Released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death in 1991,
Best of Gainsbourg: Comme un Boomerang is a two-CD retrospective featuring 47 tracks plucked from the extensive back catalog of France's most notorious musical enfant terrible,
Serge Gainsbourg. One of hundreds of compilations that have attempted to summarize the unashamed provocateur's 40-year recording career, this Wrasse Records release is perhaps the most comprehensive since 2006's Anthologie, taking in material from his 1958 debut album,
Du Chant a la Une!... ("Le Poinconneur des Lilas") right up to his 1987 swan song,
You're Under Arrest (his cover version of
Edith Piaf's "Mon Legionnaire"). With a track list helpfully compiled in chronological order,
Comme un Boomerang showcases his ability to effortlessly shift musical direction, from the
Boris Vian-inspired traditional French chanson "La Recette de l'Amour Fou," to the bohemian jazz of "Black Trombone," to the psychedelic guitar pop of "L'Hotel Particulier," to the
Sly & Robbie-produced reggae of "Aux Armes et Cetera" (his controversial interpretation of the French national anthem), and to the sultry electronica of "Sorry Angel." Alongside his signature tune, the sensual and scandalous U.K. chart-topping duet with
Jane Birkin, "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus," there are also his famous collaborations with actresses
Brigitte Bardot ("Bonnie and Clyde," "Comic Strip") and
Catherine Deneuve ("Dieu Fumeur de Havanes"), contributions from his series of controversial '70s concept albums, the Lolita-influenced
Histoire de Melody Nelson ("Ballade de Melody Nelson") and the Nazism-based
Rock Around the Bunker (the title track), and his own recording of the innuendo-laden hit he penned for Parisian yé-yé singer
France Gall ("Les Sucettes"). Casual fans who might be overwhelmed by its generous track list would be better off with the more streamlined Initials S.G. (2003) or The Originals (2006), but if you want to further investigate one of pop music's most eccentric figures,
Comme un Boomerang is perhaps all you'll ever need. ~ Jon O'Brien