Thursday 14 July 2016

July 14: Bastille Day

I always like publishing something appropriate to mark La fête nationale, Bastille Day, the annual commemoration of the French revolution.

While military parades and French presidential interviews fill the TV and fireworks light up town squares at night, La Marseillaise will no doubt be performed.

I've always liked the way Gainsbourg re-makes La Marseillaise, taking it from the hands of the establishment and re-connecting it to its popular origins.

This live version of the track from Le Zénith de Gainsbourg is quite different to the better-known studio version. While his reggae albums were pretty great, I've always thought his later work was quite under rated in comparison.

Interesting that the live version of Hey Man Amen from the same release features an early appearance by the then toddler Lulu Gainsbourg on stage, although not actually doing much other than being a very small kid.


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