Post by davidhr on Feb 14, 2023 9:09:44 GMT -5
Lara sent her condolences to the victims of the earthquake in Turkey this past week, with a picture of (angel’s) wings, on her FB site (only), at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=771130687704560&set=a.259330805551220
with the message, “I send all my thoughts, prayers, love and courage to the Turkish community, very dear to my heart”. As we know, she’s had numerous interactions in Turkey, perhaps the most famous being her duet with Mustafa Ceceli on the song Al Gotur Beni in 2014/2015 (available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA1Wosuv2Fg with 370K views), and her very cute ‘duet’ with the young girl Fidan on Je t’aime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VfoTepVigQ – 4.3 million views; www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNGboPaULdM – 11 million views). Hopefully these people are o.k. Condolences here too for all the victims and survivors in what is becoming a double tragedy, with the problems in getting aid into the region.
Today is Valentine’s Day, and that reminds us that in 2012 Lara cancelled her two Valentine’s Day concerts in Lebanon because of threats she had received over her appearances in and support for Israel. For those interested, one can read about this at (https://stateofmind13.com/2012/01/19/lara-fabian-cancels-lebanons-valentine-concerts/) and associated links at the bottom of the article. In the ‘silver lining’ department, on Valentine’s Day that year Lara performed a televised ‘Concert for Lebanon’ from France, which included a number of wonderful duets; that can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_dR6WyCNNU
The Lara Fabian America’s ‘weekend’ concert of Lara’s was a link to a video of her TLFM show in 2010, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjOpnKDircQ
It was part of the tour called “Toutes Les Femmes en Moi Font Leur Show”, and Lara is in top voice. Coincidentally, this gives us a chance to review another ‘controversy’ (as their offering did last week for the Mme. Zhivago concert), only this time it was for the album itself.
Many of you probably know that the final version of the album was not the one that Lara had originally prepared, or even necessarily wanted. As discussed in the News Update of 10/19/2008 and various updates thereafter (again available at the Lara Full of Grace and LaradomUS URLs), in mid-October 2008, Lara played 6 songs from her new TLFM album at a ‘circus’ in Brussels, to a select audience of fans (the album wasn’t yet out, and these were not the final mixes). Lara recorded this album with Matt Herskowitz (who we know played the piano nocturne at the end of Nue, and also did so for Lara’s version of “I Love You Porgy - www.youtube.com/watch?v=hALhvo7td3I). She envisioned it as giving her voice a chance to be just one more instrument in an album of ‘multiple voices’ provided by various (often jazz) instrumentation. It was due to be released on 12/1/2008.
However, following this concert, before the end of the month, a delay was announced – until March 2009. [Ultimately, it was not released until May]. The problem was that in de-emphasizing her voice, i.e., in singing fairly softly, it didn’t impress the audience at this initial listening. From the News Update of 10/26/2008: “With respect to the new album: despite Lara’s positive reading of the audience reaction, it is clear that the fans have not been overwhelmed by what they’ve heard. Even the defenders are somewhat apologetic, with the complaints mostly having to do with the soft nature of her singing. However, even those who have been strongly against it recognize that the six songs do grow on one after repeated listening. So the general opinion, at least at this point, is middling – but with the overtone that Lara could do much better.”
Unfortunately, among the ‘disaffected’ audience was the president of Universal Records, Pascal Nègre. As far as he was concerned, the album was unacceptable. He ordered the delay.
Here was Lara’s response to the fans (News Update of 11/2/2008): “Hello my Angels,
Sometimes there are unexpected roads…Some crossings that one takes and on which one finds one’s destiny…It is that which has just happened to me.
I poetisize a little… .It is necessary to announce to you that my album is delayed… I hear your disappointment from here.
