"La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Pretty self-explanatory
johnfoyle
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by johnfoyle »

https://recordstoreday.co.uk/releases/r ... Qkv3lvKyts


Elvis Costello - La Face de Pendule a Coucou

Release Date: 12 Jun 2021

Format:
Vinyl - 12" 45rpm album

Label:
Concord

More Info:

Elvis Costello reimagines several tracks from his late 2020 release Hey Clockface with a French twist. He is joined by the venerable Iggy Pop, singer and actress Isabell Adjani and the French – African collective Tshegue and AJUQ on La Face de Pendule a Coucou when translated, means “face of the cuckoo clock”. This is the first time these versions are available on vinyl.
sweetest punch
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by sweetest punch »

https://www.lesoleil.com/arts/elvis-cos ... cde3ab9dd0

Elvis Costello: musicien sans frontières

Geneviève Bouchard
Le Soleil

Pendant que le monde était replié sur lui-même à cause de la pandémie, Elvis Costello s’est plus que jamais efforcé d’abattre les frontières. Entre un minialbum en français encore tout chaud et une collection de relectures en espagnol qui devrait paraître sous peu, l’auteur-compositeur-interprète explore sa propre mondialisation musicale.

«C’est la mondialisation, mais sans les effets déplaisants...» nuance en entrevue le musicien, qui a dévoilé il y a quelques semaines La face de pendule à coucou, où trois pièces de son dernier album, Hey Clockface, ont été revisitées dans la langue de Molière.

Et pas par n’importe qui : l’ami Iggy Pop et l’actrice Isabelle Adjani sont de ceux qui ont prêté leur voix aux adaptations signées par Muriel Téodori et AJUQ, également interprètes dans l’aventure.

Pour Elvis Costello, la filière parisienne s’est ouverte pendant la création de Hey Clockface, quand le pianiste et complice des 40 dernières années Steve Nieve a organisé une rencontre avec un groupe de musiciens que Costello a baptisé le Quintette Saint-Germain.

«C’était un peu comme une session de jazz. C’est une chose à laquelle je rêvais depuis longtemps : cette idée des jazzmen américains qui allaient à Paris pour enregistrer, juste pour être dans une atmosphère différente.

«C’est ce que j’ai vécu dans ce studio, dans le trajet que j’effectuais à pied jusqu’au studio. On a cette idée romantique de Saint-Germain… Pour cette session, je m’étais convaincu que je voyais tout en noir et blanc.»

Pour Costello et ses collaborateurs, la magie a opéré. «Nous parlions plusieurs langues, notamment avec AJUQ à la batterie. Mais nous nous parlions à travers la musique de toute façon, parce que nous n’avions que deux jours. Nous ne sentions pas le besoin de théoriser», explique l’auteur-compositeur-interprète.

«C’était comme de lancer des pierres dans un étang. Chaque musicien créait des ondulations et les autres réagissaient à ces ondulations. Ils s’en nourrissaient. Ça devenait comme une boucle infinie de créativité. C’était magnifique», ajoute AJUQ (Antoine Jules Ulysse Quessada de son vrai nom).

L’idée des adaptations françaises de La face de pendule à coucou n’a pas tardé à s’imposer. AJUQ et sa mère, la cinéaste et autrice Muriel Téodori (qui est aussi la compagne de Steve Nieve, tout est dans tout!) se sont attelés à la tâche avec beaucoup de passion.

«Les deux s’installaient dans notre cuisine. Ça pouvait durer des heures. Il y a eu à l’occasion des débats enflammés, en français, que je ne pouvais pas comprendre complètement!» rigole l’Anglais d’origine Steve Nieve.

«Je pense avant tout qu’on voulait être dans l’esprit d’Elvis plus que dans la traduction littérale, note Muriel Téodori. C’est vrai qu’on a pris quelques libertés. On envoyait tout ça à Elvis, qui nous a donné cette liberté. Je pense qu’il nous faisait confiance.»

En visioconférence, ce dernier acquiesce. «C’est un professeur de Liverpool qui m’a enseigné le français, avec un accent très local, ajoute-t-il. C’est pourquoi je n’ai jamais vraiment compris et parlé le français. Mais au fil du temps, j’ai écouté beaucoup de chansons françaises.»

Elvis Costello cite entre autres les œuvres de Francis Poulenc et de Jacques Prévert, qui l’ont souvent accompagné.

