Olympia 64

Let ugly people make music again

There's a real spirit and captivating vibe to this album. A much more forceful sound than I had expected, mostly as a result of Jacques Brel's strong vocal delivery. Olympia 64? Mais Oui!

Another unique and happy discovery, an album to listen to before you die.

Jacques Brel is obviously interesting, important, and influential, and someone who I always intended to check out. That's the point of this project, to some extent, right? but I can't get a handle on whether this is a good example of his work. Doesn't totally grab me, but I'm intrigued enough to be going back to it. Feel like I don't know how to rate it yet, so playing it safe with a 3.

So french!

well this is a name I've heard but just barely oh man it opens with blaring horns, is this guy gonna be like french frank sinatra ok no I like him more than frank sinatra, he's got a pleasant rich voice, and his backgrounds are more like guitars and harps. plus I can't understand what he's singing so I can imagine it being anything and I can still do work while it's playing still not my thing, but like, decent background music

I don’t speak French so…tbh not terrible tho

I can appreciate his voice, but I was waiting for this to end so I could move on with my morning.

Tiene alguna canción fascinante, pero me ha aburrido sobremanera

Not for me

Lyrics are the main thing I'm drawn to so this one is unfortunately lost on me as I don't speak French. I feel it's unfair to give it a 1 becuase of this though as its my being uncultured that ruins it for me, plus it wasn't the worst thing I've listened to and relatively short

Eh. Feel like this is the type of performance where lyrical content really would enhance the experience since its so light instrumentally, but I don't speak French so its just middling to me.

Gonna give this a 4 because fun frenchy. RYM: N Saved a song: N

A fine album but being in a language I don't speak unfortunately makes it a higher bar for it to resonate.

franzosen Album halt

That was... French

There's more tongue rolling than there is actual melody, and French isn't even supposed to have tongue rolls

Turns out chanson is just not for me.

A singer-songwriter album. A LIVE singer-songwriter album. A live, French, singer-songwriter album. What is this?? Why is this considered a must-hear album?? Not that I think it's unlistenable, but it's such a random pick. And now that I've heard it myself, I can say I have no idea why this is considered a must-hear album. I guess it's cool, but it's not for me. It's not a genre I like. Some of the lyrics are interesting (though, on account for the fact that I'm monolingual, I had to use Google Translate), and it's clear that Jacques Brel is a passionate singer. But I just found myself tuning out the music and wanting something more interesting to listen to. If I'm gonna be listening to something from the early 60s, it's almost always gonna be rock and roll or jazz. Not this slower stuff. Maybe this is better if you can speak French. I don't get the appeal, though. ----- #0035 Heard on: 29 Oct. 2026 Rating: ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ (337 / 360) Favorite track: Amsterdam Least favorite track: Les Vieux

I don't have to speak French to appreciate the vocal performance in this album. Amsterdam was particularly powerful. This album made me want to learn French. I might even want to BE French after listening to this album (or Belgian). I completely enjoyed it. This music made me FEEL which is my favorite thing for music to do.

Extremely French.

Why

Really not sure what to rate this one for a few reasons: - I think it's a cool performance by Jacques Brel but it's obviously a very lyrical album and I don't speak french - It's live and although that's ok it doesn't really feel essential? Amsterdam does appear to be unique to this release, but I looked up Jacques Brel and he appears to have a choice of well-regarded studio albums so this is a bit baffling for his only submission on the list - It's only 28 minutes long which is a bit of a piss take, it's not exactly a Sex Pistols album or something I think they could have added more to the LP and I wouldn't have been checking my watch

very good 4/5

chans chans chans chans chansonnier. As Mary Poppins might say .

Very French. Pretty decent

French classics. Didn't enjoy this too much

Brel is great. Not my day-to-day type of record but it's pretty easy to get into.

