an exquisitely wrought collection of character studies steeped in the myth and lore of Southern culture, from the funeral parlor director portrayed in 'Casket Vignette' to the titular 'Ace Insurance Man,' Bobbie Gentry etches a series of revealing, well-observed narratives populated by folks both larger-than-life and small-time, adding up to something not unlike a country-pop Spoon River Anthology. A subtle, primarily acoustic effort, the record's sound and sensibility are steeped in Gentry's Mississippi upbringing, but despite the music's warmth and humanity, the effect is neither nostalgic nor saccharine — instead, Gentry wistfully and wryly evokes a colorful rural culture populated by soldiers, widows, and traveling medicine shows. The five original compositions here rank among her most literate and personal, while covers like the Beatles' 'Fool on the Hill' and 'Eleanor Rigby' add to the roll call of misfits, eccentrics, and beautiful losers. There are three bonus cuts included here, the best of which is a refreshing read on 'Stormy.' http://www.allmusic.com/

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Bobbie and Bing Crosby duet on one of Bobbie's hits about the Delta, 'Okolona River Bottom Band'. From The Hollywood Palace, Jan. 1969.

Maxine Brown: Oh No Not My Baby - The Best of (1990)

Although there had been great female R&B and pop singers before she came along, it is generally accepted that Maxine Brown was the first female soul singer of any significance. Given the excellence of the music that Maxine recorded, it is remarkable that she did not achieve superstardom. This 28-song anthology, originally released in 1990, is undoubtedly the best compilation of this iconic soul singer’s work, featuring many of her '60s singles and several tunes from the era that were unreleased until the '80s. The set draws from her recordings for the Wand label between 1963 and 1967, when Brown was at her artistic peak. Of course the hit title track is a highlight, but there are no clunkers in this collection of overlooked '60s pop-soul, featuring the New York "uptown" production that also graced the records of fellow Wand/Scepter artists like Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson. The strings and soaring backing vocals are a brilliant counterpart to some hard hitting drums and punchy choruses, and there are some delicate numbers, too - while Maxine shines beautifully throughout! Titles include ‘One in a Million’, ‘It's Torture’, ‘Let Me Give You My Lovin'’, 'Yesterday's Kisses’, ‘Gotta Find A Way’, ‘Baby Cakes’, ‘Why Did I Choose You’, ‘Misty Morning Eyes’, ‘Since I Found You’, ‘Losing My Touch’, ‘If I Had Known’, ‘It's Gonna Be Alright’, an impressive live version of her classic ‘All in My Mind’, from 1964, and more. Brown was one of the most versatile soul divas of the '60s, showing the influence of Brill Building pop, girl groups, Motown, and even Stax soul and supper-club ballads. As with a similar artist like Betty Everett, this versaility has worked against her in some ways. Neither full-fledged pop nor unabashedly soul, her work cannot be easily pigeonholed into a certain soul genre, and has cost her the respect that some purists reserve for "deep" soul singers. Nevertheless, she is one of my favourite soul singers. http://www.allmusic.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/

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Lena Horne: Stormy Weather (1957) ... plus

'Stormy Weather,' Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler's 1933 standard, was written for Cab Calloway, introduced by Arlen himself on a hit recording, and sung on-stage at the Cotton Club by Ethel Waters. But it became the signature song of a teenager who was in the club's chorus line in those days, Lena Horne, when she sang it a decade later in the movie musical of the same name. It was 14 years later that Horne would use the song as the title track of her first full-length studio LP. She had made a comeback with Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria and followed it with this superb collection of favorites. On these sessions - conducted by either her husband Lennie Hayton, or Marty Paich - Horne's vibrant vocals hold their own against the top-notch backing band, which includes guitarist Kenny Burrell and trumpeters Doc Severinsen and Harry "Sweets" Edison, among others. Horne's exuberance is palpable on every track; even on typically downbeat tunes such as 'Summertime' - here given a slinky, sensual rendition - the strikingly beautiful vocalist charms with her bold, vital performances. Other highlights include a disarmingly boisterous version of the title track, 'Mad About the Boy,' 'Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home,' and a bright, swinging take on the carefree 'Just One of Those Things.' This reissue adds 10 bonus tracks to the original 11, including a previously unreleased earlier version of 'Stormy Weather' employing a full string section, another unreleased track, 'Come Runnin',' and period recordings drawn from singles and EPs, among them such show tune standards as Cole Porter's 'From This Moment On,' Lerner & Loewe's 'Wouldn't It Be Lovely,' and Rodgers & Hammerstein's 'A Cock-Eyed Optimist,' 'I Have Dreamed,' and 'The Surrey With the Fringe on Top.' The result is a superlative augmentation of the original release. Note that the title Stormy Weather is confusingly overused in hundreds of Horne releases, but don't be fooled: this is the original 1957 album. http://www.artistdirect.com/

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Here's a performance taken from the 1943 film Stormy Weather, where the great Lena Horne delivers a sizzling performance of her signature song:

