Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Moonbeam
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Moonbeam »

Henrik wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 4:26 am Believe it or not, but Moonbeam had tonsillitis during the weekend. He could hardly speak when we met him and would probably have stayed in bed if it wasn’t for our company. But at the karaoke place he miraculously found the strength to go on stage no less than three times!
Yes, I was able to use my lower register only, so I couldn't do justice to Mylène's siren vocals, but I couldn't NOT do it. :D

My voice still hasn't recovered, by the way!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

Moonbeam wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:09 am
Henrik wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 4:26 am Believe it or not, but Moonbeam had tonsillitis during the weekend. He could hardly speak when we met him and would probably have stayed in bed if it wasn’t for our company. But at the karaoke place he miraculously found the strength to go on stage no less than three times!
Yes, I was able to use my lower register only, so I couldn't do justice to Mylène's siren vocals, but I couldn't NOT do it. :D

My voice still hasn't recovered, by the way!
Yes, this was the worst timing possible for a tonsilitis. But Moonbeam has so much energy that nothing could stop him!
Sorry to hear about your voice though. Recover soon, we need you!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

Henrik wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 4:26 am Believe it or not, but Moonbeam had tonsillitis during the weekend. He could hardly speak when we met him and would probably have stayed in bed if it wasn’t for our company. But at the karaoke place he miraculously found the strength to go on stage no less than three times!
There's no way Moonbeam is sick here! He has more energy than me in great shape :D
And Nassim made me want to listen to this album that I have carefully put aside for years. I need to scream in my car once in a while, it seems like a good way to let off steam.
And I saw that Nicolas couldn't help but put a reference (clothing) to the navy!

Just to know, between Dan and Spiritualized, who is the gentleman with the white hair?
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Romain wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:15 am
Just to know, between Dan and Spiritualized, who is the gentleman with the white hair?
For the white hair, that would be me :)
But I don't know about a "gentleman" - that would be Dan then :)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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I personally was not into Karaoke at all but decided that the occasion was too rare to miss the opportunity, knowing that my wife Clare and my two daughters *may* be interested in singing (all excellent singers)
I certainly wasn't ready for this much fun, although I am more a lurker than a participant.

All the singers from the group were simply amazing and inspired my daughters to join the fun.

Here is their rendition of a fabulous song from Vanessa Paradis and M, from the movie "Un Monstre à Paris".

(removed at the request of the artists - they weren't happy enough with their performance :(

Henrik commented later that their harmonies had a similarity to the Swedish duo First Aid Kit. I can see that indeed!

It was truly an excellent evening !
Last edited by spiritualized on Wed Oct 30, 2019 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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spiritualized wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:05 am
It was truly an excellent evening !
Bravo for elles !

And how did you convince two young girls to come and participate in a karaoke with a bunch of old gizmo that only knows prehistoric songs?
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Romain wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:12 am
Bravo for elles !

And how did you convince two young girls to come and participate in a karaoke with a bunch of old gizmo that only knows prehistoric songs?
Juliette, my eldest daughter, loves singing. She also sang a Korean song (from memory, no lyrics on the screen...) and another duet with her sister - Shawn Mendes.
I guess she was doing some reconnaissance to bring her friends at a later stage :) Old geezers come with the package :)

But to be fair, the old geezers did a really good job at setting the bar high, starting with Nassim - who is not THAT old :)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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spiritualized wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:48 am But to be fair, the old geezers did a really good job at setting the bar high, starting with Nassim - who is not THAT old :)
I’m young and hip, I love listening to Adriana Granger and Dustin Jieber while playing Forgeknight and posting videos on Tak Tik !
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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The day after, we took the train to the nearby town of Sète by the Meditterranean sea. It was the home of Georges Brassens, famous singer-songwriter from the 50s and 60s.
We paid a visit to Georges in the little cemetary : a simple tombstone with a few flowers, as simple as the man himself was.



We took a walk (and great photos) on the Corniche beach, where the singer wanted to be buried in this song.




Then, after a good meal of fish in a small restaurant by the sea, we went to the Brassens museum. Brassens is my favorite French singer. As I probably said a million times here (old age !) my grandfather and my father used to play his records so that at the age of 3 I could sing Brassens songs (without understanding the lyrics).
Cool museum with a lot of photos, recordings of interviews and footages.
Then we ran to catch the train back to Montpellier.
Nedless to say, we had a lot of time to talk about many things (music, music, music, but the other half of our lives as well).
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Here is a playlist of the original versions of the songs performed at karaoke:

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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Sète was great! It threatened to rain the whole weekend but we managed to avoid it. In additional to the great company, I especially enjoyed the bright yellow buses despite the fact that each one we took seemed to "freiner brutalement".

Image
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Dexter »

nicolas wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:47 pm
hello, everybody... so, which one's which?
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Henrik »

Dexter wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 2:15 am
nicolas wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:47 pm
hello, everybody... so, which one's which?
From left: Henrik, Nassim, Moonbeam, Nicolas, Honorio, Dan.

Spiritualized was at home, preparing the ”music night” at his place. He is in the ”Don’t You Want Me” video and will appear on later photos.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Toni »

So nice to see you all together. It must have been incredible!
I have specially loved Moonbeam’s dances during “Early in the Morning”, you are a genuine artist, man!!!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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You all did the forum proud, Montpellier's karaoke scene must not have known what hit it!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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So what’s a group of AMers to do to kick off the evening after a day near the beach ? A friendly competition to test their music knowledge of course !

Spiritualized/Olivier and his family sure know how to make you feel at home ! Freshly arrived in one of those gorgeous houses you can only see in fortified cities from the south of France, we were greeted with a formidable patchwork of cheeses, snacks and “charcuterie” (a much nicer saying than “deli meat” or “cold cut” imo), assembled by Olivier’s youngest daughter Amélie.
Obviously, competitors need to be hydrated, so Olivier had arranged fine wine for the group and, as I’m not a big wine drinker, some dark Belgian beer for myself. The cherry on top, much to Moonbeam’s delight, arrived a bit later in the form of a gorgeous cheese platter.
Image

So, how do you go on organizing a music quiz between music buffs ?
First, you need a music selection that would be specialized enough for the experts gathered here, but also eclectic not to give an edge to anyone… For most people that would have been hard to come by, but thanksfully we had the perfect source : AM ! We could have gone with various playlists, but agreed on using Rob’s awesome “A Taste of Acclaimed Albums” playlist (randomized of course).


Next, we needed rules : we considered going for 1 point for the artist, 1 for the song and 2 for the year, but checking the year for each song ended up too much of a hassle for our very game referee, Amelie, who had the spotify playlist as the sole source of answers. For some reason we didn’t consider using the album as a bonus answer, so we stuck with artist and song and a few additional courtesy rules to make the game go smooth.

Finally, teams had to be set. Since we were already seated on sofas, we decided to go one sofa = one team.
On your left, hailing from Paris and Sydney, the New Power Generation, Nicolas and Moonbeam.
On the middle, an Hispano-French coalition, the Young and the Wise, Honorio and myself.
On your left, from the cold Northern part of Europe, the Ice Ice Babies, Henrik and Dan.
In the back, the lone ranger, the one man band, Olivier, who needed to keep an eye on the backstage operation and had to come and go.

Image

The battle was respectful but intense, with everybody getting his time to shine, from Moonbeam’s wildest guess of Sun Ra to Honorio’s mastery of Brazilian deep cuts. Even the seven of us together couldn’t find every answer though, and it quickly appeared that jazz would be our weak point, despite Dan & Honorio’s audacious strategy to shout “Bill Evans” whenever we got stuck on a song of this genre.
We probably could have gone all night long, but it had to stop at some point and we settled on giving the win to whichever team would get to 100 first, and I am proud to say that Honorio and I took home the metaphorical trophy !

