Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Very French. They sound like Tom Leher, a bit, except that I can't understand the jokes. 1.5/5
i wish i knew french
Ive never been a huge fan of this guy. His music isnt for me but he was super influentila to David Bowie who i do like so extra points for that Favourite: None Least Favourite: Le plat pays
Not my cup of tea. 2/5
French. (2)
In one ear and out the other.
hes got a beautiful voice but major snore at times. I don't know if im just not in the place of my musical journey to appreciate this, but after one or two songs I was just like ok i get it. Its FINE.
Meh - could've died without listening. Not even knocking it because it's french - just not that great.
France does not have the right to exist
Sacrebleu! This album has a certain je ne sais quoi but I shan’t spin it again.
10/10 for French learners
I wanted to like this - more because I'm a francophile and than anything else - but meh. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, didn't get the hype?
Jacques … use your inside voice dude
I feel like there’s an insurmountable amount of context necessary for this to have any impact on me.
Umm I guess this good?!? I don’t speak French so I don’t know what this guy is singing. I guess if French lounge music is your thing this album is for you. Correction I understood the word Amsterdam.
That’s my second non-English album. I like French singers but even more so if they are female. This record was not bad or anything but I did not enjoy it either. He did sing his ass off though. One star for the beautiful French, one star for his effort.
French
Sounded like a French crooner. It was okay, not really something I would like even if it was in English. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Enjoyable French live album, you can tell he was/is loved. I will not rush back to relisten but I appreciated quality songs and quality arrangements. Album includes the track Amsterdam.
Ah, Papa Outai in the flesh. 2.5/5
Definitely not an album I would have ever listened to. I did listen to the album 3 times thru. The last time I listened while reading translations of the lyrics into English. Not an album I would listen to again. Not my style. One of the first things I thought of when I started listening to this was that there was so much art and changes going on in the world in the 60’s and this was definitely not part of the progression.
I always wonder how someone who was clearly not very talented was able to have a successful career in music. This album sounds like a guy just woke up one day, said “I’m making music now,” and did it early enough in history that no one had anything better to compare it to, so they just assumed it must be good.
As far as Chansons go, I'm not a huge Brel guy but solid stuff here. Maybe I'll get more into it another day.
French Pop from the 60s is not at all what I expected to find on this list. Amsterdam is awesome, but the rest of the album can’t quite compare.
French chansons, very impassioned. 60s. Very minimalist, pretty pointless if you don’t understand the lyrics, very text focused.
Why do all these French singers sound like they'd be pedophiles
It was very French.
Musica francesa dos anos 60. Irrelevante pra mim, apenas por questão histórica.
Great singer, did not understand one word so unfortunately it gets a 2. Would be a 3 maybe 4 if I spoke French, thats on me.
Yawn soz
Scary nursey rhymes by Belgium man.
Wi wi
It's short so that is good, but I couldn't understand the majority of it and I'm still not a fan of live albums. If I wanted clapping distorting the music I would do it myself.
Made me feel like I was in Paris. Paris is tops on my list of places I never want to visit, right behind Somalia and Libya.
It was fun for about 1.5 songs. I don’t know anything about this style of music but it seemed solid.
In terms of lyrics, I was lost as I sadly I don’t speak French (yet), but musically and emotionally pretty good although not really my type of music. I can imagine how he was important to French culture. However, it’s another live album. As I’ve said a thousand times, give me a compilation of studio recordings rather than lives. The applause and white noise after each song were very annoying. I had to skip to the next track as soon as it was done. For that I have to give it a 2, although I would give it a 3 generally, I imagine.
I imagine 98% of the audience for this concert were smoking cigarettes while sipping drinks at a round table with two chairs. I bet Jacques Brel was even smoking between songs and the room was hazy with the air of smoke. I can almost smell it. I don't know what he's saying but I could have gone without the bizarre laughing on Track 3. I know this book needed to put older music in because there were notable artists prior to the Beatles.
Hard to rate because I don't even know what you would call this. I'm sure it's supposed to be good for what it is, but I didn't care for it and wouldn't ever listen to it again.
Interesting, and I enjoyed the music, but it’s a tough listen when you don’t speak the language. Also, it appears based on some research that this is clever lyrically - unfortunately, didn’t get to experience that.
2.5, don't know French, but some nice cooking background music
Gee... a live album! in French!! C'est bon... non
De verdad quería que me gustara, pero hay algo en su canto que me disgusta. Eso y el hecho que no entiendo ni mierda lo que está diciendo. Usualmente no es problema con idiomas que no manejo, pero en este caso era necesario ya que al parecer es una de las gracias de Brel.
List: no
Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 📸🧑💼👂 Production: 😐🙂👌 Music: 🇧🇪🎤🧟 Rating: 🍟🍟(🍟)/5
live french (or italian) album from the 60's.