If only you could hear mine…
Evidently, I didn’t yet know of the circumstances that would lead me to this reality when I presented the album to you last October 16th, you can well imagine…”
Lara explained her interaction with Pascal Negre in more detail in an interview with Platine magazine (as translated at larafullofgrace.proboards.com/thread/1950/translation-platine-interview). She received a call from him, and then explained: “Roughly, it began like this: "Is it that Pascal can speak to Lara or do you prefer that Negre speaks to Fabian?" I immediately responded: "Ah no, I want Pascal to speak to Lara". After that he explained to me how he loved this idea of homage to the singers who had marked me, that he found it just at this stage of my career, honestly. He said to me: "I know you Lara, I know that you do not make a thing of betraying your promise, but for me, you chose a musical direction which doesn't correspond to you, or not yet". The rest, he will tell you if he wants to…Actually, following this conversation, I understood truly the sense of what he said to me. He made me think straight, and I saw that I had been a little bit too affected - by that which had been said or written about me - that that I definitely wanted to say it or even to feel it. I said to myself then that I had never betrayed myself until then, and that it was not necessary that I begin… It is following this conversation with Pascal that I had completely begun again at zero.”
In a later interview, Pascal said he couldn’t hear “Lara” on the album – he felt by her singing softly, almost as one of the chorus, she was ‘hiding’ because she had been the object of criticism that she sang too loudly –in effect, ‘yelled’. In her quoted statement she seemed to agree with him.
So the album was completely redone, with a new director (Simon Climie); it was much less ‘subtle’, and Lara sang with more emphasis. Despite getting mixed reviews, these were still days when Lara commanded a respectable audience in France, and the album went to #3 on the French chart (#1 in Belgium) – and even #5 in Russia. Overall, according to Charts in France, it sold an estimated 150,000 copies in Europe [those were different days!].
The original versions of some of the songs can still be heard on youtube: For example,
Babacar: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WnLmF-UOJg
As noted by the provider: “First version of "Babacar" (2008) - original by France Gall - before Lara had to re-record the album Toutes Les Femmes en Moi. The first version of TLFM was supposed to be a more Jazz album, but Lara's record company believed the songs were "too whispered" and hired a new producer and had her re-record everything in the more "mainstream" version we know. This is the original version Lara intended to release.
FUN FACT: Lara performed this version of the song in the first concerts of the TLFM tour. It was later removed from the setlist, but we can still find a couple of videos of performances of this song.” [It’s not in the concert video Lara Fabian America linked to].
This can be compared with the (2009) re-done version (which was not included on the official album release anyway; nor was it on the DVD of the tour, as can be seen at www.discogs.com/release/8590566-Lara-Fabian-Toutes-Les-Femmes-En-Moi-Font-Leur-Show):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJwLWPzNNnM
Here are the others (thanks to Lara Fabian Multimedia for, as usual, their wonderful contribution in providing unreleased songs, as well as Nicolel9700):
Gottingen: (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNw_XXwkaEU
Gottingen (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCfclPTj7Iw
Toutes les femmes en moi (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCRomnu_USo (snippet)
Toutes les femmes en moi (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoPAoEzSZJI
L'hymne à L'amour (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7l055A3rco
L'hymne à L'amour (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkK950OakxU
Amoureuse (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=mek6Uzlsp4M
Amoureuse (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkhOPNXURsE
Ca casse (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aojb5sV6v2Q
Ca case (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER4B4JpX-QI
Nuit magique (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RDIM0NjS20
Nuit magique (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXv_S4qsEBk
Note: the version of Nuit magique released on the Canadian version of TLFM, in duet with Coral Egan, was essentially the 2008 version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBt8yBqv-x8
[There is also a fan made version of L'amour existe encore with Lara singing, from 2008, but what that has to do with the actual recording from that year is not clear; it's at L’amour Existe Encore (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEqdVPuiQ5k]
Personal note: At the time of the release of the 'original six' (people recorded what Lara played at her concert), I too was dissatisfied with Lara's vocal contribution, but, with the passage of time, I've grown to like these presentations more and more, as have others - note the comments associated with these songs. For several years thereafter, there was an occasional rumor that the 'first version' of TLFM was going to be made available - Matt Herskowitz, who said he still had the master of that album, even joined in. Obviously, it has never happened. Maybe it still could - if Lara's people want to release something of interest in between her current recording schedule, it might well be greatly appreciated by her public. [Again, Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes are a good comparison]. If you have an opinion on this subject and on these versions of the songs compared with the official release, please let us know in the comments section.