That’s when we learned that while we already had filled our bellies with cheese and snacks, there was actually more food to come, and headed to the kitchen to eat a delicious meal of pasta and meatballs crafted by Luc, Olivier and Clare’s son. And champagne ! And more wine and beer ! And desserts ! And more warm discussions and laughters !

Image

And the evening wasn’t even finished yet !
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

Conté, Brie, Camembert ! Selles-Sur-Cher ? Tomes de Savoie ? This is a good quizz too :-)

The house look magnificient Olivier.

And Nassim, I don't konw why, I thought you were much younger. :-)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Nassim wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 10:06 am We probably could have gone all night long, but it had to stop at some point and we settled on giving the win to whichever team would get to 100 first, and I am proud to say that Honorio and I took home the metaphorical trophy !
Yes! The Young and the Wise (funny nickname) won the contest! The fact that our tastes were so divergent was our main weapon, we covered a lot of music ground together. I basically guessed the songs on older styles (classic rock, folk) and Nassim was quick on newer styles (electronica, indie). Together we made an invincible team, even if every participant shined (like Nassim said). In fact I would have never thought that I could win a contest like that having opponents with such a wide knowledge of music.

Well, let's continue chronologically. After the delicious dinner there was a touching moment, a surprise for Henrik. Clare (a very talented painter) painted especially a wonderful picture for Henrik (see below) and the six of us wrote some words for Henrik on the back of the picture. Without having any previous agreement all our words were aimed to thank him for the big family he has created within the forum. An heterogeneous group of people with two common traits: a friendly attitude and endless love for the music. And that was all thanks to Henrik. Thank you very much again, my friend!



After some deserved hugs to Henrik we headed back to the living room for the...

Montpellier meeting – La soirée de musique française

One of the best parts of the AM meeting in Montpellier (if not the best) was the "soirée de musique française" (French music evening). On Saturday night we reproduced a game that Henrik does periodically with his friends at Sweden. They gather to do monographic evenings for their favourite songs of a given year but we made it about French music as an homage to the country where the meeting was held. The week before our meeting we selected 5 of our favorite French songs and we created an Spotify collaborative playlist to share our choices. We allowed both all French artists and all songs sung in the French language.
We assigned points to the 30 songs on the list (not voting for our own nominations) with 10 points each to our 3 favourites, 9 points to the next 3, etc. The results were compiled by a colleague of Moonbeam so the final results could be a surprise for everyone that participated.
We knew that the resultant list was going to be interesting. The wide variety of tastes among the 7 participants and the fact that almost half of us were French and the other half not, made a list filled by classics but also by unexpected choices. The "soirée" took place after the dinner at spiritualized's home, a beautiful house of the XVI Century (you can see the AM League getting to the house on the picture below). The hospitality of spiritualized's lovely family and the delicious French cheeses and wines made the evening absolutely memorable. Thank you very much, Clare! For your hospitality but also for your patience (we left the house too late, as you can see on the picture below).


(1) getting to Olivier's house for the soirée and (2) leaving too late.

So, are you ready for the French music countdown as selected by the AM League?
Well, I'm going to post it with 10-15 songs every day, including (AM style) lyrics quotes, cover art, score, nominator, biggest fans, Youtube link (only in cases with official videos or live performances) and a blurb written specifically by the nominators. For the cover arts I've included the album and not the single. With three exceptions, songs #28 and #22 (not released as part of an album until years later) and song #16 because of the iconic cover of the single and the personal connection with the nominator.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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French Music Countdown: 35-31

On n'a pas l'temps d'attendre d'avoir trente ans
(We don't have the time to wait until turning thirty)


35. Daniel Balavoine – Quand on arrive en ville (1978)

Score: 19,0844111
Country: France/Canada
Album: Starmania
Songwriters: Michel Berger / Luc Plamondon
Nominator: Nassim
Other fans: nicolas (8 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btW_EVH937o

"Helmed by the sensibility of Michel Berger and the poetry of Luc Plamondon, the French-Québécois rock opéra "Starmania" is an oddity, it would take 20 more years before the musical wave really hit France. It helped launch the career of big stars, including Daniel Balavoine and a bit later Céline Dion, and is one of the finest collection of songs to emerge from the "Variété Française" genre. Opening the musical, "Quand on arrive en ville" cemented Balavoine as a phenomenal singer, able to convey any emotion through his voice. As often for French popular singers, he hasn't always ended with the best material but often managed to still elevate songs to moving heights (see "Le chanteur," "S.O.S. d'un terrien en détresse," also from "Starmania" or "Tous les cris les S.O.S."). I now have to add this song recently revealed a new brilliant singer called Nicolas, you should check him out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJKw8A_RQTk)." (Nassim)


Je ne peux pas me calmer / Laisse-moi tempêter
(I cannot calm down / Let me storm off)


34. Vive la fête – Noir désir (2003)

Score: 20,0843221
Country: Belgium
Album: Nuit blanche
Songwriters: Danny Mommens / Els Pynoo
Nominator: Moonbeam
Other fans: spiritualized (8 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52aYBRnFhx4

"Vive La Fête is a Belgian duo consisting of Danny Mommens and Els Pynoo, and they were the first French-speaking artist I fell for back in 2004 thanks to their "Nuit blanche" album. At the time, the 80s synth revival was taking off, and Vive La Fête marries the bright yellow glory of synthpop with raucous electroclash excess to spellbinding effect. Despite not understanding any French, I couldn't stop playing the album. "Noir désir" represents it well, providing a relatively simple backdrop of electric guitars and octave-stepping synths for singer Els Pynoo to unleash her performance magic. She starts off vulnerable, almost coy, but the tension mounts with each verse until she explodes into increasingly manic shrieks. The song may go on too long in the end, but I find it a gripping fit of fluorescent fury." (Moonbeam)


Taximan n'est pas gentil
(Taximan is not nice)


33. Amadou Balaké – Taximen (1978)

Score: 22,0654421
Country: Burkina Faso
Album: Taximen
Songwriter: Amadou Balaké
Nominator: nicolas
Other fans: Dan (6 points)

"French is not France only, it's the vast landscapes of Africa too –among others. The French spoken by West africans is very lively, with fantastic twists of languages. I could make a whole playlist of African songs in French (but it would probably just please myself hahaha). This song is about immigration. Amadou Balaké was from Burkina Faso (High Volta at the time) and emigrated to the richer Côte d'Ivoire which was booming in the late 70’s. In the song he's complaining about Abidjan taximen who are not good to Burkinabes ("Taximan n'est pas gentil") and never take them for various excuses (no change, no time). Half sung half spoken over the beat of the music (very African) the song has an hilarious monologue in the end about a time when his wife was pregnant and no taxi would take her to the hospital. I have a very strong link to both Burkina and Côte d'Ivoire (which went through very hard times since) and this song brings me back there every time." (nicolas)


Je fonce dans le gosier / Je ressors par les trous de nez
(I sink in the throat / I come out through the nose holes)


32. Les Négresses vertes – Zobi la mouche (1988)

Score: 22,0663322
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Mlah
Songwriters: Les Négresses vertes
Nominator: spiritualized
Other fans: Henrik and Nassim (6 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6nSpBiekzQ

""Zobi la mouche" lost the Négresses inhouse fight with "C'est pas la mer à boire." The song nonetheless, epitomises all that the Négresses Vertes were. Fun, energetic, danceable. This is one of these songs with accordion where the instrument is used to its best rhytmic potential. Images of Southern France in a village fête and dancing are conjured when listening to "Zobi la mouche." Fitting, as this is where the Montpellier meeting took place." (spiritualized)


Comme envie de sang sur les murs / Comme envie d'accident de voiture
(Kinda wish there was blood on the walls / Kinda wish for a car accident)


31. Mano Negra – Pas assez de toi (1989)

Score: 24,0764421
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Puta's Fever
Songwriter: Manu Chao
Nominator: spiritualized
Other fans: Honorio (7 points) and Henrik (6 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSxoxqDB0OI

"La Mano Negra (Black Hand in Spanish), the first outlet of Manu Chao, seems to have a bit of a revival in the forum. No wonder, their mix of punk and world music struck a chord with the French music charts (their first album is a top 100 classic for the music nerds writing in Les Inrockuptibles). "Pas assez de toi" found its place within their second album, "Puta's Fever" and describes the singer as wanting to end it all after breaking a relationship to realize, with despair, that he can "not have enough of her" but can also, paradoxically, "live perfectly without her" (nice play on French words). Musically, the switch from acoustic to electric guitars halfway through and the violin + banjo as a common thread is simply brilliant." (spiritualized)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Henrik »

After some deserved hugs to Henrik we headed back...
Or ”after Henrik had wiped away his tears...”

