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Artist.....: Les Negresses Vertes
Album......: De Grands Hits
Type.......: Album
Genre......: Folk
Style......: mix of punk, folk, reggae, ska, funk, flamenco, Algerian rai...
Label......: Mirror Movements
CatalogNr..: MMCD003
Url........: http://www.negressesvertes.com
Rel.date...: 29.03.2009
Str.date...: 00.00.1997
Source.....: CDDA
Grabber....: EAC 0.95 beta 5
Encoder....: Lame 3.97 -V 2 --vbr-new
Quality....: VBRkbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo
Tracks.....: 21
Size.......: 110.04 MB
Length.....: 73:16
______________________________________________________________________________
Tracklist
01. La Valse 01:29
02. Il 03:28
03. Les Rablablas Les Roubliblis 03:12
04. Marcelle Ratafia 03:10
05. La Danse Des Negresses Vertes 02:54
06. Hey Maria 03:35
07. Famille Heureuse 03:56
08. Perpetuellement Votre 04:05
09. Sous Le Soleil De Bodega 03:26
10. Si Je M'en Vais... 03:23
11. Hou! Mamma Mia... 03:39
12. Sang Et Nuit 03:49
13. La Main Verte 04:04
14. Mambo Show 04:01
15. Bourre d'Allegresse 03:13
16. Footballeur Du Dimanche 02:37
17. Tu M'as Saoule 03:47
18. Zobi La Mouche (Live) 04:48
19. Les Yeux De Ton Pere (Live) 04:08
20. L'Homme Des Marias (Live) 03:19
21. A Quoi Bon (Live) 03:13
Total Time: 73:16
______________________________________________________________________________
Release Notes
A popular export of France, Les Négresses Vertes has become one of the few
rock groups to achieve international success singing in a language other than
English, selling millions of records worldwide. With their cabaret-like
performances and mix of punk, folk, reggae, ska, funk, flamenco, Algerian rai,
Latin, and more, a concoction dubbed "urban folk music," Les Négresses Vertes
have attracted a broad fan base by their sound alone. "Imagine Edith Piaf
jamming with the Pogues and playing some sort of Latin music, not taking
themselves seriously and just having lots of fun," commented music producer
Laurent Marceau in an interview for the World. "Well, that's Les Négresses
Vertes really."
Considering the group members' diverse ethnic backgrounds, Les Négresses
Vertes' multicultural approach to music seems quite natural. But while the
group's name translates to the phrase "green black women," there is actually
only one woman in the band, and although her Gypsy heritage gives her a dark
complexion, none of the members are black. Rather, the members trace their
roots to varied Algerian, Spanish, Gypsy, and French parentage. According to
singer and accordionist Matthias Canavase, the name came from an abuse hurled
at the band at one of their first concerts. "Basically it was an insult
because we were in a very popular ball playing waltz and tangos in musette
style, and we were dancing on it, we were doing black dance and some other
things," he recalled to Morning Edition host Bob Edwards. However, Canavase
continued, "the contradiction was too much for the lumberjack and butchers of
the countryside and they treated our little family as négresses vertes because
we were doing black dance in the countryside and folkloric music, but I don't
want people from the States or anywhere else to take it as a bad joke. I mean,
it's really-it's difficult to translate. Because we are in France, for us it's
quite humorous and sarcastic."
Formed in 1987, Les Négresses Vertes arose from the alternative music scene
in Paris, meeting one another on street corners in typically working-class,
immigrant areas like Bastille and Les Halles and also drawing members from the
Camargue area of southern France. At times performing with as many as 11
musicians on stage, the lineup over the years has consisted of vocalist Helno
Rota de Lourcqua (also known as Helno or Nöel Rota); guitarist and vocalist
Stéfane Mellino; accordionist and vocalist Matthias Canavase (also known as
Canavese or Matias); bassist, guitarist, and vocalist Jean-Marie Paulus (also
known as Paulus, Casio Paulus, or Paulo); trumpeter Michel Ochowiak (also
known as Mich, Big Mitch, and Twist); backing vocalist Iza Mellino, Stéfane
Mellino's wife; trombonist and vocalist Abraham Sirinix (also known as Abraham
Braham); pianist Jo Roz (also known as l'Ami Ro; real name Joe Ruffier des
Mimes); drummer Gaby and singers Juanita and Nono, who all appeared only on
the group's debut album; percussionist and vocalist Julot (also known as
Julo); drummer Zé Verbalito (also known as Ze Ze); percussionist Ortoli, who
appeared on the Famille Nombreuse album; guitarist and bassist Begs, who joins
the band for live performances; drummer Guenole Biger; trombonist Gwen Badoux,
who played on the Green Bus album; and percussionist Sydney Thiam.
