<p>Few books can serve as both an enjoyable reading experience and a reference guide, with hundreds of side notes to complement it. This is the case of French Pop by Gareth Jones, a thorough investigation and documentation of the history of French Pop music, which is also the story of the modern music industry.</p><p>Jones travels back to the nineteenth century, where he discovers the foundations of Pop music through names that have become obscure to the general public over the years. It also provides insight into the socio-cultural historical context that aided in the popularity of several waves of new musical styles. These names had a significant influence and impact in the early twentieth century, gradually outlining a path that is still followed today.</p><p>The author focuses on the first half of the twentieth century, ending in the early 1960s (where he promises to continue in two more volumes,) when the Pop and Rock music revolution was in full swing, giving birth to the Yé-Yé movement, which led up to names like Françoise Hardy, Johnny Hallyday, and Claude François, among many others, a path that was blazed by the 1950's names from the French chanson such as Jacques Brel, Gilbert Bécaud, Georges Brassens and going further back, Yves Montand, Édith Piaf, Juliette Gréco, Maurice Chevalier, Marianne Oswald (a "chanteuse réaliste") and Charles Trenet. among countless others. All of these names come together at some point when musical styles such as Jazz, Blues, and Rock N' Roll begin to germinate more intensely in Europe, each in their own time. Accurately, Gareth Jones explains in detail how sounds from the other side of the Atlantic reached France and the European continent in general, as well as the need for new generations of listeners to explore these sounds with which they increasingly identified, and the "resistance" of established names to the popularity of new musical waves such as Rock, which they ironically "accidentally" helped to impose throughout their careers. It is a period when poetry commences to merge with music, among various art movements, and the vibrant underground scene of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés bars and cafes, from the discomforting and impenetrable Serge Gainsbourg to the unexpectedly enchanting Juliette Gréco, two top names in French music who crossed borders all over the world.</p><p>But Jones does not overlook the "background players", to whom he devotes as much attention as the big names, thus building one of the most comprehensive Pop and Rock music books of all time.</p><p>French Pop, beautifully illustrated with rare photos, posters, album covers, and labels, includes also a valuable glossary of names that allows the reader to use this book as a reference when they want, as well as a rare guide to some of the key records in the history of French Pop, and a guide to French Pop songs covered by other artists across the globe.</p><p>A precious sharing of Gareth Jones' extensive enthusiast work, this is a book for any serious music fan and for anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of music and history, not exclusively French. Over 500 pages of pure knowledge, French Pop: From Music Hall to Yé-Yé is an exceptional and indispensable book. -- David Warren, popexpresso.com (November 2022)</p>