Thank you SO MUCH for those kind words on the back of the picture!
:romance-grouphug:

And a very special thanks to Clare for the wonderful picture itself!!!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

French Music Countdown: 30-26

A-t-on le cri du coeur, la vérité ou la raison?
(Do we have the heartfelt outcry, the truth or the reason?)


30. Luke – La Sentinelle (2004)

Score: 24,0853332
Country: France (Bordeaux)
Album: La tête en arrière
Songwriters: Thomas Boulard / Luke
Nominator: spiritualized
Other fans: Nassim (8 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NUqL1bvAis

"Hailing from Bordeaux, Luke filled a gap which Noir Désir, from the same town, left when they disbanded. "La Sentinelle" starts as it means to go on. Uptempo alternative rock with a very recognisable riff and very political lyrics (a cry against the 2002 appearance from the far right candidate in the presidential election), the song is an immediate catch and was a fine debut. Six albums later, Luke still dishes out their pop-rock with "Porcelaine," released in march this year." (spiritualized)


La rue que tu habitais / Je n'oublierai pas pourtant je n'y suis jamais allé
(The street where you lived / I will not forget even if I have never been there)


29. Nino Ferrer – La rua Madureira (1969)

Score: 25,0755521
Country: France/Italy
Album: Nino Ferrer
Songwriters: Daniel Beretta / Nino Ferrer
Nominator: nicolas
Other fans: Nassim (7 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_r8KMzeA4o

"Less famous than Jacques Dutronc, Nino Ferrer was a successful singer of the 60s well know in France with his hits "Mirza" or "Le téléfon," humoristic songs with a driving R&B musical backing. He had another hit in 1975 with the beautiful "Le sud," but I wanted to present a lesser known song, this bossa nova. I love this song for its great instrumental, the beautiful cello (or is it a double bass?), the soft atmosphere and the nostalgia of the voice. The lyrics contrast with the mellowness of the instrumental: they tell the story of a guy who's in love with a Brazilian girl, but the girl dies in a plane crash while returning to Brazil. Nino Ferrer did many ambitious albums in the 70s influenced by prog rock, trying to get rid of his humoristic singer image, but they didn't do well. He finally committed suicide in 1998." (nicolas)


Je ne touche personne et personne ne me touche
(I don't touch anyone and nobody touches me)


28. Lio – Sage comme une image (1980)

Score: 25,0764332
Country: Belgium/Portugal
Album: Suite sixtine
Songwriters: Jay Alanski / Jacques Duvall
Nominator: Moonbeam
Other fans: Dan (7 points) and Nassim (6 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bywahz2zCo

"My exploration of French music from the 80s inevitably led me to Lio, a lovable teen idol import from Belgium via Portugal. Her first few albums featured production by members of the brilliant Belgian synthpop outfit Telex, giving the songs a vivid neon backdrop atop which Lio could let her oddball quirks run free. "Sage comme une image" blends this twinkling stardust with deep Chic grooves to irresistible effect. When those synths sparkle toward the end as Lio repeats "Je suis… je suis… je suis sage comme une image," I find it hard to not hit the replay button." (Moonbeam)


Avec toi je ne suis plus / Que perdante ou bien perdue
(With you I'm nothing / But losing or already lost)


27. Françoise Hardy – Oui, je dis adieu (1971)

Score: 25,0864322
Country: France (Paris)
Album: La question
Songwriters: Françoise Hardy / Tuca
Nominator: Henrik
Other fans: Moonbeam (8 points) and Honorio (6 points)

"A few years ago I realised that I really love the combination of low-register vocals and high-register strings. It is hard to find a better example of this than "Oui, je dis adieu." A summery guitar meets sweeping and bouncy strings, and this is combined with Hardy’s sensual voice. This is not one of her most famous songs, but it appears on her most acclaimed album, "La Question" from 1971. An album where Hardy moved from pop to a mysterious, atmospheric sound." (Henrik)


Car mon île c'est le Paradis
(Because my island is Paradise)


26. Henri Salvador – Dans mon île (1958)

Score: 30,0876522
Country: France (French Guiana)
Album: Dans mon île
Songwriters: Maurice Pon / Henri Salvador
Nominator: Honorio
Other fans: Dan and nicolas (10 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRNBxEbK0U0

"Legend says that when Antônio Carlos Jobim listened to "Dans mon île" on an Italian movie (see the video above) had a revelation and told to some friends "that's we should do, slow down samba's beat and introduce beautiful melodies." So, was Salvador the involuntary creator of the bossa-nova? Not sure of that, some of the immortal songs by Jobim were written way before 1958. But surely the relaxed vibe, the complex guitar chords (but so sweet that don't give the impression of complexity) and the whispered voice of Henri Salvador had a lot to do with the bossa-nova that was going to explode the following year (1959) with "Chega de saudade." But who cares who came first? You know, on my island we never do anything. We're lazing around without thinking of tomorrow. Because my island is paradise." (Honorio)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Moonbeam »

Nassim wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 10:06 am The cherry on top, much to Moonbeam’s delight, arrived a bit later in the form of a gorgeous cheese platter.
You do it injustice by calling it cheese! Cheese is wonderful, but this... This!

This is fromage. I'm not gonna lie - fromage is one of the reasons I keep looking to come back to France!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Toni wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 3:08 am So nice to see you all together. It must have been incredible!
I have specially loved Moonbeam’s dances during “Early in the Morning”, you are a genuine artist, man!!!
Thanks! That synth funk does things to me, haha. When I listen to it, I feel like I am moving by remote control, "The Great Curve"-style.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Henrik »

Honorio wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:51 pm 26. Henri Salvador – Dans mon île (1958)
Other fans: Dan and nicolas (10 points)
This was, by far, the most divisive song. While Honorio nominated it and Dan and Nicolas both gave it a 10, I gave it a 2 and Moonbeam, Nassim and Spiritualized all gave it a 1! However, a score of 1 didn't necessarily mean dislike of a song, just that it was one of the 3 least liked songs (as Honorio said, we scored 3 songs on each level from 1 to 10).
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Henrik wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 11:17 pm
Honorio wrote: Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:51 pm 26. Henri Salvador – Dans mon île (1958)
Other fans: Dan and nicolas (10 points)
This was, by far, the most divisive song. While Honorio nominated it and Dan and Nicolas both gave it a 10, I gave it a 2 and Moonbeam, Nassim and Spiritualized all gave it a 1! However, a score of 1 didn't necessarily mean dislike of a song, just that it was one of the 3 least liked songs (as Honorio said, we scored 3 songs on each level from 1 to 10).
This is very true! There were no songs I disliked, so my points were awarded based on my degree of enjoyment. There are things that I enjoy about each of the 35 songs, enough that my lowest rating is a 5.5/10. Quite a good job by the nominators!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

French Music Countdown: 25-21

Créateur je vous blâme / L'homme est sans nageoire / La nature l'a atrophié
(Creator, I blame you / Man doesn't have a fin / Nature has atrophied it)


25. Les Négresses vertes – C'est pas la mer à boire (1988)

Score: 28,0975421
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Mlah
Songwriters: Les Négresses vertes
Nominator: Nassim
Other fans: Dan (9 points) and spiritualized (7 points)

" I don't usually link the music I listen to to personal memories, especially from childhood, but I have always linked Les Négresses Vertes to dinners at a friend of my parents, who would later die from cancer; so I got to link their music to both festive moments and to one of my earliest experiences of death, fittingly I think some of their best songs have both that celebratory spirit and a deep melancholy, and with those criteria in mind "C'est pas la mer à boire" and "Face à la mer" are probably their best songs, ahead of their more upbeat hits. Anyway, the "alternative rock" that peaked in France around 1990 with Les Négresses Vertes and la Mano Negra, with their mixing of influences from all the various cultures living together in France, needed at least one song to represent their sound in our playlist." (Nassim)


Tout ce qu'on fait dans un seul jour! / Et comme on allonge le temps!
(All we do in a single day! / And how we lengthen time!)


