Fools On The Hill - Volume 1 – My Tailor Is Rich – 19 necessary beat winners from the swinging 60's french-o-phonic countries

At last! Here it is - the first volume of our encyclopedia of 60's music that matters. Never blogged before! Why? Because originally this series was hand made on CD in a limited edition of 15… Yessir, each one of them numbered by hand by the one and only Sylvain FuzzyMental! You don't know what "Garage" Music means? Are you getting lost between the fine line that separates early 60's British R&B and Freakbeat? What's the difference between 66 psych and 67 psych? What the F is Popsyke? and Acid-Folk, for Chrissake?

Fools on the Hill was intended as an introduction (for the unwary) to the magical mystical and fuzzy world of 60's lost gems and musical subgenres. Originally intended for a US audience, this series of comps grew (after much heated debates) into probably the finest starter for the 60's music lover. Over 20 volumes long, and still growing, it attempts to cover all the aspects of this fabulous musical decade. Love the music? Track down some of the artists featured… We'll even post some of their LPs and EPs.

My Tailor Is Rich gathers most of France (and Belgium and Canada's) finest combos, playing songs in french. You will find household names (for us, at least) such as Jacques Dutronc and Serge Gainsbourg… but also little-known artists such as Alex Fontaine and Eric Ghardin. This online comp differs slightly from the CD version: some duplicate songs by better known individuals have been replaced by more interesting and lesser-known songs. This is the francophonic take on Garage… fuzz and snot abounds. There is a lot of controversy about this take on "french" music. The truth is that during that period there was no pirate radio… most teenagers were in fact listening to "Yé-Yé" which is a tamed, radio-friendly version of the UK and US sound. Pretty sanitized. What we're showcasing here is the the punkier sound, which didn't get played very often.
The other defining factor is that these songs, more than often, were recorded by studio sharks on a mission to lay out a beat with the "today's sound". As a result, the compositions and the arrangements are of unusual quality, while relying heavily on sound gimmicks (reverb, backwards tracks, sitar and fuzz).
What also sets the French-o-phonic artists apart is their distance from the subject of their songs– 2nd or 3rd degree of humor is prevalent on most tracks. While the US punks were embedded in their subjects, the French-o-phonics usually lay a good layer of humor and irony over their songs. Unbearable for some guardians of the french temple, but all the more fun for us. Oh, and you gotta love the sleaziness of some tracks… only in France…

Bouge ton cul and download cette compilation!

P.S Ladies and Germs, leave comments… it's the fuel of blogs… knowing that you reach people out there.

Track Listing:
1● Jacques Dutronc ●Le responsable (France, 1969)
2●Les Problèmes ●Je ne vois rien (France, 1966)
3● Serge Gainsbourg●Qui est " in " qui est " out " (France, 1966)
4● Christine Pilzer ●Ah Hem Ho Hu Err (France, 1967)
5● Delphine ●La fermeture éclair (Belgium, 1967)
6● Sullivan ●Hashish Faction (France, 1966)
7●Les Papyvores ●Le papyvore (France, 1967)
8● Laura Ulmer ●Amoureux d’une affiche (Canada, 1967)
9● Le Bain Didonc ●4 cheveux dans le vent (France, 1966)
10 ● Les 5 Gentlemen ●Si tu reviens chez moi (France, 1966)
11 ● Alex Fontaine ●Tu n’es pas sincère (Canada, 1966)
12 ● Les Problèmes ●Dodécaphonie (France, 1966)
*13 ● Jacques Dutronc ●Je suis content (France, 1967)
13 ● Eric Ghardin ●Amour Limite Zéro (France, 1967)
14 ● Normand Frechette et les Hou-Lops ●J’étudie mon grec (Canada, 1967)
15 ● Les Misérables ●Une lettre (Canada, 1967)
*16 ● Serge Gainsbourg●Initials B.B (France, 1967)
16 ● Messieurs Richard de Bordeaux et Daniel Beretta●La drogue (France, 1967)
17 ● Ariane ●Tu voudrais que j’oublie (France, 1967)
18 ● Elsa Leroy ●Mieux vaut tard que jamais (France, 1966)
*19 ● Jacques Dutronc ●Hippie Hippie Hourrah (France, 1967)
19 ● Philippe Nicaud ●Cuisses nues bottes de cuir (France, 1967)

* Tracks that were on the original CD and replaced by new ones.