Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Not for me
Eine Nationalikone in Frankreich
French singer songwriter, kinda jazzy
This got really old fast. I just couldn't connect to this at all. I definitely would not be returning to this. It was just a man singing and a piano and it got boring. Actual Rating...1.5 Liked Songs: "Les Vieux" , "Les timides" , "Le dernier repas"
Pas pour moi
can you imagine paying money to watch this in person. how would you not throw up and shit your pants in the audience?
Call me provincial…I learned his songs in English from “Jacques Brel is alive and well and living in Paris” and loved them. Since the lyrics are essential, these originals don’t work for me. My loss really.
4/10
Kind of cool when the accordion blasts in.
I don’t care for live albums and generally don’t like foreign albums either if they are heavily dependent on lyrics over music. I didn’t think the sound quality of the recording was very good either.
Sorry, can't judge (or listen) to this. I suppose there are others who can. Not me.
Brel sounds captivating, the audience is stoked. Unfortunately, the recording quality dimished the experience.
I've been listening to a lot of French music since moving here, though I tend to prefer the 60s yé-yé movement and the more modern stuff. Chanson is a cool genre. Every song sounds like an earnest declaration of resistance. Which is cool. But it's also a bit one-note, maybe? I don't know. Anyway, this dude is a super performer, and the band is solid. I like his little outbursts of weirdness and over-emoting. Anyway, I guess this is all to say that while it's not exactly my jam, I dig it, and am giving it 4 stars because it seems like an excellent example of the genre and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Glad I heard it.
Tres mal
Le Pants.
Very French, not my thing but maybe one has to be French to get it
I think if I was French I would quite like this
I wouldn't put it on the list.
Not really that good
Love it when the accordion gets going. He definitely sings with passion. Overall I felt like I was listening to someone performing the national anthem in a musical.
Tres tres francais, mai je n'comprendre pas les lyriques pour les experience completes.
Experiência agradável. Nao é um álbum que eu escutaria no meu dia a dia, mas é algo novo, um fresco diferente, um cantor famoso reconhecido na França e Bélgica, cantando músicas “teatrais”. Me senti assistindo uma peça. Bem legal.
WTF
not my cup of tea.
Too much clapping…didn’t like the style of music either.
Very dated, kind of like a couple of tracks, but overall not for me.
No idea how to rate this. Chanson is literally foreign to me. It sounds about as dated at Bobby Darin, I guess. That Champs Elysee” song that was in that Wes Anderson movie is almost my entire context for this stuff. Dude’s clearly got a good voice, if nothing else.
Exit music (for a film) but the film in question is ratatouille
I really liked this. I didn't understand the lyrics but I felt the passion behind their delivery and found the whole experience soothing
2,4/5
It is hard to appreciate music when you can’t understand the lyrics- I do not speak French. There is, however, a lot of foreign music that I do like that I also cannot understand, like Japan’s The Pillows, Germany’s Heino, or even France’s Yelle. The difference is: the actual instrumentation they have backing the words is enjoyable. Jacques here has a piano, accordion, and some bells backing him up- what most would consider stereotypical French music. If that’s the only thing I can rate this on, since most of this is sparsely populated by actual music notes, and mostly spoken word in French… it’s gonna be bad. ⭐️⭐️
Probably the best export from Belgium since waffles, beer and Tintin the Boy Detective! My French is a little (by which I mean a lot) rusty but the drama and emotion in these songs is unmistakeable. I’ve listened twice today and I’m going for a third listen using the auto-translate on my phone to get a better idea of the lyrics. It’s clear to see the direct line of influence from Brel to Bowie to Scott Walker to Nick Cave and beyond, not just in the covers of his songs but also in the mesmerising performance style. Chanson-tastic!
Eh
Definitely harder for me to appreciate this, I feel like I can't even provide a good faith review because I don't understand it. However, the sound is nice, I did enjoy having it on. It was certainly different. I feel like I'm just going to go middle of the road for this one, but there's not a lot of weight behind it.
Not for me.
I have never heard of Jacques Brel. I noticed this is live and it's in French but it's only 28 minutes long - so at least it will go by quickly. Even though it's in French I did recognize the word Amsterdam in the first song. But have no idea what that song is about but I'm gonna guess it has something to do with the famous city. I gave this a chance and actually listened to it 2 times in a row. But I don't want to listen to this again. I've had other foreign language artists where I actually liked a number of the songs - but this just isn't for me. Reminds me of something like The Lawrence Welk show type music (not good) but in French. Or even like that song that Madeline Kahn sings in Blazing Saddles where she sings in an over the top German accent - which is intended to be funny/goofy. The foreign language albums that I did like at least had compelling music. People did clap the end of the songs and sometimes fairly uproariously - so I guess people were so much easier to entertain back in the day. Perhaps if I understood French maybe I'd appreciate the lyrics. The whole time listening to this I thought I was on Punk'd or Candid Camera where someone was gonna come up laughing and saying "we can't believe you actually listened to that all the way through you dumbass". In short - this is not good - or at least to my ears. I'm pretty sure I didn't need to hear this before I die. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/8 Rating: 1/5 (should be zero)
Very French, and very theatrical; each piece has a distinct character. Even with an incomplete understanding of the language, you could still sense the emotion and mood of each song. I enjoy this sort of thing, though the novelty wore off more quickly than I’d hope; I’m sure I’d enjoy it more if I could better understand French. Still, I generally liked it. 3?
I do not speak French. Based on the music alone, I would not like this in English either. These are two separate and equally valid reasons for a 1 star rating, deployed simultaneously and without apology. I've heard that Jacques Brel is genuinely considered one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. Scott Walker, David Bowie, and Nina Simone all said so. I believe them completely and am giving this 1 star anyway, which is the most honest sentence in these reviews. 1 out of 5.
Entertaining enough but without understanding French it’s hard to appreciate the songs at all. Not because you need the lyrics to really enjoy a song but I think in this case, that’s the point of this album. The lyrics. So yeah. Nothing for me here.