Further side note: Pascal Negre's contract at Universal was not renewed after 2015.
While it does seem Lara was overreacting to criticism in underplaying her voice on the original recordings, the arrangements were more sophisticated – and this ended Lara’s first attempt to be something other than an emotional ‘pop’ singer. She later made another go of it, from a different angle, with ‘Le Secret’ , and by then she was in control of her album releases. Nevertheless, despite this latter album’s quality, excellent reviews, and opening near the top of the charts, it failed to gain much of a commercial audience – perhaps Pascal Negre knew what Lara’s audience was really demanding.
But this is not the complete end of the story – in Lara’s recent interview about her ‘voice’, she said that she realizes she had been using her singing to fulfill the expectations of others; that she was never really a ‘singer of voice’, and now regretted that she hadn’t had the maturity to really sing in a way that was more natural for her. Perhaps the original TLFM was not so much (or not only) ‘hiding’, as reorienting herself towards her more natural inclinations. If so, it wasn’t allowed…
Interesting photo(s)/video(s) of the week: As noted earlier, today is Valentine’s Day, celebrated prominently in the U.S. Britain, Canada, and Australia, as well as other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea and the Philippines. While they may not have meant it in that context, the Lara Fabian Family FB site posted a nice picture of Lara that could be in honor of the day, at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=144638735115402&set=a.111099345136008
Since Valentine’s Day celebrates Love, and Lara is somewhat of an avatar on that subject
, one would expect both she and her fans would have some creative pictures to celebrate the day. Unfortunately, this News Update is perhaps posted too early for them to be available. If indeed it happens, they’ll be covered next week. Our (funny) contribution here is the link to Lara singing “My Funny Valentine”, available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdK2cIGxCds
A truly wonderful performance.
In what is somewhat off-topic, the Lara Fabian The Netherlands FB site devoted their ‘non-Lara’ item to composer and conductor Paul Williams who wrote ‘For Always’ that Lara and Josh Groban sang on the AI soundtrack, and whose birthday occurred this past week (he’s 91). The picture of him and Lara they link to can be found at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=640689098064484&set=pcb.640693234730737
while the well-known video of that song, from the PBS special, is available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8tB4wyzQ4
While it was on the movie soundtrack it was not in the movie itself, depriving all of them of a possible (perhaps even likely) Oscar. This was because the original developer of the movie, Stanley Kubrick, did not want ‘songs’ in his movies. He handed the project over to Steven Spielberg who had no such qualms, but did not include it in the actual film out of respect for Kubrick, who had passed away two years before the film was released, and to whom the film was dedicated.
Lara had another interaction with John Williams, as he conducted for her rendition of ‘Evergreen’, video available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTa1MdPN-Io
And as 'Lara Fabian The Netherlands' did on their FB site, this gives us the opportunity to note that another great songwriter, Bert Bacharach, passed away this last week (on John Williams’ birthday); he was 94. A coincidental connection between two contemporary American music legends. Between them they won 31 Grammys and 8 Academy Awards. Another connection: they both grew up in Queens, N.Y. (!) (though Bacharach was born in Kansas City). One wonders whether they knew each other then…He too wrote a song that Lara has sung, Close to You, the hit for the Carpenters; Lara included a cover of it on her “Every Woman In Me” album, available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeQ0RL0baGg
No real need to repeat that Lara’s schedule for the coming week is not in the public eye, since that will likely be the case for most weeks to come. Stay safe everybody.