«Je savais que je ne comprendrais pas les mots, mais j’adorais néanmoins l’atmosphère qu’ils créaient, explique-t-il. Je comprends la forme des mots en relation avec la musique, même si je ne comprends pas leur signification. C’est pourquoi j’apprécie la musique d’autres pays, au-delà de l’effet de nouveauté qui vient par exemple du rythme.

«J’écoute les mots et comment ils sonnent émotionnellement dans cette langue. Parfois, j’essaie de deviner ce qu’ils signifient ou je vais lire des traductions. Mais il manque bien sûr la poésie qui vient avec la langue originale...»

Après le français, l’espagnol

Pour Elvis Costello, l’expérience de La face de pendule à coucou a été révélatrice. Si bien que le prolifique et polyvalent musicien — qui a fait fi des étiquettes sur plus d’une trentaine d’albums studio — a souhaité continuer de revisiter son répertoire. Une version espagnole de sa deuxième offrande, This Year’s Model (1978), doit nous arriver sous peu.

«Toute la musique originale sera la même, remixée avec des oreilles actuelles. Mais ma voix sera remplacée par celles d’interprètes hispanophones. J’enregistre 15 chanteurs originaires de 12 pays», décrit celui qui se réjouit de voir sa musique trouver un nouveau public et se montre on ne peut plus satisfait du travail d’adaptation de ses chansons.

«La même question s’est posée que pour le minialbum en français, reprend-il. Je connais Muriel depuis longtemps, nous avons pu échanger de manière conviviale dans le processus. Mais le niveau d’intégrité que j’ai vu des auteurs espagnols me convainc que ce genre de projet va au-delà de l’accessoire. Ce sont de nouvelles idées, c’est un nouvel album à part entière.»

ELVIS COSTELLO SUR...

Isabelle Adjani

«Quand j’étais dans la fin vingtaine et la jeune trentaine, je passais beaucoup de temps dans un cinéma où on montrait plusieurs films européens. À ce moment dans sa carrière, c’était difficile de ne pas tomber sous l’emprise d’Isabelle Adjani.

«Je ne peux pas penser à une actrice américaine qui avait la même profondeur de jeu dans les rôles qu’elle avait à ce moment. Muriel savait que j’étais un grand fan. Je pensais qu’elle me taquinait quand elle m’a parlé de son éventuelle participation à l’album. [...]

Ma version de la pièce Revolution #49 est une récitation spontanée, sans emphase. Elle, au contraire, réussit à créer toutes ces images dans votre tête seulement avec sa voix. C’est un instrument au même titre que tout ce qui joue derrière elle.»

Iggy Pop

«Je trouve qu’il sonne magnifiquement bien en français, mais il dirait qu’il ne peut pas avoir une conversation fluente dans cette langue. Il a travaillé fort sur le texte de la chanson No Flag. Pendant six semaines. On le perçoit souvent comme un performeur tellement spontané, mais il y met beaucoup de travail. Il envoyait des vidéos à Muriel à propos de ces nuances de langage afin de savoir où il pouvait placer sa voix autour de certains mots.»

ENTRE LA POLOGNE ET LA FINLANDE

Elvis Costello a enregistré certaines des pièces de Hey Clockface fin seul dans un studio finlandais. Encore ici, l’idée était de changer d’air et de rebrasser les cartes dans sa création.

«Quand je suis allé à Helsinki, ce rythme et ce son rock un peu étrange ont été conditionnés par le fait que j’étais seul. Je n’avais pas de batteur. La plupart des percussions sont vocales...» laisse-t-il entendre.

C’est toutefois quelque part en Pologne que ce grand cinéphile a trouvé l’inspiration pour ce dernier album complet. «Deux chansons de Hey Clockface ont été écrites en réaction au film Cold War de Pawel Pawlikowski», confirme Elvis Costello. C’est le cas de Revolution #49, reprise en français par Isabelle Adjani.

«J’imaginais que ça se passait dans un paysage enneigé de Pologne en 1949, évoque-t-il. C’est pourquoi la chanson s’intitule Revolution #49… Avec un petit clin d’œil aux Beatles. Dès le départ, il y avait ce lien entre le polonais et l’anglais. Et le film de Pawel voyage de la Pologne vers la France. Pour moi, ça tombait sous le sens que Revolution #49 fasse le même voyage.»

