This 20-track collection from PolyGram compiles every one of Jacques Brel's most popular songs, all in their most famous versions. From his first hit "Quand On N'a Que l'Amour" to early peaks like "La Valse à Mille Temps," "Les Vieux," and "Mathilde," Quinze Ans d'Amour picks the best of his early material, with only one song recorded after 1968.© John Bush /TiVo

As of the fall of 2004, the only significant Jacques Brel title in print in the U.S. was Verve Records' 16-track 1988 compilation Master Serie (although, of course, many imports were available to Americans through mail order). That suggested the time was right to bring out a new collection, and DRG has licensed the 40-track, two-CD 2003 Universal International album Infiniment ("Infinitely") for domestic release. In France, and among Brel aficionados, it is the subject of some controversy because of the inclusion of five previously unreleased songs -- "La Cathédrale (The Cathedral)," "L'Amour Est Mort (Love Is Dead)," "Mai 40 (May 1940)," "Avec Élégance (With Elegance)," and "Sans Exigences (Without Emergencies)." The five were recorded at the sessions for Brel's final album, Brel, in September/October 1977, but not included on it. Eddie Barclayof Barclay Records was once quoted as saying of them, "Jacques didn't want them to come out and so they won't be released." Yet, here they are, with an ambiguous disclaimer by Brel's musical collaborators François Rauber and Gérard Jouannest: "The following titles ('With Elegance,' 'Without Emergencies,' & 'Love Is Dead') are unfinished songs which Jacques Brel and we, ourselves, would like to do over. The reason for which has not been divulged." It may be that they mention only those three of the five tracks because the musical backing for them is particularly sparse, usually only a keyboard instrument or two far in the background. For the average American listener who knows Brel from "If You Go Away," "Seasons in the Sun," and the musical revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, however, the effect of the inclusion of the unreleased songs may have more to do with sequencing than content. The new material is right up front on the first disc, just after Brel's version of "La Quête (The Quest)" (aka "The Impossible Dream" from Man of la Mancha), and the effect is to reverse the usual running order of a compilation, beginning with the artist's later material, when his singing is deeper and more mannered, rather than his earlier recordings. Also, it means that an American won't hear a familiar melody until the 12th track of CD one when "Quand On N'A Que L'Amour" (translated here as "When We Have Only Love," but more commonly known as "If We Only Have Love"), one of Brel's biggest hits, begins. After that, as Thelma Blitz's liner notes put it, the rest of CD one and all of CD two "are a crème de la crème 'best of' covering the span of his career." DRG has helpfully provided literal translations of the French lyrics, which non-French-speaking Americans familiar only with the Rod McKuen and Mort Shuman/Eric Blau adaptations will find illuminating, since they demonstrate that those English lyrics range from accurate equivalents of Brel's meaning to fairly broad revisions. Of course, Brel's own interpretations of his songs remain definitive, and in these sonically improved recordings he comes across with all his dramatic, compelling power intact.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

En Public is a live record by notorious French rock band Noir Désir. It was the first release by the band after Noir Désir's frontman, Bertrand Cantat, was incarcerated for four years after he drunkenly beat up his actress/girlfriend Marie Trentingnan, who died following the incident. The material for En Public was recorded several years before the release, when the band toured in support of its Des Visages des Figures album, released in 2001. The live album went straight to number one in France.© Sergey Mesenov /TiVo

With Le Cimetière des Arlequins, Ange got noticed in France (their home country), in the European progressive rock circles, and in Quebec. Not that this LP is particularly stronger than their debut Caricatures, but it's lead track, a completely rewritten and very theatrical rendition of Jacques Brel's "Ces Gens-Là," brought them immediate attention. Christian Decamps' exaggerated pronunciation and theatrical characterizations, backed by Francis Decamps' extended use of the Mellotron and a strong rhythm section, lifted the band to prog rock stardom, even though artistically speaking, Ange would record better albums in the few years to come. Poor sound quality and questionable artistic decisions wore down the strength of the songs. The very rocky number "Aujourd'hui C'est la Fête Chez L'Apprenti Sorcier" ("Today There's a Party at the Sorcerer's Apprentice's") doesn't sound crisp enough to deliver its full demented energy. The beautifully pompous ballad "De Temps en Temps" ("From Time to Time") ends on an horrible sped-up-tape effect that destroys the mood. Still, Le Cimetière des Arlequins contains some great moments: the aforementioned "Ces Gens-Là" and "Aujourd'hui C'est la Fête Chez L'Apprenti Sorcier" (one of their rockiest, most energized numbers, foretelling Au-Delà du Délire's "Les Longues Nuits D'Isaac"), the folk ballad "La Route Aux Cyprès" ("The Cypress Road"), and the title track, although this one is a little bit overstretched. In short, at the time of Le Cimetière des Arlequins the band was getting stronger, but lacked good means of recording and better artistic direction. It would come very shortly -- just see Au-Delà du Délire.© François Couture /TiVo

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Juliette Gréco is a force of nature. In her eighties, she is still performing and recording. Gréco Chante Brel brings her full circle. This icon of French chanson began recording the Belgian composer, songwriter, and singer Jacques Brel's songs in the late '50s; she was among the very first. Arguably it was she who paved the way for Brel's work to achieve its place in the Gallic canon. His collaborator was pianist and arranger Gérard Jouannest, who, since 1989, has been Gréco's husband. This album, recorded in three days, features the singer accompanied by her husband and orchestra. He reset all 12 tunes to new music, with arrangements on all but two of these songs (that he did himself) by conductor Bruno Fontaine. Gréco's voice here is a tad weathered, and she dramatically speaks almost as much as she sings. But that adds rather than detracts from her interpretations. Her utterly original style is evident throughout. While the music retains Brel's essence, Fontaine and Jouannest blur the lines between classical, café, French folk, modern avant-garde composition, and at times jazz. The taut, spacious "Ces Gens-Là" (a Brel set piece) is daring with its repetitive three-chord pattern, elliptical piano, and swirling winds. They underscore Gréco's dramatic vocal that walks a tightrope between salaciousness and anger. When the brass and percussion enter, they threaten to become almost anthemic, but excess is held at bay. Gréco is not only arresting; she is commanding. Other highlights include her thoroughly re-imagined reading of the bawdy "Amsterdam," the smoky, brooding "Je Suis un Soir d'Été," the tender "J'Arrive," the decorous "Le Prochain Amour" with its tempered brass harmonies, and the gorgeous "Fils De...," with its otherworldly harmonica and timeless accordion. Via Fontaine's brave charts, Gréco confronts the image the world has constructed of Brel. Her takes of these songs express what the man and his songs mean to her intimately, imparted without filter via the grain of her voice. Fontaine understands this implicitly, yet he encourages -- even dares -- her to reveal more, creating a tension at once intimate and heartbreakingly beautiful. Only Jouannest's piano stands in the gap. Gréco Chante Brel is an astonishing recording, musically, creatively, and emotionally.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

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