Brel's Earliest Recordings A Rare Treat
Thelma F Blitz | New York, NY USA | 11/11/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"On this CD find the rosebud that would open at La Rose Noir, the Belgian cabaret to host the first few performances of the young Jacques Brel. Followers of Brel may have read the lyrics to these songs in "Tout Brel" or Oliver Todd "Une Vie" without ever thinking they'd get to hear Brel sing them. In 2003, 50 years after they were recorded at Radio Hasselt in Belgium, the copyright expired and they entered the public domain. Now at last we have them.
Many of the themes to be found in later Brel are already present in his earliest work.
For example, bringing down the bourgeoisie, (Ballade) exposing social hypocrisy, (Les Gens),(Le Troubadour- my favorite on this disc), the inevitable failure of love ( L'Ange Dechu- extremely passionate performance) , religious doubt ( Les Enfant du Roi) , his grandparents ( Les Deux Fauteuils) ,nostalgia for his youth (Les Paves), combined with some youthful effervesence like the irresistably joyous "La Foire", not part of the Radio Hasselt Sessions, but an early Phillips recording.
The productions reflect the technology of the times but still Brel's rich, clear ,seductive baritone comes through loud and clear along with his delightful acoustic guitar.
A lyric booklet is included and anyone with a basic knowledge of French and a dictionary can easily translate them.
English speaking people who know Brel only in translation and are proceeding towards the originals might want to start with a "Greatest Hits" compilation, but people who have just about worn those out, if that's possible, or who want to know Brel from the beginning absolutely must have this CD."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1