I've never heard Jacques Brel in the original French before now! My parents had that English-language soundtrack "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” but despite hearing that endless times (including my dad singing "Amsterdam" as his audition song for musical theater, and then David Bowie covering it later on), I really don't know the originals at all. And wow. This is perfect timing because I've gotten kind of obsessed with current music from Francophone countries lately. This album is rough and angry and sad; he has such a marvelous, expressive voice, and the accompanying piano and accordion and such work perfectly with his singing. Unfortunately my French has only recently improved to the point where I can understand some of this; here’s another incentive to work on it. But it doesn’t really matter, I’m not someone who has to understand all the lyrics (in fact sometimes I’d prefer not to and just treat the singing as part of the music). So why did I have to spend the 60s listening to English-language covers of these songs, when Brel's original renditions were so much more interesting? I guess I should have thought to look for this, but I’ve never thought to do so. This is a fantastic record.
This dude brushes his teeth with soft cheese and wipes his ass with baguette. It’s the Frenchiest thing I’ve ever heard. Not just because of the language it’s sung in but the whole thing, songs, delivery, pomposity, attitude. It’s all so privileged and French. The vigor the Mr Brel’s singing must have certainly been one of his claims to fame but to me it’s just too pretentious, too Pepe L’Pew (sp?).
A Frenchman sings songs I do not know or enjoy. So thankfully short.
Enjoyable but French
This reminds me of my late granddad. It always felt so cozy at his home when the French chansons or the jazz big bands were playing. Favs were “Amsterdam” and “Les Timides”.
Schlager auf deutsch? 🙂↔️❌ Schlager auf französisch? 😌☺️✔️
French lounge music
French almost big band feel
Hon hon hon
*1964. Dramatic French! *All the clapping really takes away from live albums, especially when they're only 28 minutes like this. *It's like listening to the B-side of Les Mis in actual French. *Some was kinda cool, but a little goes a long way. RATING - 6/10
he was singing passionately. i didn't want to hear a lot of it but he really was singing his heart out!
Interesting and overall enjoyable I benefited a lot from being able to understand the lyrics and some of them were quite moving. Overall musically it's repetitive, but rich, with excellent instrumentation, and don't get me started on this guy's voice! Lyrically, it's an understatement to call it strong. But as an album, I likely wouldn't revisit it purposefully.
I mean, he's got a good voice, but that's all that this has going for it. It's a high 2
You can't fake passion. Also, can you smell the champagne and cigarettes?
I didn't mind this one bit. Buddy has a lot of emotion and soul in his voice. I still have no idea what he says.
Some nice french music. Reminded me of Leonard Cohen at times. Probably won't be seeking it out again though.
It was a pleasant listen.
Amsterdam - 3.5/5 Les Vieux - 3/5 Tango funébre - 3/5 Le Plat Pays - 3/5 Les Timides - 3/5 Les Jardins du Casino - 3/5 Le Dernier Repas - 3/5 Les Toros - 3/5 You know, it's really hard to appreciate chanson and a lyrics-based artist if you really don't have a grasp on French. I know a few things for certain, this is very French (yes I know he's Belgian), and he appears to be a good lyricist from what I can parse. I can tell about his song "Le Moribond" which was translated into Seasons in the Sun and it's much funnier than the English translation: The whole song is about a dying man on his deathbed talking to the people surrounding him in his dying moments The first verse is about him reminiscing with his friend Emile over the good times they had The second verse is him talking with his priest, and although they did not see eye-to-eye they are still on good terms The third verse is him telling a man named Antoine he knows he's cheating bastard The last verse is him telling his wife that he knew she was cheating on him with Antoine Anyway, chanson is cool, I guess. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Amsterdam
Good singer good live shiw
Notables: - Amsterdam - Le Toros Avec Final
first of all, shout out to this review: "I’m a little French, a little pretentious, a little gay. So this was right up my alley." Wish I was this funny :/ second of all, hate live albums except for the folsom prison one. But this is french gay shit, so its fine. And i fear he has better albums so i dont understand why i have to listen to this one.
This was a pretty cool album for what it was. It's hard for me to really break it down when it's from a different country, a different culture, a time long before I was born, and in a language I don't speak or understand. But yeah... pretty cool, I guess.
Nicht mein Genre!
Amsterdam
sure
I don't speak french and honestly have no clue what's going on here. I have heard of Jacques Brel but not sure why this live album is the essential one.
This is a breathe of fresh air amongst the dad rock and 00's left field pop
Never heard of him before but subsequently read about his influence on many great recording artists, and the many many many great artists who have covered his songs. But I didn't love this album.
It's fine, interesting enough. I do wish I knew what he was saying.
Pretty sure it's just a bunch of sexy talk!
Sure whatever leave it on
Man går ikke helt galt i byen med en fransk crooner, harmonika og kontrabas. Og så med en enkelt tango.
This just doesn't work for me. Brel's singing kinda more ranges between talking and yelling, not much of an obvious melody there. The music is relatively quiet/subtle, so you're just kinda listening to a guy talking/yelling in French for most of it. I REALLY thought I'd hate it during "Amsterdam". The rest is not that bad, but it still just isn't anything I'd ever choose to listen to. I assume it's mainly on the list for Francophone cultural reasons, but I could've gone without it.
I enjoyed this. Lots of emotional expression in his voice, I just wish I could understand french to better appreciate it.
French talking music is not my thing, but I can see why he's popular. I highly recommend reading about Jacques. He sounds like quite the interesting person.
7/10 - Really enjoyed this album, especially it being live.
There was something entrancing about this
I may not have understood every word, but I know a party when I hear one. And this sounded like a good time, albeit for a crowd older than myself.
We needed to hear a live performance of French cabaret, I guess. The audience really liked him and seemed to know all the songs.
Sounds fun, better if I understood french
Yeah - maybe these would mean something to me if I was French. This Frog audience is REALLY into this guy and his "chansons." Every song sounds pretty much the same, though just pure sound-quality wise, "Amsterdam" sounds infinitely worse than all the others. That mic is HOT, and is clipping pretty much the whole song. If I was hosting a French-themed dinner party or something I would put this on, but otherwise, I don't plan on listening to this again. THREE STARS
Feels like something I should look up lyrics for but not really interested to. Still it sounds nice.