24. Georges Brassens – La marine (1953)

Score: 28,0983332
Country: France (Sète)
Album: Georges Brassens interprète ses dernières compositions (Le vent)
Songwriters: Georges Brassens / Paul Fort
Nominator: nicolas
Other fans: Honorio (9 points) and Dan (8 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5cD3arf54E

" Brassens always brings back childhood memories. Before I could even understand lyrics I could sing these songs that played on my grandfather's stereo in the house in rural Bourgogne where I'm heading tonight for a week. This one tells the melancholic story of sailors who when on shore have to live short love stories before they set to sea again. In a little room, for a day and maybe a night, they live in shortcuts all the joys and pains of everlasting loves. Beautiful 3-times music. Sparse arrangements as always: 2 guitars and a double bass and that's all. Georges mon ami, we went to see your last dwelling in Sète with the AM league, a simple French marble gravestone with a few flowers and photographs." (nicolas)


Je les entends toujours qui m'appellent / Les hurlements de l'ange rebelle
(I always hear them calling me / The screams of the rebel angel)


23. Pierre Lapointe – L'endomètre rebelle (2006)

Score: 29,0775532
Country: Canada (Québec)
Album: La forêt des mal-aimés
Songwriter: Pierre Lapointe
Nominator: Nassim
Other fans: Dan and Moonbeam (7 points)

""La forêt des mal-aimés" is an odd album, somewhere between romanticism and baroque, driven by Pierre Lapointe's statement of purpose: mashing-up Variété, pop and avant-garde. It's a great listen, but what really amazes me in "L'endomètre rebelle" are the violins that kick in and explode halfway through the song. To my ears, that's a big throwback to 80s French TV, especially to the Champs-Elysées theme song, a period of time I only have very brief and blurry memories, you know, being a little child. The trained ears can also spot the relatively strong Quebec accent, kind of an oddity too as a lot of the biggest Quebec singers, Céline Dion in particular, have no accent when singing." (Nassim)


Nuages (instrumental)
Clouds (instrumental)


22. Quintette du Hot Club de France avec Alix Combelle – Nuages (1940)

Score: 30,0876522
Country: France/Belgium
Released as a single
Composer: Django Reinhardt
Nominator: Honorio
Other fans: nicolas (8 points), Nassim (7 points) and Dan (6 points)

"1985, Place de Montmartre, Paris. A twenty-year old Honorio with a group of friends from the University on a summer trip. While my friends were being portraited by street painters I ventured alone into a dark Café when two guitar players were playing manouche jazz. Manouche is a style created by the gypsy guitar player Django Reinhardt, a jazz sub-style originated in France including mainly stringed instruments (even if in the song I nominated they added a clarinet played by Alix Combelle instead the usual violin played by Stéphane Grappelli). I asked the musicians of the Montmartre Café to play "Nuages" and they quickly attacked it in a quite routinary but impeccable manner (probably they have played it before a thousand times). "Nuages" is the sound of Paris to me." (Honorio)


Cours, je te couvre, voleur de soleil / Plonge dans ta poche et sauve le soleil
(Run, I cover you, sun thief / Dive into your pocket and save the sun)


21. Christine and the Queens – Doesn't Matter (Voleur de soleil) (2018)

Score: 32,0886541
Country: France (Nantes)
Album: Chris
Songwriter: Héloise Letissier
Nominator: Moonbeam
Other fans: Dan and Honorio (8 points) and Henrik (6 points)
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNH5YWpy3kk

"I first heard Christine and the Queens back in 2015 during a previous visit to Montpellier and fell for the artpop wonder of "Saint Claude." She positioned herself as a sort of champion for transgendered people (hence "the Queens" in her artist name). It's with "Doesn't Matter (Voleur de soleil)" that her message resonates the strongest with me, as she shines a light on the plight of society’s outcasts: those who have to prostitute themselves to survive, those who can no longer eat, those who are contemplating ending it all, their anguish portrayed musically by a snaking synth bass that sets the hairs on my arm on end. It's to these "sun thieves" that she addresses the glorious chorus, encouraging them to hold on to what makes them special and to run while she covers them." (Moonbeam)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

French Music Countdown: 20-16

Regarde ce qu'ils nous ont laissé / De vieux restes d'idéologie
(Look at what they left to us / Old leftovers of ideology)


20. Experience – Aujourd'hui, maintenant (2001)

Score: 33,1094442
Country: France (Toulouse)
Album: Aujourd'hui, maintenant LP
Songwriter: Michel Cloup
Nominator: Honorio
Other fans: spiritualized (10 points) and Nassim (9 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbpxGNjvrQY

"A choice that surprised the French half of the AM League. Both for the obscurity of the band (what? a Spaniard discovering a French band to French music nerds?) and for the aggressiveness of the music (what? the Honorio of the classic tastes nominating a noise rock song from the 00s?). A song I discovered almost 20 years ago on a Rockdelux compilation and loved since then (I even included my own English translation of the lyrics on the wonderful Romain thread). Expérience was a band created by Michel Cloup after the disbanding of Diabologum, a pioneer band of French indie rock. The title song of their first album is a disenchanted and raucous generational anthem with a chorus that simply explodes with an harmonic twist and a burst of noise. Today! Now!" (Honorio)


Rien n'est guère impossible par une nuit étoilée
(Nothing is impossible on a starry night)


19. Lizzy Mercier Descloux – Mais où sont passées les gazelles? (1984)

Score: 34,0886651
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Songwriters: Lizzy Mercier Descloux / Peter Motico / Obed Ngobeni
Nominator: Dan
Other fans: Honorio and Nassim (8 points), nicolas and spiritualized (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0mVxwhw00k

"Zulu music sung in French. It was a very pleasant discovery the first time I heard it. The song comes from an album called "Zulu Rock" that Lizzy Mercier Descloux recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa, and released in 1984. It reminds me a lot of South African music of the 80s, especially Maskanda, a style that incorporates traditional and urban Zulu music and that always makes me want to do a little shoulder dance. But elements of French pop are also blended into the song very nicely." (Dan)


Tu es la vague, moi l'île nue
(You are the wave, I am the naked island)


18. Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg – Je t'aime... moi non plus (1969)

Score: 34,1097611
Country: France/UK
Album: Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg
Songwriter: Serge Gainsbourg
Nominator: Henrik
Other fans: Honorio (10 points), spiritualized (9 points), nicolas (7 points) and Moonbeam (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpDf6XX_j0

"I refuse to think of "Je t'aime moi non plus" as a joke. I think it is the sexiest song ever and also art at its best - still provoking 50 years later. The production is just superb. There is the marvellous organ melody, the meeting between Gainsbourg's dry and Birkin's husky vocals of different sorts, but also strings that add a lot to the atmosphere, although you might not think of them with everything else going on. :)" (Henrik)


Dès les premières lueurs / Oh je sombre
(From the first glow / Oh I sink)


17. Émilie Simon – Fleur de saison (2006)

Score: 35,0877643
Country: France (Montpellier)
Album: Végétal
Songwriter: Émilie Simon
Nominator: Nassim
Other fans: spiritualized (8 points), Dan and Henrik (7 points) and Moonbeam (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3RUJ22Ca2k

"When you play a nomination game on AM, you need to try to cater to your audience if you want to stand a chance in the final rankings. I wanted to avoid the beaten path of French legends, so I aimed for a singer a bit lazily compared to Björk and Kate Bush. I could have gone with my favorite ones, like "Rose hybride de thé" or "Annie," or given a nod to my girlfriend by picking the song she shares her name with, "Lise, " or picked something from the "March of the Penguins" soundtrack but I think it has been replaced for foreign exploitation but in the end I just went for what I thought would have the best chance. Once again though, strategy in AM did not work! I should add that I had a huge crush on Émilie Simon when I was younger, but that never really impacted my enjoyment of music. Émilie Simon, Kate Nash and Rose Elinor Dougall would be the first names to pop to mind as past massive crushes, and none ever featured much in my playlists (Corin Tucker though…)." (Nassim)


Fixée à vos yeux si tendres / Je pourrais bien par mégarde d'un ciseau les fendre
(Fixated on your eyes so tender / I could inadvertently slit them with a scissor)


16. Mylène Farmer – Sans logique (1988)

Score: 35,0877661
Country: France/Canada
Album: Ainsi soit je...
Songwriters: Laurent Boutonnat / Mylène Farmer
Nominator: Moonbeam
Other fans: Nassim* (8 points), Henrik and spiritualized (7 points) and Dan and Honorio (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqWGA5xQYqA

""Sans logique" is a towering inferno of supernatural horror staged squarely on the dancefloor. Led by dramatic synth strings both drowning the song in tortured sadness and stepping in furious octaves to a 4-on-the-floor beat, its atmosphere is rounded out by Spanish castanets and an assortment of sound effects to raise the dead. I find Mylène's vocal delivery particularly enchanting as she blurs the lines between extreme religious fervor and mental illness, sounding both delicate and tormented, the prey becoming the predator. Mylène begins by asking that if we were made in God's image, why didn't God ensure we didn't have a dark side as well, one that creeps in and interferes with her childlike innocence. The paradox of her dual goodness and evil drives her to the brink of insanity, half-angelic and half-Satanic, warning that her silence is murderous and imagining that she could skewer her lover's eyes with scissors. Visual as those lyrics are, the most visceral moments for me come with the TORMENT she evokes with the wordless chanting during the piano-backed bridge: "na-na-na-na-na-na-na-yaaaah ooooh. Na-na-na-na-a-ya-ah yah-AH yah-AH yah-AH yah-AH". Those hushed, alternating "yah-AH"s say so much more than words could to communicate the break in her sanity, their potency magnified by their softness. It's everything I want pop music to be – equal parts accessible and immersive, universal and singular. Sometimes I feel this is the greatest song ever recorded, and it's one whose magic sweeps over me no matter how often I play it. Indeed, since I started keeping a record of all the songs I listen to in 2017, I can say this is my 3rd most listened to song of the past three years, with 132 plays." (Moonbeam)

* Nassim was the winner of the Mylène prize, the original 12" vinyl release of "Sans logique," a gift from Moonbeam for being the one who assigned more points to the Mylène Farmer song. Moonbeam bought the vinyl without knowing who was going to be the winner until the countdown.

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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

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Ah, the Mylène prize! I had to tell a white lie as I was caught buying it at my favorite record store while I was with nicolas and Nassim. I said I didn’t have this version.

The story of my own copy is pretty funny, so I will share it. I first discovered Mylène’s music during my second trip to France in 2015. I bought her greatest hits compilation Les mots and really liked the singles from Ainsi soit je..., and when I was leaving I streamed the album and was blown away. I got it for Christmas that year and couldn’t stop playing it.

For my next visit to France, I knew I was going to go crazy with Mylène purchases, so I mapped out among 7 record stores what the cheapest price was for her various albums and singles. I splurged and told myself I wouldn’t buy any more.
837413BF-6B78-4EF5-B424-C6617ECF46B3.jpeg
...But then I saw the Sans logique 12”, available for 35 euros. And I had to have it.

My visit included a daily stipend for “food and basic necessities” of 30 euros, so I “earned” the Sans logique 12” by starving myself for a couple days, not eating anything so I could justify spending the money. I guess at that moment, Mylène was of higher priority than food as a “basic necessity”, and somehow I think she would appreciate the absurd theater of starving myself for her music.
FAB70289-6C0F-4B1D-A911-3DD16BEC935E.jpeg
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

French Music Countdown: 15-11

C'est payé, balayé, oublié / Je me fous du passé
(It is paid, swept away, forgotten / I don't care about the past)


15. Édith Piaf – Non, je ne regrette rien (1960)

Score: 35,1077542
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Récital 1961
Songwriters: Charles Dumont / Michel Vaucaire
Nominator: Dan
Other fans: Henrik (10 points), Honorio and nicolas (7 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoYHWgj1Gcs

"I almost didn't include Édith Piaf in my list of 5 songs because I thought she'd be too obvious a choice. But it felt wrong to exclude her as there are so many of her songs that I love – most of all this defiant yet somehow heartbreaking song. The build-up to the climax and the climactic ending itself leaves me feeling cathartic every time I hear the song. I can see how some people might find the music a little melodramatic, but to me those elements of melodrama are complimented by Piaf's incredible voice." (Dan)


Tout le monde sait comment on fait des bébés / Mais personne ne sait comment on fait des papas
(Everybody knows how to make babies / But nobody knows how to make dads)


14. Stromae – Papaoutai (2013)

Score: 36,0777654
Country: Belgium
Album: Racine carrée
Songwriter: Paul Van Haver
Nominator: Henrik
Other fans: Honorio, Moonbeam and spiritualized (7 points) and nicolas (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKj0Z_Xnjc

""Papaoutai" starts off with piano and the choruses end with an Avicii-like house sound. In between we get a delicious Africa-sounding guitar (not sure if I'm thinking of a particular African musician, King Sunny Adé maybe?), as well as a masterful rap from Stromae, especially during the second verse. The house bits make "Papaoutai" a standout on the dancefloor, but at the end only the African guitar is left, which I think is the heart of the song. I really admire the courage to combine these genres." (Henrik)


Mais les braves gens n'aiment pas que l'on suive une autre route qu'eux
(But the good folks don't like it if you take a different road than they do)


13. Georges Brassens – La mauvaise réputation (1952)

Score: 36,1096533
Country: France (Sète)
Album: Georges Brassens chante les chansons poétiques (...et souvent gaillardes) de... Georges Brassens
Songwriter: Georges Brassens
Nominator: Honorio
Other fans: nicolas (10 points), Henrik (9 points) and Nassim (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvqiyA14PVU

"My favourite song by Georges Brassens is also one of his earliest (it was his second single and opened his first album). Most of the traits that were going to define his stubborn trajectory were already there. A guitar (sometimes two) and a double bass were his only instrumental weapons but Brassens created a particular style of guitar fingerpicking called "la pompe" (nicolas explained this to me on Sète). His lyrics were like popular poetry but he elaborated them incessantly (sometimes a song required months). And thematically he was a master on social commentary on French society (just like Ray Davies on English society years later), critizicing the hypocrisy with a humourous anarchist attitude. "La mauvaise réputation" is an almost autobiographical song about growing up on a conservative little village with all the people pointing their fingers on him. Except the armless, it goes without saying." (Honorio)


Ton sang chauffé d'un coup / Tu le sens cavaler / Te porter n'importe où
(Your blood suddenly heated / You feel it rushing / Taking you, it doesn't matter where)


12. Dominique A – Pour la peau (2001)

Score: 37,0988552
Country: France (Provins)
Album: Auguri
Songwriters: Dominique Ané / Sacha Toorop
Nominator: Honorio
Other fans: spiritualized (9 points), Moonbeam and nicolas (8 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le30vnYwdqU