————————————-
Google translation

Elvis Costello: musician without borders

Genevieve Bouchard
The sun

As the world turned in on itself because of the pandemic, Elvis Costello has struggled more than ever to break down borders. Between a still hot French mini-album and a collection of Spanish proofreads which should be released shortly, the singer-songwriter explores his own musical globalization.

"It's globalization, but without the unpleasant effects ..." nuance in interview the musician, who unveiled a few weeks ago La face de pendule à coucou, where three tracks from his latest album, Hey Clockface, were revisited in the language of Molière.

And not by just anyone: friend Iggy Pop and actress Isabelle Adjani are among those who lent their voices to the adaptations signed by Muriel Téodori and AJUQ, also performers in the adventure.

For Elvis Costello, the Parisian industry opened up during the creation of Hey Clockface, when pianist and accomplice of the past 40 years Steve Nieve arranged a meeting with a group of musicians that Costello called the Quintette Saint-Germain.

“It was like a jazz session. This is something I had dreamed of for a long time: this idea of ​​American jazzmen going to Paris to record, just to be in a different atmosphere.

“This is what I experienced in this studio, on the way I walked to the studio. We have this romantic idea of ​​Saint-Germain… For this session, I convinced myself that I was seeing everything in black and white. "

For Costello and his associates, the magic worked. “We spoke several languages, especially with AJUQ on drums. But we were talking to each other through the music anyway, because we only had two days. We didn't feel the need to theorize, ”explains the singer-songwriter.

“It was like throwing rocks into a pond. Each musician created ripples and the others reacted to those ripples. They fed on it. It became like an endless loop of creativity. It was magnificent, "adds AJUQ (Antoine Jules Ulysse Quessada, whose real name is).

The idea of ​​French adaptations of La face de pendule à coucou quickly took hold. AJUQ and his mother, filmmaker and author Muriel Téodori (who is also Steve Nieve's partner, everything is in everything!) Got down to the task with a lot of passion.

“The two were settling in our kitchen. It could go on for hours. On the occasion there were heated debates, in French, which I could not fully understand! " laughs the native Englishman Steve Nieve.

"I think above all that we wanted to be in the spirit of Elvis more than in the literal translation," notes Muriel Téodori. It is true that we took some liberties. We were sending it all to Elvis, who gave us that freedom. I think he trusted us. "

In videoconference, the latter nods. "It was a professor from Liverpool who taught me French, with a very local accent," he adds. That’s why I never really understood and spoke French. But over time, I have listened to a lot of French songs. "

Elvis Costello quotes among others the works of Francis Poulenc and Jacques Prévert, who have often accompanied him.

“I knew I wouldn't understand the words, but I loved the atmosphere they created nonetheless,” he explains. I understand the shape of words in relation to music, even though I don't understand their meaning. That's why I appreciate music from other countries, beyond the novelty effect that comes from the rhythm, for example.

"I listen to the words and how they sound emotionally in this language. Sometimes I try to guess what they mean or I will read translations. But of course it lacks the poetry that comes with the original language ... "

After French, Spanish

For Elvis Costello, the experience of The Cuckoo Pendulum Face was revealing. So much so that the prolific and versatile musician - who has ignored the labels on more than thirty studio albums - wanted to continue revisiting his repertoire. A Spanish version of his second offering, This Year’s Model (1978), is due to arrive shortly.

“All the original music will be the same, remixed with current ears. But my voice will be replaced by those of Spanish-speaking interpreters. I record 15 singers from 12 countries, ”describes one who is delighted to see his music find a new audience and could not be more satisfied with the work of adapting his songs.

"The same question arose as for the minialbum in French," he continues. I have known Muriel for a long time, we were able to exchange in a friendly manner in the process. But the level of integrity I've seen from Spanish writers convinces me that this kind of project goes beyond the incidental. These are new ideas, it's a whole new album. "

ELVIS COSTELLO ON ...

Isabelle Adjani

“When I was in my late twenties and early thirties, I spent a lot of time in a cinema where we showed several European films. At this point in her career, it was hard not to fall under the sway of Isabelle Adjani.

“I can't think of an American actress who had the same depth of acting in the roles that she had at the time. Muriel knew I was a huge fan. I thought she was teasing me when she told me about her possible appearance on the album. [...]

