by Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey recorded his interpretations of Serge Gainsbourg tracks across two albums, Intoxicated Man and Pink Elephants, in 1995 and 1997 respectively. They have both been packaged together and re-issued through Mute Records this year. It’s great to see both of these albums together and back in print, as both albums are a credit to Mick. Anita Lane collaborates on many tracks and sings beautifully, a highlight for me been the single Harley Davidson. The string section led by Bertrand Bugalat is excellent and certainly adds to the overall noir feel of the music.
What Mick does with these two albums is to produce his own interpretations of the original songs, rather than simply copying them and that is a great reflection of the ability of an artist. Recreating Serge’s songs in English gives the listener a chance to actually appreciate how great a songwriter he was. As Mick said, “Translating a great writer is like walking through a minefield”, but with both albums not only has Mick safely made it to the other side, but he’s done it with both style and grace!
by Michael Mullholland - Junkyard
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