Was expecting to smash the 1 on this real quick. Stayed for the whole thing. Enjoyable, though I would never revisit. Guy had a voice, that's for sure. Pleasurable background music in a language I didn't understand.

Finally, a non-English speaking album. Aaand it is only 28 minutes long with what seems like over 10% of it dedicated to the audience applauding. The part where Mr. Brel was singing was nice as he has a powerful voice. But some of the songs sounded like I was listening more to a French language learning cd teaching proper pronunciation rather than actual songs. Overall, this is a pass for me unfortunately.

This was a pleasant listen. Dudes got a powerful voice. I don't speak French so I have no idea what he was singing, but I'm not really a lyrics guy anyway. Also, only 28 minutes, so he doesn't overstay his welcome.

It's ok, I would probably enjoy it more if I spoke French

Hard to like a foreign language LP. I know he was popular during the 60s.

Not my jam, it’s like a fancy French Frank Sinatra so has precisely 0 appeal to my taste. 1.4

There's possibly some great french storytelling within the songs here, but it's utterly lost on me.

Ég skildi nú ekki mikið í textanum en þetta var samt bara mjög skemmtilegt að hlusta á. Mér fannst lögin oft bara frekar lík en ég myndi samt alveg setja þetta aftur á held ég. Ef ég man eftir þessu albúmi.

kind of annoying how hard it was to find translations of these songs. I ended up using google translate, but that probably killed some of the poetic qualities. i like my 60s French music a bit more bright and flamboyant but this was pretty nice. deserves to be one of the 1001? Jacques Brel should absolutely be on here but i am FAR too anglo to say which album does. maybe two of his do, actually.

This one was quite outside of my current comfort zone. It had the crooning of Frank Sinatra, and it had these musical sounds (in which I had trouble pinpointing what was making them) that sounded weird, maybe you'd only ever hear it else in maybe classical incidental music. My favourite aspect of this - more-or-less - uninspiring album is the clapping sounds. They sound like literal static noise, like you'd probably hear if a TV channel cuts out or 80s noise rock. I didn't really enjoy this one, it had very little for me to latch on to and enjoy. From what I've experienced I wouldn't recommend this if people were looking for a live album to listen to, nor do I think it's a must-hear.

This is just another one of those live albums where it really feels pointless to listen to it just as it is. You really had to actually be there and experience the atmosphere and the visual aspect in person, otherwise it's actually just really boring. I'm sure this would have been great if I were actually there, but I wasn't, and listening to this just on my phone as if it were a normal album just doesn't quite have the same essence it otherwise would. There are plenty of live albums out there that still sound great on their own, but this just isn't one of them.

Never heard of this artist but this live album MUST be good. I respect but I don't understand what he is saying. Musically it's good

At first I thought that maybe 1 or 2 songs would be enough. Why a whole album of this foreign language music? But it went by quickly, found myself kinda enjoying it.

I didn't hate it, but is this the best representation of the genre? I don't imagine there are a lot of French singers on the list, so this should be the best, non?

If there’s going to be accordion I want Weird Al.

2/5

neat

Chanson, it's a term that it's widely used to describe any song whose lyrics are written in French. The term it's mostly used to describe polyphonic french songs in medieval and renaissance music, or like in this case to any form of French pop music. Jacques Brel, it's one of the most prolific masters of the chanson, most of them composed by him, with theatrical arrangements, earning devotes in Belgium and France and later on through the whole world. His songs have been translated into almost 96 languages to the point he used to introduce parts in Dutch. Olympia 1961 and this one, Olympia 1964 are his only two live albums, and the huge energy you can feel between him and the crowd response, charms you and genuily haunts you to the point one can only thing on some sort of Belgian Frank Sinatra. And speaking of which, Musicians like David Bowie or Marc Almond has said that they are influenced by his particular voice, and many others has translated to english and performed some of his songs, including Judy Collins, Sinatra himself and even Nirvana, who recorded in Brazil an adaptation of his song Le Moribond. Brel was also a successful actor, appearing in almost 10 films and directing two others, one of them Le Far West was nominated for the Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival. in 1973. With almost 25 million records selled worldwide, he is the third best selling belgian artist and even when numbers might not be an accurate way of measure things in music, the truth is if you like surprises or simply discovering a new language or new artists, this live album it's something you need to experience at least once or twice.

