CALIFORNIA -- Robert Charlebois et Louise Forestier --

(PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLISH) En 1968, Charlebois, géant de la chanson québécoise a entrepris un voyage de trois mois en Californie où il a subi l'influence de la contre-culture et a fait la connaissance des meilleurs musiciens rock d'Amérique. Sa musique a commencé à s'électrifier et ses textes, qui empruntaient le langage populaire, exprimaient une poésie toute urbaine.
Ses chansons, Lindberg et California défrisent le public venu écouter de la belle chansonnette.

De retour de son voyage décoiffant en Californie, il a bouleversé la conception musicale et scénique en présentant (avec Mouffe, Louise Forestier et Yvon Deschamps) "L'osstidcho", un antispectacle qui allait transgresser les règles, créer un précédent, et devenir une oeuvre de référence. C'est ici qu'il a fait remarquer au grand public son anticonformisme.

Félix LeClair disait, "Robert Charlebois c'est le néon, Gilles Vigneault, l'ampoule électrique, et moi la lampe à l'huile".

Dans les deux chansons, Lindberg et California, on entend la qualité d'interprétation du duo Charlebois-Forestier. Les deux chansons se trouvent dans son quatrième album, "Lindberg" (1968) en pleine période psychédélique.

In 1968, Robert Charlebois, a giant in the Québécois song, went to California for three months where he experienced the inlfuences of the counterculture and got to know the best American rock musicians. His music became explosive and the lyrics, which were taken from the popular language, expressed a very urban poetry. His songs, Lindberg and California unglued the public audiences who had come to hear the usual little songs.

Upon returning from his trip to California, he completely turned around the musical and stage presentations by performing (with Mouffe, Louise Forestier and Yvon DesChamps) the "Osstidcho" ( the damned show) an anti-performance which went beyond the appropriate rules (of music and behavior), created a precedent and became a work of reference. It was here that he got the public audiences to notice his non-conformity.

Félix LeClair used to say, "Robert Charlebois is the neon sign, Gilles Vigneault is the electric bulb and I'm the oil lamp."

In the two songs, Lindberg and California, we can hear the quality performance of the Charlebois-Forestier duo. The two songs can be found in his fourth album, "Lindberg" (1968) as a perfect reflection of the psychedelic era.

Lyrics translation:

The plough is passing through the sky (clouds look like they've been plowed...i.e. "plough skies")
And I'm coming down slowly
The plane's red and white staircase
Which brings me, every night..
To California, to California, to California.

Is it the money in the sun (the bright, golden sun)
The yellow of taxis or that of the orange ones
Which scatter in the night
To light up life?
In California, in California, in California

A gray motor (engine) in the fog
Pushes me to the end of nowhere in the midst of angels in the night
Pints of golden milk
Are pasteurized in the headlights
In California, in California, in California

Little ten and a half year-old blacks (reference to Miles Davis)
Play the electric trumpet better than my friends
All along the Pacific
Their purple guitars complement each other
In California, in California, in California

I looked for you when I woke up
Where were you? The wind was blowing in my ears
I will buy the white truck (the acid)
Which will bring us back to Springtime
In California, in California, in California

Category:

Music

Tags:

• robert charlebois
• louise forestier
• california
• californie
• rock québecois
• Osstidcho
• québec
• chanteurs quebecois
• psychedelic
• french canadian songs
• chansons quebecoises
• chansonniers québecois
• lindberg
• musique française
• french music
• antispectacle
• anticonformisme
• langage populaire
• le joual
• Mouffe
• musique contre-culture
• poésie urbaine

[Adamfulgence]

I tried to use the type of images he might have "seen" in his time spent in California. Glad you liked them. Thanks for watching!

[vivster1962]

Excellent choix et très beau montage photo. J'ai numérisé l'album Jazz libre du Québec, Charlebois un génie, Forestier une voix absolument incomparable.

[Adamfulgence]

@vivster1962 Merci beaucoup pour votre commentaire!! Bien apprécié!

[tychaton08]

Beau travail, merci!

[TheSupertiwi]

Du grand Kébékois!!!

[ArtsKris]

Clip was very colored, I like very much that. Robert Charlebois is very célébre eb France, thus very known. Louise Forestier much less. I did not know this duet. I like very much your images and colors very 68.

A delight.