Goddamn what a voice. Don't know who this guy is and came in with 0 expectations but I thoroughly enjoyed. This is what this list should be, a bunch of different types of music from all over the place that I've never heard to broaden my musical horizons with. 8/10. IDK a single word he said so hopefully he wasn't being racist or something.
I like it and I have heard plenty of cover versions by the likes of Scott Walker, Alex Harvey and Marc Almond which I’ve enjoyed but the story telling is such a huge part of his songs that something is lost when listening in a language I don’t understand
A jazz album and nothing more
I tried. I really did. Sorry, Jacques.
1.5
Beauty and the Beast - the musical
Good background music ..sounds nice but have no idea what the lyrics are…probably play again but gets for mood music
Hard to judge, but I definitely appreciated the passion of the delivery.
With my middling knowledge of Spanish, it was fun to try and figure out what the songs were about. I had little success, but it was still fun. Great voice, great instrumentation, fun to listen to. I think I'll go listen to some French cafe jazz and equally enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Thanks for the inspiration, Jacques! ⭐⭐⭐
Ehhhh, I tried, but this just was doing nothing for me. I admire the fact that the guy was singing his heart out. But it just didn't grab me on any level.
Brilliant and mesmerising. Jacques Brel's delivery demonstrates huge individuality and strength of character. People feel Frank Sinatra has a unique and classy style, but it's actually Jacques Brel who has it in spades. Such passion and skill.
If only my French were better, perhaps I would’ve enjoyed this more. From what I understand, the lyrics are what this album is mostly praised for. I certainly hope that’s true because I thought the melodies were lacking a fair bit. I’m happy to stick this right in the middle with a 3.
Now I know what Edit Piaf would have sounded like if she was a dude. I am not a fan. Maybe if I spoke French? HA! Who am I kidding. There isn't a snowflakes chance in hell that I will ever voluntarily listen to cabaret or chanson or whatever music in this vein.
I like a good amount of French pop so I had lofty and unfulfilled expectations. He's a little too theatrical for my taste.
3/5 - I wish I knew what he was singing, because he sure does mean it.
French
kinda fun! like all the music autoplay rolled into after this!
Oui oui
Hugely influential for Leonard Cohen and David Bowie. Bowie covered Amsterdam. I enjoyed this.
Previously, I've only heard covers of Brel songs (Scott Walker, Marc Almond) and while they're good, they barely give any idea of the effort Brel put into a performance. My French is no longer good enough but this is amazing.
I thought Jaques Brel might be in this challenge. Brilliant album! You can hear the emotion in his voice from the first word of Amsterdam. Five stars!
I don't mind getting a french girl. 5/5
(60/100)
Clearly very popular and very french. No so much my speed but I love a tasteful accordian. I just don't have anything to compare this too, its the most classic french music I've embarked on. It was fun and exciting but I wouldn't say good or enjoyable lol. I'll will keep this on the back burner in hopes that 3 or 4 stars will grace this album.
Terrible. Fr*nch “people” disgust me.
66/100. This might be the first time I've really listened to chanson as a genre, I found it really interesting. Very poetic, performed in a troubadour vibe. I don't really speak french so reading the lyrics to the music was really interesting, especially regarding the fascinating themes on display. Did I understand everything... not even close, but it was enjoyable and very different from my usual listening habits. There's so much passion in the singing and delivery. I think Les Vieux was the most interesting track thematically, such an interesting concept about aging. Also Amsterdam was a cool opener. The only small negative for me was, at times, the crowd drowned out Jacques Brel, but not a major complaint.
Brelliant
A reminder that french is ultimately quite an ugly language.
Yeah wow I had such a good time with this album! I loved how clearly the emotion comes through and by now we all know how much I love a swell in songs and this album was full of them. Keen to hear how those amongst us who can comprendre le Français found it.
Just in time for Bastille Day!!! Purely by chance I was listening to Daft Punk Alive 07 right before this and seamlessly transitioned from one live crowd to another, and have to commend the energy and the crowd here. In Amsterdam I felt like he was singing as though his life depended on it. It was commanding and I loved it. Less sold on the rest and I did start to lose a little interest
Good reading music I guess maybe just cos I couldn’t understand him
It reminds me of some of the foreign film rabbit holes I've journeyed down. That's a good thing.
Reeeaaally liked it. A breath of fresh air, a change from all the rock pop rap and shit. A live album on top of that... chef kiss. Mr Jacques has a really good voice and it did it for me. I think another reason I liked it is because it reminded me of my grandfather. It brought me back when I was little and spending the days at his apartment. He would play this kind of music on the record player and it had unbelievable sound. I now have that memory I didn't know I had. Idk, maybe it's that....
Como recital muy bien. Lleva bien el ritmo, canciones más rápidas, después afloja y así. No creo que lo vaya a escuchar de nuevo a menos que sea un antojo muuuy especifico de un recital en Francés.
I liked the idea of this more than I actually liked listening to it. Propably a better production and a translation would have helped.
As good as a French 60s showtune solo singer is going to get I'd imagine.
oh god
Umm just not for me lol but I guess it wasn't terrible
I prefer the one he does about cooking fish in The Little Mermaid.
Not my stuff.
Seems like a talented dude but not my jam
I like this I no know why But I like it
This made for a nice change today. I don't often listen to this kind of music but I guess I should more. I speak a little French but really just enough to pick out a word or phrase here and there so the meaning is pretty still all lost on me. But sometimes that's ok and I feel like this is an album that you don't have to understand to appreciate. It's hard to categorize - is it showtunes? Crooning? Singer songwriter? Vocal jazz? Maybe a mix of all of that. Although I may not listen to this style often, I really enjoyed this one today and could see it being in a regular rotation when I'm in the mood. 4/5
I know many singers were influenced by Brel and recorded their interpretations of his songs. I especially enjoyed Judy Collin's recording of Marieke. I love his music, but this recording is, unfortunately, so bad that it doesn't represent a very true representation of his talent. Never mind. His fans and the critics must have loved it and that's why it appears here. I'll give it four stars for his musical genius and knock off a star for the less than stellar recording.
