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.

Tricolore Soul: Monsieur Eddy!

Well, after a little sleep, I'm feeling more awake, and I caught the end of le Tour as they raced through le Col de la Colombiére. And my dad arrived with soup and supplies!

Normally, I'd be off to the local pub for their Bastille Day party and some bouillabaisse, and then down to a club that dedicates itself to glorious Radio FIP, which Brightonians are lucky enough to be able to tune into halfway underneath Radio 1. Ah, europop and yéyé girls!

Instead, while I eat my soup, I thought I'd serve you up some early French soul. I didn't know what to call this mini-series. Originally it was just French Soul, then Bastille Day Soul, then Funk The Bastille!

The modern indigenous French soul scene is thriving and has a much firmer place in French sub-cultures than its British equivalents. However, I thought I'd go further back, to the 60s, to see how one of the original French rock and rollers became intrigued by the soul sound, to such an extent that he went on to spend much of his career recording in Nashville, Memphis and Louisiana. Claude Moine, who in honour of his rock and roll heroes, changed his stage name to Eddy Mitchell, and is venerated by all French people as simply Monsieur Eddy.

Eddy and his band Les Chaussettes Noires got a residency playing at le Golf Drouot, a Parisian club which originally had its own 9-hole miniature golf course inside. It was also one of the first clubs with a jukebox, filled with American tunes. Soon, they were signed to Barclay Records, and had several rock and roll hits. After Eddy went to do military service, he embarked on a solo career, continuing the rock and roll.

He recorded several times in London, and while there in 1965, it seems he came into contact with some of the modern soul music being imported from the USA. From this point on, the sound of Eddy Mitchell was distinctively different from that of other French pop artists - he turned up the horns, the guitars played blues, and he chose to interpret or write soulful tunes, all the while singing in French with the passion of a soul balladeer but also with the nuances of French chanson. The albums Du rock ‘n’ roll au rhythm ‘n’ blues (Barclay 1965) and Seul (Barclay 1966) were recorded in London, while De Londres à Memphis (1967) saw Eddy finally travel to America. They comprise the heart of Eddy's soulful output.

Here are a few of those tracks for you to consider. First up is a bluesy number:

Eddy Mitchell - J'avais deux amis (I had two friends)

Eddy moves into Deep Soul country, with an opening sliding guitar string that just makes me think of Hot Buttered Soul!:

Eddy Mitchell - Je ne me retourerai pas (I will not be turned over)

And another Eddy original from his 1966 album:

Eddy Mitchell - Seul (Alone)

And I haven't yet shared Eddy's fabulous Creedence impression, or his version of Hard To Handle! I am going to have to do another Eddy post quite soon!

After a slight slowdown in his career, Eddy picked up again in the mid-70s, travelling annually to Nashville to record with Charlie McCoy and his band, and following a country rock vibe. And he's still going strong today, having recently recorded a new CD Jambalaya with a number of displaced New Orleans musicians in LA after Hurricane Katrina, and calling in the likes of Johnny Halliday (his fellow gallic rocker) and Little Richard.

Eddy Mitchell's website.

RFI Music have a great biography in english of Eddy's career.

Shout Outs To Les Soul-blogs Francaises!: If you want to practice your french while also listening to some fine music, try out these sites. We have to mention le case de l'affreux thom, a blog of refinement and taste; also, I've just come across Mushroom Soul,which looks like it will become a favourite of mine. I've visited Loaded To The Gills on occasion, and found some interesting funk. For in depth resources on Otis Redding, check out The Otis Redding Site of Jean Paul Pécréaux. To discuss soul music in french, visit The Dark End Of The Street - don't worry, they will be kind if your words fail you, like me!

French Soul At Royal Studios: Axelle Red

Belgian soul songstress Axelle Red (real name Fabienne Demal) has released her new album, jardin secret, on October 2nd. It was recorded at Royal Studios, produced by Boo Mitchell, with father Willie Mitchell dropping by to oversee the sessions. I guarantee that if you have been waiting for that new Marti Pellow CD, expecting the next great soulful album, its time to spend your money on this instead.

Axelle sings mostly in french on this album, but its worth persevering even if you are not linguistically gifted. You don't need to know all the words to know that this is seriously good music, and a masterful songwriter. Axelle started out as another teen pop sensation in her native Belgium, but quickly proved to her agents that she had her own agenda, and it included exploration of her own musical direction. She travelled to Muscle Shoals in 1995 to record the album a tâtons, and impressed producer Isaac Hayes, Steve Cropper, Richard Hawkins, Willie Weeks and Lester Snell with her talent and committment when she recorded with them. Sadly, Axelle is considering throwing in the towel after this album, disappointed that record companies the world over still only seem to want to promote the 'pretty girl shaking her r&b lite booty' format. Beyoncé and others of talent, take notes.

Listen to a sample of the first single, Temp Pour Nous (Time For Us), and buy it online at i-tunes, or at the link below. It's about people needing more time to love each other more. There are samples of other tracks from the album at Axelle's website here. They range from Fruit Défendu, a funky come hither number in English, to Changer ma vie, a more classically French song, and it is the fusion of soul instrumentation and musical themes with French conventions which makes Axelle's songwriting work so interesting. Yesterday, I watched Axelle live on a webconcert from Belgium, playing with her touring band, including Bar-Kays (and now MGs) drummer Steve Potts and once again Lester Snell on keyboards. She isn't a soul shouter by any means, but tries to inject her vocals with soul feeling while retaining the lyrical, poetic bent that is integral to French pop. The result sounds like few other French songs do. As a rough idea, Carole King is one songwriting reference that Axelle herself alludes to.

For a limited time, the blog filles souries is hosting the song Papillion (Butterfly) from the album, which you can also hear a clip of here. A soft and sweet ballad about intimacy, it stunned me into silence!

All of Axelle Red's more soulful albums are available on i-tunes, and at her website, including jardin secret, a tâtons, and French Soul: The Best Of Axelle Red. Information used here from Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios website, Axelle Red's website and the Belgian Pop & Rock Archives.

P.S. Ma copine (soul transl. 'My Cherie Amour') has reminded me that Axelle sang a song, Manhattan-Kaboul, with French folk pop star Renaud, who is her favourite songwriter. I think she wants you to buy Renaud records too now you all love French pop. That would be a good thing.