De Villon À Prévert Vol.1 by Jean-Marc Tennberg: A Raw, Unfiltered Dive into French Poetry on Wax
Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat this. De Villon À Prévert Vol.1 isn’t your typical "throw it on at a party" kind of album. Nah, this is something else entirely—a freakin’ time capsule of French poetry that punches you in the gut and makes you think twice about life, love, and all that heavy stuff no one really wants to talk about over coffee. Released back in ‘71 (yeah, the same year people were grooving to Zeppelin), this sucker doesn’t care if you’re ready for its intensity. It just hits.
First off, let’s talk genre—or rather, the lack thereof. This ain’t music as most folks know it; it’s more like spoken word meets theater with zero chill. The style? Straight-up poetry. And man, does it feel authentic—or maybe just painfully real. Like, imagine sitting alone in some dimly lit café in Paris, nursing a glass of red wine while someone recites verses so sharp they could cut glass. That’s what you’re getting here. No gimmicks. Just raw emotion laid bare.
Now, onto the tracks. With a tracklist longer than my grocery bill, it's tough to pick favorites, but two stood out like sore thumbs—La Tirade Des Nez (Cyrano) and Le Vin De L’Assassin. Let me tell ya why these stuck with me.
La Tirade Des Nez (Cyrano)
This one slaps harder than a slapstick comedy sketch gone wrong. If you don’t know Cyrano de Bergerac, well, where’ve you been living under a rock? This piece takes his infamous nose rant and turns it into pure verbal chaos. Tennberg delivers it like he’s channeling every ounce of Cyrano’s swagger and wit. You can almost picture him pacing around a stage, jabbing invisible foes with words sharper than any sword. By the end, I was like, “Damn, dude had issues,” but also kinda rooting for him. It’s funny, tragic, and oddly inspiring all at once. Like, who wouldn’t want to own their flaws like Cyrano?
Le Vin De L’Assassin
Okay, this one’s dark—like pitch-black-dark. It tells the story of a guy drowning his sorrows in booze after doing something unspeakable. The imagery is brutal, man. Every line feels like a punch to the chest. There’s this moment when Tennberg spits out the phrase about blood mixing with wine—it hit me so hard I had to pause and catch my breath. Not gonna lie, it messed me up. But hey, isn’t that what art’s supposed to do? Mess you up a little? Make you uncomfortable? Yeah, mission accomplished.
Oh, and props to Thérèse Le Prat for the photography. The cover art matches the vibe perfectly—gritty, vintage, and dripping with atmosphere. Hats off to CBS and Odeon too for putting this beast out there. Someone had to take the risk, right?
So yeah, De Villon À Prévert Vol.1 isn’t for everyone. Hell, it might not even be for anyone anymore. Most people today are too busy scrolling TikTok or whatever to sit through an hour-plus of poetic monologues. But if you’re brave enough to dive in, it’ll leave a mark. Maybe even change how you see things.
Here’s the kicker though: Listening to this album made me realize how sanitized everything is nowadays. We crave instant gratification, easy answers, and shiny distractions. Back then? They weren’t afraid to get ugly. To dig deep and pull out the nastiest truths hiding beneath the surface. And honestly? That’s kinda refreshing.
Final thought: Screw algorithms. Screw playlists tailored to your mood. Sometimes you need something that fights back. This album? It fights dirty.
Rating: 8/10 – Because perfection’s boring anyway.
Répétition générale donnée au Petit-Marigny, 20 mars 1957.
Imprimé en France
Enregistrement intégral de l'unique récital donné le 28 février 1956 au Théâtre Fontaine
Eng translation : Record of the only live performed on 28th february 1956 at Théâtre Fontaine
Box-Set featuring a 12 pages booklet
Barcodes
Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): XAR 729
Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): XAR 730
Rights Society: SACEM
Matrix / Runout (Label side A): XAR 727
Matrix / Runout (Label side B ): XAR 728
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A stamped): XAR 727 21 M6 222512
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B stamped): XAR 727 21B M6 222928
Rights Society: SACEM SACD SDRM SGDL
Price Code: A (Circled)
Other: XAR 728
Price Code: B
Matrix / Runout (Side A : stamped): XAR 731 21B M6 266082
Matrix / Runout (Side B : stamped): XAR 732 21B M6 266083
Matrix / Runout (Side A : on label): S 64.438 XAR 731
Matrix / Runout (Side B : on label): S 64.438 XAR 732
Rights Society: SACEM SDRM SACD SGLD
Other: XAR 730
About JeanMarc Tennberg
French actor and poet.
Founder & Manager of .
Born 12 May 1924 in Pantin, France, died in a plane crash 12 August 1971 in Lourmarin, France.
Real Name
Marc-Georges Trachtenberg
Name Vars
J.-M. Tennberg
Jean Marc Tennberg
Interesting fact about Album
Here’s something cool: *De Villon À Prévert Vol.1* by Jean-Marc Tennberg isn’t your typical music album. Released in 1971 in France, it’s more like a poetic journey than a musical one. The album falls under the genre "Non-Music" and focuses on poetry, bringing classic French verses to life. It includes tracks inspired by legendary poets like François Villon and Paul Verlaine, with pieces such as *La Ballade des Pendus* and *Le Vin de l’Assassin*. Fun detail—the photography for the album was done by Thérèse Le Prat, adding a visual layer to this artistic project. It’s like a time capsule of French literary history set to sound.