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Lena Horne singing 'From This Moment On', possibly in the late '60s:

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Bettye LaVette: Souvenirs (2000)

Bettye LaVette is one of the greatest soul singers in music history, possessed of an incredibly expressive voice that one moment will exude a formidable level of strength and intensity and the next will appear vulnerable, reflective, reeking of heartbreak. Unfortunately, it says much about the vagaries of the popular music industry that, although LaVette has been recording for over four decades, up to this point she has remained criminally unknown. Despite the wealth of quality recordings that Bettye cut over the years, only six of her forty-fives managed to chart R&B and none of them broke into the pop Top 100. That is something unbelievable for a singer of her stature. Rather than enjoying the sustained success that by right should have been hers, her career has been haunted by what she refers to as “buzzard luck.” In 1972, on her second go round with Atlantic Records, LaVette headed down to Muscle Shoals with the Memphis Horns and producer Brad Shapiro to cut her first full-length album. The recordings were mastered and readied for release under the title Child of the Seventies before the powers-at-be at Atlantic mysteriously pulled the plug, unconscionably shelving the record for nearly thirty years before it was released in 2000 on Art and Soul under the new title Souvenirs. Soul fans the world over were stunned by what was clearly a heretofore unknown masterpiece. The backing is classic Muscle Shoals, in this case rather guitar-based, with additional arrangements, such as strings, applied tastefully. It is a truly classic Southern Soul record made for grownups, with very little filler. ‘It Ain’t Easy,’ ‘Our Own Love Song’, ‘Ain’t Nothing Gonna Change Me,’ ‘If I Can’t Be Your Woman’ and ‘Souvenirs’ are simply superb and her interpretations of Kenny Rogers' ‘What Condition My Condition Is In’, Neil Young's ‘Heart of Gold’ and Free's ‘The Stealer’ clearly beat the original. Both sides of her first two singles, from 1962, are also included. Obviously, these tracks represent a major shift in mood, but are welcome nonetheless. http://www.amazon.com/

Oh, by the way, Bettye is NUMBER 1 on my list…

Bettye's stunning take on The Who classic, 'Love Reign O'er Me' at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors, with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey as part of the audience. Watching their expressions during this video is as moving as the performance by Bettye LaVette:

Gigliola Cinquetti - Le 50 Più Belle Canzoni

Gigliola Cinquetti, the Italian winner of the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, was born on December 20, 1947, in Verona. She first received attention at age 16, when she triumphed at the annual San Remo Song Contest in early 1964; just weeks later, she swept to victory at Eurovision, to set herself up for a stunningly successful career. Her winning entry at both events, incidentally, was 'Non Ho L'Eta' ('Not Old Enough'). The song was a major hit throughout Europe, including the traditionally resistant UK. Domenico Modugno's masterpiece 'Dio Como Ti Amo' brought Cinquetti further international success in 1966; among her other hits are 'Il Primo Bacio Che Darò', 'Caro Come Te' (1964), 'Piccola Cittá', 'La Rosa Nera' (1967), 'Sera', 'Quelli Erano Giorni' (1968) and 'La Pioggia' (1969). Through this same period, her albums included Alle Porte del Sole, Auf der Straße der Sonne, Cantando con Gli Amici, Giovane Vecchio Cuore, Il Treno Dell'amore, Pensieri di Donna, and Stasera Ballo Liscio. After a decade spent topping the Italian charts, Cinquetti returned to Eurovision in 1974, this time performing 'Si' — and running into a political firestorm in her homeland. Italy was about to go to the polls for a referendum on the legalization of divorce. It was feared that the song's title, translating as 'Yes,' would be construed as a commentary upon the debate and might even act as a subliminal message to voters. Italy's national broadcasters RAI not only banned the song from the airwaves, but even censored it from their telecast of the Eurovision Song Contest itself. Still, 'Si' finished second (behind ABBA's 'Waterloo'), while an English-language version, 'Go,' gave Cinquetti her second UK hit. Since that time, Cinquetti has remained a force to be reckoned with in her homeland and beyond, and she returned once more to Eurovision in 1991 to co-host the event with the previous year's winner, Italian Toto Cutugno. http://www.allmusic.com/. I have garthered here 50 of Gigliola's best known songs - including all the aforementioned - plus some foreign-language versions of her biggest hits and a few B-sides. I must let you know that some of her late '60s-early '70s repertoire may sound a bit syrupy sometimes. Frankly, songs like 'La Pioggia' and 'Il Treno Dell'Amore' are not really my taste and most probably not yours either, but her voice is so great that they are still worth listening to (like France Gall's 'Baci, Baci, Baci', 'Homme tout petit' and such were too, but just barely and only because it was her singing!)

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An enchanting 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti sings her first hit, 'Non ho l'età', in 1964. With this song she won both the Eurovision Song Contest and, for the first time, the San Remo Festival. What a beautiful voice she had at such a young age!

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Gigliola Cinquetti delivers a sublime performance of 'Si', a song which came 2nd on Eurovision Song Contest, 1974: