blowupdoll

big breaths. yeth and i'm only sixthteen

2012-02-01T19:13:00.004Z

JANE BIRKIN - FRENCH GRAFFITI (1975)
how could i resist not posting this 'unusual' picture of jane b?! it's not every day you see one of your idols about to have her ass syringed! love this song too from 'lolita go home'. my favourite line from it is when she declares 'i want to be fucked by you!' I'm sure i've posted this lots of times before, but who cares - it rules!

and just ask if you don't get the posts title!

go go crazy

2012-01-29T13:50:00.000Z

great tune, groovy go-go. beautiful michelle mercier sings 'six-huit'

that hardy girl - saturday

2012-01-28T12:09:00.000Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - COMME
hope you've enjoyed the recent fh posts - perhaps discovering a new song or two whilst marvelling at the stunning pictures of her.

that hardy girl - friday

2012-01-27T09:05:00.002Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - IL N'Y A PAS D'AMOUR HEUREUX
oh, so sad,

electronic doll

2012-01-26T15:33:00.003Z

JO LEMAIRE + FLOUZE - JE SUIS VENUE TE DIRE QUE JE M'EN VAIS
brilliant 1981 version of the serge classic. hailing from belgium, jo recorded this electronic cover that would made elli et jacno jealous!

that hardy girl - wednesday

2012-01-25T19:00:00.003Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - AU FIL DES NUITS ET DES JOURNEES
to put it simply: fucking great.

driving miss marianne

2012-01-24T13:58:00.002Z

watch this great clip of serge and marianne - watch out for bambou too. watch serge as he tells bambou he wants to fuck marianne, watch him chauffeur marianne as she makes her video for 'sweetheart', see her gulp down a can of beer - (listen out for serges comment here). but nothing can out do marianne informing serge as he flirts that she is 'not brigitte bardot!'. he looks like he is about to die and she looks like a spaced out prostitute! watch this - fifteen minutes well spent!

that hardy girl - monday

2012-01-23T18:57:00.002Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - DIE ROTEN RUSSENSTIEFEL
she sang in german (but don't hold that against her!) - she makes it sound like a lovely language - surely a gift in itself!

that hardy girl - sunday

2012-01-22T18:55:00.000Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - MON AMIE LA ROSE
i love this song so much. defo one of my francoise faves

no nudes is good nudes

2012-01-22T14:07:00.004Z

want to see some of your favourite dolls posing for the french equivalent to playboy?
check out dani, corynne charby, bambou, amanda lear and lio here!
see stone(!!!!!), more dani, valerie legrange and joelle here
also here are some amazing pictures of grace jones in playboy.

that hardy girl - saturday

2012-01-21T18:50:00.000Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - POURTANT TI M'AIMES
this is a cover version of 'i still love him' by the joys (who?!).

that hardy girl - friday

2012-01-20T18:47:00.003Z

FRANCOISE HARDY - JE CHANGERAIS D'AVIS
time to get back to blowupdolls roots - a week of francoise. yay!

blown away

2012-01-19T13:44:00.000Z

oh stella. you are ace!

danse yourself dizzy

2012-01-17T10:43:00.001Z

great song, slightly awkward yet wonderful dancing. enjoy!

made in china 5

2012-01-15T13:42:00.001Z

BAMBOU - LULU (1986)
this ode to her and serges son lucien (lulu) wasn't on her 'made in china' album and actually gives a better idea of where her music might have gone next. a much better song, with better production and much better male vocals!- clearly sounding more gainsbourgy. the b-side 'shanghai' is also not available on her album -you can hear it below - but does anyone have an mp3 of it (or can anyone rip it for me?!)

hope you've enjoyed these bambou days!

made in china 4

2012-01-14T13:35:00.000Z

BAMBOU & MARC LAVOINE - DIS MOI QUE L'AMOUR
another duet from 2003 (obviously that's serge in the picture not marc!)

made in china 3

2012-01-13T13:21:00.002Z

BAMBOU - NUITS DE CHINE
born caroline von paulus - you can tell by this great photo that she was quite a party girl!

and here is an updated version taken from marc lavoines 'les duos de marc' album - he seems to like her as he recorded another song with her (coming tomorrow)
BAMBOU & MARC LAVOINE - NUITS DE CHINE 07

the video:

made in china 2

2012-01-12T13:18:00.000Z

BAMBOU - J'AI PLEURE LA YANG TSE
i really like this one - a repetitive breathy doll voice - what more do you need?

made in china

2012-01-11T13:05:00.004Z

BAMBOU - MADE IN CHINA
we all know that serge had the magic touch when it came to writing for women. but something didn't work out when he wrote an album for his wife bambou (named because she smoked opium a lot) - it was a total flop.
think charlottes wonderful charlotte for ever album mixed with grace jones inside story album - see! that doesn't sound too bad does it?! bambous voice is good enough - again it's reminiscent of charlotte or isabelle adjani. what lets this album down the most is the cheap production and god awful male voice that keeps cropping up - sometimes singing with bambou, sometimes just singing hideous back up.
anyway, the album is bloody hard to get hold of, so for the next few days i hope to bring bambou to a new audience who can give her appreciation she deserves.

new wave dalida

2012-01-09T19:32:00.001Z

who knew that after the death of disco and on the cusp of new wave dalida made such a fantastic song? (from 1min onwards)

my favourite waste of time

2012-01-07T19:41:00.001Z

mr nonosse has the best youtube channel! chantal kelly i love you!

cat power - saturday

2012-01-07T13:31:00.003Z

CATERINA CASELLI - RE DI CUORI
and upbeat song to finish the caterina posts - i hope it's encouraged you to look out for more of her - see a few more great tracks here, here and here!

cat power - friday

2012-01-06T13:27:00.002Z

CATERINA CASELLI - IL GIOCO DELL'AMORE
kicking drums, great strings and the drama of her voice make this an excellent tune

cat power - thursday

2012-01-05T13:18:00.002Z

CATERINA CASELLI - NINNA NANNA
she entered into various singing contests throughout her career - this one is her entry for the san remo contest 1971.
watch it here:

cat power - wednesday

2012-01-04T13:14:00.002Z

CATERINA CASELLI - NESSUNO MI PUO' GIUDICARE
this is the song that helped to really establish caterina as a star - enabling her to make films (not always great but the songs are good) and to make more fantastic records.

cat power - tuesday

2012-01-03T13:09:00.002Z

CATERINA CASELLI - IL VOLTO DELLA VITA
she must be really good to take me away from my french singing dolls! she is my favourite italian singer - if you are not familiar with her, give the next few posts a try and allow yourself the pleasure of caterina. this song is a masterful cover of 'the days of pearly spencer'.

perfection

2012-01-02T08:40:00.000Z

possibly my favourite france gall song ever. just perfect

cilla nero

2012-01-01T13:42:00.000Z

CILLA BLACK - M'INNAMORO
welcome in 2012 with this great version of 'step inside love' sent to me by guido.

my essential music of 2011...

2011-12-27T13:36:00.004Z

below you will find my list of albums of the year, including some clips to give you a feel for the artist. what are your thoughts? what were your albums of the year?

enjoy!

happy new year everyone and thanks for all your support this year.

more to come in 2012...

l - initale
wow, what an album. i have loved this so much this year. melancholy without being depressing, laid back without being dull, smooth but with an edge.
update: there is now a deluxe edition of the album with 5 extra songs!

2011-12-27T13:35:00.001Z

melanie laurent - en t'attendant
a surprisingly good album - even the english language songs work. this is a live version of my favourite song from the album

2011-12-27T13:34:00.000Z

icona pop - nights like this e.p.
i have a soft spot for swedish pop anyway but this takes it to another level. it sounds a bit like if the knife had edged slightly more towards pop. also, this isn't manufactured - it's the real deal.

