If you've always been meaning to dig into Serge Gainsbourg's dirty little wonderland, now is your chance. The folks over at Light in the Attic have announced they are reissuing and remastering the French chanteur's 1971 classic Histoire de Melody Nelson, a pedophilia-themed concept album chalk full of Lolitas, Lotharios and, of course, sex.
With the help of a titillating Jane Birkin, the album easily marks one of Gainsbourg's finest pieces of work. For 28 filthy minutes, the pair embarks on a loose narrative based on Nabakov's Lolita, with Birkin taking on the role of the beautiful young woman and Gainsbourg obviously playing the obsessed dirty old man. And while this alone is enough to dig Histoire de Melody Nelson, it doesn't hurt that the album features the orchestral arrangements of Jean-Claude Vannier, whose David Axelrod-like breaks have gone on to be be sampled on more than just a few hip-hop classics.
Light in the Attic remastered the album from the original master tapes and will reissue the record on CD and limited edition, hand-numbered 180-gram vinyl. The label's also thrown in a 40-page booklet of old English interview with Gainsbourg, as well as some liner notes penned by Andy Votel and Andy Beta. There are no bonus tracks, however, so you'll have to deal with just having seven tracks and 28 minutes when this reissue comes out on March 24.
Here is the tracklisting:
1. "Melody"
2. "La Ballade de Melody Nelson"
3. "La Valse do Melody"
4. "Ah! Melody"
5. "L' Hotel Particulier"
6. "En Melody"
7. "Cargo Culte"
Serge Gainsbourg "La Ballade de Melody Nelson"
With the help of a titillating Jane Birkin, the album easily marks one of Gainsbourg's finest pieces of work. For 28 filthy minutes, the pair embarks on a loose narrative based on Nabakov's Lolita, with Birkin taking on the role of the beautiful young woman and Gainsbourg obviously playing the obsessed dirty old man. And while this alone is enough to dig Histoire de Melody Nelson, it doesn't hurt that the album features the orchestral arrangements of Jean-Claude Vannier, whose David Axelrod-like breaks have gone on to be be sampled on more than just a few hip-hop classics.
Light in the Attic remastered the album from the original master tapes and will reissue the record on CD and limited edition, hand-numbered 180-gram vinyl. The label's also thrown in a 40-page booklet of old English interview with Gainsbourg, as well as some liner notes penned by Andy Votel and Andy Beta. There are no bonus tracks, however, so you'll have to deal with just having seven tracks and 28 minutes when this reissue comes out on March 24.
Here is the tracklisting:
1. "Melody"
2. "La Ballade de Melody Nelson"
3. "La Valse do Melody"
4. "Ah! Melody"
5. "L' Hotel Particulier"
6. "En Melody"
7. "Cargo Culte"
Serge Gainsbourg "La Ballade de Melody Nelson"