Claudine Longet - Claudine
Ah, Claudine. She wore so many hats: Andy Williams’ baby mama; alleged murderess; one of a clutch of sixties A&M artists who couldn’t really sing but were somehow able to pull off smooth, sophisticated pop with aplomb (didn’t you used to rock, Chris Montez?). Should history cast her as a deceptive, aloof femme fatale or a misunderstood ingenue? You decide.
Although Claudine brought some undeniably French sensibilities to the table, her music was a far cry from contemporaneous ye-ye turned out by the likes of France Gall and Brigitte Bardot. Her LPs were instead constructs of the formulaic A&M machine: in other words, they consisted of country club-ready, So-Cal jet-set pop, brought to you courtesy of ubiquitous arranger Nick DeCaro. But the discerning listener might pick her albums over, say, the Sandpipers’ simply due to the two-pronged cuteness attack of her breathy voice and heavy accent. Cloying? Maybe. Marketable? Certainly.
This particular cut was her relatively faithful take on the Sopwith Camel’s sole top 40 entry. They’re often cited as the first San Francisco psych act to release an album, which tag might be worth an entry in this here blog sometime soon. I mean, weren’t they essentially a Lovin’ Spoonful clone? Stay tuned….