2011-12-27T13:33:00.000Z

alex beaupain - pourqoui battait mon coeur
i think he is one of the best songwriters in france at the moment. (he even has a second entry on my list this year!)

2011-12-27T13:32:00.000Z

charlotte gainsbourg - stage whisper
an album of songs left over from 5.55 and i.r.m. yet it sounds like a legitimate album in its own right. the music ranges from angry electronica to whispery beautiful ballads. plus it has the added bonus of a live album too. marvy!

2011-12-27T13:31:00.000Z

john grant - queen of denmark
honest, angry, heartfelt, beautiful. influences of the 70s singer songwriters shine through on his amazing album.

2011-12-27T13:30:00.000Z

yelle - safari disco club
some proper french pop. bloody brilliant!

2011-12-27T13:29:00.000Z

christophe willem - prismophonic
i'm surprised he's on the list too! but i just grew to really enjoy this album. it's poppy and dancey and how could he go wrong when he had help from top pop peoples like richard x, karen poole, hannah robinson, isabel guzman and even kylie.

2011-12-27T13:28:00.000Z

lady gaga - born this way
what can i say? i love this woman. watch this incredible live performance of gaga on taratata singing hair; it made me cry! plus watch from 07.45 where she sings an impromptu version in french.

2011-12-27T13:27:00.001Z

les bien-aimes - soundtrack (written by alex beaupain)
here is alexs second entry. i haven't even seen the film yet but if this album is anything to go by then it's bound to be pretty good. sung by denueve, sagnier and mastroianni, it makes for great doll vocals with an eclectic style of songs.

2011-12-27T13:26:00.000Z

medina - for altid
i don't know what it is that prevents medina from being just another euro pop/dance nobody. she is the danish lady gaga! i loved her english language album and this new danish album is ace too.

...honourable mentions go to

2011-12-27T13:25:00.000Z

the saturdays - on your radar - for channelling the sounds of medina and september and for creating what should have been the girls aloud comeback song 'all fired up' (watch here)
beth ditto - e.p. - just for being amazing - next time more than an e.p. please! watch beth justify her love here
nicola roberts - cinderellas eyes - for keeping the energy of girls loud alive and for bearing her soul. kudos nicola! watch her amazing performance of 'i' here
florrie - experiments - more great pop, again keeping the girls aloud vibe alive (anyone think i miss girls aloud?!). watch her experiment with rugs here
britney - femme fatale - for adding a more clubby dance orientated feel to her music. i went to see her on tour a few months ago - she put no energy into her performance, she was lazy, occasionally looked a bit lost and mimed a lot. yet i still managed to enjoy it! watch her go here
vanbot - vanbot - if you didn't know any different you would think these were robyn cast offs - which is not bad thing at all! watch here

happy crimbo

2011-12-23T01:35:00.000Z

happy christmas everyone!

retro to go

2011-12-21T11:51:00.004Z

THE POSTMARKS - NO-ONE SAID THIS WOULD BE EASY
many artists try to bring a retro vibe to their songs - most of the time they fail and it ends up sounding kitsch or just like a bad copy. so when a band like the postmarks get it right, they do it in style. i still adore this song, it's cinematic, full of emotion, 60's sounding and made with a genuineness that's not present on most other 'modern retro' music.

bardot a go go

2011-12-20T22:08:00.000Z

MONIQUE THUBERT - AVES LES OREILLES
she might not look like a sexy party girl but she sure sounds like one. imagine bardot partying hard and you've got monique!

lilo lil

2011-12-19T13:41:00.001Z

not the best song- but absolutely wonderful to see christine delaroche on a lilo!

delaroche doll

2011-12-17T12:05:00.000Z

CHRISTINE DELAROCHE - UNE FLEUR
she is up there in my top ten of dolls - this is a great example of her marvyness

mysterious girls

2011-12-16T18:02:00.000Z

HOLLYWOOD JILLS - HE MAKES ME SO MAD
"telling the gang i swim raw...well don't you?!" love this, full of sass and attitude.

with love from f.g.