Jaques Brel is the king of French chansons. His voice is amazing and this must have been some live show, amazing. This album was all a bit much of the same. He's getting some nostalgia points as really the album is only one star as his voice is not an excuse for a boring album.
2/3
I just relocated after living for 3 years living in a French-speaking territory. Listening to this gave me PTSD.
I did try. I did! But it isn't for me. I couldn't really find many positives either .. maybe it was a bit Gotan-y without a decent beat?
Have to be in the mood for this
2.2 Just really really not my thing - no idea what he's saying - naff genre - 60s fidelity recording - overenthusiastic clapping At least with other 60s recordings on here I've thought that even if the quality is bad, you can tell it would have been class to be there. If I found myself transported to this gig right now I'd make a swift exit to the bar.
This isn't for me. Chason has been long forgotten for a good reason, but... Brel still oozes cool. Supremely talented but too dated for me. 2/5
Overall: 3/10 You can hear the emotion and power in his voice, but this really is not my type of music. Fav Song: Amsterdam Least Fav Song:
French parish crooner. He’s good for what he does. Not my thing. 2.5
Interesting, but I don't understand french.
LETS FUCKING GO ITS NOT DAD ROCK!! wait im a lyricshead and i dont speak any fucking french. shit. uh he said poisson i know that one. and amsterdam. this guy has a major cigarette voice ian was right. i find the like 7 minutes of clapping on every track of a live album really annoying almost all the time ngl (unless its somebody i like then its fine). yeah this is really not doing it for me even at all so much for my dreams of an actually lovable album. nothing actively awful i just cant get into this guy singing he sounds like hes in some movie musical on tango funèbre. sorry bro stromae can sing in french u r not stromae tho. have we had a single artist yet whos not a white european? (googles) oh right. AC/DC are white australians. my bad :/ le dernier repas is a little interesting! the 1st thing so far thats rlly grabbed me boring but i cant understand if hes saying anything misogynistic bc i dont speak french so itll be a 2 from me
was not able to find an english translation for any songs besides the first one (after looking for 30 seconds) which dulled my experience a little bit. the vocals are emotive & the clear focal point here; the way seemingly control the music is neat. the orchestral accompaniment has some neat moments (the theremin bro?) but ultimately takes a backseat. there's a few pleasant songs throughout the very short runtime but regardless of the sophistication level of the frenchman involved this kind of thing goes in one ear & out the other. if it was Tom Waits this would be a different story live show sounds like it would've been a blast though those french people were eating that shit up
Not sure I’m French enough to fully appreciate this, but it was certainly worth listening to.
This is a bit of a stretch, but go with me - I felt the same way about this as I did about Straight Outta Compton. Just like I am not young black man enough to appreciate the context and feeling behind SOC, I am nowhere near enough "elderly Frenchman smoking a Galoise outside a bistro at 11am" to appreciate Jacques Brel. He's clearly got a massive fan base, as the crunchy applause after every song attests, but it's undeniably not my thing. And this tiny, half hour, eight song snippet of the man was not enough to sway me on this. Thanks Jacques, but non merci.
baguette escargot pain au chocolate
Old French songs combine two of my least favourite things
Not being a confident French speaker probably hurts my enjoyment of this. I knew Amsterdam through the Scott Walker version, but everything else is new to me, and it’s … it’s music, I guess. Didn’t hate it, didn’t enjoy it, never listening to it again.
I'm sure this had some significance in 1964, especially to the French, but, at this time, to an American, I found no pleasure in listening to this recording. It isn't terrible music, so I'll give it a 2, but I didn't find it interesting, progressive, or something I feel has any lasting influence on me or most of the music I listen to.
Overrated
I don't like chanson when it's sung in English, so I definitely don't want to hear it in French. Love David Bowie's version of Amsterdam, but that's it for me - no more chanson.
Amsterdam
spoken word is great if you know the language if not then 2/5
Eh.
Mwah
Old french singer. This is a live version of the album. I listened to the whole album. Wasn't that bad, but I don't know what he was singing about.
Minus one for being a live album. Plus one for being short, so that cancels out. 2 stars because every song sounds the same. Fine for background music at a fancy restaurant, I guess.
Not my tempo
It was ok. I just couldn't get into it.
Not really my music
for me to get into a foreign language album, it has to be something really special. and while this is pretty different, i just couldn’t get into it. having said that, the crowd seems REALLY into it.
Live french lounge-esque singing from the sixties. Meh.
I only speak a bit of French so there easily could have been something I missed here. The crowd seemed to enjoy it enough but if I have to listen to a French language album, give me something by Edith Piaf any day of the week
Wasn't for me. Glad it was short (<30 min).
Fine. Nothing remarkable.
Thankfully a short album. I assume this is fine if you're into this sort of thing... I'm not.
