- Sexy album cover, cabaret cheek, and a grin before the needle even lands
Bright red sleeve with huge yellow 'LE ZIZI' title; a blonde woman reclines on the floor in a shiny silver jacket and lingerie, staring at the camera. Yellow track list runs down the right; Les Tréteaux logo sits bottom left.
Jean-Luc Ferré's "Le Zizi" (Les Tréteaux, 1974) didn't "change music" so much as kick the salon door in with a grin - French variété/cabaret cheek that still makes crate-diggers smirk before the needle even lands. The sound is all stage-lights and cigarette haze: jaunty swing, punchy brass, sly pauses, then a chorus that dares you not to laugh. Cue "Vanina (Runaway)" for earworm sparkle, "Le Zizi" for the headline mischief, and "Magic Normal" when you want the wink to turn into a full-on grin. Daniel Janin's musical direction keeps it tight, and the original French LP still starts conversations - usually the kind people deny having in public.
Jean-Luc Ferré didn’t title this thing politely. The sleeve practically smirks at you before the needle even drops—Les Tréteaux 6273, France, 1974—filed in that “varieté with a dirty grin” corner where shop owners either hide it or put it front-and-center just to watch people react.
It helps that it wasn’t captured in some anonymous studio cube. The back cover credits the recording to the Comédie des Champs-Élysées, and you can feel that “room” in the sound: a little air, a little stage-light sheen, the sense that the jokes land because there’s space around them.
Daniel Janin is credited with the musical direction, and the arrangements behave like someone’s actually steering the bus—tight turns, quick cues, no lingering. Then you spot Jean-Claude Pierric on “direction artistique” and it clicks: this wasn’t tossed together. It was staged.
The sound capture credits go to Philippe Omniès and J.P. Pelissier. They don’t scrub it into plastic. They frame it. You hear edges, bounce, and the tiny human wobbles that make a cheeky record feel alive instead of “manufactured.”
And the cover? Photography is credited to Michel Laguens. Not subtle. Good. It sets the tone immediately—playful, brazen, slightly ridiculous—the kind of sleeve you keep face-out on purpose just to see who suddenly finds their tea fascinating.
That’s the trick with "Le Zizi / Vanina": it’s easy to dismiss as novelty until you’re halfway through a side and realize how deliberately it’s been arranged, recorded, and packaged. Laugh, wince, tap your foot. Then flip it over and see if you’re still pretending you bought it “for the collection.”
Music Genre: Chanson Francaise / Humor |
| Album Production Information:
The album: "Jean-Luc Ferre - Le Zizi / Vanina" was produced by: Daniel Janin Sound/Recording Engineer(s): Philippe Onnes, J.P. Pellissier This album was recorded at: Comedie des Champs-Elysees Album cover photography: Miguel Laguens |
Record Label & Catalognr: Les Treteaux 6273 |
Media Format: 12" LP Vinyl Stereo Gramophone RecordTotal Album (Cover+Record) weight: 230 gram |
Year and Country: Made in France |
Complete Track-listing of the album "Jean-Luc Ferre - Le Zizi / Vanina" |
The detailed tracklist of this record "Jean-Luc Ferre - Le Zizi / Vanina" is:
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Album Back Cover Photo of "Jean-Luc Ferre - Le Zizi / Vanina" |
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Photo of "Jean-Luc Ferre - Le Zizi / Vanina" 12" LP Record - Side One: |
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Photo of "Jean-Luc Ferre - Le Zizi / Vanina" 12" LP Record - Side Two: |
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