"Just like Nassim with "Fleur de saison" I thought strategically and put high expectations in "Pour la peau" to win the game (or at least end into the Top 5). But my strategic nomination not only did not impress the AM League but even ended outside the Top 10. The song apparently had it all, the perfume of classic French chanson but the instrumentation of indie-rock (courtesy of John Parish, producer of PJ Harvey), subtle and suggestive lyricism but a powerful and emotional deliverance. The "What you wouldn't do for the skin" of the chorus was not obviously an advertisement for a dermatology clinic, the "skin" refers to "sex" and the lyrics describe the compulsions, the instincts and the hunger for sex in an evocative manner. The music has a drone-like sound (just see the gorgeous ending on the link above) but with a very interesting chord sequence and with a kinda epic vocal crescendo. It didn't work but… what I wouldn't do for the skin?" (Honorio)


Je l'ai couché dessous les roses / Mon père, mon père
(I laid it under the roses / My father, my father)


11. Barbara – Nantes (1964)

Score: 37,1099531
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Dis, quand reviendras-tu?
Songwriter: Barbara
Nominator: Dan
Other fans: nicolas (10 points), Honorio and Moonbeam (9 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXqYRHOCA2Y

"Every time I hear this song I seem to automatically put my hand on my chest where my heart is. Such gorgeous chanson with such a beautifully simple, piano-focused arrangement. And Barbara's voice moves me like very few other people's can. I've never wanted to read the English translation of the lyrics because I know that Nantes is the name of a city in France and I was worried that the lyrics would be superficial – you know, about how much she loves the city because of its river and buildings, or some shit like that, which would've ruined the beauty of the music and vocals for me. But when we were in Montpellier Nicolas explained to me that the song tells the story of a woman who travels to Nantes to meet a loved one who is on his death-bed, but she arrives too late – he has already passed away… and at the end of the song it is revealed that the person who died was her father. Now I think the song is even more profoundly beautiful." (Dan)


Well, I think I'll stop for 24 hours before revealing the Top 10. Anyone wants to have a guess about which songs could have made our All-Time French Songs Top 10?
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

Thanks to you Honorio and to the others... I now have lots of ideas for my thread:-)

A good bunch of new and old songs and artists. I'm profundly happy to see Emilie Simon who never have the success she deserve, notably with this album, Vegetal, which is a marvel.

Dan, if you can, for Barbara, listen Mon Enfance, and Joyeux Noël :
The first one tears my heart out and makes me cry systematically
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ7MxTBUZnE

And the second a simple "love" story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNukW_tvKEk

Barbara, like Brassens are great poets and their texts must be read to appreciate them even more! 8-)

And for the top 10 I see, I seeee:
Two (or three) songs by Brel (and the first place for sure) : Amsterdam, Ne me quitte pas, even if I like "Ces gens-là" even more!
La nuit je mens by Bashung
La mer by Trenet.
One song by Aznavour
One or two yé-yé song (Hardy or France Gall)
One Rita mitsuko song
One Renaud song (I know Nassim like him)
Another Piaf song (la vie ne rose).
Maybe one Biolay song ???
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Henrik »

Romain wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:11 pm And for the top 10 I see, I seeee:
Two (or three) songs by Brel (and the first place for sure) : Amsterdam, Ne me quitte pas, even if I like "Ces gens-là" even better!
La nuit je mens by Bashung
La mer by Trenet.
One song by Aznavour
One or two yé-yé song (Hardy or France Gall)
One Rita mitsuko song
One Renaud song (I know Nassim like him)
Another Piaf song (la vie ne rose).
Maybe one Biolay song ???
Any other guesses?

Or you can guess how many of our top 10 songs that are among Romain's guesses. :) :whistle:
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Brad »

I'm no expert on the subject, but I'd agree with La Vie En Rose and Amsterdam for sure. Another Brassens song perhaps?

And I'll throw in my favorite - Initials B.B.!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

I try le top dix:

10. Françoise Hardy - Tous les garçons et les filles
9. Charles Aznavour - ????
8. Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie
7. Charles Trenet - La mer
6. Edith Piaf - La vie en rose
5. Les Rita Mitsuko - Marcia Baila
4. Renaud - Mistral gagnant
3. Jacques Brel - Ne me quitte pas
2. Alain Bashung - La nuit je mens
1. Jacques Brel - Amsterdam
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by mileswide »

Noooooon à Initials B.B. unless it's Bonnie and Clyde! Either that or Requiem pour un con would be a welcome Serge selection pour moi.

J'suis d'accord avec Romain about a Les Rita song, probably Marcia Baila or Singing in the Shower as the latter was well-loved in Unacclaimed, and a Brel track, possibly Vésoul as Dan's top song in the all-time poll?

Peut-être a Noir Désir tune seeing as Spiritualized has already referred to them? Manu Chao - Je ne t'aime plus ? A Jacques Dutronc number?
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

Well, still not 24 hours but I think I'm going to post now the positions 10-6 because I acknowledge these bunch of songs were extremely difficult to guess. I'll wait for the promised 24 hours (so 6 more hours from now) to reveal the Top 5…


French Music Countdown: 10-6

La nuit dérive, l'envie dévore ses rêves / Et le jour se lève
(Night drifts, envy devours its dreams / And the day comes up)


10. Grand Blanc – Bosphore (2016)

Score: 37,1108711
Country: France (Metz)
Album: Mémoires vives
Songwriters: Grand Blanc
Nominator: Moonbeam
Other fans: Nassim and spiritualized (10 points), Dan ( 8 points) and Henrik (7 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkvvf7b43gc

"This song is a recent discovery from a "neon pop" project I started at RateYourMusic. The album "Mémoires vives" generally sits on the murkier side of synthwave. "Bosphore" carries a dark edge, too, but it likewise fits the project's billing: it's a festival of buzzing synths and delicious wackiness set to a driving beat that could find a home on any self-respecting dancefloor with light-up neon squares." (Moonbeam)


C'est pas que je veuille tenir / Ni que je veuille m'enfuir
(It is not that I want to keep / Or that I want to flee)


9. Les Rita Mitsouko – C'est comme ça (1986)

Score: 38,0998831
Country: France (Paris)
Album: The No Comprendo
Songwriters: Fred Chichin / Catherine Ringer
Nominator: spiritualized
Other fans: Nassim and nicolas (9 points), Henrik and Moonbeam (8 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZRVGlGZ6A

"Les "Rita" were special. A bit surrealist, simplistic lyrics and a penchant for classic rock'n'roll, they benefited from enrolling one of the top video directors and producers of the time (Mondino & Visconti). "C'est comme ça" fits the bill perfectly, a driving rock song which should be hailed as one of the greatest French singles of the 80s." (spiritualized)


Et soudain surgit face au vent / Le vrai héros de tous les temps
(And suddenly emerges against the wind / The true hero of all time)


8. Indochine – L'aventurier (1982)

Score: 38,0999731
Country: France (Paris)
Album: L'aventurier
Songwriter: Dominique Nicolas
Nominator: spiritualized
Other fans: Dan, Henrik and Moonbeam (9 points) and nicolas (7 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7X6oYg6iro

"Both derided and admired by the critics, Indochine started their illustrous career with their single "L'aventurier" in 1981. Picking their references from a comic book (Bob Morane), Indochine went for a synth-rock style which hit bull's eye with this single. Granted, musically, it lacks talent, the singer sometimes sings off-key and flat (for a parody of this song, check out https://open.spotify.com/track/0tqd0l4dXqKyuajRAtoRNM). Nonetheless, Indochine, with this first single, captured the imagination of French youth - in a similar way to the post punk wave in England - and have since had a few interesting peaks in their musical career. It all started with this song." (spiritualized)


Et inverse le sens / Des flots de mon sang
(And reverse the way / Of streams of my blood)


7. Flavien Berger – Léviathan (2015)

Score: 38,1088543
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Léviathan
Songwriter: Flavien Berger
Nominator: Nassim
Other fans: Moonbeam (10 points), Henrik and spiritualized (8 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4FHOkJb6GU