A live French singer-songwriter album. Interesting. Jacques Brel has a wonderful, passionate voice, and it’s fairly short, thankfully. I do not understand anything he is saying, but that is fine, because his fantastic voice travels through the language barrier, especially on the dramatic, incredible opener “Amsterdam.” Following that, it sinks to a spot just above mediocrity, which it hovers at for the albums’s remaining time. There are no highlights other than that song. It’s pretty good though, and that song is fucking insane. 7.2/10
A nice surprise!
Not really into baroque or circus-style percussion so not a huge fan.
Ok. All in French
Very powerful voice, though I miss a lot in translation with music this lyrical. Highlights: "Amsterdam", "Les Toros Avec Final"
Can't help but think that at least one of these stars is due to where my Spotify playlist took me afterwards. This is the beauty of listening to these albums every day, as it opens up my mind to other genre of music, that otherwise I might not hear and enjoy Who knew that Chanson (French cabaret) was my thing?! Certainly not me
Crap
Rate: 7/10.
Big fan of Charles Aznavour - but won’t complain about Jacques. Love it
Hmm. Hurmmmmmm. Yeah, I kind of have absolutely no idea as to what this album could be. Jacques is a French name if I'm not mistaken, so that alleviates a bit of the mystique. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea as to what the Frenchies were doing in the 60s. The dress code and artwork of this album invokes the image of an 80s new wave/punk band, so I'm double fucked there. My one and only guess as to what the genre of this album could be is pop rock, so I'll hedge my bets on that. Here goes. This album is a "chanson" release, which is a wonderfully nonspecific genre of French music that has more to do with vocal melodies over established styles of music. I'll take that as a victory on the prediction front. I should have known that this would be a live album, though I'm surprised nonetheless. For full disclosure, I listened to the 28-minute track list that appears on the original release of this album over the expanded 48-minute runtime that appears on its reissues. I find that necessary to disclose as the 1001 Albums book includes the expanded track list over the original. Anyways, the album. It's solid! I can appreciate the operatic style. Jacques is a very skilled performer - you can hear the passion coming through in his vocal delivery. It also helps that the songwriting is deliberate, purposeful and appealing in how distinctly French it is. The pianos are the obvious highlight as far as the instrumentals are concerned, being the central focus on many of the songs. The plucky, lightweight feel is well-matched with Jacques' frolicking vocal style and sounds pleasing on its own. Other instruments like the triangle, brass instruments and incredibly French accordion elevate the opulent feel of the music. Overall, this album was quite solid! I think I should I have gone the full 48 minutes as I was left wanting a little more by the end. Still, as far as the version I listened to is concerned, this album is varied, concise and satisfying with the note that it ends on, which are all things that I greatly value in an album. Book time. This album was performed in Olympia Hall, which is apparently one of the big league concert halls in Europe. Released when chanson was beginning to build an audience in The UK and US. Most of the setlist is from "Les Bonbons", which was his most recent album at the time of release. These live performances have a dramatic flair that isn't present in their studio counterparts. Wikipedia has fuck all on this album, though it was the last live album Jacques Brel released in his lifetime. Chanson isn't a widely influential genre of music, though it is distinctive and I have heard its influence at points, so I'm content with letting this one through. I cosign this inclusion.
Kinda strange French cabaret vibe.
V rámci francúzskych šansónov sa to dá...
Es un clásico. Había que escucharlo. No es un disco que escucharía muy seguido.
This is so French and old. Delightful.
That was good for whatever it was.
Very vocal-centric, and the vocals aren't speaking to me. Doesn't help that I don't speak the language, but I do often enjoy foreign-language music when the instrumentals are more forward or the vocals more textured/harmonic?/feelable/I-don't-know-a-proper-word-but-I-know-what-I-mean.
Not really my thing
Fine? Just very much not my thing
even though i didnt understand a single word, he sang with heart and passion. i can see why he was HUGE. i am sure i will not listen to it again.
He had a super amazing voice and it was very enjoyable to listen to. But it was hard to compare it to anything else I ever listened to!
I did not understand the words. I sounded very romantic. Reminded me of Lilly Malane being sung on Hogan's Heroes.
Almost complete garbage.
Clearly a good album, but just didn't do anything for me. Interesting though.
I really only know the album "Jacques Brel Is Alive and well in Paris". Looking forward to this one. I recognize a lot of these songs even though they're in French. The sometimes bawdy English versions make me laugh out loud, these still bring a smile to my face.
rotte med tull i
pretty alright live album i guess
So Jacques Brel is known as a “master of the modern chanson”. A chanson is a lyrically driven French song. So this may be a great album of chanson but if you don’t know French (me) it kind of just sounds like a guy reading poetry while a band plays next door. Most of the album the music is almost nonexistent, when the instruments are more forward in the mix the songs aren’t bad, but when it’s mostly a guy talk singing in French it’s not much fun to listen to. It’d be like listening the odyssey in Greek, it may be a classic tale but if you don’t understand the language it’s nothing but noise.
I really tried. This has a very classic sound, and if I were a different person, I could see why it's on the list. I can't do it, though.
Highlights: Tango funèbre, Les Toros. In a nutshell: poetry in motion. Chanson (noun) 1. (French) Song. Specifically: music-hall or cabaret song. (Source: Merriam-Webster) 2. French-language singers/songwriters for whom the quality of the text is essential and where the rhythm of the music follows that of the text. (Source: RateYourMusic) For this album, having the translated lyrics certainly helped me understand Brel's appeal. Chanson seems to have a unique brevity to it and the music style can be traced back to the Renaissance era. Pop music and folk music would be very different without the influence of chanson. It may not be for everyone, but it's historically important. Overall: 5/10
Never heard of this before, but it does nothing for me, just generic soundtrack music to me.
Amsterdam was cool, just wish I knew what he was saying.
Nah not for me. Maybe if I spoke French.
