Do not miss this one!

If you are about to get to know French music, you shouldn't miss Jacques Brel. Even though he was born in Belgium. He was the greatest singer-songwriter of all times. And this record is from the time he already had found his style and the men, who made his music sound like nothing else: Rauber and Jouannest, who did their part in composing some of the songs and arranging them.
Yet on this record his style still isn't as challenging as a couple of years later, but the themes are there.

The beginning of the record is really beautiful with Printemps, Je ne sais pas, Dors ma mie, bonsoir and an actual poem read by him. La lumiere jaillira and Voici introduce the dramatic style of Rauber's arrangements and are still quite happy songs, full of love, as well as Litanies pour un retour - though one starts thinking, how serious was he, when he wrote together all these terms of endearment... And then, one of his most dramatic songs: Seul. This is pure Brel, power, thought, death, loneliness. And the amazing sounds of Rauber's orchestra. Chills down your spine, absolutely. La mort continues the theme, Brel faced his death over and over again, being both fascinated and terrified of it.

The record includes also the first version of Ne me quitte pas, though the later one is more often heard. Isabelle, a beautiful, happy song full of smile was written about the same time his daughter Isabelle was born. And it makes you wish your daddy had been Brel, though in real life he wasn't that great... If you need to understand his main themes, this is the record: with songs about death and war (La colombe) and finally La tendresse: "why do you think, my lovely, that on the height of their song emperors and troubadours give up their power and riches? for a little bit of tenderness..."

This is truly the record you should start with getting to know Brel. His voice is at its best and the songs are full of life and light and energy - and love.

Wonderful world of Jacques Brel

These are the songs of young Brel: 1958-1959. And you can hear it: his voice is clear and strong and already reaches the exceptional power of expression that only he has. Among these songs are some of the most beautiful he wrote: La tendresse, Litanies pour un retour, Isabelle, Je ne sais pas - and striking songs of loneliness (Seul) and war (La Colombe) and of course death (La Mort). As he himself said: one should remember every day that one is mortal. In the 50's songs came easily to him and you can hear the flowing creativity in these recordings. Rauber's arrangements have imagination and grand gestures that so well became Brel. If you don't know whether you like him or not, listen to this: it's irresistible.