This seems like something I would normally enjoy, but the language barrier makes it hard to fully appreciate. So much of the performance is driven by the lyrics, and since I don't understand French, I feel like I'm missing a big part of what makes this album special. I can appreciate the passion in Brel's delivery, but I don't see myself returning to this one.

3 fine fine

Very French, but like not in a bad way

It’s lovely. I don’t speak French but I’m sure the lyrics are whitty.

𝘖𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘢 64 makes it easy to understand why Jacques Brel was such a captivating performer. I really like his voice and the way he can turn even the simplest line into something intensely dramatic. He doesn't just sing his songs; he practically acts them out, moving between tenderness, anger, and theatrical excess. Still, I suspect some of that magic is lost when experienced through a recording rather than from a seat in the audience. I can hear the passion and energy of the performance, but I don't always feel as involved as I would like. And then there's 𝗔𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗺. The way Brel builds the song from quiet storytelling into an almost overwhelming climax is extraordinary. For those few minutes, I almost feel as if I'm sitting in the audience myself. A good live album, but above all, a reminder that I would have loved to see Jacques Brel perform in person.

Favorite track(s): Amsterdam, Les timides, Les dernier repas

Super French

Cool, pretentious but very emotive

Interesting.

"Je voudrais une baguette" - that’s roughly my level of French. Not the ideal prerequisite for fully appreciating French chanson, which, from what I’ve read, is praised for its poetic lyrics and clever wordplay. There are elements of this album that genuinely impressed me. Jacques Brel’s vocal performance is outstanding. The commitment and urgency he delivers his lines with convey a great deal of significance. At its best moments "Olympia 64" transcended the language barrier. Take the opener "Amsterdam" which gave me a clear impression of how Jacques views the beautifully depraved capital of the Netherlands, even if I didn’t recognize the words he was using. Equally impressive: this is live music, which is easy to forget given how flawless the overall performance is. The sound is captured and mixed perfectly. This album is challenging to rate. It didn’t completely click with me, but I think it's mostly due to the language barrier and my lack of exposure to the genre. I spun it twice to give it a fair chance, but right now I only feel a strong 2. It’s an album that makes me wish my French was better.

5.

Not bad for a cartoon skunk.

I love france and this did feel wonderfully historic, but I was happy it was only 28 minutes. Hearing the crowd go wild made me feel a certain way. A rare case when one of the least streamed songs, Les Vieux, was my favorite.

Olympia 64 Jacques Brel 1964 Genres: Pop, Rock Styles: Chanson, Live 1. Amsterdam (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Retrato de los marineros del puerto de Amsterdam: cantan, duermen, mueren, nacen, comen y se van riendo. Mezcla ensueño con vulgaridad física (cerveza, pescado, eructos, el olor a bacalao). El tono va acelerando hasta ser casi un torrente. La música se basa en una melodía tradicional (tipo Greensleeves). 2. Les Vieux (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Retrato de la vejez: la lentitud, el silencio, la rutina y la cercanía de la muerte. El tono es sombrío y pausado. 3. Tango funèbre (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Por título y música, un tango de tono fúnebre vinculado a la muerte. No puedo asegurar el desarrollo de la letra. 4. Le Plat Pays (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Homenaje a Flandes y a la tierra llana: viento, lluvia, cielo bajo, y una catedral como única "montaña". Es una canción de apego a su tierra, con tono nostálgico. 5. Les Timides (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Trata sobre la gente tímida y su incapacidad de expresarse, sobre todo en el amor. No tengo la letra completa en la memoria como para detallar más sin arriesgar inventar. 6. Les Jardins du casino (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Canción con música de Gérard Jouannest. Por el título remite a un casino y sus jardines, pero no tengo certeza del argumento. Verificar la letra. 7. Le Dernier Repas (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: No puedo resumirla con fiabilidad sin la letra delante. Prefiero no inventarte nada. 8. Les Toros (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Gira en torno a la corrida y los toros. No tengo la letra lo bastante segura como para resumir su postura. -TOTAL = ★★★⯨☆ (3,25)