Twee old fashioned French. First track is Greensleeves for gods sake
Je m'appelle Laurence. J'aime la musique. Je voudrais des pomme de frites. Je jouer dans la piscine. With such a primary-school level grasp of French, it's perhaps no surprise that this album by Jacques Brel was mostly lost on me. Of all the non-English language recordings on the list, I've found this one has presented the most significant language barrier so far. This is such a moot, annoying criticism, because it's entirely on the listener for not speaking French well. What was Brel supposed to do: overdub a line-by-line translator, or learn a new language simply so lazy Brits could enjoy his music more? My issue is that the Brel songs I've heard are more notable for their lyrical detail, and less so for the music. Going by the English translation, the lyrics of "Les Vieux" are absolutely beautiful, and pure poetry: a haunting and devastating account of people growing old. "Amsterdam" is the same in its iconic gritty rendering of a seedy yet enticing town. The other songs across this album are probably just as powerful, but the trouble is I'd never know this from hearing them alone, and so can't factor that in to "Olympia '64" as a listening experience. The live setting on "Olympia '64" doesn't help, with intrusive crowd noise and a limited, flat production which probably doesn't serve the dramatic arrangements in the best way possible. Brel's vocal quality is very good, being passionate and theatrical throughout. I also must acknowledge that his influence in popular music looms large: tracks on this album alone have been covered most notably by Scott Walker (who released an entire album of Brel covers) and David Bowie ("Amsterdam"), Marc Almond, John Denver… the list goes on. But without further ado, I'm lazily slapping two stars on this album as a reminder to learn a new language and thus gain a greater appreciation of Brel's incredible lyrical gift.
Could barely understand a word this guy was saying. 2/5
French Bing Crosby.
Not particularly interesting, but not actively offensive, either.
ces chansons est comme qqch ma prof de français en annee 10 nous a forcé écouter et puis traduire. je n'ai pas apprécié les flashbacks, à bas les français !
They were performed well but I didn’t like the songs.
I prefer Super Mario 64. "Amsterdam" was jaw-dropping, but then he started baguetting all over the place and I completely lost him.
Live albums are cheating
First listen Saved 2/8 Top track: Amsterdam
Funny
Not my thing. That was some very dramatic vocals. I kind of wish I had been focusing more so I could understand more of what he was singing about.
Not my jam
I truly wish I could speak French or at least understand it. I hear a lot of commitment and passion in his voice, but have no idea what he's saying. "ough, baguette!"
So incredibly French.
Wikipedia tells me this genre is Chanson, which they also tell me is generally any lyric-driven French song. Too bad I don't speak French so the lyrics are lost on me.
Great musician and phenomenal live singer, but I'm unfortunately not fond of this type of old-school, French music. 2 stars
It was ok. Kind of sounded like sad circus music. I like some albums where I don’t know the language, but not this one.
Not terrible, but not for me.
Ça n’est pas si bon.
It sounds good, I'm not really qualified to talk about the contents of it that much. Will I listen to again: %1
Could not be more French Didn't hate it, but wouldn't seek it out 2.5?
2.5? Rounding down because doesn’t inspire me to seek more
Oui oui, hoh hoh hoh. Very French and something different. Probably won't return but I had fun
Sounds like Pepé Le Pew
Interesting
Not for me but what a performance!
not really what I'm looking for
I was hoping for more french lounge like Gainsbourg than musique francophone. It's fine
Not something I'd listen too, but I didn't think it was too bad.
I now know why Bowie covered Amsterdam. As for the rest of album I had to give up, it's hard work listening to a foreign language album.
2 strs
This feels like an 'important' record but I put it on and pretty much forgot it was on until the mass cheering at the end. You probably had to be there. May revisit when I have more time to listen properly.
Qu'est-ce que c'est? Not for me, mate. I lived out my Parisian fantasises for a short while. My own ignorance defeated me.
5.5/10
Failing high school French probably impeded my enjoyment
Not bad but not my jam...
This is too remote for me. I assume it is great storytelling and all that, but musically I find this of no particular interest to me. Ultimately I cannot really judge this.
I usually like the foreign language albums on this list, but I couldn't get into this one.
I guess if I grew up in Vichy France this guy would also blow my mind. Obviously a live album has its limitations in 1964, but this looses a lot of depth. La valse a Mille temps autoplayed after this, and sounds so much more clean and was recorded 5 years prior. Maybe there’s some remastering going on since it was released later but it should’ve been the pick here. You might think Brel is kind of a lifeless singer that came from money. Listen to Mille a temps and you’ll know he’s a decent singer that came from money.
Often say I wish there was more non-Anglo music on the list, I kinda get why there isn’t as much with this song. It is clearly a lyric driven song and I have no idea what he’s saying. The vocals are fine to below average and the backing music is uninteresting. Really just not much to appreciate as a non-French speaker. Also still anti-live album
Итс олрайт, особенно вот Amsterdam, но музыка не моя. Лучшая песня - Amsterdam.
