Melody

The Steepwater Band formed in Chicago in 1998 ignited by a passion for the city's electric blues. The power trio who quickly progressed from covering Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker to writing compelling originals has crafted a rock n' roll sound best described as heavy Americana…

Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)
Pop/French Chanson | MP3 | CBR 256 kbps | 27:56 | 52 MB

Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by controversial French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent seduction and romance that ensues. Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg's most influential and accomplished album.
At just under twenty-eight minutes, the short running time and the stylistic consistency and similarity throughout the album gives it qualities more in line with an EP or an extended musical piece with a number of movements. Histoire de Melody Nelson‘s mix of freewheeling guitar, funk style bass guitar, near spoken word vocal delivery, and lush, deep orchestrated string and choral arrangements by Jean-Claude Vannier[1] who composed almost the entire music in collaboration with Gainsbourg for the album, have proven to be highly influential amongst later francophone and anglophone musical performers including the French band Air, David Holmes, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Portishead, and Beck, whose 2002 track "Paper Tiger" from Sea Change is extremely close to the distinctive Histoire de Melody Nelson sound.

Mark Stefani, a top-notch solo guitar player with a pedigree a mile long, is also one of the most prolific and well-rounded guitar instructors we have the pleasure of working with. Mark's recent TrueFire course, Jazzed Blues, remains at the top of our charts and his monthly lessons always rank in the top ten. Chord Melody Cafe, an interactive video course, focuses solely on chord melody for intermediate to advanced and pro players.

Classic album from the controversial French singer/songwriter, originally released in 1971. Sex has always sold, but presented with a landmark musical backdrop, the combination is rare as finding the elusive "G Spot". Quite often, attempts fall flaccid, missing the titillating mark by a mile. But French icon and national treasure Serge Gainsbourg is no stranger to sexual proclivities, and with Histoire De Melody Nelson, he shared an erotic tale as seductive today as the day it was released. With help from actress, amour, and inspiration Jane Birkin, arranger/conductor and co-conspirator Jean-Claude Vannier, not to mention a tight hand picked crew of top shelf UK session musicians, Nelson is often cited as Gainsbourg's master work, an essential album for the discerning music lover.

Toujours épaulé de Jean-Claude Vannier, esthète des arrangements, Serge Gainsbourg anticipe dès 1971 ses variations sur un même thème, celui de l'amour et ses désillusions. Le Paris de Saint-Germain-des-Près, que ce dandy désabusé empreint de culture jazzy traverse en peaufinant son esprit acerbe et caustique, n'est plus qu'un lointain souvenir. Désormais, Lucien Ginzburg défraie la chronique en écrivant un véritable concept album L'Histoire de Melody Nelson. En 7 compositions, dont deux de plus de 7 minutes, Gainsbourg raconte les aventures d'une garçonne aux cheveux rouges, "aimable petite conne" qui trouvera la mort à bord d'un boeing 707. Chef-d'oeuvre particulièrement prisé par les inconditionnels de Gainsbourg, L'Histoire de Melody Nelson récitée par celui qui n'est pas encore "L'homme à la tête de chou" navigue entre ballade, valse et rock basique. Un classique incontournable. –Sabrina Silamo