Brigitte Fontaine's 'Est...Folle' and 'Comme à la Radio' Set for Reissue

BY Alex HudsonPublished Oct 10, 2013

Experimental French chanteuse Brigitte Fontaine released her albums Brigitte Fontaine Est...Folle and Comme à la Radio way back in the late '60s, but they've always been hard to come by here in North America. That will finally change on December 10, when Superior Viaduct issue both albums on CD and vinyl.

Est...Folle, from 1968, features arrangements from Serge Gainsbourg collaborator Jean Claude Vannier. An announcement from the label describes the album as sporting "lush strings, taut rhythms culled from across the globe and a healthy dose of whimsy," and observes, "Such artful handling of meter and rhyme (or lack thereof) is rare in pop song."

The first 200 vinyl copies sold will be on translucent green vinyl. This is available to pre-order here.

As for 1969's Comme à la Radio, this album finds Fontaine joined by Areski Belkacem and Art Ensemble of Chicago. The label notes, "Often arrhythmic and spoken, her [Fontaine's] vocals command the same spontaneity and grace that her collaborators applied to their instruments." The CD version comes with two bonus cuts.

The first 200 vinyl copies of Comme à la Radio, meanwhile, will be on translucent blue vinyl. Pre-order a copy here.

You can get an idea what to expect from the releases by streaming a few tracks at the bottom of the page.

Brigitte Fontaine Est...Folle:

1. Il Pleut
2. Le Beau Cancer
3. Il Se Passe Des Choses
4. Une Fois Mais Pas Deux
5. L'Homme Objet
6. Éternelle
7. Blanche Neige
8. Comme Rimbaud
9. Dommage Que Tu Sois Mort
10. Je Suis Inadaptée
11. Cet Enfant Que Je T'Avais Fait

Comme à la Radio:

1. Comme à la Radio
2. Tanka II
3. Le Brouillard
4. J'Ai Vingt Six Ans
5. L'Été l'Été
6. Encore
7. Leo
8. Les Petits Chevaux
9. Tanka I
10. Lettre a Monsieur le Chef de Gare de la Tour de Carol
11. Le Goudron (CD-only bonus track)
12. Le Noir C'Est Mieux Choisi (CD-only bonus track)





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