Le Nuc plus ultra: a French success story and the reissue of one of Johnny's best albums

Nouvelle Vague,

)

A little over twenty years ago, when the two French musicians Olivier Libaux and Marc Colin launched their Nouvelle Vague project, they certainly did not imagine signing one of the biggest successes of French pop.

The simple concept was to revisit pearls from the British post-punk and new wave repertoires in the colors of bossa nova.

Now, two decades after the first album in the series, a fifth volume is released, and it's just as excellent.

Sadly, the brilliant OIivier Libaux suddenly disappeared in 2021, leaving Marc Collin alone at the helm of the adventure.

Alone ?

Not quite.

The participating singers have been since the beginning of.

the operation the ingredient that makes Nouvelle Vague salt.

The collective has seen a number of quality performers, from Mélanie Pain, always present, to Camille, who was thus revealed, to the newcomer, Alonya.

Coming from Crazy Horse, this convinced Marc Collin to participate in no less than five tracks from this new album, notably the one which gives it its title,

This Clash classic is seen here adorned with a soft and brassy reggae atmosphere, carried by the playful tone of the newcomer.

Here we have one of the very best passages of the entire series of Nouvelle Vague records.

Alonya is undoubtedly the one who gives all its relevance to this new volume, which will provide material for numerous concerts.

Celebrated all over the world, including in Great Britain, the country of origin of these songs, Nouvelle Vague is superbly embodied on stages, at home and across borders.

The Nuc plus ultra: a Britti in New Orleans and Brits in Lagos

Johnny Hallyday,

It was enough for the fine sleuths at Universal who continue to track down Johnny's unreleased releases to come across two gems for the album

, one of Hallyday's masterpieces, to be released in a deluxe version.

In the archives of Olympic Studios - lair of the Stones and other Led Zeppelin - there was a tape listed under the name of Lee Halliday containing unreleased material from the sessions in 1971. The American singer, godfather and producer of Johnny, supervised this that year the recording of one of the albums considered since its release as one of the peaks of an extraordinary discography.

With texts written entirely by Philippe Labro, - adaptations included -, and original music composed by the English Tommy Brown and Mick Jones, the album continues a turning point begun two years previously with

lit.

An often dazzling blues-rock, crafted by leading instrumentalists, sound engineers and composers, recruited in London, home of the Stones.

Sound-wise,

is a gem.

Hallyday sings there with total commitment.

And then there is the hit

always so irresistible.

This reissue, augmented by two live albums from the period, also includes working versions of the songs from the disc.

And therefore two previously unreleased songs never heard before.

The very bally ballad

, and the more anecdotal

, which inaugurates the era of epic Johnny titles of the 1970s, which will culminate with

and

.

We have the right to prefer it as a more direct rocker.