Absinthe, also known as Absinthe – The French Album, is the eighth studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Some Bizzare in October 1993.
| Absinthe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 and 1990 | |||
| Studio | Milo Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Art pop | |||
| Length | 43:49 | |||
| Label | Some Bizzare | |||
| Producer | Charles Gray, Marc Almond, Martin Watkins | |||
| Marc Almond chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editAccording to the writer and poet Jeremy Reed in his biography of Almond, The Last Star, "Almond largely at his own expense worked on the songs between 1986 and 1989 at Milo Studios".[1]
The album is considered the companion piece to Jacques and in a similar vein contains cover versions of French songs that have been had their lyrics translated into English by Paul Buck.[2] The album contains liner notes by Buck explaining the origins of the songs and the reasons for their inclusion.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| NME | 7/10[5] |
Absinthe received generally favourable reviews from critics. Ned Raggett states in his AllMusic review that Absinthe is "In the end, more of a curiosity than Jacques, but an enjoyable one."[3]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Undress Me (Déshabillez-moi)" | Robert Nyel, Gaby Velor, Paul Buck | Juliette Gréco | 3:30 |
| 2. | "Abel And Cain (Abel et Cain)" | Charles Baudelaire, Léo Ferré, Buck | Charles Baudelaire (from a poem) | 2:29 |
| 3. | "Lost Paradise (Le Paradis perdu)" | Nyel, Georges Garvarentz, Buck | Lucienne Delyle | 3:25 |
| 4. | "Secret Child (L'Enfant secret)" | Juliette Gréco, Gérard Jouannest, Buck | Juliette Gréco | 5:16 |
| 5. | "Rue des Blancs-Manteaux" | Jean-Paul Sartre, Joseph Kosma, Buck | Juliette Gréco | 1:29 |
| 6. | "The Slave (L'Esclave)" | Serge Lama, Yves Gilbert | Serge Lama | 3:34 |
| 7. | "Remorse Of The Dead (Remords posthume)" | Baudelaire, Ferré, Buck | Charles Baudelaire (from a poem) | 1:55 |
| 8. | "Incestuous Love (Amours incestueuses)" | Monique Andrée Serf, Buck | Barbara | 6:17 |
| 9. | "A Man (Un homme)" | Nyel, Garvarentz, Buck | Robert Nyel | 2:33 |
| 10. | "My Little Lovers (Mes petites amoureuses)" | Arthur Rimbaud, Billy McGee, Buck | Arthur Rimbaud (From a poem) | 7:10 |
| 11. | "In Your Bed (Dans ton lit)" | Guy Bontempelli | Juliette Gréco | 2:55 |
| 12. | "Yesterday When I Was Young (Hier encore)" | Charles Aznavour, Herbert Ketzmer | Charles Aznavour | 3:16 |
Personnel
edit- Martin Watkins – Piano
- Annie Hogan – Piano
- Martin McCarrick – Cello, Accordion and Piano
- Steven Humphreys – Drums and Percussion
- Audrey Riley – Cello
- Bill McGee – Double Bass
- Enrico Tomasso – Trumpet
- Nigel Thomas – Trombone
- John de Aquiar – Guitar and programming
- Charles Gray – Guitar
- Jacquezs Quezin – Violin
- Gini Ball – Violin
- Hirt Aust – Drums
- Michel Grunberger – Brass
- Joel Mahaut – Brass
- Guy Carpentier – Accordion
- Charles Gray – Production
- Martin Watkins – Mixing
- Paul Buck – all translations
- Marc Almond – Production and arrangements
- Barnard Natier – Engineering
References
edit- ^ Reed, Jeremy (1995). Marc Almond - The Last Star. Creation Books. p. 111. ISBN 978-1840680065.
- ^ "Prolific career of singer Almond". BBC. 18 October 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Absinthe - The French Album at Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (27 November 1993). "Long Play". New Musical Express. p. 33.