Rocker Michel Polnareff aimed at giving Jacques Dutronc a run for his money in the departmente agent provocateur psychedelique... His early albums mixed psychedelic blues-rock with rambling Dylanesque lyrics. And they were fun. Later material, predictably, gets a little scary.
Michel Polnareff "Michel Polnareff" (Disc AZ, 1966) (LP)
Polnareff's debut album was perhaps his best-known globally, being reissued is several European countries, as well as in Japan, Canada, Latin America and, most significantly, in the United States, where it was retitled French Rock Blues. The same American label that created that edition, Kapp's Four Corners imprints, also reissued some of Francoise Hardy's music, making them a hub of super- Euro cool. And it's a great record: one of the most convincing French psych/folk-rock records of the time... when he really gets going, this is pretty good!
Michel Polnareff "Volume 2" (Disc AZ, 1968) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "La Folie Des Grandeurs" (Soundtrack) (Disc AZ, 1971) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "Polnareffs" (Disc AZ, 1971-?) (LP)
(Produced by Peter Galland & Paul Holland)
A wild and impressive mix of psychedelic space rock, French chanson, and Motown R&B... A weird, eclectic blend which calls to mind the persistently inventive nuttiness of the Bonzo Dog Band. Pretty goofy, but pretty cool.
Michel Polnareff "Polnarevolucion" (Disc'AZ, 1972) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "Polnareff A Tokio" (Epic Records, 1972) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "Michel Polnareff" (Atlantic Records, 1974) (LP)
This album again features arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier, the French Phil Spector behind Serge Gainsbourg's celebrated "Melodie Nelson...." While this is a peppy, bright album, with several beautiful softer tunes, it also has a glib, glossy side to it that hints at the coke-y emptiness of Polnareff's later work (although it is not as glam, musically, as the cover art would suggest...) Includes the teasingly "bilingual" "I Love You Because..." where the second half of the sentence is completed in French, baffling we poor Anglais... A clever song which is undone by an irritating, over-the-top arrangement. On balance, though, this album has enough beauty and depth -- on the non-annoying tracks -- to make up for its occasional shortcomings. Worth checking out, for sure!
Michel Polnareff "Lipstick" (Atlantic Records, 1976) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "Coucou, Me Revoilou" (CBS/Enough Records, 1978) (LP)
Sort of like a Virgil's-eye view of the nine rings of scary '70s rock purgatory, this showcases Polnareff in Abba-esque, Air Supply-y moments aplenty, with a bit of David Gates-ian wimp rock to sweeten things up. Truly quite frightening, though there are a few interesting passages.
Michel Polnareff "Bulles" (Disc-AZ, 1981) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "Show Tele '82 Public" (Disc-AZ, 1982) (LP)
Michel Polnareff "'La Vengeance Du Serpent A Plumes" (Enough Records, 1984)
Another soundtrack album...
Michel Polnareff "Incognito" (Epic/Enough Records, 1985)
Yi-i-i-i-ikes. Well, it can be said for this record that it was very much of its times, and, predictably, it's packed full of spastic drum machines, bad, thin-sounding synths, and pointlessly irritating electric guitar solos. Michael Jackson and the early MTV scene are clear influences, and while Polnareff does muster a moderately interesting melodic passage or two, this album is so resolutely tacky and manic that it's hardly worth tracking down. I didn't keep my copy, and I doubt I'll ever regret the decision...
Michel Polnareff "Kama Sutra" (Epic Records, 1990)
Michel Polnareff "Live At The Roxy" (Enough Records, 1996)
Michel Polnareff "Ze (Re)Tour 2007" (Decca/Enough Records, 2007)
Live in 2007? Methinks: yikes.
Michel Polnareff "A L'Olympia 2016" (Enough Records, 2016)
Michel Polnareff "Enfin!" (Barclay Records, 2018)
Michel Polnareff "Chante Polnareff" (Parlaphone Records, 2022)
Michel Polnareff "La Tounee Historique" (Parlaphone Records, 2023)
Michel Polnareff "Les Premiere Annees" (Universal)
A 3-CD box set covering his earliest stuff...
Michel Polnareff "La Compilacion" (Sony, 1999)
Another 3-CD box set covering his earliest stuff...
Michel Polnareff "Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons" (Universal, 2007)
A 5-CD box set... Incroyable!
Various Artists "UN HOMAGE A POLNAREFF" (XIII Bis Records, 1998)
An absolutely incredible indie-pop album. Okay, so maybe most of these tracks are slightly more polished, and a little more twee, than Polnareff's own work, but under no circumstances should you allow that little disconnect to keep you away from this fab pop gem. With a smooth mix of sleek indie-guitar rock and relaxed trip-hop grooves, this features a slew of gloriously talented French indie bands, almost none of which I've ever heard of before now. The exception is Guesch Patti, whose version of the teasingly bilingual "I Love You Because" is one of the album's highlights. Beautifully programmed, and intensely listenable, this collection gives a tantalizing glimpse into the contemporary French indie scene. Keep in mind, however, that there is also a 2-CD version of this tribute set which has all the same stuff as this single disc edition, along with new tracks by big-name international stars such as Pulp, Saint Etienne, Nick Cave and others. I haven't heard the expanded edition, but I bet it's completely fab, too.
French Music Index
French Rock Albums