"After 2 albums, Flavien Berger already seems like a divisive figure, beloved by critics but seen as boring and pretentious by part of the casual listeners. I saw him playing live in the great "Micro Festival" in Liège last year, and the public reaction to his set reflected that completely: in the front, forming a large hemicycle, people were entranced by his aerial and elegant pop, in the back people repelled by his hipster, Parisian style seemed eminently bored and started, sometimes quite loudly, expressing their disinterest. I fell somewhere in between, but my girlfriend is since a pretty big fan, often listening to his latest album "Contre-Courant," which I started getting a bit sick of; thankfully she decided at some point to go back to his first album, "Léviathan," more electronic and less chanson française, ending and culminating with the title song, a slow burning aquatic odyssey that would fit nicely for an underwater follow-up to "Koyaanisqatsi."" (Nassim)


The city is my church / It wraps me in its blinding twilight


6. M83 – Midnight City (2011)

Score: 42,1087665
Country: France (Antibes)
Album: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Songwriters: Anthony Gonzalez / Yann Gonzalez / Morgan Kibby / Justin Meldal-Johnsen
Nominator: Dan
Other fans: Moonbeam (10 points), Henrik (8 points), Nassim (7 points), Honorio and nicolas (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE

"I very nearly didn't nominate this song because the lyrics are in English and because I thought it's a (fairly recent) critically acclaimed song that French people might not consider to be a classic. But Nassim and the other French forumers in Montpellier told me that it's indeed perceived as a modern classic. I felt that I had to nominate it anyway as it's my favourite song of the 2010s, being the futuristic song that it is with it's spacey atmospherics, exciting and memorable riff, and that supreme sax solo at the end of it. (Incidentally, the riff is not created by synths but by songwriter and producer Anthony Gonzalez's heavily distorted voice)." (Dan)



Any guesses for the Top 5?
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Moonbeam »

Probably my favorite batch of 5 there. “Léviathan” in particular is incredible, and my favorite discovery of the game.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Dan »

Well, bonjoir everyone. :greetings-waveyellow: And thank you to my fellow AMers who were with me in Montpellier for all the posts so far – they bring back a lot of lovely memories.

While we’re waiting for the top 5 songs, it might be a good time to continue writing about what happened the rest of the weekend.

As I’m sure you can imagine, after the excitement of the karaoke on the Friday night and the entertaining music evening on the Saturday, everyone was happy to just have a chilled-out Sunday. I don’t even want to know at what preposterous hour Olivier (Spiritualized) and his wife Clare must have got home after kindly taking us back to our hotel in Montpellier. 4am maybe? So understandably he didn’t join us on the Sunday.

And over the course of the Sunday and Monday we started decreasing in numbers as people left to go back to their respective homes. Nassim had a long train journey to the very north of France and was the first to leave on the Sunday. We said goodbye to him at the train station, and as a homage to his spirited rendition of “Sabotage” the rest of us decided to scream the “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” of the opening vocals as he ascended the escalator to his platform, much to the fright and bemusement of other people at the station. Nassim himself turned around in a nonchalant way, with a look on his face that was both “what the fuck are you doing” and “this really doesn’t bother me at all, and thanks for a nice weekend”.

After a scrumptious brunch in the courtyard of a museum, Honorio was the next to leave, so at this point it was only me, Henrik, Ian (Moonbeam) and Nicolas left, and we decided to explore more of the old town of Montpellier.

Montpellier is nearly a thousand years old and is a dynamic city with a large student population. The pedestrianized streets of the old town are lined with cobblestone, and all of us who were there agreed that the city is at its most attractive when you venture off into side streets and alleys – that’s when the uniquely French charm and atmosphere of the place is at its most captivating.

But as lovely as the city itself is, it’s the interaction with the people I was with that I think will linger in my memory the longest. That’s certainly what I felt when I sat by myself in an extraordinarily picturesque square on the Monday afternoon before having to catch a bus to the airport. By that time Nicolas had left for Paris and I’d had a very memorable dinner with Henrik and Ian the day before. And as I sat on that square, nursing my beer, I thought about how pleasant it was to talk so freely about music (and life in general) with a bunch of guys who are both knowledgeable and nice.

I felt a real sense of belonging that weekend, and I look forward to the next time!

Here are some pictures of Montpellier (and us):








...will keep us together.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

Excellent post, Dan!
No more guesses? Well, here it is finally…


French Music Countdown: 5-1

Je suis enceinte
(I'm pregnant)


5. Benjamin Biolay avec Jeanne Cherhal – Brandt rhapsodie (2009)

Score: 43,1099654
Country: France (Villefranche-sur-Saône)
Album: La superbe
Songwriters: Benjamin Biolay / Jeanne Cherhal
Nominator: Henrik
Other fans: Honorio (10 points), Nassim and spiritualized (9 points) and Moonbeam (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZcw63g2nVY

"In "Brandt rhapsodie," Benjamin Biolay and Jeanne Cherhal read messages between a couple, from falling in love to a marriage that is falling apart. The first times I heard the song I just loved the language, the vocals, the spoken words. As sensual as only the French language can be. When I looked up the lyrics I was a bit afraid that they would be disappointing, but instead they turned out to be my favorite aspect of the song - probably because they almost mirrored my life. This was at a time when my own marriage had not fallen apart yet, but in retrospect I realise that it was about to. I had small kids that - although I loved them more than anything - made my life more difficult to handle. The 24 hours of the day wasn't enough and my marriage had turned from loving to administrative. Hence for me it's touching that the song could basically be split into two parts; before and after the message "Je suis enceinte" ("I'm pregnant")…" (Henrik)


Et quand tu ris je ris aussi / Tu aimes tellement la vie
(And when you laugh I laugh too / You love life so much)


4. Les Rita Mitsouko – Marcia Baïla (1984)

Score: 44,1109942
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Rita Mitsouko
Songwriters: Fred Chichin / Catherine Ringer
Nominator: nicolas
Other fans: Dan and spiritualized (10 points), Henrik and Moonbeam (9 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zWlnzFXcKY

"Every time I play this song, my wife dances. That's why I love it so much. It is unlike anything I've heard, it was a big hit in the synth-pop 80's, the singer Catherine Ringer sings with a fake Spanish accent, it's crazy and joyful but it"s about death (the death of her dance teacher). Les Rita Mitsouko were IMO the best French rock group ever because they didn't try to copy Anglo Saxon rock, but added a lot of French aspects to their songs. They were a couple (but guitar player and composer Fred Chichin died since). Their children started a group called Minuit, not bad, but strangely reminiscent of their parents." (nicolas)


Beau, beau, beau et con à la fois
(Handsome, handsome, handsome and jerk at once)


3. Jacques Brel – Jacky (1965)

Score: 46,1109854
Country: Belgium
Album: Jacques Brel [Ces gens-là]
Songwriter: Jacques Brel
Nominator: Dan
Other fans: Henrik and Nassim (10 points), nicolas (9 points) and Honorio (8 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffErt5gJmIE

"I'm a massive fan of Jacques Brel. The man certainly knew how to write spellbinding music and perform it with an enormous sense of passion. There are a couple of Brel songs that would probably be higher on my all-time songs list than this one ("Vesoul" and "Amsterdam") but I chose "La chanson de Jacky" because the music and production introduced me to a playful side of Brel I hadn't been aware of until I heard the song for the first time. I'm not sure how I would describe the sound of it. Theatrical orchestral cabaret and circus music, maybe. Whatever it is, it really does it for me." (Dan)


Gymnopédie 1: Lent et douloureux (instrumental)
(Gymnopédie 1: Slow and painful (instrumental))


2. Erik Satie – Trois Gymnopédies: No.1 en Ré Majeur. Lent et douloureux (1888)
(performed by Pascal Rogé on piano)


Score: 47,1109963
Country: France (Honfleur)
Album: 3 Gymnopédies & Other Piano Works • und andere Klavierstücke (1984)
Composer: Erik Satie
Nominator: Henrik
Other fans: Honorio and Moonbeam (10 points), Dan and nicolas (9 points) and spiritualized (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMPbsywwplM

"It's amazing how such a calm, brief, subtle and (apparently) simple classical piece as "Gymnopédie I" ended up being so widely influential. Minimalism officially began in the early 1960s, but traits of the style can be found in Satie's music almost a century before (Satie sometimes wrote in free time without bar divisions giving much more freedom to the performer). Ambient music was named and popularized by Brian Eno in the 1970s, but Satie preceded him with his "furniture music," a term coined by Satie in 1917 for background music played by live performers. Aside of the influence, all three Gymnopédies are among the most wonderful pieces of music that have ever been written." (Henrik and Honorio)


J'ai dans les bottes / Des montagnes de questions / Où subsiste encore ton écho
(I have in the boots / Mountains of questions / Where your echo still remains)


1. Alain Bashung – La nuit je mens (1998)

Score: 52,1110976
Country: France (Paris)
Album: Fantaisie militaire
Songwriters: Alain Bashung / Jean Fauque / Les Valentins
Nominator: nicolas
Other fans: Dan, Henrik and Nassim (10 points), Honorio (9 points), Moonbeam (7 points) and spiritualized (6 points)
You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MYN8mAEKUo

"What can I say about this song? Not much except that it's a fantastic pop song, very musical with great arrangements (the strings!!). The lyrics are very poetic but very cryptic too: you don't really know what he's talking about but the poetic images are very strong: I was seen in the Vercors (mountains) doing bungee jumping, stealing amphoras in the bottom of creeks, I courted morays, I made love, I played dead… Bashung was a living link between traditional chanson and the new wave of pop French music, of pop and avant-garde. If you like that song, try "Madame rêve" or "Osez Joséphine."" (nicolas)


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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

And that was our French list. Hope you liked it as much as we did on that soirée.

It was a list with a wide historic distribuition with a range of 130 years! (ranging from 1888 until 2018). This is the distribution by decades:
1880s: 1
1940s: 1
1950s: 3
1960s: 5
1970s: 3
1980s: 9
1990s: 1
2000s: 7
2010s: 5
Oddly there was only a song from the 1990s but it was the winner of the game.

A 40% of the songs came from female acts (14/35). The one with more female acts nominated was Moonbeam (5/5), followed by Dan (3/5) and Henrik (3/5).

11 of the 35 songs were from non-French artists, mostly from Belgium but also from Canada, Burkina Faso, Italy, Portugal and UK.

Some stats about the correlations between the members of the AM League:
- Henrik had the highest overall correlation (0,69) and Nassim the lowest (0,31).
- The order of the overall correlation was: Henrik (0,69), Moonbeam (0,64), Honorio (0,48), spiritualized (0,42), Dan (0,40), nicolas (0,35) and Nassim (0,31).
- Dan: highest correlation with Henrik (0,12) and lowest with Nassim (-0,12).
- Henrik: highest correlation with Moonbeam (0,38) and lowest with nicolas (0,08).
- Honorio: highest correlation with nicolas (0,35) and lowest with Nassim (-0,11).
- Moonbeam: highest correlation with spiritualized (0,40) and lowest with Nassim (-0,06).
- Nassim: highest correlation with spiritualized (0,20) and lowest with nicolas (-0,22).
- nicolas: highest correlation with Honorio (0,35) and lowest with spiritualized (-0,48).
- spiritualized: highest correlation with Moonbeam (0,40) and lowest with nicolas (-0,48).
- Highest correlation: Moonbeam/spiritualized (0,40).
- Lowest correlation: nicolas/spiritualized (-0.48).

About the coincidences between our 35 nominations and the wonderful Romain thread "France, one song per day" only 9 of the songs appeared on his thread:
1. La nuit je mens
4. Marcia Baïla
5. Brandt rhapsodie
6. Midnight City
8. L'aventurier
15. Non, je ne regrette rien
18. Je t'aime… moi non plus
22. Nuages
24. La marine

If you don't have enough with our Top 35 here it is another playlist with 200 "almost nominated French songs." "Ce gens-là" appears three times on the list so if some of us have finally nominated it could have won the game. Anyway "La nuit je mens" was a worthy winner…

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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by mileswide »

Really do need to expand my French tastes but this list looks the perfect way to do so- have to agree with Marcia Baila and Brel being in (could've been any Brel song, I'm not picky). And Romain was right about MB, Brandt Rhapsodie and La nuit je mens being among the top songs, il est en forme !
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Moonbeam »

Beautiful post, Dan! I was so happy to meet everyone in such a lovely city, but mostly, I was delighted to just meet everyone. This forum is wonderful, and completely unique!

Also, awesome countdown, Honorio! I have an ever greater appreciation for these songs thanks to the way everyone has written about them and you have presented them.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

OOOOOHHHH.... some surprises on the top 10.
Flavien Berger is, for me, a futur big guy on the chanson française, it's one of the two or three better songwriter but I didn't think I'd find him right away.
And "Grand blanc".... so there was no way I could find him, I admit I didn't even know this band :-)

I was so surprised to see that L'aventurier was not nominated by Moonbeam :-)

Two Rita Mitsuko songs pleased me a lot they deserve so much love.
The Brel song is surprising but he has so many exceptional ones that it's not embarrassing. If I had played, I would have clearly put "Ces gens-là" in the top 5.
"La nuit je mens" is a marvel and to see it in the top 1, if it surprises me here, because made partly by non-French speakers, makes me very happy. His three albums from the 90s are, in any case, completely good, without any false notes.

For Satie and M83, I thought we needed songs in French, it's cheating. :whistle:

Thanks Honorio for the sweet comment about my thread... but you forgot Brandt Rhapsodie on the correlation list :-)
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Honorio »

Romain wrote: Sun Nov 03, 2019 7:56 am Thanks Honorio for the sweet comment about my thread... but you forgot Brandt Rhapsodie on the correlation list :-)
You're right. Edited…
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Otisredding »

I'm very sad

Now I just found out about the meeting of six AM friends in Montpellier. This city is two and a half hours from my house! :angry-banghead:

I am very happy with the vital and musical celebration of all of you. I hope to have another opportunity to participate in the next meeting.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Henrik »

Otisredding wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:12 am I'm very sad

Now I just found out about the meeting of six AM friends in Montpellier. This city is two and a half hours from my house! :angry-banghead:

I am very happy with the vital and musical celebration of all of you. I hope to have another opportunity to participate in the next meeting.
Oh, I’m sorry to hear this. I would have loved your company!

Surely there will be more meetings in the future! In Montpellier or somewhere else.
Everyone you meet fights a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

Oh Henrik, you couldn't make a cover replica, as usual? It's always very funny.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Moonbeam »

Romain wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 9:58 am Oh Henrik, you couldn't make a cover replica, as usual? It's always very funny.
Stay tuned!
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

Moonbeam wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:01 am
Romain wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 9:58 am Oh Henrik, you couldn't make a cover replica, as usual? It's always very funny.
Stay tuned!
Hmm, it's smell good! :mrgreen:
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Dexter »

Henrik wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:27 am
Otisredding wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:12 am I'm very sad

Now I just found out about the meeting of six AM friends in Montpellier. This city is two and a half hours from my house! :angry-banghead:

I am very happy with the vital and musical celebration of all of you. I hope to have another opportunity to participate in the next meeting.
Oh, I’m sorry to hear this. I would have loved your company!

Surely there will be more meetings in the future! In Montpellier or somewhere else.
I too would love to be in an AMFers meet-up. I might visit France (Grenoble) in late August-early September next year. Hopefully, a meet-up will occur during that time period.
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Re: Acclaimed Music Meetup – 11 to 13 October in Montpellier, France

Post by Romain »

Dexter wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:26 am I too would love to be in an AMFers meet-up. I might visit France (Grenoble) in late August-early September next year. Hopefully, a meet-up will occur during that time period.
I hope you like the heat. :mrgreen:
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