I only got through this once and I’m pretty sure I won’t listen again. Probably mostly stylistically this wasn’t all that interesting to me. As with so many records from the ‘pre-rock’ era that are on this list I am very happy for the one listen.
another lIve album that I could live without... I am probably suffering from not speaking french well enough to understand ...
Not my vibe, also not my language.
Guess it’s for someone. It’s an okay time. Just underwhelming and I don’t speak French and this guys voice is not super pretty and en never stops.
That was the most stereotypically French thing I’ve ever heard. I imagine he did that whole thing while wearing a beret and carrying a baguette. The recording also kinda sucks.
Amsterdam Les Toros Tango Funèbre
Idk what this mf is saying, but the emotion and drama of the music is easily felt. Pleasant arrangements with an orchestra with a sweet accordion. Started cool - Amsterdam is a great track - but I lost interest as it went on. Probably would enjoy more if I understood the language…
Pas mon truc
This was just fine. Operatic, French, I can appreciate that the guy was technically good but every song sounded the same and it’s not a genre I like even in English.
I find it hard to keep a straight face while trying to listen to this... he's so... spirited?
Meh Standout songs: Amsterdam les Jardins du Casino
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
(I'm a native french speaker fyi) Never really listened to Brel before other than maybe at my grandparents house. I don't really like the lyrics even though it's partly what he's known for. What I will admit is that the emotion in his voice is extraordinary, it really draws you in. You can't ignore his immense talent. But yeah it's not really my cup of tea and it kinda makes me feel sad lol
French pop unique recognizable sound
Very emotive voice. But can't make it through the whole thing sincerely.
Not for me. An extra star because I recently went to L’Olympia.
Lite tveksam. Inte hans bästa låtar och dessutom live.
Sorry, not for me. Non parlez French…. 2.5
I don't think Jacques Brel is for me, but he's certainly for someone's great grandfather.
Didn’t have the beautiful bounce of other French albums.
Sure someone likes it but that person isn’t me
2.5
Would be OK, but I can't give more than 2 for a live album
I've never heard of this artist. He's Belgian and has a really interesting voice. This is a live album which, again, I'm not a huge fan. The music is really interesting, and I'll likely check out more of his studio work but this album itself did not really feel complete to me. Maybe it's the short length? Not sure. 2/5
I mean I’m open to music in other languages but when it seems to be so heavy in the lyrics and I can’t understand them, it makes it hard.
Fine. Didn’t do it for me
I find it very difficult to appreciate what this potentially is just because I have no idea what he is saying. You can hear the passion and skill, but it starts sounding like gibberish after a while.
I tried really hard to connect with this, but I just couldn’t. I don’t know if it’s because I’m an English speaker (because Os Mutantes was one of my favorite albums yet on 1001), but this didn’t do it for me. No musical innovation, regular singing voice. Just kinda meh.
I feel like I missed much of what was here because I don't speak the language. +1 to give him the benefit of the doubt. 2/5
Jacques Brel, een grote naam, natuurlijk, alleen, (op)nieuw luisteren zou ik dit niet
Jacques Brel staat bekend menig gevoelige snaar te raken. Helaas niet die van mij
Leuk hoor, die Franse chansons. Maar heel erg fan ben ik in ieder geval niet
I do not speak French. And, today, I learned that I do not care to listen to the Chanson genre for pleasure. But I did learn what "Chanson" is, so there's that I guess. Apparently the "full" 15-song album that was featured in the 1001 book isn't available on Spotify, only the original 8-song version. Therefore this saved me listening to nearly double the amount of Chanson. Thank you, Spotify. Interesting Factoids from Wikipedia: *Jacques Romain Georges Brel was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world. He is considered a master of the modern chanson. *A "chanson" is generally any lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of French pop music which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. *The songs of Jacques Brel have been translated into at least 95 languages. Standout Track: Amsterdam (honestly I wasn't going to pick one for this album but since this particular song has 13M streams on Spotify this got the nod)
good voice, not bad music, but i wouldn’t listen again, i respect the influence it has on people like Bowie but i overall don’t gravitate towards music like this
Whatever? I could care less, frog man
How do you say "cut the grass" in French? Mow de lawn.
French + accordions, agghhh
I’ll say it again, I don’t think lives should be on here, they slightly ruin the experience for me
Not my cup of tea, a little too old timey/foreign for me. I found myself skipping through the songs halfway through. The only reason it’s not 1 star is because the dude sounded like he was having a lot of fun singing
This album was unique — I’m grateful for the experience of listening to it, but it wasn’t for me. I heard the horns at the beginning of the very first song and got stoked for a big band album. But it was not big band at all. It was mostly a Frenchman singing so fast and garbling his words together. And don’t @ me, but French is an ugly language.
