Enregistrement public à l’Olympia 1964

J'ai un tour d'eiffel pantalons!

Jacques Brel is a name I hadn't heard of before. From what I gather, he was a Belgian singer and actor, often considered a master of the chanson, which is a form of lyric-driven French song. Apparently, he had a profound influence on several big-name artists, including David Bowie, Scott Walker and Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy. I was curious what his music was like.

I will say for this live compilation of his 1964 performances at the Olympia Hall in Paris, I can hear the genuine bravado in Jacques's charismatic performance amidst the orchestral ensemble. The manner in which he belted and elevated his voice with such poise and eloquence in his dialect is quite impressive. Not to mention the humorous lyrics, which after translating come off as cheeky and mildly crass, certainly made me chuckle.

Yet, I'll admit I wasn't particularly blown away from these live performances. It's clear that Jacques was the focal point, as François Rauber's orchestral arrangements don't offer much in the way of intriguing passages or distinct melodies outside of a few exceptions such as "Amsterdam" and "Les jardins du casino". A case could be made that those later artists who were influenced by Brel were able to expand and improve upon what he started as a performer, while offering more memorable compositions.

In a way, Jacques Brel was a trailblazer, and this Olympia 64 live compilation serves as a testament to his genius.

Culturally important etc. Glad Bowie & Walker did my listening for me though.

One of the more salient aspects of this live album is the prevalence of the vocals. I think they overshadow the actual instrumental by quite a bit. I also think the clapping by the audience is also perhaps a bit too loud and can be distracting. The songs themselves are alright, they do not standout too much but they aren't bad either.

I don't mind this, but it's not something I would ever just pop on, and there's nothing in here I'd ever re-visit. It's quite dramatic at times, which I kind of dig. But of course it's in French, I have no idea what he's singing about, and it's all a bit old-timey. This might be quite generous considering it's not my cup of tea, but I'm giving it a 3.

French tops Portuguese in our non-English count once again! What a thrilling competition.

Désolée, I've never heard of this man. However, he'd fit right in to the ancient Eurovisions I'm watching! The sound quality is not great -- what is this, a live album recorded in a can???! -- but it makes me a little emotional anyway (because I love Eurovision! And 'Amsterdam' sounds like Greensleeves, which is a very sad song. OK, turns out it's literally Greensleeves. Well, good.) 'Les Vieux' is surely copying 'Grandfather's Clock' (the saddest Children's Favorites song of all time). Also as a proud Delawarean I appreciate that 'Le Plat Pays' is about liking your stupid, flat country.

Highlights: 'Amsterdam', the triple rhyme time line "l'ombre sombre de leur ombre", when he said "À mon de[rnier repas]" I thought he said "Amande" 🥺

It's so funny how good France is at all culture except for music. Art, philosophy, film, literature, architecture, photography, fashion, food: they're up there with the greats - the course of 20th c culture passes through Paris and its colonies. But Daft Punk/Air aside, they're total duds musically - so much so that their best guy, French Sinatra, is Belgian! Maybe they're too addicted to their own language to really let music do it's thing. That's why Chanson and Hip Hop have been their preferred genres, poems set to music. Anyway, this album is a pretty fun one - a great expressive voice full of drama delivering the verses with full force, accompanied by loungey piano, cafe-ass accordion, some light bass touches. It has a very cartoony animated feel to it contrasting the lyrics' dark take on modern life and love.

Це мегастиль.

The cheering and clapping is rather loud but the music was somewhat nice.

Me not understanding a word: "Oui, this is poetry!"

Glad I listened to this, it is a great vocal performance. I do feel like I would have enjoyed it more though if I was better at French. I recognized the Tango song, but everything else was new to me.

Hab kein Wort verstanden, aber klang nett

Clearly a lyrical album, sung by a pleasant voice with excellent diction. But rather wasted on someone whose only language is English. My O’level French did have me concentrating hard on translating as much as I could. Fish eyes, dancing midget, heart of an old wife, veneered mountain. Ah Amsterdam I understood that bit.

I can’t in all conscience give this a 1, but in reality it isn’t an album meant for my ears. Just going to bung it an average score and move on.

Not something I'd typically listen to but I appreciated it. His voice is super powerful and the instrumentation really emphasizes it.

Why do all these French singers sound like they'd be pedophiles

Je n'ai pas compris un seul mot, mais j'ai adoré la passion et l'esprit français.

I mean, you know… it’s a vibe. Practically a cliche, with the accordions and all. I do speak French well enough to get the gist of the lyrics, which helps me to appreciate this. He’s super well known in France, but in my opinion if a classic French singer was going to be included I would have voted for Charles Trenet.
Also, I’m no Brel expert, but I’m willing to bet this is not his best album.

Oui oui monsieur

4 ⭐️

Music is good but lyrics in French. Sorry I can’t speak French.

Wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. Could grow on me with further listens.

3.5/4