Johnny Hallyday

This special vinyl release presents Johnny’s underrated LP Recentissime!, which was originally issued exclusively in Italy in 1962 (although its contents had already been released in France on EPs and singles). The repertoire consists of Hallyday’s adaptations of twist-dance classics, R&B staples and rock & roll hits of that era, including Ricky Nelson’s “Teenage Idol” (translated into French as “L’idole des jeunes”), Lee Dorsey’s “Ya Ya Twist,” Bruce Channel’s classic “Hey, Baby!” and “Serre la main d’un fou” (previously popularized by Titus Turner as “Shake the Hand of a Fool”). Also featured here are thecatchy “C’est le mashed potatoes” (a version of Bobby Day’s “Little Bitty Pretty One” translated by Jil et Jan), and two French versions of songs by Sam Cooke, “Madison twist” and “Laissez-nous twister” (“Meet Me at the Twistin’ Place,” and “Twistin’ the Night Away,” respectively), among others.

In addition to the original album, this WaxTime collector’s edition contains 2 bonus tracks from the same period: “Hey Little Girl,” and “La faute au twist” (the latter was co-written by Jil et Jan and Johnny himself.