C'est bien, mais j'aime pas trop Brel, désoléééééé
5/5 Sûrement un peu de nostalgie Mais quel homme (il c'est quand même proposé en tant qu'avion taxi pour les habitants de l'île sur laquelle il a passé ses dernières années), quel storytelling (toujours envie de chialer en l'écoutant). Mort trop tôt , mais à 49 ans avec un heritage certains
Merci de jouer Tango Funèbre lors de mon enterrement Playlist pick : Le Plat Pays
The ratings of this album got me expecting this to be bland or boring. Turns out that it is a fantastic performance full of charisma and passion. I absolutely loved the enthusiasm and theatricality of the singer. He is so expressive that In my mind I imagine him constantly shaking his hands (or one of them if he had to hold a microphone with the other) to match the strong intonation of his voice and making his performances feel more convincing. The best example of how much energy he has is the opener "Amsterdam", which gets bigger and bigger as it goes, with the instruments and the vocals getting louder, reaching and epic conclusion. Truly spectacular. Besides, power is not only thing he has, as in songs like "Les vieux" and "Le plat pays" he shows a more delicate and tranquil side. When it comes to the instrumentation, even though it gets overshadowed by the voice, it is an orchestra that accompanies really nice. Apart from the already given example of "Amsterdam", where it elevates the energy, the instruments usually play some really cute and tranquil melodies on the more serene tracks. Another point worth talking about is the lyrics. Thanks to internet translators, I found out that he narrates some interesting histories and scenes, adding even more to the theatricality aspect of the record. For example, "Le dernier repas" talks about the great party he would have in in his last meal, and "Les vieux" reflects about the life of the elderly. Overall, I am very impressed with this album and the singer. Not one of my favourites albums at the moment, but maybe time can change this opinion.
The world's first French rapper.
i felt nothing at all
I don't think I've ever heard anything more French in my life. Last track was decent, the rest I've forgotten already
Not for me this one, I like to hear stuff I wouldn’t normally listen to, but this wasn’t one of them.
I wish I'd studied French because there aren't enough translations of Brel even with the the show Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, the subsequent other covers and the Marc Almond album of his songs. And apparently most of those aren't necessarily all that accurate. I was really surprised when I learned that Seasons In The Sun is a Brel song. No wonder cos its sentimental nonsense is way wide of the typically grim and funny song he actually wrote.
This guy has a powerful voice. Sadly my French is tres mouvais; and that makes it hard to appreciate or enjoy. Still I can feel talent in his voice and band, and therefore shall give this 3 stars.
Merde
Not something I would put on very often, but an enjoyable listen.
Its hard to enjoy or rate without knowing what's going on
Lost in translation
Man yells loudly in French over poorly recorded orchestra.
I couldn't wait till this was over. I could barely take 20 minutes of this, ,much less 28. 0.5/5
It’s French it’s music
Why
This album was actually not too bad. It was slightly French, it seems, but the first song was quite extreme, so it was a good start. The rest were alright with nothing too exciting.
I don't care for overly-emotional and theatrical vocalists. Brel is just that and more. It's possible that I could get over this if I understood the stories in his songs... but I don't.
Hot take of the day- French is not a beautiful language. This is not my jam. Mercifully short
Since I don’t understand French, all I can go on is the sound of his voice and the music. The music and voice sounded like a satirical rendering of what American think France should sound like. I guess we aren’t wrong on that!
Chanson king, bow down.
This is the most French person ever
The audience was going crazy Didn’t hate it though
I hated this... But I thought about how Im supposed to be listening to my computing professor right now and this was more fulfilling than that and thats gotta count for something...
Bro it's french
Most french thing I've ever heard in my life. Wish I could understand any of it!
An interesting bit of variety given recent offerings. Enjoyed the ambience it gave and found the sound evocative and entertaining. Unsure how that would stand up to a second listen once the novelty has worn off…
I really wanted to love this but the vocal performance just didn’t grab me. Theatrical in the wrong way. Possibly also the mix on the vocals.
Shite
Absolute shite. Why is this an album I MUST LISTEN TO BEFORE I DIE? Why why why why?????
Went into this having no idea what to expect. Ended p really enjoying it. No idea what he's saying, but that ended up not matering.
Can only imagine that. PSG and Wemby winning tonight had something to do with getting this today
Well, it's not for me; the first two songs were enough—I didn't listen to the whole thing.
Почему на меня кричит француз?
That class, that voice... I don't listen to classic chansons often, but when I do I'm transported to a different world.
I usually listen to to these albums at least a couple of times to give the music a chance to catch on.I only listened to this one once. He’s very talented but I just know it’s not my thing. I probably sound like uncultured swine but during the second song on the album I couldn’t help but think of that French chef from The Little Mermaid.
I liked the opener - Amsterdam - that had some energy to it. Thereafter it was a bit too chatty / cabaret for me - and as my french is dog shit i had no idea what was going on so all the wit in the lyrics was lost on me. He has an interesting voice tho. 2 feels harsh but I will not be listening again.
Olympia ‘64 This is as French as the cover of the Tricolore Encore text book and the faint tang of sewage as you walk the streets of Paris, watching people in striped shirts riding bikes chomping on onions going hon-he-hon-he-hon That's no bad thing, even if Chanson is not necessarily a genre I’d reach for, and his gallic sense of drama and flair, particularly on the arrestingly overwrought Amsterdam is great. That style could get a bit grating, but thankfully he tends to switch between songs like that and songs like Les Timides, or Le Plat Pays, both lovely, yearning songs, and the overall effect is very enjoyable, ending on another climax of melodrama with Les Toros (I looked up the original tracklisting, and the definitive vinyl release was the first 8 songs of the streaming version, but not in the same order, Les Toros is the original closing song). I wouldn’t normally think of listening to this sort of thing, but I’m glad it came up as I very much enjoyed the earnest sincerity and distinctive Frenchness, which I think gives it a high trois (which is French for 3). 🥖🥖🥖 Playlist submission: Amsterdam or Le Plat Pays, I’ll go Le Plat Pays
That brass intro with applause is so of the 60s and 70s, it positively transports you to Bruce Forsythe at the Palladium, pencil microphones, ruffed shirts and velvet suits. As for Brel he certainly sings with gusto, the first thing to come across rather than the melodies themselves. 'Amsterdam' reveals the modus operandi; based on the theatrical and the drama plays out like a Gallic marital domestic - Brel simply raising the voice louder and louder. In general the chanson cabaret style gets on my tits. It doesn't help that half the fun must be in the storytelling et je parle un peu Français. I can give it credit for likely having the feckless French audience in the palm of his hand (but then they find Monsieur Hulot entertaining). 'Le plat pays' ('The Saucer Gets It') is probably the most tolerable just because it is laid back, with arpeggioed guitar - a sadness that reminded me a lot of Leonard Cohen. It's ruined pretty quickly by 'Les timides' ('Shy Les'), which is back to Gilbert and Sullivan melodramatic storytelling. My open mind was quickly shut by a tango with accordion. No good can come of it. Insufferable.