My version of Revolution # 49 is a spontaneous recitation, without emphasis. She, on the contrary, manages to create all these images in your head only with her voice. It’s an instrument just like anything that plays behind it. ”

Iggy Pop

“I find it sounds wonderful in French, but it looks like he can't have a fluent conversation in that language. He worked hard on the lyrics for the song No Flag. For six weeks. We often see him as such a spontaneous performer, but he puts a lot of work into it. He was sending videos to Muriel about those nuances of language so he knew where he could put his voice around certain words. ”

BETWEEN POLAND AND FINLAND

Elvis Costello recorded some of the pieces from Hey Clockface late alone in a Finnish studio. Again, the idea was to change tune and re-shuffle the cards in his creation.

“When I went to Helsinki, that rhythm and that kind of weird rock sound was conditioned by the fact that I was alone. I didn't have a drummer. Most of the percussions are vocal ... ”he suggests.

However, it was somewhere in Poland that this great cinephile found inspiration for this latest full album. “Two Hey Clockface songs were written in reaction to Pawel Pawlikowski's film Cold War,” confirms Elvis Costello. This is the case with Revolution # 49, covered in French by Isabelle Adjani.

"I imagined it was taking place in a snowy Polish landscape in 1949," he recalls. That's why the song is called Revolution # 49… With a little nod to the Beatles. From the start, there was this connection between Polish and English. And Pawel's film travels from Poland to France. For me, it made sense for Revolution # 49 to make the same trip. ”
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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supplydavid
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by supplydavid »

A few USA independent stores now taking on line orders it seems, colored vinyl it seems

https://vinylren.com/elvis-costello-la- ... gK3dfD_BwE
cwr
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by cwr »

How many people got one of these yesterday?

I ordered a copy from Rough Trade but then a friend in the UK picked one up for me, so I may end up with a 2nd copy (that another friend already asked for, should that happen).

I wonder why this was made a UK-only release. Was that strategic? Or practical? An experiment? It feels like they could have shipped half of the records to the US...
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Top balcony
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by Top balcony »

I've just bought one on line from 81 Renshaw St Records, Liverpool https://www.81renshaw.co.uk/record-stor ... op1?page=3 cost inc UK delivery £19.29
That's probably going to be £19.29 ($27.21) per play :D
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Ymaginatif
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by Ymaginatif »

I got a copy after all. (I was in the shop to buy Prince's 'The Truth' LP, evidently, and saw this one too. Aw, twist my arm. I bought it ...)

The overall result holds together well, and the sound is strong. Especially in the Tsheguer remix of Hetty O'Hara jumped out for me (which I think is partially re-recorded?). So altogether I'm happy to have got hold of a copy.

Isabelle Adjani and Ajuq both add great and interesting voices for the purpose. Iggy Pop's voice is more of a an aquired tatste, but I'm getting there.
'Etta Somatis' voice is nails on a blackboard for me, and she manages to settle her rap/parlando on a pseudo-note that clashes with the key of the song. Fortunately, she only features in one song. Though i understand she wrote all French lyrics.

If you like EC's computer dabbling artworks, this is a great cover. If not, then it's still a carefully laid out and colourful sleeve, with lyrics and credits (and more paintings) on the pink inner bag - all in French to keep you and your dictionary entertained for hours :) Plus, flashy red vinyl. Suits the colour pattern (of pink/yellow/red), I would say.

I don't think EC contributed anything to the recordings, other then allowing his music to be used.
Pigalle
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by Pigalle »

cwr wrote:I wonder why this was made a UK-only release. Was that strategic? Or practical? An experiment? It feels like they could have shipped half of the records to the US...
The US release appears to be on June 25th. The neon coral coloured vinyl is an indie exclusive.

Given there were only 800 of yesterday’s pressing it seemed remarkably available online last night; it might be a little harder to find today. There again, given, even by Elvis’s standards, this is a bit of a side project is there really demand for 800 of these records? And don’t get me wrong, I really love this release as I think it is a more coherent listen than Hey Clockface.
fred darden
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by fred darden »

Landed in Chicago
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supplydavid
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by supplydavid »

Usa and Uk versions side by side. Some promo shots show a more purple like version also.
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JerseyPride78
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Re: "La Face de Pendule à Coucou" EP (French versions of Hey Clockface songs)

Post by JerseyPride78 »

Heck of a deal at $3.00 for anyone still needing this:

https://www.sgrecordshop.com/p/25936227 ... e-a-coucou
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