Valérie Lagrange was born as Danielle Charaudeau in Paris. Her parents ran a hardware business at the Porte de la Chapelle. Having more artistic ambitions she started to frequent castings and auditions in search of an acting role. She scored her first job at the age of 17 when Claude Autant-Lara picked her out to play Bourvil's daughter in the film 'La jument verte'. It was then when she took up the pseudonym Valérie Lagrange. She starred in more movies in this period of which the one as Jean-Paul Belmondo’s fiancée in Philippe de Broca’s film 'Les tribulations d’un chinois en Chine' is the most memorable.
After her marriage to photographer Serge Beauvarlet in 1962 she broadened her perspective by taking up singing after she met songwriters Francis Lai and Pierre Barouh. She released a first single in 1964. In 1965 Serge Gainsbourg wrote her ‘La guérilla’ and participated on her debut album. The success of the album was secured with a sold out performance at the Bobino in 1966. That year also saw her return to cinema screens in Claude Lelouch's French film classic 'Un homme et une femme'. Following the student revolts of '68 she wrote to her record company to inform them she was cutting her showbiz ties and "leaving civilisation" for an undetermined period. Fleeing Paris to seek her own Utopia, Valérie teamed up with a group of like-minded friends from the arts (including Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Pierre Clémenti, Tina Aumont and Bulle Ogier) and they set up their own commune on an island off the coast of Italy. Valérie's Utopia turned sour, however. Her husband committed suicide and she decided to continue her search for the ideal lifestyle elsewhere, taking her nine-year-old son off to Bombay where one of her friends was living at the time.
Returning to France at the start of the seventies she met English songwriter and composer Ian Jelfs (how was a former member of the sympho band Alice). Their relationship developed into a passionate love story and creative working partnership. They started performing sometimes accompanied by Jean-Louis Aubert and Louis Bertignac (long before their Téléphone days).
After countless demo’s finally a first single was released in 1977. With it Valérie became the first artist to record a reggae song in French, scoring a minor hit ‘Si ma chanson pouvait’. That same year Valérie also provided guest vocals on Alain Bashung's Roman-photo. Finally in 1980 Lagrange hit the jackpot with ‘Faut plus me la faire’, an album featuring a vibrant fusion of rock and reggae. With this album she also became the first French artist signing to the Virgin label. A string of three more albums followed with the biggest international hit being ‘La folie’.
Side A
A1. Faut Plus Me La Faire - 5:20
A2. Sauve Moi - 3:18
A3. C'Est En Divisant - 5:15
A4. I Want You - 4:20
Side B
B1. A Quoi Tu Sers - 3:20
B2. Le Feu - 5:05
B3. Une Autre Vie - 4:45
B4. Haïr Est Si Facile - 4:15
Companies, etc.
- Backing Vocals – Matumbi (tracks: A1, B2)
- Bass – Ian David Jelfs (tracks: A1, B2)
- Bass, Drums, Guitar – Sinceros (tracks: A1 to B1, B3, B4)
- Brass – Rumour (tracks: A1, A3, B2)
- Design [Sleeve Design] – Jean Félix Galletti
- Drums – Michel Abhissira (tracks: B2)
- Engineer – Andy Jackson, John Cooper, Nick Griffiths, Richard Manwaring
- Guitar – Ian David Jelfs
- Lacquer Cut By – Bilbo
- Organ – Jeremy Lascelles (tracks: A3, A4)
- Organ, Keyboards – I.D. Jelfs (tracks: A1, B3, B4), V. Lagrange (tracks: A1, B3, B4)
- Percussion – Aswad (tracks: A1, B2, B4)
- Photography By – Robert Barry (7)
- Producer – Mike Howlett
- Soloist, Lead Guitar – Steve Hillage (tracks: A1)
- Timbales, Congas – Miguel (18) (tracks: B2, B4)
Notes
Release: 1980
Format: LP
Genre: Pop / Frantalig
Label: Virgin Records
Catalog# 202199
Prijs: €7,99
Vinyl: VG
Hoes: voorkant kleine stickerschade
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