Jacques Brel - Enregistrement Public A L'Olympia (1962/2004) [SACD]

I seem to be stuck in a rut of giving all the Jacques Brel SA-CD re-issues 4 & 1/2 stars, and this is no exception--which is surprising, given the 1961 vintage of this recording. I cannot get over how warm sounding this one is. The soundscape is quite full for such an old recording & the overall clarity and lack of tape hiss bear testimony to the time & care that Barclay/Universal France are putting into this re-issue series.

Brel himself is in fine early form here--the singing is magnificently expressive and full of wit. The piano, accordian and full orchestra are mostly in the rear surrounds (with some presence up front), while Brel's voice dominates the front and center speakers.

It really is a pity that most of this series is available only from Amazon.fr, as his music is quite enjoyable even if you don't understand Belgian French.

As a postscript, if you'd like to check out Brel's songs sung in English, check out "Scott Walker sings Brel", which is (unfortunately) only available on CD, not on SA-CD.