Initials B.B.

Last updated
Initials B.B.
Initials BB.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 1968 (1968-06)
Recorded1965–1968
StudioFontana Studios, London; Chappell Studios, London; Hoche Studios, Paris
Genre
Length31:05
Label Philips
Producer Claude Dejacques
Serge Gainsbourg chronology
Bonnie and Clyde
(1968)
Initials B.B.
(1968)
Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg
(1969)

Initials B.B is a 1968 studio album by Serge Gainsbourg. It was originally released by Philips Records.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone named it the 14th greatest French rock album. [3] In 2017, Pitchfork placed it at number 117 on the "200 Best Albums of the 1960s" list. [1] In 2019, Happy Mag named it "racy and effortlessly cool." [4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Serge Gainsbourg

No.TitleLength
1."Initials B.B."3:36
2."Comic Strip"2:13
3."Bloody Jack"2:11
4."Docteur Jekyll et Monsieur Hyde" (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde)1:56
5."Torrey Canyon"2:43
6."Shu Ba Du Ba Loo Ba"2:08
7."Ford Mustang"2:41
8."Bonnie and Clyde" (with Brigitte Bardot)4:19
9."Black and White" (Noir et blanc)2:10
10."Qui est in qui est out" (Who's "In" Who's "Out")2:14
11."Hold Up"2:20
12."Marilu"2:34
Notes

"Docteur Jekyll et Monsieur Hyde", "Shu Ba Du Ba Loo Ba", "Qui est in qui est out" and "Marilu" recorded at Fontana Studios, London in December 1965. Originally released on EP Qui Est, In Qui Est, Out released in January 1966.
"Comic Strip", "Torrey Canyon" and "Hold Up" recorded at Chappell Studios, London in June 1967. Originally released on EP Mr. Gainsbourg released on July 8, 1967.
"Bonnie and Clyde" recorded at Hoche Studios, Paris on December 11 and 12, 1967. Originally released on EP Bonnie and Clyde released on January 2, 1968.
"Initials B.B.", "Bloody Jack", "Ford Mustang" and "Black and White" recorded at Chappell Studios, London in May 1968. Originally released on EP Initials BB released in May 1968.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

ChartPeak
position
French Albums (SNEP) [5] 181

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge Gainsbourg</span> French musician and actor (1928–1991)

Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative releases which caused uproar in France, dividing public opinion. His artistic output ranged from his early work in jazz, chanson, and yé-yé to later efforts in rock, zouk, funk, reggae, and electronica. Gainsbourg's varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorise, although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Je t'aime... moi non plus</span> 1969 single by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin

"Je t'aime... moi non plus" is a 1967 song written by Serge Gainsbourg for Brigitte Bardot. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded the best known version as a duet with English actress Jane Birkin. Although this version reached number one in the UK—the first foreign-language song to do so—and number two in Ireland, it was banned in several countries due to its overtly sexual content.

<i>Histoire de Melody Nelson</i> 1971 studio album by Serge Gainsbourg

Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by French singer and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Produced by Jean-Claude Desmarty, the album was released on March 24, 1971 through Philips Records. Its narrative follows an illicit romance which develops between the middle-aged narrator and fourteen-year-old girl Melody Nelson, portrayed on the album and its cover art by Gainsbourg's then-partner Jane Birkin.

<i>Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg</i> 1969 studio album by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg

Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg is a 1969 collaborative studio album by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. It was originally released by Fontana Records. It includes "Je t'aime... moi non plus", which reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Intoxicated Man</i> 1995 studio album by Mick Harvey

Intoxicated Man is the first of four albums by Mick Harvey, presenting the songs of Serge Gainsbourg, sung in English. It is followed by Pink Elephants, Delirium Tremens, and Intoxicated Women.

