Brigitte Fontaine – Comme À La Radio (2xLP, Deluxe Edition)

Brigitte Fontaine's Comme A La Radio captures a singular meeting of French song and radical improvisation. Originally created at Saravah in 1970 and widely associated with Fontaine's early-70s breakthrough, it brings her writing together with Areski Belkacem, Wadada Leo Smith, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The result is spare, unsettling and unusually open-ended, with minimalist structures that leave room for the ensemble's free-jazz textures to reshape what a chanson record could sound like.

What still makes the album so gripping is the tension between Fontaine's sharply focused delivery and the group's elusive, atmospheric playing. The title track became a cult touchstone, and the album has long been treated as a defining statement in her catalogue: a record where lyricism, experimentation and ensemble interplay all feel inseparable rather than decorative. If you know Fontaine mainly by reputation, this is one of the clearest places to hear why her work has meant so much to later adventurous pop and art-song listeners.

This deluxe Wewantsounds edition makes a strong case for returning to the album in depth. Newly remastered from the original tapes, it restores the original LP and adds a second record of rare bonus material, including non-album singles, English-language versions, alternate takes and previously unreleased instrumentals. A 24-page bilingual booklet rounds it out with essays, an interview with Fontaine and Areski Belkacem, complete lyrics, and rare archival photographs.

Features

• 2xLP, Black Vinyl, Deluxe Edition
• Newly remastered from the original tapes
• Second LP with 11 bonus tracks including rare singles, English-language versions, alternate takes and unreleased instrumentals
• 24-page bilingual booklet with essays, interview, lyrics and rare archival photographs