If you put ‘France’ into chat GpT I swear it would produce this album. My chief pleasure was recognising ‘Amsterdam’ from Bowie’s cover version. My GCSE French retains its usefulness
Bah.
Ik kijk wat vaker naar een film, dan ik naar het theater ga. Om het zwart-wit te maken. In de film worden emoties klein gespeeld en dicht bij de werkelijkheid gehouden. In het theater worden de emoties uitvergroot. Duidelijker natuurlijk, maar ook ontzettend nep. Ik kan daar niet tegen. Jacques Brel is extreemvan theatraal. Mag je nog blij zijn dat je het zonder beeld luistert. Het (hier) zo bekende nummer Amsterdam is eigenlijk heel opbouwend. Maar vanaf de eerste tonen al heel groot en theatraal. En daar moet de rest van het nummer er nog eens overheen. Het is gewoon te veel. Kwaliteit? Zeker! En laten we eerlijk zijn. Die man werkt voor geld. Hij geeft alles. Maar het staat zo ontzettend ver van mij vandaan.
Interesting.
if one of my half-hearted attempts to learn French ever took I might understand why this is on the list music: hated. (⌐■_■)
Çe la, c’est pas ma musique.
Euh okay.
Je ne comprends pas assez le français pour comprendre toutes ces chansons, mais j'entends bien l'esprit français. Typiquement romantique et passionné mais un peu daté
It's inoffensive, but none of us needed this.
like a French musical theater soundtrack. Isn't bad, but I don't think I will ever listen to this again.
guys obviously talented as fuck but without subtitles I have no idea what any of these songs are about so uh
Bah.
Foreign language crooning, was fine?
p68. 1964. 2 stars. Well done of its type, but definitely not my thing.
So that’s what Robert Goulet would sound like if he were born in Paris. Fun fact, Brel was on the toilet when they took this picture. I’d bet dollars to donuts Jacques Brel is on a Wes Anderson soundtrack. If I were wearing a tux and drinking champagne I might put this on again.
2.4 comme ci, comme ça. This is probably french folk music at its best, but I would never know. There looks to be some interesting translations that I will check out
Wasn’t into it: amsterdam was ok.
2 So, going in with the expectation that I wasn’t going to enjoy this at all, the opening track Amsterdam turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. Nothing mind-blowing - I just found it to be a cool song with an impassioned vocal performance… but man, that charm started running real thin real quick. I was about over it halfway through the second song and was completely over it when he started doing that weird, dramatic laugh/cry bullshit on the third song. So glad this thing didn’t go over the 30-minute mark. I can admit the guy’s voice is impressive, but I listen to music more for personality than technical proficiency, and this didn’t give me that - though, then again, I don’t speak French, so I don’t know what the hell he was singing about. Either way, it was a bit too operatic and French for my taste, though it did make me think of that one opera-themed Bugs Bunny short, so it has that going for it (Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit). While not my thing, I guess David Bowie was a big fan, and anyone who’s alright with Bowie is alright in my book. I would strongly recommend anyone reading this to give Bowie’s cover of Amsterdam a listen - not that this should come as any kind of surprise for those familiar with the man, but it’s a really well done translation.
fdg
Having no context for this album, chanson, or Brel to begin with, there was a tough barrier of entry for me to get through here. I didn't quite understand why this was on the list. Normally, with foreign language albums, I can still get an idea for what it was the artist wanted to communicate through the music, even if I don't understand the lyrics( which, if I think about it, really isn't that different than a lot of English-speaking music). The problem here is that aside from Jacques' impassioned voice about what he was singing, we really get no indication of what the music is communicating without understanding the language. I dug into the Wiki a little bit, and discovered that Brel was known for his word play in lyrics, which makes sense given the less-than-stellar musical accompaniment throughout this record. I'm honestly stuck here with a rating, because I'm certain if I spoke French I'd be digging this one. But I don't. Maybe I should've payed more attention in Spanish.
Já þetta hreif mig ekki alveg nóg. Flottur gaur örugglega og á alveg flott lög eins og Ne Me Quitte Pas. Var að telja niður í lokin.
Scrapes a 2 because the guy seems charismatic
General culture
Beautiful singing and songs. Is this something to hear before I die? Probably not.
Neither liked it or disliked it. Seemed to be a perfectly reasonable crooner but it's not something that interested me.
No idea what that was all about since I don't speak a word of French
You can't doubt his passion. Did I enjoy it. Not so much
French
Beautiful voice and instrumentation. Never will listen to this again. Ever.
Vive la France!
pleasant but not particularly memorable
It was in another language, so I didn't understand what he was saying. Otherwise, decent 2.3
Why is this an album I must hear?
Meh.
He certainly has an exciting singing style, and I can hear where Scott Walker and Leonard Cohen got some inspiration, but it's a live album... And not only that, they recorded the crowd in the most abrasive and obnoxious way possible.