David Sinclair Whitaker was an English composer, songwriter, arranger, and conductor who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comment te dire adieu</span> French adaptation of the song "It Hurts to Say Goodbye"

"Comment te dire adieu" is a French adaptation of the song "It Hurts to Say Goodbye". It was originally recorded by Françoise Hardy in 1968.

Bonnie and Clyde refers to the American outlaw couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie and Clyde (Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot song)</span> 1968 song by Serge Gainsbourg

"Bonnie and Clyde" is a 1968 French-language song written by Serge Gainsbourg, and performed by Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. The song tells the story of the outlaw couple Bonnie and Clyde. It is based on an English language poem written by Bonnie Parker herself a few weeks before she and Clyde Barrow were shot, entitled "The Trail's End". It was released on two albums in 1968: Gainsbourg's album Initials B.B., and Gainsbourg and Bardot's album Bonnie and Clyde.

<i>Bonnie and Clyde</i> (Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot album) 1968 compilation album by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot

Bonnie and Clyde is a compilation album by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. It was originally released by Fontana Records in 1968.

<i>Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg</i> 1997 compilation album by Various Artists

Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg is a tribute album featuring the music of French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Executive-produced by John Zorn, it was released on Tzadik Records in 1997 as part of their series on "Radical Jewish Culture".

<i>Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s</i> 1968 studio album by Connie Francis

Connie & Clyde – Hit Songs of the 30s is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.

<i>Trail of Stars</i> 1999 studio album by The Walkabouts

Trail of Stars is the ninth studio album by American alternative country band The Walkabouts released on August 2, 1999 through Glitterhouse Records. It's their return album to Glitterhouse, formerly Sub Pop Europe, after a two album detour with major label Virgin.

"La Javanaise" is a song written and composed by Serge Gainsbourg originally for Juliette Gréco, and interpreted by both her and Gainsbourg in 1963. The first recordings of both artists constituted the B-sides of each of the two 45s. The title is a pun playing on the Parisian java dance and the javanais argot. The song heavily employs unaltered French words that naturally have an ⟨av⟩ sequence; thus the lyrics resemble the argot.

<i>Gainsbourg Percussions</i> 1964 studio album by Serge Gainsbourg

Gainsbourg Percussions is the sixth studio album by French musician Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1964. Gainsbourg reinvents his style with Latin, African, and Cuban influences. It would be his last album before 1968.

<i>Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace</i> 1980 live album by Serge Gainsbourg

Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace is the first live album by Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1980. It was reissued in 1987 on CD, but with half the tracks removed. In 2006, a new release titled Gainsbourg... et cætera - Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace featured the complete concert for the first time. The album exhibits his then reggae-influenced style.

<i>Gainsbourg Live</i> 1986 live album by Serge Gainsbourg

Gainsbourg Live is the second live album by Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1986, featuring an autumn 1985 concert at the Casino de Paris.

<i>Le Zénith de Gainsbourg</i> 1989 live album by Serge Gainsbourg

Le Zénith de Gainsbourg is the third live album by Serge Gainsbourg, released in 1989, featuring a March 1988 concert at the Zénith de Paris. It was the last album released in Gainsbourg's lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Initials B.B. (song)</span> 1968 single by Serge Gainsbourg

Initials B.B. is a 1968 song by Serge Gainsbourg. It was the opening single of his album Initials B.B. and is about French actress and sex symbol Brigitte Bardot, who was so famous at the time that her initials were enough to know whom people referred to. Gainsbourg once had an affair with her and this was his way of expressing how he felt about it.

The discography of French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg consists of 16 studio albums, 4 live albums, 1 compilation album, 80 singles and EPS, and several soundtrack albums.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s (page 5 of 10)". Pitchfork . 22 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. Browne, Daniel. "Initials B.B. - Serge Gainsbourg". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  3. Magazine Rolling Stone, n°18 of February 2010, ISSN   1764-1071
  4. "Click and Burn: a sonic history of the Zippo lighter" . Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  5. "Lescharts.com – Serge Gainsbourg – Initials B.B.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 August 2018.