Motorpsycho Nightmares: Subversive French Pop of Stella Vander Arrives on CD From RPM
Who is Stella?
The single-named French pop queen was born Stella Zelcer, and is today known as Stella Vander, wife and collaborator of Christian Zander of the jazz-influenced progressive rock group Magma. Cherry Red’s RPM Records label has recently unearthed the 1967 debut album of the singer then known simply as Stella for an expanded edition which doubles as an anthology of her recordings for the French division of RCA Victor.
Stella differentiated herself from the popular yé-yé girls by lampooning the genre itself. On Stella, which was drawn from previously released EPs in the manner of the day, she poked fun at singer Sheila’s “Le Folklore Américain” with her own “Un Air De Folklore Auvergnat.” Answering Sheila’s tribute to American country and folk, Stella posited in her song that accordionist Andre Verchuren was France’s answer to Bob Dylan. The song caused controversy when The Auvergnat Association of Paris took exception to its lyrics; the group even lobbied to have Stella’s records pulled from radio. Still a teenager – she made her first recording in 1963 for Disques Vogue at age 12 – she drew influences from the international spectrum of pop and rock for her RCA long-playing debut, lyrically reworking Bob Dylan’s “Motorpsycho Nightmare” as her own “Cauchemard Auto-Protestateur” and creating sonic collages in the manner of The Beatles. She co-wrote all of the material herself, in collaboration with her uncle Maurice Chorenslup, and touched on pop, soul, garage rock, jazz and psychedelia on these recordings.
Kieron Tyler’s fine liner notes to RPM’s reissue tell the story of Stella in the context of other French musical icons and satirists such as Charles Trenet (best known for “La Mer,” or “Beyond the Sea”) and of course, Serge Gainsbourg. At RCA Victor, she was a labelmate to Sylvie Vartan and Pussy Cat, both of whom have also been anthologized by RPM. She was paired at RCA with Pussy Cat’s producer Gerard Huge, per Tyler a Phil Spector fan who saw in Stella an opportunity to sonically experiment. As the decade progressed – a trajectory chronicled in the fourteen bonus tracks recorded between 1966 and 1968 – Stella’s songwriting pen and her sharply satirical wit became even sharper. “L’Idole Des Jaunes” paid tribute to Jimi Hendrix while mocking Maoists.
Following the period revealed on Stella, the singer-songwriter turned her back on subversive pop and after a short spell in a blues-rock band, returned to her first love of jazz. She joined with Magma in 1973, and married Christian Vander. Although she and Christian would later divorce, Stella Vander remained affiliated with Magma’s label, and continues to be involved in music today. RPM’s deluxe edition of Stella has been remastered by Simon Murphy at Another Planet Music. It’s available now and can be ordered at the links below!
Stella, Stella: Expanded Edition (RCA Victor (France) 730.000, 1967 – reissued RPM Retro 959, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. )
- Un Air De Folklore Auvergnat
- Adieu Micro, Bonjour Sillon
- J’Achetes Des Disques Americains
- Pauvre Figaro
- Tu Dis Toujours Oui
- Cauchemard Auto-Protestateur
- Si Vous Connaissez Quelque Chose De Pire Que Qu’un Vampire Parlez M’en Toujours, Ca Pourra Peut-Etre Me Faire Sourire
- Le Vieux Banjo
- Gaspard
- Pas De Chanson Sur Les Vacances
- La Flemme
- Pourquoi Je Chante
- La Vielle Chanson D’Amour (RCA Victor 86.126, 1966)
- Beatnicks D’Occasion (RCA Victor 86.171, 1966)
- Tout Va Bien (RCA Victor 86.195, 1967)
- Je Ne Peux Plus Te Voir En Peinture (RCA Victor 86.195, 1967)
- Le Silence (RCA Victor 86.195, 1967)
- J’Aurais Voulu (RCA Victor 86.195, 1967)
- Carnet De Balles (RCA Victor 87.015, 1967)
- Je Ne Me Reconnais Plus Dans La Glace (RCA Victor 87.015, 1967)
- Poesie 67 (RCA Victor 87.015, 1967)
- Duo De-Sacre Coeur (RCA Victor 87.015, 1967)
- Matiere A Reflexion (RCA Victor 49.016, 1968)
- L’Idole Des Jaunes (RCA Victor 49.016, 1968)
- Vous Devriez Avoir Honte (RCA Victor 49.024, 1968)
- Pauvre Cloche (RCA Victor 49.024, 1968)
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L’Idole Des Jaunes actually sends up lots of French singers like Michel Polnareff and Johnny Hallyday (It’s his version of Hey Joe she pokes fun at). There’s a ‘complete’ 2CD set on Magic that kills this compilation.