Well aware of his legendary status in France. Not bowled over by the "chanson", my lack of French probably not helping with that, but certainly a pleasant enough vocal. Will almost make you want to chain smoke Gitanes if you listen to it for long enough
French crooning. Sure, I guess.
Doesn't work for me - it's not interesting enough musically to get over not understanding French well enough to know what he's on about. One of the albums that probably does belong on the list - he seems to have influenced and inspired a lot of better music - but isn't particularly fun to listen to. 2/5.
Probably would have liked it more if I was French, oh well
Bah.
Not my thing. Not speaking French, all I hear is over-dramatic emoting, untethered to meaning. And sometimes Brel's presentation borders on the ridiculous (Les Bonbons or Tango Funebre). I will be interested to see if my mate Alan, who French fluent French, has a different opinion. The tunes aren't that great either. I mean, I really dig Edith Piaf, and there is nothing here that lights my fire like her greatest tunes.
Meh
Not only French..but live!!! Aghhhh
Not for me.
Not a fan.
It was definitely French!
None for me, merci.
Perfectly enjoyable, hard to judge
C'est agréable mais le principal obstacle est que je ne comprenais pas ce qui était chanté.
Un francés que canta ópera, tango, algo así. No da para esto. Tampoco es tan malo, pero no es lo mío. Para estudiar sirve.
Jeg var stoked, men ble skuffet
I didn't enjoy this at all but I'm not sure I'm the intended audience. I'll give benefit of the doubt and give 2 stars instead of 1. Maybe I missed some cool lyrics due to not knowing French
Fransk Singer/songwriter, live-optræden, tilstedeværende
Too French for me
None of the chansons I truly like were in this album. And there are plenty to pick from!
Je vais peut-être plus apprécié Brel dans une quarantaine d’années, mais d’ici là, non merci. Je suis sûr que Victor apprécierait par contre
yeah i dont speak french, i fucking hate the french but man their birds are alright
This is so ridiculously French it should come with a breton jumper and a beret. Drama and histrionics all the way, and though 28 minutes long an absolutely exhausting listen.
French
A French crooner? I'm giving this a generous two it's likely some nostalgia to what French radio was like circa 1964.
Overwrought nonsense. It's not awful but it's not in my purview at all
I feel like I lose an awful lot by not understanding the lyrics. Totally fine cabaret music, does not move me at all.
interesting album. I have no idea what he was saying, but damn if he didn't sell it.
It's French and old French at that. Hard for someone like me to get into. For me just a 2.5
Sounds very epic and catchy. But in French
Passés les frissons ressentis sur Amsterdam, Brel transitionne vers une succession de chansons sans intérêt. Le public ne s'y trompe pas et le siffle copieusement, réclamant qu'il leur chante un de ses classiques (Ne Me Quitte Pas était sortie en 59). Malgré cela, Brel s'entête et persiste dans son idée avec par exemple des chansons sur les timides dont les gens présents n'ont que foutre. Une soirée gâchée qui se terminera pas une sortie de scène sous les huées. Mérité.
He might be a legend, but I can't say I warmed to Olympia 64. The best thing was that it comes in at under 30 minutes. Really not interested
Ok, det var alligevel slet ikke mig, haha. Hyggelig baggrundsmusik, men jeg ville aldrig sætte det album på for musikkens skyld.
french
Not good. But I found it funny - in its French ridiculousness, so got at least some enjoyment from it.
I'm not a fan of live music, and calling this album "rock" is very misleading
One star of my own liking but adding a star because he’s French and who doesn’t like a swarthy French crooner?
Amsterdam was excellent, reminding me of old Eurovision songs from the 1950s. I think that is the problem for me, a modern 21st century listener. These are songs recorded in the 1960s when The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Elvis, Bob Dylan etc were around, yet this album lives purely in the very early 1950s - it was dated music even when it was recorded and the sound of the audience politely clapping between each track just adds to that sense of age. You can almost see an elderly audience sitting attentively in dinner jackets as Monsieur Brel sings his songs from a disappearing generation. One song worth listening to, apart from Amsterdam, is Le jardins du casino. It's a pretty terrible song if I'm honest and is written in the style of the book, Little House on the Prairie, in that it conjures up images of times long since past in a flat, descriptive way that leaves you imagining the gentlemen loafing around chatting and the fake duchesses surrounded by smoke in a casino with moustachioed musicians playing, but ultimately there is no real substance to it. It's worth listening to though because through that flat descriptive style it transports you back to a past long since dead.
Niet mijn ding Brel.
Old school style that I am completely unfamiliar with. Pleasant enough tunes that would be fun to listen to while cooking dinner or having a candle lit dinner in the city.
Half a star extra for 2 years of HS French helping me understand a few of the words. Half a star for this guy’s passionate singing. But how could this be listenable more than once every 10 years?