Pretty much the GOAT of chanson, and also of miserable songs about down-on-their-luck loser guys who hate women. No complaints

I honestly don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this even if it were in English

What’s interesting about such a stripped down, vocal-focused album is that you get a bit of cultural insight into what makes a region’s music unique. I feel like it’s harder to connect with it without the appropriate lived context though, so even if I understand the language and appreciate Jacques’ singing chops, I’m afraid I don’t have much to say about this. Standouts: Les vieux • Tango funèbre

Bro is obviously singing his heart out but this is just not for me. Props for all the inspiration to Scott Walker though

okkkkk

Jamais écouté avant. Difficile d'être objectif avec le premier album francophone (et j'imagine l'un des rares...) de la liste. D'autant plus quand il s'agit d'un enregistrement live de celui qui est peut-être notre plus grand auteur et interprète, l'immense Jacques Brel. Il y met son époustouflante théâtrilité au service de quelques uns de ses plus beaux textes, dont bien sûr Amsterdam, dont c'est l'unique enregistrement, mais aussi des titres moins célèbres, comme les sublimes Le Dernier Repas ou Au suivant, chefs-d'œuvre de réalisme poétique et d'écriture au millimètre. Et on comprend comment et pourquoi des dizaines d'artistes, y compris anglophones, se sont réclamés de son héritage, Scott Walker et David Bowie en tête. Si la chanson francophone devait avoir un sommet, Olympia 64 n'en serait sans doute pas loin... Top : Au suivant Flop : Les timides

Actually a banger.

exhaustingly melodramatic, and a pointless selection - he has made many better albums. This is like selecting The Kinks At The Kelvin Hall over Face To Face.

After reading about this album a bit I guess I csn appreciate it for what it is, but I didn't enjoy the listen.

Not for me. Thankfully short, and I’m pretty proud that this was an influence on Scott Walker. I was listening to that last track and went, “Hey that sounds like ‘Next’!” And sure enough!!

Pleasant listening; maybe I would appreciate it more if I understood French

621/1089 - It was cool and he's a very talented singer. Unfortunately a lot of the songs had similar structures and harmonic devices which dampened the listening experience for me.

This one was not really my thing. I'm not one for flashy, theatrical show-tuney sounding music. It's nice and quaint, and I'm glad this project gave me the chance to learn of Jaques Brel and his contributions to music. The album is a live recording of Brel mostly speak-singing in French, which I've now learned is a genre unto itself - chanson! Interesting, but wasn't for me. It's a 2/5 but I'm really glad it's on this list.

French pop, hmm. Gave it a 2.

My French brother-in-law would love this, and since he’s a singing thespian, I’m sure I’ve heard him perform some of these. Drama plays a heavy role in Brel’s performance here. Surprised “Ne me quitte pas” isn’t in the set. The sparse music behind him adds to the show tune quality.

Mmm c

My first time listening to any Belgian music! It has a very "large", theatrical feel. Not my thing, but either is Phantom of the Opera, really. I wish I could easily listen to this with a service that will translate the French to English, as I rely so much on lyrics to determine the quality of the production. I would not skip if this came up again, but it isn't something I would necessarily seek out.

I did not enjoy this. I don't particularly like listening to music in other languages because lyrics are very important to me.

I don’t speak French and I feel like that’s 80% of what makes this record potentially enjoyable. Otherwise it’s just stereotypically French sounding music

???

Exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for from the last. Fun, but I'll never listen to it again

This is what I imagine non-English speakers hear when they listen to Leonard Cohen. Can I understand anything he's saying? No. Do I feel every emotion he's expressing? Absolutely. Now give me a damn croissant and fly me to Paris. 7/10

This is smack dab in the middle of Not For Me.

Man this guy really falls for every trick in the book. This time it's the classic scam that has swindled us all at one time or another. The dreaded maxim "French =deep." If the author ever reads these reviews, please contact me, I have a bag of beans that, well, lets just say, they are pretty "special." Imagine enjoying some of my magical beans and sitting back and listening to some British electronica?! You cannot lose. I too believe French people often have a more artistic view of shit, and if that sounds ridiculous, just look at their society. In North America, our money first, Americanized society (we ALL lost the Cold War), is spineless, illiterate, and failing. We literally fight each other on behalf of making things worse (see privatized healthcare). Like subjects in an experiment, rights and "benefits of capitalism" are stripped back slowly every day so we don't notice right away, and then we're instructed to blame immigrants or like the .5% of people with different gender identities. We pay more for less, and since they've figured out they can get away with it, they all but say it out loud. It's "good business." The only way out is guillotines (FRENCH INVENTION), but good luck when the psychopaths in charge have entire military forces to protect their interests and their supple necks. Ugh. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah. Parisians will burn down Versailles if they catch wind of a person working 38 seconds of unpaid overtime. It's clear that we could learn a lot from the French in general, but this? This is just mediocre to bad music that made the list because he's speaking a fancy sounding language, and us English speakers are uhh how you say dumb. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: We need a Chiac album. Mon car start pas :(

The 1964 crowd loves a good chanson.

Amsterdam has always been a personal fave of mine. It’s an epitaph to the years I lived in the city. What would my emotional life be without music like this!? A song as powerful as Amsterdam can encapsulate years of a life in one short musical burst. It doesn’t even matter you barely understand anything of the lyrics.

These are compelling melodies, and the emotion carries through the vocals. This takes you back in time to a movie or a painting. My initial reaction would be that it is difficult to appreciate something like this in a language I don't speak, but I can feel the sentiment through the music.

As someone who kinda speaks french this was relaxing and fun ngl

Don't speak franch BUT I like the vibes :3

I can’t justify putting this as a 5 for such a lyric focused album without speaking the language but I wish I could

3 out of 5. A nice French crooner.

Don't want to give it one star because it's not bad it's just not for me.

It was an interesting listen that focussed me on the music and vocal since I didn’t understand the lyrics. My only experience with French music is Edith Piaf, so it was cool to hear another French legend. Brel’s voice was powerful and dramatic. I was surprised to learn how many other artists—especially David Bowie—were inspired by Brel.

5.6/10. An album with both sides of grandeur and softness, it does a great job of making you feel like you were actually there. It utilizes an array of instruments, and the album feel like they were built as a theatrical mixing pot, including influences from traditional French chanson, waltz & folk dance rythyms, grand orchestration, and stripped-down music (solitary instruments make up the entire instrumentation). Brel does well with the live performance, but I personally am not that big a fan of French lyricism, the language just doesn't have the emotion due to complex pronunciations.

9/10 - this was amazing, don't know what the chap is singing but awesome, need more world music in our lives

No esperaba un álbum en francés pero buena voz tiene

Non. The recording quality is really poor. The instruments sound like they are upstairs. I feel like the nuance of the music is lost. Quite like his delivery - Jacques sounds mad as fuck. Some of the arrangements feel quite heavy and dark - but that might be how bass heavy this recording is. The crowd are raucous as heck - often drowning out the performance. Arrêtez de applaudir ! Still rather listen to this than a stack of my 1* albums so it's a 2*.

This album was duller than a plastic dull knife.

Fine I guess

Pleasant I suppose.