VARIOUS "Groove Club Vol. 1:
La Confiserie Magique"

 

A terrific compilation of succulent French psych/pop treats, collected and annotated by French author, journalist and flaneur Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe (Martyrs of Pop), and carefully sequenced for maximum enjoyment by the Lion! Together, we have imagined those magic years 1966-71 in France to be just as you find them here — overflowing with truly decadent pop-sike, as beautiful as the cathedral of Evry; this can be the arch-hippie Lolita, singing songs to make one dream of Anicée Alvina riding her bicycle in a red dress... or it can be something "other": sunny and stunning, or brooding and tinged with sadness. "Fabrice, 17 years old, is a minet, or to say it better, a mod from one of the posh neighbourhoods, the 16th district in Paris and such "golden ghettoes" as Auteuil, Neuilly and Passy. Fab’ likes to have his "ronron at the Dugstore", as Dutronc sang it (an untranslatable wordplay on ronron, "cat food", and a minet - "a kitten" - purring). Fabrice attends Henri IV prestigious high-school; his father, a businessman who made a fortune selling plastic flowers, and his mother, a former model from Jacques Fath, are never home – a cosy home indeed! With his Weston shoes, a slim-fitting suit by Renoma and his haircut modelled on those of Anglo-Saxons musicians appearing on French Eps, Fabrice dreams of Carnaby Street and the Sunset Strip. He is not alone: there’s his sister Stéphanie, 16, who wears a fringe, a mock Courrèges dress, a pink Shetland pullover and white boots. Stéphanie reads Salut Les Copains and Mademoiselle Age Tendre, which both fuel her passion for Françoise Hardy, Zouzou, Twiggy and the Beatles." The Groove Club is happy to present twenty-two records that we dug out as a tribute to Fabrice’s kinky faves. And we sense that, paradoxical as it may seem, although we have imagined a parallel cosmos to the Grande Heures of pop culture, we are not far from the truth. Your choice of a limited edition gatefold 2xLP, or a CD edition, chock full of information about all of the tracks on this premier volume in our celebrated Groove Club series. Popisme fantastique!

2xLP track list:
LP one, side A:
1-Le Cœur: « Bye, Bye City » 3:18
2-Les Rover: « Dans Cinquante Ans D’ici » (Fifty Years From Now) 2:48
3-Les Hamsters: « Flower Power » 2:52
4-Les Chimériennes: « Monsieur Cyber »
5-Yar & Yana: « Je Marche Dans La Ville » (I Walk in the City) 2:55

LP one, side B:
6-Les Hamsters: « Georgie Girl » 2:08
7-Dan le Bouffon: « A Petit Pas » 2:16
8-Christopher Laird: « Lune De Miel, Lune De Confiture » (Moon of Honey, Moon of Jam) 3:20
9-Les Parisiennes: « Un Rayon De Soleil Est Entré Dans Mon Lit » (A Ray Of Sun Is Here In My Bed) 2:17
10-Maraton: « Dee Duck » 2:36
11-Elisa: « En Stop » (Stop) 2:54

LP two, side A:
12-Genevieve Ferreri: « L’arc en ciel » (The Rainbow) 2:32
13-Michel Pagliaro: « Vous » (You) 2:52
14-L’empreinte: « Une Petite Fille » 2:35
15-Pax Quartet: « Lumière Et Paix » (Light and Peace) 3:37
16-France: « Vivre d’Amour et de Musique » (Live in Love and Music) 3:02

LP two, side B
17-Cristal: « Les Yeux Fermés » (Eyes Closed) 3:08
18-Epta: « Bye, Bye Brighton » 3:14
19-Bernard Chabert: « Il Part En Californie » (He Moved to California) 2:47
20-Les Rotomagus: « Nevada » 2:48
21-Le Système Crapoutchik: « La Vie Est Belle » (Life Is Beautiful) 2:38
22-Mister Badge: « Crazy Mister Badge » 2:21

CD Track List:
1. Le Cœur: « Bye, Bye City » 3:18
2. Les Rover: « Dans Cinquante Ans D’ici » (Fifty Years From Now) 2:48
3. Les Hamsters: « Flower Power » 2:52
4. Les Chimériennes: « Monsieur Cyber »
5. Yar & Yana: « Je Marche Dans La Ville » (I Walk in the City) 2:55
6. Les Hamsters: « Georgie Girl » 2:08
7. Dan le Bouffon: « A Petit Pas » 2:16
8. Christopher Laird: « Lune De Miel, Lune De Confiture » (Moon of Honey, Moon of Jam) 3:20
9. Les Parisiennes: « Un Rayon De Soleil Est Entré Dans Mon Lit » (A Ray Of Sun Is Here In My Bed) 2:17
10. Maraton: « Dee Duck » 2:36
11. Elisa: « En Stop » (Stop) 2:54
12. Genevieve Ferreri: « L’arc en ciel » (The Rainbow) 2:32
13. Michel Pagliaro: « Vous » (You) 2:52
14. L’empreinte: « Une Petite Fille » 2:35
15. Pax Quartet: « Lumière Et Paix » (Light and Peace) 3:37
16. France: « Vivre d’Amour et de Musique » (Live in Love and Music) 3:02
17. Cristal: « Les Yeux Fermés » (Eyes Closed) 3:08
18. Epta: « Bye, Bye Brighton » 3:14
19. Bernard Chabert: « Il Part En Californie » (He Moved to California) 2:47
20. Les Rotomagus: « Nevada » 2:48
21. Le Système Crapoutchik: « La Vie Est Belle » (Life Is Beautiful) 2:38
22. Mister Badge: « Crazy Mister Badge » 2:21

LP edition: LION LP-109 UPC: 778578310912 (2xLP)
CD edition: LION 641 UPC: 778578064129 (CD)