Kinda cool
interesting and glad i listened
Brel = 5 étoiles Cet album précis dans le monde global de la musique = 3 étoiles
Tough call. Brel était un interprète de génie qui poussait un peu plus loin sur scène... mais dans l'optique d'une liste d'écoute/découvertes, un album studio aurait été plus approprié, me'semble. La foule sonne le cul. 3.49 étoiles
Love this!
Free me from this prison
Not a fan of lyrically driven music, and as someone who does not speak French, the lyrics didn't distract from enjoying the actual music this time around. While I could not understand the lyrics, I could not help but imagine a dark smoky room filled with people sipping pastis. As a fan of Lawrence Welk, I can get behind some polka and champagne music. It was a fun listen, even if it is likely something I will never revisit.
- I don't tend to like live albums, but the sound isn't terrible, except for the annoying cheering. It's really distracting - the weird order where the encore clapping happens near the start. - His voice holds up on this, I think. I just don't find it as great as some of the crooners, but it was pleasant enough, and definitely emotive and expressive. - The first song feels a little bombastic for me - almost nationalistic, which, no thanks. The cheering definitely adds to that at the end. - The second song takes it to a more sentimental and sweet feeling. - I think instrumentally, the piano stands out - it's a nice, airy melodic addition. - The rest, I'm not so into - it just sounds very theatrical, and I guess that's not what I'm after. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I could appreciate the poetry/wit here, but that would take me a lot more time and energy than I have today. - Nothing really stood out as something I want to come back to.
I liked the opener - Amsterdam - that had some energy to it. Thereafter it was a bit too chatty / cabaret for me - and as my french is dog shit i had no idea what was going on so all the wit in the lyrics was lost on me. He has an interesting voice tho. 2 feels harsh but I will not be listening again.
I can only quote another listener of this list who wrote; "What I listen to while my rat cooks me dinner" Tres parfait!
Not sure why I'm supposed to appreciated 60 year old French pop music.
Terrific voice - but a whole album worth? Meh.
Interesting, and a great change from the rock standards. I knew Brel from covers by Alex Harvey and Bowie - I enjoy the melodrama of chanson, although my french isn't good enough to get all the lyrics. That said, I didnt find the songs quite as attention grabbing as i'd hoped. Perhaps there may be other Brel albums that would better represent his style? A strong 3.
nicee
Quite relaxing for my goy hands but I'm not french
tooa dvanced for me
I love this project for introducing me to stuff outside my usual musical radar, like this. Can't say I loved this one, though. Seems from an era when the singer was really a performer, like the star of a musical. Not my stuff.
Certainly wasn't boring!
Interesante. Corto. No sé si será la mejor opción para escuchar a este músico. Y otro directo más en la lista. ¿Cuántos habrá?. No me he guardado ninguna canción.
Not into this one
So dramatic, so good one of the few good things to come out of france, in addition to Gojira 4/5
Instrumental was really simple and lackluster and singing wasn’t that good.
I knew Amsterdam but prefer Bowie's version. Overall not engaged with this genre.
It is not bad. But it is very lyric focused and as someone who doesn't speak French it wasn't very interesting. I probably would have given it a higher rating if I understood what he was saying. 2.5
Even though I couldn’t understand the lyrics, for some reason I really enjoyed this one. Probably won’t give it another listen, so it settles in at three stars.
I didn’t understand a single word of it but I kinda didn’t feel like I needed to. This very compact album basically swept me off my feet purely with its passion and Brel’s charisma. It wasn’t an album that goes straight to my playlist but it definitely was one I was listening with a lot of enjoyment and enthusiasm. I did save Amsterdam though, because it nearly made me shed a tear somehow. And I respect music that can do that to me.
this frog can sing!
Favorite Song: Amsterdam
Very classy sounding album, felt as though I was sat in some atmospheric French cafe
While I appreciate the history and influence, this isn't an album I enjoyed or would listen to again.
I listened to it all, didn't more than a few lyrics, musically it didn't really do much for me either.
It is very, very, very french and a bit weird. And it's... not bad?
Jacques Brel ist aus meiner Sicht ein hochkarätiger Songwriter. Unwiderstehlich schön.
Sacre bleu! C'est merde!
Interesting. Second Live album in three days (are sure this is random?). I don't really know what to say about this one. Yeh, it's good, some songs here are phenomenal. The preformens is good as well. But I don't feel like it's a special or essential live album. I hope there are studio Jacques Brel albums here, because it could be much more interesting. It's very very nice as a casual listen. But unfortunately I think I'll give it a 2.8 today. As I'm not sure this should be here.
01) Amsterdam - 8,0 02) Les Vieux - 8,0 03) Tango funèbre - 7,5 04) Le Plat Pays - 8,0 05) Les Timides - 7,5 06) Les Jardins du casino - 7,0 07) Dernier Repas - 7,0 08) Les Toros - 7,0 TOTAL: 7,50 (75/100)
This is really not my interpretation of chansons !
Wow. Yep.
Sounds like he's sucking grits through a garden hose. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing
this was fine but it feels very lyric focused, as someone else so eloquently put it, like a french leonard cohen. its hard to appreciate something like that in a language you dont speak so it didnt really work for me.
