Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 01/28/2003
Considering his appeal spanned several generations, fans approach the work of
Serge Gainsbourg from a multitude of angles.
Initials S.G. is the first widely available, single-disc compilation that treats his career as an artist and influence, not just a hitmaker. And with an entirely new audience of twenty-somethings attracted to his devilish grin and simmering productions, the time was certainly ripe for this "Ultimate Best Of." Boasting 23 tracks and spanning the years 1958 to 1980,
Initials S.G. is the disc necessary for anyone who wants to know why artists from
Jarvis Cocker to
Beck to
David Holmes to
Momus have seized on his recordings. Previous collections, especially American releases, were overly focused on single time periods (with all the accumulating dross) and often made little attempt to help listeners decide which era they preferred. It's all laid out here, ranging from the brisk postwar
jazz-pop of 1964's
"Couleur Cafe" to the stoned
funk pornography of 1971's
"Ballade de Melody Nelson" -- only seven years apart technically, but separated by a vast cultural gulf that could be
Johnny Mathis and
Johnnie Taylor in comparison.
Gainsbourg's power to fascinate later generations is especially powerful on the spare, funky
soundtrack feature
"Requiem Pour une C..."; the infamous
"Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus," a 1969 chart entry featuring the orgasmic vocal caressing of
Jane Birkin; and an ace throwaway of yeh-yeh
pop called
"Bonnie and Clyde," featuring
Brigitte Bardot. (The disc unfortunately brushes over
"Lemon Incest," the source of his wildest controversy, a song on which
Gainsbourg crooned with his daughter
Charlotte, and lay in bed with her for the video.) The only buyer-beware caution necessary for
Initials S.G. is that most purchasers will soon find themselves buying imports of original LP masterpieces like 1971's
Histoire de Melody Nelson or 1969's
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin.
~John Bush, All Music Guide
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