David
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=771130687704560&set=a.259330805551220
with the message, “I send all my thoughts, prayers, love and courage to the Turkish community, very dear to my heart”. As we know, she’s had numerous interactions in Turkey, perhaps the most famous being her duet with Mustafa Ceceli on the song Al Gotur Beni in 2014/2015 (available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA1Wosuv2Fg with 370K views), and her very cute ‘duet’ with the young girl Fidan on Je t’aime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VfoTepVigQ – 4.3 million views; www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNGboPaULdM – 11 million views). Hopefully these people are o.k. Condolences here too for all the victims and survivors in what is becoming a double tragedy, with the problems in getting aid into the region.
Today is Valentine’s Day, and that reminds us that in 2012 Lara cancelled her two Valentine’s Day concerts in Lebanon because of threats she had received over her appearances in and support for Israel. For those interested, one can read about this at (https://stateofmind13.com/2012/01/19/lara-fabian-cancels-lebanons-valentine-concerts/) and associated links at the bottom of the article. In the ‘silver lining’ department, on Valentine’s Day that year Lara performed a televised ‘Concert for Lebanon’ from France, which included a number of wonderful duets; that can be found at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_dR6WyCNNU
The Lara Fabian America’s ‘weekend’ concert of Lara’s was a link to a video of her TLFM show in 2010, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjOpnKDircQ
It was part of the tour called “Toutes Les Femmes en Moi Font Leur Show”, and Lara is in top voice. Coincidentally, this gives us a chance to review another ‘controversy’ (as their offering did last week for the Mme. Zhivago concert), only this time it was for the album itself.
Many of you probably know that the final version of the album was not the one that Lara had originally prepared, or even necessarily wanted. As discussed in the News Update of 10/19/2008 and various updates thereafter (again available at the Lara Full of Grace and LaradomUS URLs), in mid-October 2008, Lara played 6 songs from her new TLFM album at a ‘circus’ in Brussels, to a select audience of fans (the album wasn’t yet out, and these were not the final mixes). Lara recorded this album with Matt Herskowitz (who we know played the piano nocturne at the end of Nue, and also did so for Lara’s version of “I Love You Porgy - www.youtube.com/watch?v=hALhvo7td3I). She envisioned it as giving her voice a chance to be just one more instrument in an album of ‘multiple voices’ provided by various (often jazz) instrumentation. It was due to be released on 12/1/2008.
However, following this concert, before the end of the month, a delay was announced – until March 2009. [Ultimately, it was not released until May]. The problem was that in de-emphasizing her voice, i.e., in singing fairly softly, it didn’t impress the audience at this initial listening. From the News Update of 10/26/2008: “With respect to the new album: despite Lara’s positive reading of the audience reaction, it is clear that the fans have not been overwhelmed by what they’ve heard. Even the defenders are somewhat apologetic, with the complaints mostly having to do with the soft nature of her singing. However, even those who have been strongly against it recognize that the six songs do grow on one after repeated listening. So the general opinion, at least at this point, is middling – but with the overtone that Lara could do much better.”
Unfortunately, among the ‘disaffected’ audience was the president of Universal Records, Pascal Nègre. As far as he was concerned, the album was unacceptable. He ordered the delay.
Here was Lara’s response to the fans (News Update of 11/2/2008): “Hello my Angels,
Sometimes there are unexpected roads…Some crossings that one takes and on which one finds one’s destiny…It is that which has just happened to me.
I poetisize a little… .It is necessary to announce to you that my album is delayed… I hear your disappointment from here.