Okay so this is French but he's very pretty NOTICE: I am rating things out of 5 now bc thats how much you can rate in the app. - Amsterdam: It's nice- he has a powerful voice but kinda sounds like he has phlegm in his throat. Oooh it starts picking up at 1:20. It feels like a street performance- I would throw a dollar in lowkey. Omg the orchestra. This is wonderful. OH woooow. 4/5 It was boring at first but when it picked up I ascended into heaven. He's so beautiful as well. I need him to serenade me. - Les Vieux: I hate all the clapping at the start but once the song starts it's quite sweet. Slow dance-y. It's pretty much the same tempo the whole song- no high, no low. 3/5 bc it's sweet but anticlimatic - Tango funebre: He's so silly in this one haha. Very tango lol. Ooh it's kind of building up now. Wow I really like this one- it's quietly powerful. I love the piano for this one. 3.5/5 I love the music but not his voice in this one - Le plat pays: This is very sorrowful and melancholy. I can hear the emotion in his voice. It's so so beautiful. This might be my favorite so far. Oh my goodness the voice combined with the violin and the guitar. I'm genuinely in heaven holyyyyyy 6/5 - Les timides: The piano is soo cute here. His voice is so so powerful in this one wowwww. It's still a little boring though. 2.5/5 - Les jardins du casino: Ooh very waltz-y. I love the music with his voice it's very pretty. Awww I love this. Not my favorite 2.5/5 - Le dernier repas: Didn't really catch my attention. 2/5 - Les Toros Avec Final: Nice but did not catch my attention. 2.5/5 Overall rating: 3.2/5 :) I like this guy
Cool listen, but ultimately not something I'd come back to.
Not for me, nice sounds 2*
Not for me. At least his singing is nice.
beautiful r's. my grandma loves this shit.
I know almost nothing about French music from this era, so I feel very unqualified to evaluate this, other than to say that Brel's voice is pleasant and expressive and the instrumentation is correctly unobtrusive to avoid taking the focus away from him. The opener "Amsterdam" is a highlight but the entire package was enjoyable.
Fancy
French people be like
As a fellow Belgian, this is a nice surprise. His most famous song wasn’t even on here but that just shows just what a versatile artist he was. One of a kind voice and musician. I probably would have given 5 stars if it wasn’t a live album.
Why does this guy kinda look like Mr. Bean? Am I the only one who sees that or am I on to something here? Maybe it's just the hair and the suit. Anyway, this album's okay. It might be the most aggressively French album on this whole list, and that's saying something. Fortunately, that's not a bad thing in this scenario, as the album is actually good. This is a live performance showcasing a genre known as chanson, which is basically just a fancy term for French singer-songwriter music. Is said singing and songwriting good? It sure seems good to me. Jacques Brel's singing is quite operatic. It's not my favorite, but he puts his heart into it. The songwriting actually seems pretty good from what I can tell. As I often do with albums not in English, I checked the translations of these songs and found that the writing is rather mature and thought-provoking, with things like death being common themes. That's neat. I respect that. The music itself is on the more orchestral side and it's not bad at all. The cheering is a little loud in the mixing, but that's to be expected for a 60s live album. Overall, Olympia 64 is a good listen. I might not have been able to get as much out of it as others could personally, but I have respect for this recording. Strong 3/5.
уля-ля, жё мапэль ля леди баг, мон амур "владимир централь". честно, не понимаю, откуда столько возмущённых отзывов и почему у людей уши в трубочку скручиваются. для меня конечно само словосочетание "французский шансон" прозвучало как "американские матрёшки" но оказывается, именно франция родина шансона. и в общем-то альбом получился милым. жак брель спел и про стариков, живущих от "кресла до кровати", и про родную бельгию, и про взрывы ревности, и про смертельные последствия неверности, ну и морали поучить не забыл. всё по базе. это вам, конечно, не владимирский централ, но тож получилось душевненько.
снова джазик, сразу вайб мафии, сигареток и проституток, минус балл - вспомнил себя в водолазке
Love french
one of the big french chansonniers. an enigmatic album with a lot of power. i can't quite come around to like it more... it's too monotonous after a while
The best part is it was only 28 minutes.
It's all French to me.
french voice, passionate and interesting, but the quality of the recording is mediocre. eeh
I got nothing. Solid 3 Stars.
I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. I’m learning that I really enjoy baroque French showmanship. Jacques Brel may be Belgian, but he sings the language with the precision of an opera tenor, and the natural timbre of his voice feels captivating by itself. The orchestra helps a bit too, as they practically provide a movie soundtrack as their backing tracks. I really love the dynamic of the accordion, flute, & percussion in particular, as they follow his voice in a way that makes him feel like a main character. It’s that simple, really, and it’s a well done formula for 28 minutes. The only reason I’m at a 4.5 is because it is just a little bit same-y in a way that doesn’t give each track too much of a distinction past their lyrics, but between how much I liked his voice & the quality of those lyrics when translated (genuinely, you NEED to translate them to truly feel some of these tracks), it feels like a no-brainer to bump it up. If you’re inclined towards this same type of showmanship, ala Scott Walker (who covered SEVERAL Jacques Brel songs), then you’ll like this. If you’re not, you probably won’t. I’m just impressed by it, and I think it’s worth bumping up to a 5. Pretty good stuff overall.
Short and sweet! I love a live album. I did have another french artist yesterday which is funny to me. But this is good, very much my preference of easy listening with a lovely voice. Makes me want to walk around a gas lamp lit city late at night. In general, I will always prefer the ambiance of a live recording.
Fine I guess
Listened in the car. Really cool album. Took me back in time; felt like I should have a cigarette in my hand! Good stuff.
It’s great if you want to listen to one of the songs. But if the whole album is a bit much for me. Overall not really my thing.
Mooie muziek maar zelf geen fan
Very lovely but not that interesting for me personally.
