Françoise Hardy [1962] in Bloomington, MN

The original Yeh-Yeh Girl,
Francoise Hardy
's singing career began with a brilliant self-titled debut in 1962. The album encapsulated
Hardy
's coy, dreamlike, and beautifully melancholic sonic persona with a collection of 11 mostly original songs. The album featured a few hits, including the particularly notable "Tous les Garcons et les Filles," which sold millions as a single. This repackaging of the original album also includes
Canta per Voi in Italiano
, an album issued shortly after the debut with some of its songs and additional numbers re-recorded in Italian. While the original album is a classic of French pop, '60s AM magic, and of course a forerunner of the yeh-yeh (aka ye-ye) sound, the additional tracks in Italian are a sweet counterpart. ~ Fred Thomas