All songs tracing back to an earlier recording than the most reliable one, represented from the first version released to the latest cover that matters, that’s The Originals, musical resource database since 1982. No limit, no nonsense, no mercy. Next time your kids (and grandchildren) take ersatz for genuine, here’s what you hold up against them.
It’s the sheer size that matters, 20.000 titles and counting.
Artist: Mireille & Jean Sablon
Author: Jean Nohain/Mireille
Label: Pathé
Year: 1935
With spoken word intro, crooner-style. Here it's the girl leaving.
Covers:
Marie Dubas [as Monsieur est parti en voyage, same melody, different lyrics, more in line with Miss Otis Regrets (see there)]
Edith Piaf [idem]
Françoise Hardy [duet with her husband Jacques Dutronc, with their son Thomas on guitar; here it's the man leaving]
Later Mireille started up the Petit Conservatoire de la Chanson, attended by Françoise Hardy as one of her pupils (along with Colette Magny, Pierre Vassiliu, Alain Souchon and Yves Duteil).
This ongoing search for the origins of all popular songs imaginable has been bundled in books over the years, four in Dutch, all sold out. Now here's a first edition in English, and the good thing is: you don't need those old versions, for all information still standing and relevant from former editions is encapsulated into this new volume, like Russian babooshka puppets.
The Originals - Prequel of the Hits holds everything, no less. Pure content. Details the lifespan of some 12.000 music titles, all traced back to their earliest manifestation, predating hit version(s) and other relevant covers.
The book is available at www.epo.be.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)
Belgium