Pardon my French, but what the fuck is this?? I speak a little of the language, but I'm hard pressed to see the relevance in this day and age of someone who appears to be like a French (well, Belgian) version of Dean Martin. Strong voice, but the music is oh-so-boringly-outdated and I can't really comment on the songs as I can't translate fast enough to keep up. Definitely don't see this as an essential listen unless you are very keen on the history of French contemporary music. In which case, fuck off back to your boulangerie, you poseur.
This is pretty much the only time I like a live album
Perfect!
Not one I expected to be on the list. French ballads are fine but Jacques Brel is not a contender for the greatest 1,000 list.
Le mec écrivait quand même.
7.50/10 El primer tema sería algo que podría escuchar Hitler, después tiene buenos temas y algunos matados, es un ritmo al que no estoy acostumbrado pero me gusto bastante la verdad, sacando algunos podría mejorar mucho
Шансон тіпа є, а де Блек-металл?
Not really my bag but I can see the appeal with this one. I do like the opener Amsterdam. And everything is good and listenable. Its just a bit too big and theatrical for me. I get thays the poipoint and it gets a better grade for it but still not super into that whole deal. I also knoknow basiclly zero French. Oui. And im out. Maybe if I knew what he was on about id get more into it but probably not knowing me. But the music and the sonics of it is nice. Everything sounds good. Can't fault it a lick on that front. Just not my favorite. Still good though
If I wanted to go to a concert by Jacques Brel, I’d time travel. But I don’t, so I haven’t.
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris was something of a mythical joke with my friends in high school. It was the 90s so we had no real way of just finding and listening to Brel, so it was just some in-joke reference with no context. But if we’d gotten our hands on this then I bet we would’ve annoyed everyone with it constantly.
Labai malonus pasiklausymas. Tikrai antrą kartą reikia ir dar radiją jo pasileisti.
não é a minha praia, e igual a muitos que já passaram aqui, vou me basear no que eu achei nas duas primeiras faixas e é isso aí n é pq tá nessa lista que é bom, algumas descobertas já valeram e outras eu poderia morrer sem ter escutado 2 por fins de avaliação
He’s acting aa much as he is singing, it sounds like. And he’s selling out for the performance. A whole lot of bravado and gusto behind the voice. I don’t know a word he’s saying but it seems dramatic and often tense based on his delivery and the music. Can’t offer much critical analysis, my favorite parts are when he changes his delivery from loud to quiet or quiet to loud very quickly. A fun inclusion, 3/5
This sucks ass, and it's Fr*nch. 0.5 stars.
Rare world album that I hate.
Memories of the cottage hanging out with Tom... this was an album that we could 'agree' upon. Some tunes hold up over time (I still dig Synchronicity II), but my god that Mother track is horrid.
I don't really know how to judge this. Seemed alright.
Highlights: Amsterdam, Les Timides, Le dernier repas Surprisingly enough I came into this knowing what to expect and I was satisfied. Nice chanson record, but I don't know why out of all of his records they picked a live record. Even though I enjoyed his typical playful expression, not a lot of songs stood out.
It was okay.
Didn’t really like
Oh yes! This is the shit. Right away you can hear Stromae, Scott Walker and Nick Cave. So much commitment to the drama. It’s wild and thrilling. His style is raw and earnest, like Edith Piaf and Marc Almond. You don’t need to understand French to feel the story. This isn’t just singing. This is a true performance. Masterfully done. 5/5
Hooray for an album that’s not sung in English! I enjoyed the dramatic, cabaret style music and singing. It’s not an album I would necessarily revisit with the exception of “Amsterdam” which is a fantastic song, but I’m glad it’s on the list. Anything out of the US/UK canon is appreciated.
So deeply french. Sunday mornings.
Very theatrical and lyric-heavy. I'm sure it has a lot more punch for fluent French speakers. His voice is a bit unconventional but he delivers a lot of emotion. Not something I'll return to but it's good to hear something so different.
Okay album. I find live albums quite challenging sometimes but it sounded great and emotional.
Just so French it's untrue.
Apart from the out of tune piano, it being a live album and the tuneless way he sings it was shit.
Not so into it. I liked Amsterdam and I was familiar with Funeral Tango through Scott Walker’s cover, which I like a lot. The rest of the album doesn’t do anything for me.
My wife listened to this with me and now she's left with a smarmy Frenchman. I'm all alone and destitute. Thanks Jaques!
Dit is toch een soort oermuziek die ik één keer in de zoveel tijd wel een keertje kan waarderen, maar dus zeker niet te vaak. Ik luister een half uurtje en kan er dan weer een jaar of 8 tegen. Ome Sjaak loopt op een nogal bevlogen manier verhalen te vertellen waar ik uiteraard geen zak van begrijp. Eén van de nummers gaat over Amsterdam en één over een vlak land, weet ik toevallig, maar verder is het gissen geblazen. Het maakt me weinig uit. Ik onderga dit een keertje enigszins tevreden en dan is het wel mooi geweest. Wel goed dat het in de lijst staat, mag best. 3 sterren is denk ik voor mij de beste score. Twee of vier had ook gekunt, afhankelijk van de omstandigheden.
Amsterdam 3 Les Timides 3.1 Le Dernier Repas 3.2 Les Jardins du casino 3.2 Les Vieux 3 Les Toros 3.3 Tango funèbre 2.8 Le Plat Pays 3 Score: 3.075
This album had too much going against it for me. The biggest two being that it's in French and that it's a live recording. There was very little likely to get me past those two issues, and the fact that a lot of the songs sound the same certainly didn't help. Not for me at all, guy is an incredible singer though.
not bad for a live album
i loved this
j'adore
I was excited when I saw that this was Chanson, although the only experience I've had with Chanson is Serge Gainsbourg. Since that is the only experience I have with Chanson and I don't know how good or bad of an example it is, I'm going to have to say that I like Serge Gainsbourg better. That's not to say that this is bad, don't know if it's good or not in terms of the genre. It's just not Serge. Still a good album.
cute! french operatic music. has a very grandiose feel to it and while I don't think I will EVER return to this as a full album, I can see old french grannies absolutely slobbering over this shit. Fav Song: Amsterdam Least Fav: Le plat pays