Le Dernier Encore De Catherine Ringer

Okay, fine, it's dead musician week here at One Buck Records. I hope one or two of you enjoyed the Rita Mitsouko post from last week, because I'm not quite done with Madame Catherine Ringer, to everyone's surprise, including my own. When my wife told me Ringer had died a week ago she was unhappy, because no one seemed to talk about it, as if it was no big deal. But that's mainly because the tributes on social media etc. were slowly starting to pour in. Turns out it was a reasonably big deal, they just needed some time. Wednesday evening at least France 2, one of the state channels, was ready. First, they went with regular programming, which happened to be the anniversary 600th episode of somewhat legendary music show Taratata. Taratata is known for two things: artists playng music live, and cover songs, udually done in improbable duets. Usually, an artist would play one of their songs they'd come to promote, then team up with someone to cover a classic. Catherine Ringer showed up quickly in a 'flashback'. 

But after that show, there was a special edition of Tarata 'cobbled together' (that's actually how it was credited) by the show's producer and presenter Nagui in about a day, collecting pretty much every Catherine Ringer solo appearance of the last 18 years.i had finished up the Rita Mitsouko post while listening with one ear and occasionally throwing an eye on the Taratata anniversary show. During the Catherine Ringer special my ears perked up for some of the special duets, first when fellow enfants terribles Shaka Ponk (in which Ringer no doubt saw a bit of her own and Fred Chichin's subversive spirit) raised some hell with her in tow on a cover of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie", then when she teamed up with Christine of Christine And The Queens for a take on Led Zep's "Stairway To Heaven". I searched and found both of these covers, then decided to augment these with two other duets. All of these will make up Le Dernier Encore, an EP of Catherine ringer plus duet partners. 

The first track is the aforementioned Shaka Ponk collaboration, then we hear Ringer trying to sing the Arab language to support Rachid Tahab on "Ya Rayah". Then we're off to known francophile Iggy Pop, who duets on a torch song reading of "I've Got A Spell On You", though my favorite is Pop's banter. First he invites her to duet with him in his best French, but uses the reserved-for-young-women 'Mademoiselle' (to which Catherine protests:'Madame! Madame!'), then after the song he says "let's get out of here, babe" in such a tender way. Oh, and then we end the EP with that aforementioned duet on "Stairway To Heaven". 

So, four more songs, before this blog and I let go of Catherine Ringer. Etes vous prêt pour le dernier encore?