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Histoire de Melody Nelson | 
 enlarge | Artist: Serge Gainsbourg
Label: Mercury Import
Category: Music
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $10.68
You Save: $9.30 (47%)
New (26) Used (10) from $10.68
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 36918
Format: Import, Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 548429
UPC: 738476045125
EAN: 0731454842921
ASIN: B000051YEG
Release Date: February 22, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new. Shipped from the UK by Airmail direct to 5 airports in the United States. Delivery takes approximately 5 working days from posting - we're frequently faster than a lot of US based sellers.
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| Tracks:
| • | Melody | | • | Ballade de Melody Nelson | | • | Valse de Melody | | • | Ah! Melody - Serge Gainsbourg, Vannier, Jean Claud | | • | L' Hotel Particulier | | • | En Melody | | • | Cargo Culte |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
1998 reissue on Mercury of his 1971 album for the label thathas a strong Velvet Underground feel to it throughout. A 20bit digital remaster, it features the original cover art &all seven of the original tracks. Digipak. 1998 Mercuryrelease.
Album Details
Originally released in 1971, this selection features tracks with Jane Birkin.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
10 Most Dangerous Albums of All Time (Entry Five) November 11, 2008
Serge Gainsbourg never restrained his sexuality; his sensuality bordered on incestuous and taboo. Not surprising for a man that, on national television, told Whitney Houston he wanted to "f--k her."
What is surprising, however, is that he created an album sparking with sensuality that is both subdued and tittilating.
Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson
Inspired by his encounter with then barely-legal Jane Birkin (who would go on to become his wife), the Frenchman set to create a pseudo-autobiographical album detailing this romance. What Gainsbourg created was a concept album drawing from 18th century classical suites, early funk, and spoken-word lounge, a seemingly mountainous endeavor of varying musical stylings beautifully mended to create a sensational album.
The lyrics, sung in French, added another layer to the recordings.
The words sung, and often times spoken, on Histoire de Melody Nelson enhanced the mood with their shimmering poetic qualities. The words of Gainsbourg rival anything penned by the sensualists Anais Nin or D.H. Lawrence. It is poetry as narrative, deeply profound and always sensual.
In its entirety, the album is a landscape of unbridled lust and its inevitable consummation, perfectly evoked in song and word. It is aural pleasure bordering on dangerous debauchery, which, be it in song or real life, only Gainsbourg knew how to restrain so well by doing nothing of the sort
Gravel sans velvet February 2, 2007
I love this guy... a story teller, a poet, a singer. Get Melody Nelson. And check out his talented daughter's (Charlotte Gainsbourg) work in film (Science of Sleep; Jane Eyre) and on disc (5:55).
Get in Your Car and Drive November 2, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Melody Nelson didn't do it for me right away. I kept at it though and now I can't get away. This album has a way of creeping into your existence and taking it over. I live in New York City so i don't have a car but for all of you that do, buy this album, get into it, and drive. Melody Nelson was made for late night drives. If you like this right away, good for you, if you don't then keep listening.
UPDATE:
Since I wrote the above I have been entrapped by this album. I cannot get away from it. This is one of the greatest albums ever. You haven't heard music fully until you've experienced this. I don't know anything like it and I don't think I ever will. Wow. The eerie slow play between the bass, drums, and guitar. The meandering talking of Serge as he leads you through this strange 28 minutes of love and lust. The strings and chorus. Oh the strings and chorus! Ahahahaha! Sweet infinity! I can see this being the album that takes over me life and leaves me for ruin. If you don't have this album, I'm sorry. If you have this album, I'm sorry.
Why did it take so long for me to hear about this? What's wrong with the world?
Elaborate Eurotrash - best when not translated so as not to offend the bluenoses October 11, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The recent Ballad of Congressman Mark Foley initiated these comments.
Serge, jaded and driving his Silver Ghost Rolls Royce, with its "Venus of Money of 1910 posed on the radiator," swerves off the road to find a "white skirt tied onto black pants" calling herself "Melody Nelson" with natural red curls. Evidently Serge wants an English trophy to go along with his fancy English machine! Her age? "Quatorze automnes - Et quinze etes - Un petit animal."
Best not translated. Anyway, this stuff wouldn't pass muster in the USA today.
I give "Melody Nelson" five stars for the beauty of its orchestral arrangements. Serge really knew how to get the groove out of his session musicians!! Check out "Requiem por un con" for further grooviness. Unfortunately this record is only 32 minutes long.
Guaranteed to Make you at Least 25% Sleazier.... September 8, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Serge Gainsbourg, will (in most peoples eyes), be the dirty little Frenchman, that seduced English rose "Jane Birkin", and mostly recorded his sleazy endeavour on the "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus" track. But dig past those initial reservations, and you'll find that he was a composer of some seriously good Cabaret / French Pop / White-funk / Jazz-Pop / Baroque-pop, and although his music reminded something of a cult concern, his music generally deserved a much wider audience. And with this album (considered to be his strongest album), he somehow nailed a consistency throughout the record, that his other records, weren't quite able to match. (admittedly it only contains 7 tracks), but contained here, are some of Serge's strongest compositions. For further evidence of this, investigate the staggeringly beautiful 7 minutes that make up "Melody", a track that brings together sharp string sections, coupled with tightly rhythmic guitar, and a decidedly carefree (almost organically French) sound, that is more the music to a wonderfully moody Cinematic film, than anything to do with flimsy euro-pop, and such is the brilliance of this track, that "David Holmes" would go on to cover this track, for his "Lets Get Killed" album (The track is renamed "Don't die Just yet"), which is a virtual replica of Serge's version (save for small snatches of drum beats added to the mix, and a slightly more prominent string arrangement). And almost as if to prove that this was no one off idea, he brings out the seriously funk-driven groove of "En Melody", a track that seemingly has Serge comprising a track that is unquestionably acomplished stab at white-funk, and it's a staggeringly brilliant effort, that if it wasn't for the cheeky passionate organism sounds peppered through the latter half of the album, most people would have been perfectly within reason to think that this was the work of some obscure, incredibly talented black, funk band. And the remaining tracks "Ballade de Melody Nelson", "Valse de Melody", "Ah! Melody", "L' Hotel Paticulier" & "Cargo Culte" all flit between a sublime blend of kitsch and gimmick-esque tunes, yet remain outrageously brilliant, intoxicating amalgams of jazz and pop styles, that not only tackle bohemian jazz to rock and even synth funk with a style and eccentric wit, that become a calling card of Serge's music, and possibly one of the biggest reasons for his appeal.
This album is arguably the most consistent and cohesive of Serge's albums, and although running at a fairly brief 27 minutes, it's a fascinating record, one that is by turns funky, humorous, Hedonistic and Sensual, and has a such a tongue in cheek, carefree swagger about it, that you can't fail by be impressed by the sheer audacity of it all. Those that had (like me) only really know Serge's work via his hit single "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus", would do well to give this a whirl. It really highlights how overlooked his work really was, and that most people initially had him pegged as a dirty old Frenchman, who got lucky with a saucy single. It's shamelessly overblown, impossibly cheeky, beautifully arranged, and impeccably performed...and most importantly it's a lot of fun to listen to. Those buyers looking for the hits (or the nearest his songs became to be popular), would be well advised seeking out one of the many compilations bearing his name, but those that are interested in hearing what the pinnacle of his work sounded like, simply must check out this funky little gem. Recommended!!!
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