(for photos of Pelletier, please click PHOTO COMPANION TO MUSIC DISCUSSION POSTS)
So, like I said, the discovery of Notre Dame de Paris led me to discover many more popular rock artists. The first, however, was Bruno Pelletier, the man who played Gringoire. Online, I saw that he was a rock star, but on blind (or in this case, deaf) faith, I went to Ebay and chose a CD to buy. There aren't many to be had on Ebay, I can tell you. Still, out of Pelletier's 6 CDs thus far, there were still 2 or 3 to choose from. So, I chose D'autres Rives. When it got here, and as I was placing it in the player, I thought I sure hope I like this, because I had gone through a great deal of trouble and expense to obtain it, all on the momentum of my appreciation for Notre Dame de Paris. Odds could have been that it would have totally sucked.
But suck it didn't. The first track is Loin de Chez Moi and it opens up with what could sound exactly like single string electric guitar work for a hair metal power ballad. And in fact, if I had to categorize Pelletier's rock work as a body and whole it would be to say it most closely resembles hair metal but with more sophistication. His voice is easily opera capable, as is evidenced on other CDs, but when he applies it to rock…well...wow. In fact, the first four tracks on this CD alone were heavy. Not hard, but heavy. They weren't fast songs, but not ballads, either. Somewhere between. And they were the kind of rock like I like rock!!! I squealed with delight at each new song. On the whole, there was only 1 or 2 songs from this CD I could have gone without. The rest are awesome!
Ultimately, and now that I have obtained the rest of Pelletier's music, my first choice was the best choice. D'autres Rives, in my opinion, is his best CD. But Pelletier is a grass roots sort of performer. He's made music videos and has done a lot of television, but he's not a merchandising kind of guy. CDs are about all you can get. And when I appreciate music, I want to see it, too. But alas, no concerts or videos on DVD were to be had. However, you can see all kinds of video clips on his website. http://www.brunopelletier.com/ Yes, it's in French, but the French words for a lot of stuff are similar to English, so its easy to find videography, discography and stuff. You can hear song clips here, see pictures, watch video clips and all kinds of stuff.
I was, however, finally able to obtain a concert on DVD. It was recorded from a televised performance, and a totally awesome dude in Canada made a copy and sold it to me.
But there are also some really cool videos on YouTube.com. http://youtube.com/results?search=bruno pelletier&search_type=search_videos Once on the list of Bruno Pelletier videos, scroll down and watch the following: "Vivre Sa Vie", "Ailleurs C'est Comme Ici", Pelletier and Celine Dion doing "Le Blues du Businessman". On page 2, there is "La Fete des Fous" from Notre Dame de Paris. Also on page 2 is "Vivo Per Lei" - an amazing duet with the woman who played the female lead in Notre Dame. Also on page 3 are more video excerpts from Notre Dame de Paris. Check out "Le Val d'Amour" "Ou est-elle", "Le Temps Des Cathedrales" and "Lune".
All of this appreciation led to my first foreign trip ever. Early in 2005, I learned that Pelletier was going to be doing a new musical in Montreal. So, I gathered a group, talked the theater into reserving us some front seats since we'd be traveling so far, and in February of this year (2006) we drove up to Montreal and saw the show. It was great getting to see Pelletier, live! The show was a musical adaptation of the story of Dracula, but rocked up a bit and set a little farther into the future. The show was amazing! It has not yet been made into a DVD, but I can tell you, when it is, I will have a copy. It wasn't as great as Notre Dame, but it sure wasn't bad, either. It was more...I don’t know...industrial? But Renfield stole the show, in my opinion.
"Okay, so you had English subtitles on the Notre Dame DVD, but how the heck did you get by the language barrier when watching a live theater performance???" Easy...there aren't a whole lot of people who don't know the general story of Dracula. And, as this was the story being told by the show, that knowledge went a long way in allowing us all to understand what was going on through the whole thing. Plus, like ballet, facial expression, gesture and other visuals also go a long way in conveying meaning. So, it was no hardship at all.
But as for Pelletier's non-show music. His recording career. All of the music he does can be considered popular, but he's not monogamous. He does a lot of rock, but also throws in pop, contemporary, and even a few operatic pieces.
Here is a list of songs I recommend for those who love real, good rock:
Tu Cherches Malgré Tout Joé Lié Par le Sang (this one really does remind me of Bon Jovi) Ailleurs C'est Comme Ici Pris Au Piège Quest-ce qui Arrive Paix & Guerre Loin De Chez Moi Vivre Sa Vie S'en Aller (this one is on the concert I haveand WOW!) Que Tu M'aimes Le Bon Gars et le Salaud Je Crois Pourtant Un Monde à L'envers (one of my favorites!)
For those of you with tastes that lean more toward contemporary or pop...or even operatic, check out these songs. They're all breathtaking!
Mourir Comme Lui (beautiful) Petit Bonhomme (which translates to good little man a very sweetly sung lullaby) Tu Pars Regards en Collision Sans te le Dire Miserere (music written by Bono of U2 this is an amazing operatic piece that appears on this CD twiceonce with traditional instruments, and again with electric rock band instrumentsimpressive vocals) Ma Vie Pardonne J'oublie Ma Folie Je Ne Suis Qu'une Chanson Un Jour il ny Aura Plus d'Amour (hauntingly beautiful) Se Rêver (I love singing along with this one!) Sans La Couleur Sang J'ai Essayé Ma Jalousie (this one has a really fun music video) L'aisse Brûler ta Vie (another one I love singing with!) Depuis Que Tes Parti (and again, a great one to sing with)
I know most of us have ways of obtaining or listening to music from somewhere on the net, or from a music program. Trust me...you'll find most of these out there. And you won't be disappointed!