If only you could hear mine…
Evidently, I didn’t yet know of the circumstances that would lead me to this reality when I presented the album to you last October 16th, you can well imagine…”
Lara explained her interaction with Pascal Negre in more detail in an interview with Platine magazine (as translated at larafullofgrace.proboards.com/thread/1950/translation-platine-interview). She received a call from him, and then explained: “Roughly, it began like this: "Is it that Pascal can speak to Lara or do you prefer that Negre speaks to Fabian?" I immediately responded: "Ah no, I want Pascal to speak to Lara". After that he explained to me how he loved this idea of homage to the singers who had marked me, that he found it just at this stage of my career, honestly. He said to me: "I know you Lara, I know that you do not make a thing of betraying your promise, but for me, you chose a musical direction which doesn't correspond to you, or not yet". The rest, he will tell you if he wants to…Actually, following this conversation, I understood truly the sense of what he said to me. He made me think straight, and I saw that I had been a little bit too affected - by that which had been said or written about me - that that I definitely wanted to say it or even to feel it. I said to myself then that I had never betrayed myself until then, and that it was not necessary that I begin… It is following this conversation with Pascal that I had completely begun again at zero.”
In a later interview, Pascal said he couldn’t hear “Lara” on the album – he felt by her singing softly, almost as one of the chorus, she was ‘hiding’ because she had been the object of criticism that she sang too loudly –in effect, ‘yelled’. In her quoted statement she seemed to agree with him.
So the album was completely redone, with a new director (Simon Climie); it was much less ‘subtle’, and Lara sang with more emphasis. Despite getting mixed reviews, these were still days when Lara commanded a respectable audience in France, and the album went to #3 on the French chart (#1 in Belgium) – and even #5 in Russia. Overall, according to Charts in France, it sold an estimated 150,000 copies in Europe [those were different days!].
The original versions of some of the songs can still be heard on youtube: For example,
Babacar: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WnLmF-UOJg
As noted by the provider: “First version of "Babacar" (2008) - original by France Gall - before Lara had to re-record the album Toutes Les Femmes en Moi. The first version of TLFM was supposed to be a more Jazz album, but Lara's record company believed the songs were "too whispered" and hired a new producer and had her re-record everything in the more "mainstream" version we know. This is the original version Lara intended to release.
FUN FACT: Lara performed this version of the song in the first concerts of the TLFM tour. It was later removed from the setlist, but we can still find a couple of videos of performances of this song.” [It’s not in the concert video Lara Fabian America linked to].
This can be compared with the (2009) re-done version (which was not included on the official album release anyway; nor was it on the DVD of the tour, as can be seen at www.discogs.com/release/8590566-Lara-Fabian-Toutes-Les-Femmes-En-Moi-Font-Leur-Show):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJwLWPzNNnM
Here are the others (thanks to Lara Fabian Multimedia for, as usual, their wonderful contribution in providing unreleased songs, as well as Nicolel9700):
Gottingen: (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNw_XXwkaEU
Gottingen (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCfclPTj7Iw
Toutes les femmes en moi (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCRomnu_USo (snippet)
Toutes les femmes en moi (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoPAoEzSZJI
L'hymne à L'amour (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7l055A3rco
L'hymne à L'amour (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkK950OakxU
Amoureuse (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=mek6Uzlsp4M
Amoureuse (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkhOPNXURsE
Ca casse (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aojb5sV6v2Q
Ca case (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER4B4JpX-QI
Nuit magique (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RDIM0NjS20
Nuit magique (2009): www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXv_S4qsEBk
Note: the version of Nuit magique released on the Canadian version of TLFM, in duet with Coral Egan, was essentially the 2008 version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBt8yBqv-x8
[There is also a fan made version of L'amour existe encore with Lara singing, from 2008, but what that has to do with the actual recording from that year is not clear; it's at L’amour Existe Encore (2008): www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEqdVPuiQ5k]
Personal note: At the time of the release of the 'original six' (people recorded what Lara played at her concert), I too was dissatisfied with Lara's vocal contribution, but, with the passage of time, I've grown to like these presentations more and more, as have others - note the comments associated with these songs. For several years thereafter, there was an occasional rumor that the 'first version' of TLFM was going to be made available - Matt Herskowitz, who said he still had the master of that album, even joined in. Obviously, it has never happened. Maybe it still could - if Lara's people want to release something of interest in between her current recording schedule, it might well be greatly appreciated by her public. [Again, Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes are a good comparison]. If you have an opinion on this subject and on these versions of the songs compared with the official release, please let us know in the comments section.
