So Paris and Lyon were great, lots of walking, eating, drinking and relaxing where possible. It was all very autumnal and crips and just...really nice. Paris is so lovely. I realise I've not been for more than a day all the times I've ever been there, so it was good to spend a proper amount of time there.
I did wonder, looking at endless wide boulevards, acres of beautiful buildings, elegant shops and endless restaurants, why I live in London. Even Mrs F-C could live in Paris. It's okay for her, she speaks fluent French, but I may have trouble getting by. I used to think some of France was rather primitive and old-fashioned. Not so Paris. It knocks London into a cocked hat. It so walkable, there's very little construction, it's all so civilised.
On a French-related note, does anyone know of any good compilations of French Sixties singers, apart from the EMI Belle Epoque one, anywhere?
I need more than just Serge Gainsbourg in my life.
(On a song-related note, two songs really remind me of Paris: Under Pressure by Queen & Bowie, which reminds me of a sixth form trip in 1981, and No One Is To Blame by Howard Jones, which reminds me of a college trip by coach and boat, on which a highly-suspicious drunk was among a coachload of students with a huge envelope of cash about his person which fell out of his pocket and onto the floor. When we told the coach driver he was mortified. He was without doubt in cahoots with this person. I've wondered why since '86).
Sorry, I'm boring myself here.
6 comments:
Try listening to this or this, FC. You'll be swaying down the Champs Elysées in no time.
As I walked through the concourse at Victoria Station on Friday night and a huge, drunk, vile woman screamed "What the FACK are you looking at?", I thought yet again of France and how rare a sight that would be there. As you say, it's still a relatively civilised place.
Find a French teacher and have some one-to-one lessons, F-C. Even if you don't go and live in Paris, it'll enrich your life. I'd be off there on the Eurostar tomorrow if I thought I could find work there.
I love France and that the French make no concession to tourism or the English, you have to do France on their terms.
As for comps check out Le Beat Bespoke Vol 1 - - Blow Up Presents Vol.3 and you can grab a couple of Bardot bits here
These CDs may be out of production so could be worth checking Google blog search
Welcome back, I've had a long love affair with France mostly thanks to overly intellectual new wave films.
This has resulted in me struggling through French language classes twice a week for the past 2 years and having invested in the 5 CD series of THE BEST 60s French pop compil - Pop a Paris.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pop-Paris-Vol-1-Various-Artists/dp/B00006IX1C/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1225136920&sr=1-8
They can be hard to track down but they are very definitely worth it.
I knew there was more -check out this France Gall tune - and not strictly sixties but they match the mood perfectly Karen Ann's Nolita is a peach - also Fabienne Del Sol is fab - guarantee you'll love her swingermatic tunes
Thanks everyone, I knew you'd know. Come on, let's go a Paris!
Do you do you Scopitone?
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