So, like I said, the discovery of Notre Dame de Paris led me to discover many more popular rock artists. The first, however, was Bruno Pelletier, the man who played Gringoire. Online, I saw that he was a rock star, but on blind (or in this case, deaf) faith, I went to Ebay and chose a CD to buy. There aren't many to be had on Ebay, I can tell you. Still, out of Pelletier's 6 CDs thus far, there were still 2 or 3 to choose from. So, I chose D'autres Rives. When it got here, and as I was placing it in the player, I thought I sure hope I like this, because I had gone through a great deal of trouble and expense to obtain it, all on the momentum of my appreciation for Notre Dame de Paris. Odds could have been that it would have totally sucked.
But suck it didn't. The first track is Loin de Chez Moi and it opens up with what could sound exactly like single string electric guitar work for a hair metal power ballad. And in fact, if I had to categorize Pelletier's rock work as a body and whole it would be to say it most closely resembles hair metal but with more sophistication. His voice is easily opera capable, as is evidenced on other CDs, but when he applies it to rock…well...wow. In fact, the first four tracks on this CD alone were heavy. Not hard, but heavy. They weren't fast songs, but not ballads, either. Somewhere between. And they were the kind of rock like I like rock!!! I squealed with delight at each new song. On the whole, there was only 1 or 2 songs from this CD I could have gone without. The rest are awesome!
Ultimately, and now that I have obtained the rest of Pelletier's music, my first choice was the best choice. D'autres Rives, in my opinion, is his best CD.
But Pelletier is a grass roots sort of performer. He's made music videos and has done a lot of television, but he's not a merchandising kind of guy. CDs are about all you can get. And when I appreciate music, I want to see it, too. But alas, no concerts or videos on DVD were to be had. However, you can see all kinds of video clips on his website. http://www.brunopelletier.com/ Yes, it's in French, but the French words for a lot of stuff are similar to English, so its easy to find videography, discography and stuff. You can hear song clips here, see pictures, watch video clips and all kinds of stuff.
I was, however, finally able to obtain a concert on DVD. It was recorded from a televised performance, and a totally awesome dude in Canada made a copy and sold it to me.
But there are also some really cool videos on YouTube.com. http://youtube.com/results?search=bruno pelletier&search_type=search_videos
Once on the list of Bruno Pelletier videos, scroll down and watch the following: "Vivre Sa Vie", "Ailleurs C'est Comme Ici", Pelletier and Celine Dion doing "Le Blues du Businessman". On page 2, there is "La Fete des Fous" from Notre Dame de Paris. Also on page 2 is "Vivo Per Lei" - an amazing duet with the woman who played the female lead in Notre Dame. Also on page 3 are more video excerpts from Notre Dame de Paris. Check out "Le Val d'Amour" "Ou est-elle", "Le Temps Des Cathedrales" and "Lune".
All of this appreciation led to my first foreign trip ever. Early in 2005, I learned that Pelletier was going to be doing a new musical in Montreal. So, I gathered a group, talked the theater into reserving us some front seats since we'd be traveling so far, and in February of this year (2006) we drove up to Montreal and saw the show. It was great getting to see Pelletier, live! The show was a musical adaptation of the story of Dracula, but rocked up a bit and set a little farther into the future. The show was amazing! It has not yet been made into a DVD, but I can tell you, when it is, I will have a copy. It wasn't as great as Notre Dame, but it sure wasn't bad, either. It was more...I don’t know...industrial? But Renfield stole the show, in my opinion.
"Okay, so you had English subtitles on the Notre Dame DVD, but how the heck did you get by the language barrier when watching a live theater performance???" Easy...there aren't a whole lot of people who don't know the general story of Dracula. And, as this was the story being told by the show, that knowledge went a long way in allowing us all to understand what was going on through the whole thing. Plus, like ballet, facial expression, gesture and other visuals also go a long way in conveying meaning. So, it was no hardship at all.
But as for Pelletier's non-show music. His recording career. All of the music he does can be considered popular, but he's not monogamous. He does a lot of rock, but also throws in pop, contemporary, and even a few operatic pieces.
Here is a list of songs I recommend for those who love real, good rock:
Tu Cherches Malgré Tout
Joé
Lié Par le Sang (this one really does remind me of Bon Jovi)
Ailleurs C'est Comme Ici
Pris Au Piège
Quest-ce qui Arrive
Paix & Guerre
Loin De Chez Moi
Vivre Sa Vie
S'en Aller (this one is on the concert I haveand WOW!)
Que Tu M'aimes
Le Bon Gars et le Salaud
Je Crois Pourtant
Un Monde à L'envers (one of my favorites!)
For those of you with tastes that lean more toward contemporary or pop...or even operatic, check out these songs. They're all breathtaking!
Mourir Comme Lui (beautiful)
Petit Bonhomme (which translates to good little man a very sweetly sung lullaby)
Tu Pars
Regards en Collision
Sans te le Dire
Miserere (music written by Bono of U2 this is an amazing operatic piece that appears on this CD twiceonce with traditional instruments, and again with electric rock band instrumentsimpressive vocals)
Ma Vie
Pardonne
J'oublie Ma Folie
Je Ne Suis Qu'une Chanson
Un Jour il ny Aura Plus d'Amour (hauntingly beautiful)
Se Rêver (I love singing along with this one!)
Sans La Couleur Sang
J'ai Essayé
Ma Jalousie (this one has a really fun music video)
L'aisse Brûler ta Vie (another one I love singing with!)
Depuis Que Tes Parti (and again, a great one to sing with)
I know most of us have ways of obtaining or listening to music from somewhere on the net, or from a music program. Trust me...you'll find most of these out there. And you won't be disappointed!