Ramon Pipin, founder of “Au Bonheur des Dames” celebrates his 50th career with a “Best Egg” and two exceptional concerts

It is impossible to classify Ramon Pipin in a category, as this singular character gravitated around such diverse and varied projects. Founder of the legendary rock groups Au Bonheur des Dames and Odeurs, he can also boast of having composed film scores, produced and arranged for other artists, notably Renaud, and even worked onin different fields: theater, television, advertising, web and even writing novels. And at 71 years old, he doesn’t plan to stop there. Always creative and prolific, he continues to write, compose and publish regularly. But with such a teeming pedigree, it was time for him to bring together the bulk of his work. It’s done with not a “Best-of” but a “Best-Oeuf” of almost six hours of music.

Humor but above all music

A box set title like this is pure Ramon Pipin. Good words are his trademark. With legendary songs like Sweet cream, Pork meat, How to light up your interior or the most recent Stairway to eleven or The man from Picardy, our facetious lyricist has always injected a lot of humor into his lyrics. Whether subtle, parodic, phonetic or simply schoolboy, it is an essential component of Ramon Pipin’s work. But unlike other comedian-singers, here music remains the keystone.

Criticize professional competition, castigate dictatorships, titillate right-thinking, put your spin on societal subjects, yes, but you might as well do it with clear melodies, unstoppable riffs, careful arrangements. When listening to Ramon Pipin, we hear the Beach Boys and the Beatles, the Who and the Rolling Stones, and above all we can’t help but think of Frank Zappa in this way of constantly diverting rock and pop references.

His hidden stories from the face of rock that he publishes on social networks are hilarious. We learn that if Hendrix burned his guitar in Monterey, it was to grill sausages, that if Joe Cocker screamed at Woodstock it was because of shoes that were too small, or that Roger Daltrey’s scream in Won’t get fooled again would actually be his reaction to a football match score… Unbridled, deadpan humor worthy of the cult Rutles or Spinal Tap. As for his diversions with his group Les Excellents, halfway between the Rolling Bidochons and Monty Python, they have accumulated several million views on YouTube.

But the jokes never took precedence over the love of music. “I have often been told that to film, I would be better off contacting comedy show producers” Ramon tells us, “but for me music is very important”. He adds: “When someone tells me that for comic songs we don’t care about music, I think exactly the opposite.” VSHow would he define himself? Songwriter? Parody musician? Comedian-singer? No, he found a much better formula to describe his approach which consists of talking about subjects that are close to his heart to skillfully orchestrated music:

I am a music columnist

And when we ask him the best moments he remembers from his 50 years in music, he claims the group Odeurs as undoubtedly its best creative period “We still filled the Olympia for 10 days in a row!” And he also willingly cite “the ardor of youth in Au Bonheur des Dames, when we did more than 100 concerts a year”. In the video below, we see him on the guitar in Hendrixian antics.

A plethoric compilation

It’s hard to get more hearty than this “Best-Oeuf”. There are six CDs which bring together songs from the different groups as well as solo albums, but also music from films, TV films or series, models, around fifteen unreleased songs and even four new songs. And since Ramon Pipin never does things by halves, everything comes with two illustrated booklets of 56 and 32 pages which offer a commentary for each of the 59 pieces!

We also find recordings in public, sometimes from amateur sources. Three Odeurs concerts, a Au Bonheur des Dames concert, a Ramon Pipin Band concert, the short film And you will reap what you sow, video clips, and photos. And the cherry on the floating island, Ramon even offers himself a “prehumous” tribute since he is not yet dead! As for the cover, it guarantees us “texts without typos”… It’s certain, it’s not an omelette, it’s not a flan, it’s not egg whites, it’s truly a Best-Egg !

Two exceptional concerts

The music of Ramon Pipin, it is cooked with organic and natural ingredients. “I’m a craftsman. I don’t use machines very much, and I use musicians a lot.” And she can therefore also be enjoyed on stage. On Monday October 16, he will perform in a new formation at the Théâtre du Ranelagh in Paris. A string quartet, a piano, winds and some percussion to accompany Ramon’s voice. A first for this performer who admits “having drawn from his repertoire the works of which he thought that the deprivation would give them a serious facelift”.

On November 13, it will be the electric counterpart, this time with a group cut out for rock: guitars, keyboard, bass, drums and choirs. “We are going to leave a lot more room for freedom to improvise” Ramon assures us. The two facets of the music that he loves and that he composes: orchestral pop with crafted arrangements, and raw rock’n’roll where the riff is king. Outstanding musicians… And him “who will ruin everything” he quips. While he has repeatedly proven in his numerous recordings his talent in both vocal and guitar parts.

Pop and rock, melodic sophistication and rough rhythm. The delicacy and the smell of sulfur. Ramon Pipin can boast of a rich artistic career, an enormous musical culture, and always good repartee. With a musicality worthy of the Beatles or XTC serving a spirit of Desproges or Coluche, he remains an artist apart in French heritage. “When I look back on my journey, I don’t have much to be ashamed of.” Indeed, this Best egg and these two concerts are there to attest to it.

Ramon Pipin’s “Best egg” box set is available to order on his website

The “Zakoustik” concert takes place on October 16 at the Théâtre du Ranelagh (Paris)

The “Zaeletrik” concert takes place on November 13 at the Café de la Danse (Paris)