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: not really, very nice strong vocals but it’s not a genre I’m in too invested in with English vocals Favourite song: didn’t have one
Nope. Not for me.
French popular music in the 50's and 60's had an interesting element of songwriting to it: a keen focus on the lyrical content made for a much more poetic delivery. It's particularly dramatic, and Europeans loved it. I thought it was okay.
As others have noted here, I wish I could get a better sense of what Brel is singing given his flair for wit - alas, I do not speak French. That being said, the instrumentals are way too low in the mix here (even for a live album), and the whole experience of being spoken to by a French man for 30 minutes is not a pleasant one.
Tjaaa, meget fransk - igen ikke lige min kop te, måske ville jeg bedre kunne lide det, hvis jeg kunne forstå teksterne?
French pop.....not for me....
That's really not my kind of music. And I don't understand French. Hard to evaluate.
Trop french, en verité
French Cohen is probably the best description for this
Pleasant distraction I can see why he’s a thing but not enough to make me revisit.
Way more accordion than I can get down with
If I had this on vinyl and I listened to it with a cigarette and a bottle of wine, I'm sure I would be giving this at least one additional star. Sober as I am, it felt like I was listening to French diction instruction on cassette, which is unfortunate as I think something more balanced would be far more enjoyable to listen to.
Yea I don't know it doesn't really do much for me. I'm assuming the big draw of the album, the first track, "Amsterdam" is what makes people put on the record. I'm guessing this because it has 11 million plays on Spotify, with the second most played on the album being "Le dernier repas" with only 846k. The track starts as like a national anthem, with a sort of clear borrowing of the most famous folk song of all time, "Greensleeves", and then it ends on this shouting "Amsterdam! Amsterdam!" motif. It kind of comes off to me as one of those sort of songs that describes someone's personal entity so they have no option but to like it? Like if someone wrote a song about a guy named Dan who wrote songs and was a nerd then how could I personally hate that? Maybe it's a rallying call type of song for Amsterdammers? The rest of the album didn't really do much for me either. Maybe there is some history behind the record that makes it important but I didn't find much when I was doing some internet sleuthing. I want to give it a 1/5 because I'm unsure if it should be on this list but I'm going 2 because I think there is some upside in that the singer's performance is very emotional and energetic.
Very weird eclectic mix sound lyrics and music. Not sure I'm a fan of the overall product but it was a short yet interesting listen.
It's live, It's french, it's apparently quite influential but aside from Amsterdam, even musically it kinda seems like a parody...maybe more of its time. But I did like Amsterdam.
He sings very well, though I don't know French, I can tell he's a talented singer. Not really my taste for music though
A fun listen, just for the voice and the showy feel of it. But it’s pretty simplistic and being another language makes me unlikely to return to it anytime soon.
I prefer his late 60s/70s folky stuff. Still refreshing to hear French music on this list.
The guy seems like a good singer and a good performer - but I really don't care for live performances of 60's chansons. If I read the lyrics and done my utmost best with the rusty French skills of my high school days I'd probably understand the themes and broad content of the songs. But I really don't care enough. And I think understanding the songs is sort of prerequisite to caring about them for this style of music.
Not my bag. If I'm going to listen to something in a language I don't understand, it better be good enough to transcend language barriers, and this doesn't clear that bar for me. I'd rather listen to "Ça Plane Pour Moi" by Plastic Bertrand, or "Soy Yo" by Bomba Estéreo, or "Zaharila" by El Michels Affair and Piya Malik.
Not for me
French male cabaret singer? Or... IDK. Apparently this guy is a big deal.
Mmm... to be honest....I don't really understand it....I don't mean French. Its just the nature of the vocal cabaret delivery. It puts me on edge in a bad way...If I was in Paris and it came out of a bar I would find a different bar. I'm sure it has cultural significance (it gets a lots of positive scores on here) but its lost on me so I can only give it a low mark as it is so unenjoyable. 1.75.
Didn't really enjoy this much. Not bad, just not my thing. 2 stars.
It's gunna be a no for me, dawg. I'm a lyrics first listener and I don't speak french. Jacques sounds convicted about what he's saying but I don't know what the hell it is, so for all I know he's going on about putting his dick in the middle of a baked brie. Can't enjoy what I can't understand. Quelle dommage!
Okay have no clue here… The album starts with the song Amsterdam, I don’t know french ( well not much anyway) but I does sound well made the way he gets angrier throughout works quite well here. Next is les vieux like Amsterdam it builds up quite a bit ( not as much though) it’s actually quite a creepy sounding song which is cool. Tango funebre isn’t as good as the last two I mean the instrumentation is alright but it gets dull after 3 minutes. Le plat plays is a slower song again contains this build up act it’s okay nothing much to say. Next we have les timides is a bit of a lullaby sounding song it’s alright. Les jardins du casino is pretty good to be fair it’s pretty much the only one that has more than it than slowly getting more aggressive. The instrumental work is very good here too. Le dernier repas is good the same kinda act one of the best examples of good instrumentation but other than that it’s not good. The set ends with le toros avec final it’s cool dramatic and serves as a fine ending. With this being such lyrically based music and for me to not know what any of it means this done a fine job. But I really don’t feel like I can push it past a 2 as I know I won’t touch the album again but I can see appeal for it.
