Claude Françoise

4 STARS ALL MUSIC GUDE

A reissue of Claude François classic album Comme d’Habitude. Along with Johnny Hallyday, François was one of the biggest stars of French rock & roll, emerging during the so-called “yé-yé” movement of the early ‘60s. Like Hallyday, his early success came mostly from French adaptations of English-language rock and folk hits, rather than from original material written specifically for him. However, his image -- immaculately coiffed hair and glitzy sequined suits -- played just as big a role in his popularity, and made him a major teen idol in his heyday, when fans dubbed him “Clo-Clo.” He dressed his much-imitated quartet of backup dancers, the Clodettes, in even more flamboyant costumes (some self-designed), which gave his act a definite kitsch appeal and became a visual signature for much of his career.

Appropriately for the singer who recorded the original version of the song that became “My Way” (“Comme d’Habitude”) Françoislived the outsized life of a star, cycling through a series of high-profile affairs and acquiring a reputation for being extremely difficult to work with. Despite continued popularity, he endured a run of bad personal luck in the ‘70s that culminated in his freak accidental death at only 39 years old, electrocuting himself in the bathtub while changing a light bulb.

01. COMME D’HABITUDE -- with DAVID WHITAKER and SON ORCHESTRE
02. CE SOIR JE VAIS BOIRE “STASERA MI BUTTO” -- with REG GUEST and SON ORCHESTRE
03. JE VEUX CHAQUE DIMANCHE UNA FLEUR -- with DAVID WHITAKER and SON ORCHESTRE
04. POURQUOI “BABY NOW THAT I’VE FOUND YOU”
05. LA MARTIEN “FLOWERS IN THE RAIN” with REG GUEST and SON ORCHESTRE
06. LA PLUS BELLE CHOSE DU MONDE “MASSACHUSETTS”
07. PARDON
08. L’HOMME AU TRAINEAU “CARRIE ANN”
09. RIEN RIEN RIEN “I WAS MADE TO LOVE HER”
10. MA FILLE “MY GUY”
11. MAIS QUAND LE MATIN with REG GUEST and SON ORCHESTRE