René Simard - "Les Dimanches Apres Midi" (1974)

René Simard, a French Canadian superstar child entertainer, is said to have sold more records than Elvis Presley and The Beatles in Quebec. Whether or not this is true, these tunes deserve - nay, demand - your attention. They are lean, mean, funky, and altogether fun, and they all come from my vinyl copy of his 1974 album, Les Dimanches Apres Midi.

First up is "Merci Pour Tout" which kicks off with one of the meanest, funkiest untapped (to my knowledge) breaks I've pretty much ever come across. Seriously, this sample could make somebody's career as a Rap Producer, mark my words. And after the first 20 seconds, the rest of the song is pretty damn great too.

The next two I've decided to share are both covers of popular hits - I happen to love cover songs in a general sense - at least when they are done right, and these ones are done very right. First I will share "L'été Est La" which is a French cover of Bobby Day's "Little Bitty Pretty One," a.k.a. Thurston Harris' "Little Bitty Pretty One," a.k.a. Frankie Lymon's "Little Bitty Pretty One," a.k.a. The Jackson 5's "Little Bitty Pretty One." My point is, this song has been covered a million times already, just not in French. René's version probably sounds most like The Jackson 5's, if only for his age/vocal similarity to a young Michael. Anyway, hear (and download) it for yourself. 

Finally, here is his French take on "Yo-Yo," originally performed by Billy Joe Royal, but made mega-famous by The Osmonds. Again, a song that has been covered and re-covered, but still sounds great in a new language, and with René's funky sound. Shake a tail feather, y'all. Or two or three.