Clothilde - French Swinging Mademoiselle 1967 LP

This irresistible collection brings together the wild, orchestral, garage-pop of one of France's most individual ye-ye singers of the 60s: Clothilde. In a brief but energetic career, she recorded in two sessions in 1967, never to grace a microphone again. The results? The tambourine-beating weirdo-stomp of "Fallait pas ecraser la queue du chat" ("Shouldn't Crush the Cat's Tail"); the strangeness yet allure of "102-103" with its chimes, wildly-blown pipe flutes and some kind of Arabic chanter; and of course the harpsichord-driven, minor-key masterpiece "Saperlipopette". This collection is wall-to-wall bangers, a must have for any fans of French pop or 60s garage. 

"'Clothilde, queen of the "Swingin' Mademoiselles.' Why Clothilde? Why not that more star-worthy, internationally-acclaimed Françoise Hardy, or the more akin to the sub-genre, France Gall? Because she's the most characteristic, archtypical French mademoiselle, that's why! Christine Pilzer, even Jacqueline Taïeb before her, both may have been rediscovered first in this style unique to French '60s pop, and Stella also may have been the most out and out "anti-ye-ye" with her slightly anti-establishment and derisive lyrics countering the pop system and establishment, but Cleo's all about text, not that much as a whole production.

"As such, Clothilde takes the crown. Not only has Clothilde the most natural (albeit unknowingly) disposition as a chanteuse, singing such subversive lyrics with as much second degree detachment as possible but also, the music itself is highly original: inventive arrangements including French horn, musical saw, church bells, barrel organ, marimba, brass fiddle, woodwinds, and busy fuzz guitar amidst all that slapstick comedy-like audio bric-à-brac. Almost avant-garde in concept, it was imagined and produced by Clothilde's impresario, manager and indeed creator, legendary Disques Vogue A.D. Germinal Tenas. This could've only come out of France." — Born Bad