The Look: France Gall

By the great 48 on Feb 4, 2008

France Gall, it turned out, looked like Brigitte Bardot's perky kid sister. She looked like she was the Gallic equivalent of Lesley Gore, whose Golden Hits CD was high in my personal playlist at the time. Unlike the cool, soigné Francoise Hardy, she looked like her music was fun, which was the main thing I looked for at the time. But mostly, she was just really frickin' hot.

What I learned when I listened to the CD is that indeed, France Gall's 1962-'68 singles (the ones covered on this particular comp) owe a lot to US girl group pop. "Nous ne Sommes pas des Anges," which it turned out I was already familiar with because Heavenly had covered it on their final album Operation Heavenly, and Gall's 1965 hit "Poupee de Cire, Poupee de Son" (which won the Eurovision Song Contest that year) are particularly indebted to that style.

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Tags: style
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Great question and write up, Great One. The first artist that comes to mind for me is The Undertones. NOT because I have a thing for scrawny Irish teens in floods, mind you, and not that there's anything wrong with that...

When I saw their first album in a used bin in South Street's old Book Trader, I was drawn into their fun, goofy Look. I'd read just enough about them to know they were a punk band I should check out, but I'm pretty sure I'd never heard a lick of their music. I simply loved what the cover shot promised. They looked a lot like how I felt when hanging with my high school friends/bandmates. To this day, when hanging with almost that exact lot, I still feel like a scrawny, goofy Irish teen wearing floods. It's a good feeling, and the music lived up to the promise of the Look.

http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/U/undertonesf.jpg
02/04/08 @ 16:10
Comment from: cowboyangel68 [Member] Email
Joy Division's Closer. First spied the LP at Inner Sanctum Records in Austin in 1980. The cover haunted me, and as a moody 17-year old, I wanted to be haunted. Luckily, the music also rocked (which is what ultimately made them so great.) From the first few notes of "Atrocity Exhibition," I knew I'd made the right purchase.

Still felt that way a couple of months ago when I put it on again after going to see Control. The working-class angst beneath it all served them well.

France Gall. Nice choice. I fell hard for Juliette Greco. http://eliptikon.blogspot.com/2007/02/juliette-greco-il-n-plus-d.html



02/04/08 @ 19:51
Comment from: cowboyangel68 [Member] Email
Oh, speaking of Gainsbourg, have you head Benjamin Biolay? Definitely influenced by Serge. Among other things. the one below sounds a bit like The Church as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eLeo2ArOs
02/04/08 @ 19:57
Comment from: the great 48 [Member] Email
Ah, Undertones. Absolutely. I was in Rocky Mountain Records in early 1983 and I saw the UK version of the first album in the remainder bin for 49 cents. One look and I just thought "Yes. I must have this." Still one of my favorite albums of all time.
02/04/08 @ 23:46
Comment from: andyr [Member] Email
They didn't have a lot of true staying power with me, but I would have to say "The Milkshakes". I loved their look on "14 Rhythm and Beat Greats" and I really dug that album for many years.
02/05/08 @ 08:12
Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member] Email
Boney M without a doubt.

kidding.

The Nick Cave poster that hung in the stairway of 3rd st jazz called to me for a few years before i picked up the disc.

Tender Prey was the album.

so good.
02/05/08 @ 09:05
Comment from: hrrundivbakshi [Member] Email
I think the last album I bought for purely Look reasons was "Rules" by Supagroup. It's not often a Look-inspired blind purchase pays off, but for me, this one did!

http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/~gauntlet/eg/eg2/20050811/Supagroup-web.jpg

Townsman Chickenfrank... can you appreciate the appeal of this album cover?
02/05/08 @ 10:15
Comment from: Oats [Member]
I'm pretty sure I started buying Neko Case CDs based purely on some magazine photos.
02/05/08 @ 10:43

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