More Tricolore Soul: Eddy Can Handle It!

I've been on holidays for three weeks, driving through France with ma cherie amour and her mother. First, we went off to Limoges, and then across country to Alsace. I'd been preparing some posts that I hoped I could post en route, when I reached an internet cafe... Well, I got the Al Green one online when we stopped by a friend of ma cherie amour, but other than that the holiday has been computerless. I tried using a internet-accessing phone, but it was totally beyond my understanding. The good news is that here is last weeks post, and that posts and ideas are piling up ready to tumble out.

When I prepared my Bastille Day post, I knew I couldn't resist a bit more Eddy Mitchell before next 14th July! This one is from 1969, and sees Eddy get to grips with Otis Redding material. It's a version francais of Hard To Handle, with a new set of lyrics written by Eddy himself, and titled Otis. Playing the song are a group called JC Petit et Les Soul Brass.

Eddy translated and recorded a number of songs by his favourite rock and roll artists including many songs by his biggest hero Gene Vincent, and also many r&b artists, including Little Richard, Ray Charles, Louis Jordan, J J Jackson, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Sam & Dave, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Don Covay.

Eddy Mitchell - Otis (Hard To Handle) (Barclay 20036) 1969

A fantastic site for details of all of Eddy Mitchell's cover versions is available at Mitchell-City. Watch Eddy singing Otis on French TV in September 1969 here.