Golden Pavilion Rec.
Yves Rakotomalala : Ce Matin Encore (F,1981,re.2010)***°
Label owner Antonio told me he was disappointed to notice there was little interest in this album, while it still is his favourite reissue on his own label. It is of course true that the Guerssen reissue of Yves & Serge & Victor a few years ago didn't track much attention. It is also true that people don't want to trust a song album from the early 80s to start with. But on the first side there is in fact no difference in style to the West Coast bands and songwriters from the 70s. On the first track there are more clear Crosby Still & Nash vocal harmonies, strummed guitar and electric bass. It is a song about being able to continue to sing with true emotion against the expectations of others. On the third track there are two picking guitars, and the fourth track has some beautiful flute arrangement. All these songs should appeal to acoustic Neil Young lovers. Also these songs are strong lyrically. On the second side are the French spoken songs. This is only a bit different because the songs are in a different language. Most songs are accompanied by quite rhythmic strummed rhythms, mouth harmonica, electric guitar and bass and restrained harmony vocals. On “Da seule chanson” drums are used again and more electric guitar with stronger equal balance on the harmony vocals. It is an advantage to understand French for these, but the style already is heart warming.
Yves Rakotomalala comes from Madagascar. Because he studied in French he flew over to Paris to continue studying, while his musical education was rather "English". Before coming to Europe he heard the standards of the time over the radio stations in Antananarivo. He first had a brothers band called The Small fortunes with whom he played during a radio contest “Gimme some loving" by The Spencer Davies Group. In France, Aix en Provence he met a guy who knew Joel Bernstein, Neil Young ' s friend, which made the Neil Young connection stronger. Last year Guerssen records in Catalunya has released the album called "Cagibi", recorded by Serge ,Yves and Victor. Today Victor play a kind of "metisse"/mongrel music,because of the incorporation of his Malagasy origin in his songs with the help of musicians from the Basque region called the "Border men". They have an album called “Buskers”.
