Mick Harvey - Intoxicated Man / Pink Elephants - 2CD

Catalogue Number: CDSTUMM331
Release Date: 07 April 2014

Mick Harvey is set to release a double vinyl collection of his two Serge Gainsbourg albums, Intoxicated Man and Pink Elephants, on Mute on 7 April 2014.

Intoxicated Man (1995) and Pink Elephants (1997) are Mick Harvey’s interpretations of the songs of legendary singer, songwriter and poet Serge Gainsbourg and are the first major works translating Gainsbourg’s influential work from French to English.

Originally Harvey embarked on the project as a result of his own curiousity about the songs and particularly the lyrics. At the time of the original recordings Gainsbourg was little known outside classic works such as Je T’aime... Moi Non Plus (I Love You… Nor Do I) and Bonnie & Clyde. On this collection these classic works are presented alongside dozens of Gainsbourg’s lesser known yet equally intriguing and unusual compositions.

The vocal parts originally sung by Gainsbourg’s muses Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot and daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg are here sung by long time collaborator Anita Lane – other guests on the albums include Bertrand Burgalat, Warren Ellis, Nick Cave and David McClymont.

Mick Harvey explains, "Translating a great writer is like walking through a minefield and I set myself the difficult task of attempting to keep the places of rhyming, metre and meaning accurate to the originals. One or more of these elements is usually dispensed with in the translating of poetry and lyrics, but I did not want to iron out any of Gainbourg’s more aberrant angles or lose any of his especially perverse and peculair touches."

CD1:

1. 69 Erotic Year 
2. Harley Davidson 
3. Intoxicated Man 
4. The Sun Directly Overhead 
5. Sex Shop 
6. The Barrel Of My 45 
7. Ford Mustang 
8. Overseas Telegram 
9. New York USA 
10. 1Bonnie & Clyde 
11. Chatterton 
12. The Song Of Slurs 
13. Jazz In The Ravine 
14. I Have Come To Tell You I'm Going 
15. Lemon Incest 
16. Initials B.B.

CD2:

1. Pink Elephants 
2. Requiem 
3. The Javanaise 
4. Black Seaweed 
5. Comic Strip 
6. Ticket Puncher 
7. Non Affair 
8. Scenic Railway 
9. To All The Lucky Kids 
10. Anthracite 
11. Manon 
12. I Love You… Nor Do I 
13. The Ballard Of Melody Nelson 
14. Torrey Canyon 
15. Who Is "In" Who Is "Out" 
16. Hotel Specific