2011-12-15T10:06:00.000Z

a perfect christmassy treat

triple threat

2011-12-14T16:59:00.002Z

THE KANE TRIPLETS - THEME FROM MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
this makes me smile so much with their very loud dramatic harmonies. a classic.

off with her head

2011-12-13T11:56:00.000Z

ANTOINETTE - JENNY LET HIM GO
i can never get enough of this track - all i need is for the unreleased orchids version to surface and all my dreams will come true!

double o heaven

2011-12-12T15:52:00.002Z

NANCY SINATRA - LAST OF THE SECRET AGENTS
with the same vibe as 'these boots...' this is taken from the '66 film of the same name featuring nancy.

doll duo

2011-12-11T11:50:00.001Z

WENDY AND BONNIE - YOU KEEP HANGING UP ON MY MIND
harmonies of the mamas and papas with a psychedelic flavour make this a groovy trip

more french grooves

2011-12-10T11:46:00.001Z

ELISABETH - JE SUIS SUBLIME
i'm back finally - sorry about the long wait. the next lot of posts will just be totally random - anything doll that brings a smile to my face and hopefully to yours.

lady in leather

2011-12-09T13:38:00.000Z

one word: sofuckingcool

stop thief!

2011-11-26T13:47:00.003Z

CHARLOTTE WALTERS - ANGEL OF SIN

friend of blowupdoll, matthew bright discovered these amazing tracks on holy warbles - he couldn't have been more correct in his assumption that i would like them too. i LOVE them! hippy, trippy, psyche french marvyness!

CHARLOTTE WALTERS - FLEURS DE PAVOT BLEUS

anyone know anything more about this brand new doll?

gay times

2011-11-19T13:32:00.000Z

i posted this song some time ago but i have never seen a clip of gaynael until now. enjoy.

new gillian

2011-11-09T13:28:00.000Z

wooooooooooooooooooooooooow! more new gillian!

gotta move

2011-11-05T11:15:00.001Z

VAL MCKENNA - HOUSE FOR SALE
love this song from the the mysterious val. i am posting this as i have just uprooted and moved house so i may be absent for a few weeks with my posts while i sort my house out. val sings she is going to fill her house with lots of 'loverly things such a love'. i hope to do that too whilst also filling it with bardot posters, kitsch bunnies, twiggy doll heads and fawn lamps.
hopefully i won't be absent for too long.....see you all soon :)

zouzou

2011-11-03T11:10:00.000Z

ZOUZOU - NE CHERCHE PAS (alternative mix)
ok ok, one more zouzou song! this sounds more like the demo or first version of this song. it still sounds great though

70's fg

2011-11-01T11:05:00.000Z

FRANCE GALL - L'ETE 1971
a wonderfully upbeat and summery track to combat those dark wintery evenings that are coming

donovan and doll

2011-10-30T11:00:00.001Z

DONOVAN ET ZOUZOU - CHERCHEZ L'ERREUR
finally, a duet for two 60's icons. recorded a few years ago.

70's fg

2011-10-28T10:53:00.001+01:00

FRANCE GALL - L'AMOUR BOITEUX
from 1971

zouzou

2011-10-26T10:44:00.000+01:00

ZOUZOU - DEMAIN
i hope you've enjoyed the past few zouzou tracks. if you're still missing any from your collection - let me know.

donovan dolls

2011-10-24T10:37:00.000+01:00

CLAUDINE LONGET - COLOURS
if you didn't already know - I LOVE CLAUDINE LONGET! check out loveclaudine
her voice is fantastic - sweet, fragile, french (or fwench!) and it works so well on this donovan song.

donovan dolls

2011-10-23T10:30:00.000+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - SUNNY GOODGE STREET
marianne could probably make a donovan covers compilation album she recorded so many of his songs!