The original nine-member lineup-Helno, Braham, l'Ami Ro, the Mellinos,
Paulus, Canavase, Gaby, and Ochowiak-created the band out of a friendship,
making them a tight-knit unit. In addition, many were new to their
instruments, resulting in unorthodox styles of playing. Underneath Les
Négresses Vertes' dramatic punk-folk sound and energy existed the influences
of blues, mambo, Latin, and various other forms of music, an incredible mix
that immediately struck a chord with French audiences. In 1988, the group
released their first single, the uncharacteristic hardcore punk protest song
"200 Ans D'Hypocrisie."
With their debut, however, Les Négresses Vertes would introduce the sound
that would make them famous. Mlah, released in 1989, introduced flamenco, rai
rhythms, ska-soul horns, and riotous choruses into the mix, but maintained the
same punk attitude as well as an overall warm, very French quality. "We
represent France," Canavase explained to Edwards, "but with our colors." Soon,
the group's popularity spread throughout Great Britain as well. One single,
"Zobi," was named Record of the Week by English Radio 1 daytime DJs, even
though both the song and the album fell just short of the British charts.
In the summer of that year, the group gave their first public performances in
the United Kingdom with a series of sold-out gigs at Ronnie Scott's nightclub
in south London, then played at the world music festival WOMAD. After this,
the group made a bold move by touring in Beirut, Lebanon. With Les Négresses
Vertes' highly entertaining live shows, cultural background, and infectious
music, the group's popularity soared. In 1990, the group contributed the track
"I Love Paris," a song by Cole Porter, to the Red Hot and Blue AIDS benefit
album. This was the only song the group recorded in a language other than
French. Around the same time, Les Négresses Vertes participated in several
antiracism events in France.
In 1991, the band arrived with their second studio album, aptly titled
Famille Nombreuse. For this record, Stéfane Mellino had taken on most of the
songwriting duties; Helno, whose drug habit was increasingly interfering with
his creative abilities, remained unable to write new songs. However, Famille
Nombreuse-and Mellino's songwriting force-proved a huge success in both France
and Britain, with the ska-styled single "Famille Heureuse" again just missing
the United Kingdom charts.
After another round of touring, Helno, attempting to overcome his addiction
to heroin, took a leave from the band and moved home with his parents.
However, on January 22, 1993, he tragically died of an overdose in his own
bed. The remaining members of the Les Négresses Vertes family were hard hit by
the event; four left the group immediately, and those who stayed were left
fearful and fragile, contemplating breaking up the group altogether. "At the
moment when he died, he died so suddenly that we couldn't believe it," Mellino
told Edwards.
Rota's twin brother, Ritter Thierry, continues to perform with Haine Et Ses
Amours. Since Rota's death, guitarist/vocalist Stefane Mellion and
accordionist/vocalist Matthias Canavese, also known as Canavese and Matias,
have assumed his role in the front line of Les Negresses Vertes. A native of
Algeria, Mellion has lived in Paris since the early-1980s. During the six
years before the band was formed, he spent his summers working in his parent
's fishing net business and played with bands in Paris the rest of the year.
The youngest member of Les Negresses Vertes, Canavese inherited much of his
talent from his father, a labourer who became an entertainment promoter at the
age of forty and now directs a circus school. Although he trained as an
acrobat, he was forced to seek other avenues of expression following an
accident. Other members of Les Negresses Vertes include guitarist, bassist and
vocalist, Jean-Marie Paulus, trumpet and tombone player and vocalist Abraham
Sirinix and pianist, guitarist and vocalist Jo Roz.
To the joy of fans, Les Négresses Vertes decided to press on. While
considering their next move, the group released a 1993 stopgap album entitled
10 Remixes 87-93, featuring remixes by the likes of Massive Attack and William
Orbit. The record also included a new version of "200 Ans D'Hypocrisie" in
honor of Helno. Two years later, Les Négresses Vertes released an album of new
material, Zig-Zague, with producer Rupert Hine. A double album of live
recordings, Green Bus, followed in 1996. Both recordings received critical
praise and established Mellino as the undoubted leader and dominant
songwriting force.
In late 1999, Les Négresses Vertes released Trabendo with British producer
Howie B. The set of seductive songs and ultra-contemporary grooves proved once
again that Les Négresses Vertes had maintained their unique edge, continuing
to outshine their younger rivals. In the United Kingdom, bands such as
Trans-Global Underground worked in similar areas, but whereas these British
bands always seemed overstylized or contrived, Les Négresses Vertes
eclecticism and humor always felt effortless. The members' differences, as
well as their deep relationships with one another, have also enabled them to
endure. "They bring with them influences from various parts of the world just
because of their mixed-family backgrounds and the fact that they co-exist in
this huge kind of family spirit," former producer Hind told Edwards. "I mean,
nine members and their respective wives and girl friends and boyfriends, and
they kind of operate as a large group, as a family, or a commune even."
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