Search - Lucienne Delyle :: Lucienne Delyle 1939-1946

Excellent sound quality of a much overlooked artist

Roderick Keech | Australia | 04/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lucienne Delyle was one of France's national treasures.



She won a radio song contest in 1939 and went on to record the hit 'Sur les quais du vieux Paris' that same year. This song has been used in many film soundtracks since. She is also well known for the 1942 smash hit 'Mon amant de Saint Jean' which Truffaut used in his film 'The Last Metro'(Le Dernier Metro) and continued to record and perform until her untimely death in 1962, from leukemia, at the age of 45.



Her versions of the French classics 'J'attendrai' and 'Je suis seule ce soir', recorded in the late fifties but sadly not on this or any collection to date, fetch very high prices on vinyl.



This collection is distinguished not only for its quality remastering, but for the fact that it covers part of her output from 1939 - 1957. Obviously the quality improves as the years pass, but so does her voice, which deepens and has an almost sensual tone to it.



When the majority of people think of female French singers, they will only be able to come up with Piaf. This is sad, as there are so many other truly great French artistes like Lucienne Delyle, who never received the recognition they deserved outside France.



If you only buy one Delyle CD, buy this, as it has by far the best collection of songs, and, most importantly, by far the best sound.



Make good use of the sound bites that Amazon provide, and make your choice, but avoid any CD not released by EMI/Pathe, as they are all poor transfers from 78 rpm shellac records with a lot of surface noise.



Simply superb."

Lucienne Delyle

Jung Poet | 05/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Music to relax with or as background for a romantic interlude. A pleasant, non intrusive voice, calming and reminiscent of piano lounge atmosphere. Not as assertive as Lucienne Boyer. Excellent production quality."

On the quay of old Paris...

S. Tolleson-Rinehart | Chapel Hill, NC USA | 05/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Sur les quais de vieux Paris" is used as the title song of a delightful documentary called "Paris was a Woman." I got curious about the charming song, so very quintessentially Parisian, to my inexpert ear, and decided to try to identify the artist by peering extremely carefully at the documentary's end credits. And there I found her: Lucienne Delyle. This two-disk set contains digitally remastered recordings from all parts of her short career, and it is most enjoyable. I have read that people believe her voice became smokier and richer with time, and I can hear that, but I confess I am most charmed by the songs from the late 1930s and early 1940s, including "Sur les quais de vieux Paris."



When you are in the mood for mid-20th century popular Parisian music, this set fills the bill nicely! Mlle Delyle died too young, of leukemia, alas. Surely we would have had much more from her as she ripened into midlife."