70's fg

2011-10-21T10:26:00.002+01:00

FRANCE GALL - LE LACHE 1973
just marvy!

jeanette in english 2

2011-10-20T19:25:00.000+01:00

JEANETTE - SOCIETY GIRL
hope this is the one you were looking for!

same song diff donovan dolls

2011-10-19T10:19:00.000+01:00

this post mixes up a few requsted themes!: zouzou, same song different dolls & donovan dolls!

so here is marianne faithfulls version of donovans young girl blues
and here is zouzous version; ce samedi soir.

which one is your favourite?

zouzou

2011-10-17T10:16:00.001+01:00

ZOUZOU - PETIT GARCON
taken from her 1967 e.p.

french mf

2011-10-15T10:12:00.002+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - NUITS D'ETE (summer nights)
darby requested this - and what a top choice. not only is it one of mariannes best songs - now it's also in french; perfect!

jeanette in english

2011-10-14T10:09:00.000+01:00

PIC-NIC - SAN FRANCISCO BAY BLUES
an early jeanette track from her pic-nic days. it really captures the mamas and papas vibe really well. enjoy! requested by bombong

donovan dolls

2011-10-12T10:04:00.000+01:00

CHER - CATCH THE WIND
mylene mcsnapper suggested dolls singing donovan (an idea i have toyed with before) and it has spurred me to finally get down it. don't think 'oh no! it's cher!' - because you may be surprised as some of her recordings from the 60's are fantastic.

zouzou

2011-10-10T09:57:00.001+01:00

ZOUZOU - J'AVAIS REVE
i'm going to post some of the less obvious 60's zouzou tracks - requested by anon.

70's fg

2011-10-09T09:49:00.003+01:00

FRANCE GALL - CHASSE NEIGE 1971
thanks to everyone for all your suggestions - i have taken them on board and will mix up all your requests over the coming weeks. first up, is serge964s suggestion of 70's france gall. i'm always happy to obilge!

mordi loves pussy

2011-10-05T17:04:00.000+01:00

it's great to see this new clip. having only seen the marvy pussycat with short dark hair before, this is quite a change. i've got to say i prefer my pussies dark haired.

it's gillian!

2011-10-03T17:01:00.000+01:00

do i even need to say anything?!

teen charlotte

2011-10-02T20:08:00.003+01:00

(one of my all time favourite songs) i've never seen this clip before - it's not the official video where she wanders around a golf course, instead she's up a river and on stage in denim shorts! marvy.

claudine help

2011-10-02T13:12:00.004+01:00

if you pop over to my other blog loveclaudine, you can listen to john denver interview claudine longet and sing a fantastic duet of 'for bobbie (for baby)'. could someone please rip a copy of the song? i'd be very grateful! - please email it to me!

update: THANK YOU for the mp3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a q from m

2011-10-01T17:20:00.001+01:00

does anyone have any song requests or theme ideas for any upcoming posts?
mordi x

amazing clip!

2011-10-01T16:55:00.002+01:00

ohmygod! it's cleo singing 'les fauves' - super rare!
ready steady girls is an amazingly informative website about all things doll and his old tv clip collection is getting better by the day. check out more at his website or youtube channel

aux oreilles de marianne 7

2011-09-25T14:51:00.002+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - REASON TO BELIEVE
i love this. i know lots of other artists have recorded this but mariannes wins hands down.
hope you enjoyed the marianne pics (sourced by me from mademoiselle age tendre avril 66)

aux oreilles de marianne 6

2011-09-23T14:47:00.002+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - BELLS OF FREEDOM
a typical early sounding marianne song - folksy with her unmistakeable wibbly angelic voice!

