Christian Gaubert, Part 3: 1979 Last Exit; 2013 Ligne Sud Trio (Gaubert, Ceccarelli, Jannick Top)

 

Obviously by this late in the decade year, he has moved from ssw to funk, a bit of fusion, minimal disco thankfully, but quite commercial-oriented.  There are nonetheless good tracks and enjoyable ideas to listen to.  Reminds me a lot of the later Ceccarelli albums posted back here.

Sweet and Fool Like A Child:

The 2013 album is instrumental fusion of the kind that's typical of this later period, but I included it again due to the presence of those other musical luminaries. It's databased here.  Note how eminently capable Gaubert is on the solo piano for a song called Mare Nostrum:

Christian Gaubert, Part 2: 1978 ST [WAV limited time only]

 

Information here. Again, note Jannick Top on bass, for what it's worth.

This album is not quite as strong, imo, as the Une Ville LP.  I decided to purchase and rip it in case it was amazing.  All ssw stuff.

Ma Song Californie:

Generique de Fin (ie, Theme of the Ending):

Christian Gaubert, Part 1: 1975 Une Ville, Une Vie, 1977 The Little Girl Who Lives down the Lane OST

 

Three posts about this wonderful and unknown (outside his home country presumably) French ssw / film composer.

Christian Gaubert:

French composer, pianist, arranger and band leader. Collaborations include Charles Aznavour, Mireille Mathieu, Gilbert Bécaud, Johnny Hallyday, Serge Gainsbourg, Pascal Auriat, and Gérard Lenorman among others.

Note he has been releasing albums since 1969, but those earlier ones didn't seem so interesting to me. Some are LPs of presumably easy listening cover versions, eg this 1972 album.

On the other hand on the 1975 album called Une Ville... Une Vie, the songwriting is just genius. It's like my old favourites, Dromadaire, and Le Loup des Steppes by Pisani, or the wonderful Xavier Gernet. In other words, 1970s French pop songwriting (not really chanson as such) with original melodies, chords, and nice hooks. On top of that, it features guitarist Claude Engel, and Magma drummer Jannick Top, though these guys remain quite in the background, playing quite unobtrusively, no zeuhl here.

The title track gives you a clear idea of what I mean in terms of original chord changes and interesting melodies:

And the rest of the album keeps up the high level of songwriting, with very few, if any, throwaways.

For a whole different genre, the OST of the 1976 Franco-Canadian movie The Little Girl who Lives down the Lane which starred Jodie Foster has some wonderful music written for it.  We have here a mix of Francis Lai / Morricone tender orchestral themes in the standard 1970s Euro-style and melancholy patterns with some fusion passages.  The theme from the movie carries hints of Francis Lai, Nina Rota, etc. and then suddenly picks up to an uptempo 16-beat groove in the rhythm section with a flute solo:

Those once exposed in childhood to those old movies and themes will feel some intense nostalgia upon hearing those classic musical lines.

On the other hand, Mystery of the Basement, with its fusion element, again, the electric piano plus strings is so classic:

For those interested, like me, the story is a disturbing one, really typical of those long ago days, and as usual you can read about it on wikipedia.  Note the following:

The production later became the subject of controversy over reports that [13-year-old at the time] Jodie Foster had conflicts with producers over the filming and inclusion of a nude scene, but a 21-year-old body double (Foster's sister) was used. After a screening at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, a court challenge was launched regarding distribution, and a general release followed in 1977.

I have two versions of this OST and I included both (CD and LP).  I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too. Kind of like Yuji Ohno's wonderful amalgam of tender themes with funky fusion parts, almost like his gorgeous Jimmy Dean.

French Library Composer George Rodi: 1974 Electronic Sounds, 1975 Actual, 1977 Actual II, 1979 Space, 1980 Sound Power [all FLACs limited time]

 

A lot of this library is difficult to slog through, like so much in this genre.  So for ex. the Actual albums, from 1975 and 1977, have no titles to the tracks, they're just numbered, making it effortful to hold on to something definite.

But first of all, George Rodi:

Profile: French composer and keyboards player.

In Groups: Arpadys [disco], Georges Raudi Et Son Orchestre [1970 single], Les Schtroumpfs [space rock], Rosebud [disco], Sandrose, Les Sparks [1966 single]

Obviously everyone is familiar with Sandrose, and their 1972 classic.  Subsequently Rodi went on to make all these library records.

From 1979, Space's Moonshine Magic just hits me in the soul every time, it's so transcendently beautiful, ethereal, spacey, like the best of Alan Hawkshaw, our old fave library composer:

Listening to this, it amazes me how music can so transport you to other places, other times, other lives, as if it's a direct connection into the deepest heart, or as I always say, it's the closest we'll ever get to heaven on this dirty old planet.

I quite enjoy the advanced complexity of the Actual 13 track:

Note the astonishingly beautiful cover photo of the 1980 Sound Power. Almost the best thing about this LP actually.  Nonetheless, here's a sample track called Gliding:

Crazy Dog, USA 1979

Only one release from these guys, a nice non-generic minimally bluesy hard rock band from St. Georges Delaware, discogged here.  However, a bunch of singles followed into the 1980s.  The style is quite typical of the late 1970s.

Opener, about the Star Fighter ("a mission of mercy, somewhere in space") recalling this was shortly after the first Star Wars, which was such a cultural sensation:

Nice enjoyable basic hard rock, but with some interesting compositions, not the usual 1-4-5 chords with excessive guitar soloing-- I mean, there's a bit of that, as there always is, but minimal.  For ex., Love me and you leave me: