A new storm has just been added to the favorable winds which have brought Marjo back to the forefront for several years. The rocker returned to our screens with The voice and a special program broadcast on Télé-Québec, without forgetting his induction into the Pantheon of Canadian Authors and Composers. Now a new compilation of his greatest hits has emerged, a matter of dusting off a technologically aging repertoire and ensuring its sustainability for the future.
This new best of of 17 titles remastered and now available on vinyl, CD and digital is the fruit of the desire and work of Fred Poulin, the vice-president of the Ambiances Ambiances ambiguës company, usually involved in promoting new talents, such as Bon Enfant, Keith Kouna and Gab Paquet.
“My mother was a big fan of Marjo, which is why I grew up around it,” explains Fred Poulin, who has been in the music world for more than two decades. At the time, I wasn’t necessarily a fan, but by hearing them, these songs were imprinted on me. » Then, as is often the case with our parents’ music, pieces from Marjolène Morin’s repertoire resurfaced over the years, taking a special place in Fred Poulin’s heart.
But what he found in available repertoire left the music lover wanting more, particularly in the digital versions of the records, where the volumes and sound quality were uncertain. This was, according to him, also the case of an already existing compilation released in 2001 – “and also I didn’t like the cover and the order of the songs”.
In short, he had the idea of proposing a new compilation, by his own admission for pure selfish pleasure, but also and above all to “rework the works a little and then highlight them”. Poulin already had experience in this type of operation, having carried out essentially the same maneuver with the Vilain Pingouin group.
This new album, simply titled Marjo, therefore brings to the surface the solo repertoire of the singer as well as that created with the group Corbeau. “I find that these are works that are timeless and have aged well,” explains Fred Poulin. And in recent years, she has started doing shows in slightly younger contexts, like at the Festif! [de Baie Saint-Paul], and there is a new audience who discovers it and who likes it a lot. I told myself that we had to continue working on this young audience. »
Convince the artist
But convincing Marjo to play the game was not easy. At the start, the one who sings Provocative And The one who goes was not keen on the idea, because she considered that a best of, it was for the end of her career, which she does not consider to be the case. “She told me that she was someone who wanted to look forward and make plans for the future,” says Fred Poulin. By talking to him, then collaborating on other small projects on the side, at some point, I came back to the charge. And she said: “OK, we’re doing it, go, it’s a great project!” »
It still took more than two years after the first exchanges to arrive at the launch of this compilation with the bright red cover, on which Marjo’s legs shine – legs which “are part of the cult” of the great rocker, dixit Poulin . The two collectively chose which pieces of the repertoire would find their place on the disc.
“By choosing to make a double vinyl, we knew that we had a total of 80 minutes maximum, or 20 minutes per side. With that, what can we put in there? We managed to fit in really seventeen songs, and the album lasts seventy-nine minutes and a few seconds. We really used the maximum that the vinyls could give us! »
For Fred Poulin, the fact that Marjo owns his master tapes and publishing rights made the task much easier. It also underlines the fact that the great lady of Quebec music works practically alone. “She is the one who manages her SOCAN balance sheets; if she does a concert, she is the one who rents her trucks, who makes her schedules. She is the one who negotiates his business. [Pour moi], it was a huge efficiency gain. »
Marjo also facilitated access to her photo archives, putting Ambiances ambiguës in contact with the photographers Pierre Dury – formerly in a relationship with the singer – and Linda Boucher, a friend of Marjo who often followed her in shows.
“Luxury” object
The result is astonishing, the booklet accompanying the physical copies being peppered with magnificent images of the woman who wrote the vast majority of her texts. “You take the vinyl in your hands and it’s thick, it’s heavy,” rejoices Fred Poulin. There are two vinyls inside and a beautiful photo booklet. I wanted to make a very beautiful object. Often, in certain projects, they will make a limited deluxe version, well I wanted them to all be “deluxe”. »
Vinyl copies are likely to attract collectors, believes Fred Poulin, who also notes that the CD format will be much more popular with Marjo’s natural audience than with its alternative artists to the digital-fed audience. “I am distributed by Sony and [au jour du lancement, vendredi]they called me to tell me that they were already back order, so I requested a CD reprint. With my circuit underground usual, it’s rare that I go into Jean Coutu, Costco, then Walmart. And there, Marjo, it comes in there, it’s sure to unlock sales. »
That said, Fred Poulin does not at all see in his agreement with Marjo a way of having “a cash cow” which would replenish the coffers of his company. Which would not be a bad thing in itself, but the vice-president assures that “the decision was not at all monetary”, especially since “Marjo also knows her value in negotiation”.
Ambiances Ambiances also took charge of Marjo’s digital presence, from her Facebook page to the management of her directory metadata. Question, says Fred Poulin, of making the singer’s heritage more current and more effective. “There are dozens of mini-details that we can adjust to maximize visibility, to also maximize the profitability of the rights”, such as ensuring the accuracy of certain information or even choosing the right style category on the platforms digital.
“When you’re “rock” on Spotify, you’re next to bands like Queens of the Stone Age. Marjo, she had to be in the “French-speaking” category to be among the French-speaking artists in terms of algorithms, he said. All of this together makes it clear, truthful, and remains on the Internet for the future. » Hoping that “the one who goes” lasts a long time.