aux oreilles de marianne 5

2011-09-22T14:45:00.000+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - PARIS BELLS - LIVE
she sounds great live doesn't she? perfection.
recorded in 65

aux oreilles de marianne 4

2011-09-20T23:40:00.000+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - SOMETHING BETTER
this was recorded for the rolling stones rock and roll circus concert film but it ended up on the cutting room floor. thankfully, years later it's been found and restored - see below:

aux oreilles de marianne 3

2011-09-19T22:34:00.001+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - SISTER MORPHINE
a great song with a troubled history; the record label didn't like it; (it's quite a move away from her early ethereal, folky tunes), it got cast aside then rerecorded by the rolling stones. not until after a legal battle did marianne finally get her well deserved writing credit on it with jagger and richards.

aux oreilles de marianne 2

2011-09-18T14:32:00.000+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - DON'T MAKE PROMISES
taken from the great album 'love in a mist'

aux oreilles de marianne

2011-09-17T14:25:00.003+01:00

MARIANNE FAITHFULL - SUMMER NIGHTS - LIVE + INTERVIEW
the pictures are from april 66 - very mod.
the amazing recording of marianne singing live is from july 65. listen to how very well spoken and innocent she sounds back then.

we march on

2011-09-15T10:04:00.000+01:00

another new clip to me: france gall 'mon p'tit soldat'

merci serge

2011-09-13T12:33:00.000+01:00

a massive thank you to serge who got me copy of the magazine (below) with the charlotte gainsbourg dvd. he requested a song by marjorie noel - a name i was unfamiliar with. she had a brief singing career in the 60's, representing monaco in the eurovision song contest in 65. the song i have posted is 'the secret of my heart' - a cute little song which is made even better by the fact she has sung it in japanese!

loose lips

2011-09-12T09:49:00.000+01:00

just like in 'anna' - she still doesn't know the words! (and still looks pretty wasted!). this clip is from dents de lait, dents de loup 1967.

wow!

2011-09-10T09:43:00.003+01:00

AMAZING! jacqueline taieb MOVING! i have never seen her perform before so this is a real treat! Enjoy 'fac de lettres'

v.p. classic

2011-09-09T12:15:00.000+01:00

very cool 90's video, gainsbourg lyrics, gappy tooth french icon - marvy!

romy romy

2011-09-07T11:54:00.000+01:00

another song that i absolutely love

rebel rebel

2011-09-06T11:40:00.000+01:00

what's not to like? this is perfection!

hot threesome

2011-09-04T11:18:00.001+01:00

if only cass, joni and mary had recorded a whole album together - it would have been amazing.

grey, fucked and fabulous

2011-09-02T18:42:00.002+01:00

just caught this on tv last night - a documentary from 1980 about the infamous chelsea hotel featuring nico singing chelsea girls in the actual hotel! amazing.

the documentary also features the brilliant viva superstar and her daughter watching a film of when she was born!!! unfortunately that's not on youtube :(

mordis angel

2011-08-25T14:28:00.003+01:00

get over to filles sourires NOW to see charlotte gainsbourgs new video. she is one of the coolest women on the earth.

also - is anyone living in france? can anyone get this for me? it has a charlotte dvd with it and I NEED IT! get in touch if you think you can help - i'll pay you via paypal. please!

from tomoko with love

2011-08-25T14:14:00.003+01:00

amazing news! after hearing that tomoko had moved on to focus solely on tommy heavenly6, it's great to hear that she is back as tommy february6 in the studio recording a new album! i cannot wait!

dreams can come true

2011-08-15T13:40:00.002+01:00

one of my most favourite films ever, ever, ever is 'les chansons d'amour' written and directed by christophe honoré with songs written by alex beaupain. thanks to the amazing filles sourires i have found out christophe and alex have worked together again on the forthcoming 'les bien-aimés. to say i am excited is an understatement. check out this clip from the film of catherine deneuve and chiara mastroiani

new pics - chantal goya

2011-08-13T22:25:00.000+01:00

CHANTAL GOYA - LA FLAMME ET LE FEU

more hair do's and hair don'ts from miss goya.

margo speaks

2011-08-11T23:19:00.000+01:00

go here to listen to the ultra marvellous margo guryan talking about her career - it's just a shame the interviewer is such a twat!