Further side note: Pascal Negre's contract at Universal was not renewed after 2015.
While it does seem Lara was overreacting to criticism in underplaying her voice on the original recordings, the arrangements were more sophisticated – and this ended Lara’s first attempt to be something other than an emotional ‘pop’ singer. She later made another go of it, from a different angle, with ‘Le Secret’ , and by then she was in control of her album releases. Nevertheless, despite this latter album’s quality, excellent reviews, and opening near the top of the charts, it failed to gain much of a commercial audience – perhaps Pascal Negre knew what Lara’s audience was really demanding.
But this is not the complete end of the story – in Lara’s recent interview about her ‘voice’, she said that she realizes she had been using her singing to fulfill the expectations of others; that she was never really a ‘singer of voice’, and now regretted that she hadn’t had the maturity to really sing in a way that was more natural for her. Perhaps the original TLFM was not so much (or not only) ‘hiding’, as reorienting herself towards her more natural inclinations. If so, it wasn’t allowed…
Interesting photo(s)/video(s) of the week: As noted earlier, today is Valentine’s Day, celebrated prominently in the U.S. Britain, Canada, and Australia, as well as other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea and the Philippines. While they may not have meant it in that context, the Lara Fabian Family FB site posted a nice picture of Lara that could be in honor of the day, at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=144638735115402&set=a.111099345136008
Since Valentine’s Day celebrates Love, and Lara is somewhat of an avatar on that subject
, one would expect both she and her fans would have some creative pictures to celebrate the day. Unfortunately, this News Update is perhaps posted too early for them to be available. If indeed it happens, they’ll be covered next week. Our (funny) contribution here is the link to Lara singing “My Funny Valentine”, available atwww.youtube.com/watch?v=JdK2cIGxCds
A truly wonderful performance. In what is somewhat off-topic, the Lara Fabian The Netherlands FB site devoted their ‘non-Lara’ item to composer and conductor Paul Williams who wrote ‘For Always’ that Lara and Josh Groban sang on the AI soundtrack, and whose birthday occurred this past week (he’s 91). The picture of him and Lara they link to can be found at
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=640689098064484&set=pcb.640693234730737
while the well-known video of that song, from the PBS special, is available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8tB4wyzQ4
While it was on the movie soundtrack it was not in the movie itself, depriving all of them of a possible (perhaps even likely) Oscar. This was because the original developer of the movie, Stanley Kubrick, did not want ‘songs’ in his movies. He handed the project over to Steven Spielberg who had no such qualms, but did not include it in the actual film out of respect for Kubrick, who had passed away two years before the film was released, and to whom the film was dedicated.
Lara had another interaction with John Williams, as he conducted for her rendition of ‘Evergreen’, video available at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTa1MdPN-Io
And as 'Lara Fabian The Netherlands' did on their FB site, this gives us the opportunity to note that another great songwriter, Bert Bacharach, passed away this last week (on John Williams’ birthday); he was 94. A coincidental connection between two contemporary American music legends. Between them they won 31 Grammys and 8 Academy Awards. Another connection: they both grew up in Queens, N.Y. (!) (though Bacharach was born in Kansas City). One wonders whether they knew each other then…He too wrote a song that Lara has sung, Close to You, the hit for the Carpenters; Lara included a cover of it on her “Every Woman In Me” album, available at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeQ0RL0baGg
No real need to repeat that Lara’s schedule for the coming week is not in the public eye, since that will likely be the case for most weeks to come. Stay safe everybody.
David