I enjoyed the orchestra (more accordian and theremin, please!), but not much else. I can give Jacques credit for giving his all, his performance is clearly passionate, but I would not choose to listen to this again.
Meh. Not really into this kind of French pop.
This just doesn't work for me. The fact that it is in French doesn't help.
I cannot tell you why this was here. I did not enjoy it. Maybe the lyrics were amazing so for benefit of the doubt it gets a 2
I hear this one more as a historical document of a different time and place. Interesting, but as a non-French speaker, I can't really get everything out of the work as there is to get.
According to Wikpiedia, Jacques Brel is the 3rd best selling Belgian music artist. Technotronic are languishing back in 8th place. Yes, I know Bowie, Scott Walker et al, but it's all a bit showtunes
So this is not my usual style of music to start with. Then it's in a language that I don't understand. Parts of it are really pretty, and I found myself engaged at times. But other times I was sort of checking to see how many more songs there were before it was over.
In French so no comments on lyics; enjoyed instrumentals quite a bit; overflowing with emotion; didn’t like a lot of the vocal choices
This is all a bit twee and silly for me. That’s probably my uncouth ear and not the music, but I can’t help that… sorry!
He's got a good voice but none of the arrangements are anything special.
It was French Jazz. Hmm no idea what was going on.
uhh .. i mean i didn’t despise it but i also just didn’t enjoy. there’s not much to say other than like it was in a different language so yeah but i thought it was kinda cool but eh
A little too dramatic for me.
Primarily this dude signing in French, I mean its not bad, this guy can clearly sing, but not my thing I am looking for. Think I would have liked it a lot more if the instruments were more prominent.
Interesting. Never heard of the singer or the genre before. It was fine, but I feel like I miss some of the importance considering I do not speak French.
Not an especially great live performance and not especially interesting songs. Not sure why we all have to hear this. Very short though.
Ook leuk om een keer te horen, maar zal dit niet snel nog eens draaien
Really not my cup of tea, Chanson.
Everything I've read indicates that this guy is really clever, but that it only comes across if you understand all of the nuances of French. I hope that's the case, because I don't know why you would listen otherwise. Extra star for benefit of the doubt. Best track: Amsterdam
I liked this inspite of myself. I'll never listen again but it was fun while it lasted
Cool, but nothing special
Scott Walker loved this guy. Unfortunately I'm not really a big fan of Scott Walker and I don't speak French. It sounds like a stereotype - or did the stereotype come from this? Best Tracks: Amsterdam, Les toros, Mathilde
It was interesting, but it just sounded very repetitive and boring. Not my thing I guess.
Nice and short, which actually isn't a great thing to say about an album, is it? You should want to listen to more of it when you're done. Unfortunately, Olympia 64 is just mediocre. Brel's voice is nothing to really write home about, and the music just doesn't pop.
I get the cultural significance this probably holds for some folks but I just was not feeling this. Some of the music compositions were alright, but nothing that struck a chord in me personally. Dude has a good voice, and is talented, but this shit just isn’t for me.
i havent gotten an old album in a while, nice. just 8 tracks, 28 mins, lovely. tbh im expecting something like frank sinatra from the album art haha. spotify linked me to a live album which is a little bit annoying but okay. im not liking this music at alll. le dernier repas is the only song i tolerated, other than that i actively disliked everything.
Goofy French live album is a tough follow up to Sgt Pepper. Damn you random generator.
3
Belgian music
Investigué un poco sobre Jaques Brel, y parece ser algo así como un Julio Iglesias belga, pero me llamó la atención que la página de Wikikpedia no dijera casi nada de este disco. ¿Cómo es que entonces terminó en esta lista de 1001 álbumes que debemos escuchar antes de morir? Al parecer la forma de componer de Jaques Brel influenció e inspiró a muchos otros músicos, como David Bowie, así que probablemente escucharemos covers de algunas de estas canciones. El único problema es que difícilmente me daré cuenta. Musicalmente no tiene nada de malo, pero la música en francés no es mi hit y lo único que me llamó la atención fue escuchar tango en francés (de hecho puede que el tango quede mucho mejor en francés que en español). Fuera de eso, se me hizo un disco muy aburrido
Not for me thanks
Extremely french. 2.5
French slow music not really my thing.
Not my favorite, a little meandering.
Wasn't quite in the mood for this, its not BAD but it definitely requires you to be in a foreign mood to vibe with.
2/5. Soothing voice but I don't know what he's singing about.