Nicole Croisille - Il était une fois... Nicole

Her father wanted her to be a translator at UNESCO. She dreamt of being an artist. Nicole Croisille would become a mime, with Marcel Marceau, then a dancer in the U. S. As if it were the most obvious thing in the world, her voice would carry her on to the singing career we all know, and Nicole Croisille would become a legend as early as 1966, with the theme song of Claude Lelouch’s 'A Man and a Woman'.


From the very beginning of her collaboration with record producer Claude Dejacques in 1973, Nicole Croisille had hit after hit, recording in French, English, Italian, and Spanish, and finally brought all of her talents together in many prestigious musicals.
 

On the occasion of the 9th UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, the United Music Foundation has preseved, in Geneva, eight years of recordings by Nicole Croisille, and has released a Collector's Edition including 33 tracks - 4 of previously unreleased - produced in close collaboration with the artist.

Cover artwork of the Collector's Edition
Il était une fois... Nicole
Photo: Jean-Yves Moisdon
from Nicole Croisille's personal collection
Nicole Croisille at Studio Davout (Paris)
November 1979
Photo: Christian Colombier
Original 16 track 2 inch master tape of
Nicole Croisille's first recordings for Productions
Claude Pascal / Claude Dejacques
Studio Davout, May 1973

PRESERVATION PROJECT

On the occasion of the 9th World Day for Audiovisual Heritage celebrated by UNESCO, the United Music Foundation has gathered and preserved in Geneva, in high resolution audio (24 bits / 96 kHz), all of the original master tapes of Nicole Croisille’s recordings made between 1973 and 1981 for Productions Claude Pascal / Claude Dejacques.

 

This heritage includes many songs that are part of the French speaking world's collective memory, including:

 

  • Her biggest hits: Parlez-moi de lui (1973), Une femme avec toi ; Téléphone-moi (1975), Emma ; J’ai besoin de toi, j’ai besoin de lui (1976), Mon arc-en-ciel (1977), La Garonne ; Fané, fini, foutu (1978), Dansez pour moi ; Je n’ai pas dit mon dernier mot d’amour (1979), Léo ; Encore (1980), Existe encore un peu (1981)...

  • Her 10 original albums: Partir (1974), Femme... (1975), Olympia 76 (1976), Si l'on pouvait choisir sa vie (1976), Femme... Woman In Your Arms (1977), La femme et l'enfant (1977), Olympia 78 (1978), C'est ma vie (1978), Croisille 80 (1980), Croisille (1981),

  • Her 10 original albums: Partir (1974), Femme... (1975), Olympia 76 (1976), Si l'on pouvait choisir sa vie (1976), Femme... Woman In Your Arms (1977), La femme et l'enfant (1977), Olympia 78 (1978), C'est ma vie (1978), Croisille 80 (1980), Croisille (1981),

  • Her non-album tracks, only released as singles,

  • Many previously unreleased recordings,

in all over 160 recordings preserved in high definition.

This preservation project has been accomplished with the collaboration of Budde Music France, which has made all of its archives available to the United Music Foundation.

COLLECTOR'S EDITION

 

2 CD set + 40-page hardcover booklet, limited to 2000 copies, with OBI strip and hot-stamped gold printing, including:*

33 tracks preserved and restored in high resolution audio (24 bits / 96 kHz) from the original master tapes or the best surviving audio sources, including:

Two original albums:
 

  • Croisille 80 (1980), her magical collaboration with Michel Colombier, and
  • Femme... Woman In Your Arms (1977), her greatest hits sung in English. Album previously unavailable in French-speaking countries.

12 bonus tracks:

 

  • 4 never-before released recordings,
  • 6 non-album tracks from the era, as well as
  • Spanish versions of her classics Une femme avec toi and Parlez-moi de lui.

A 40-page booklet with:
 

  • An essay by Pierre Guitton and David Hadzis retracing the historical context of the recordings,
  • Many previously unpublished photos,
  • A code for a free download in Hi-Res Audio 24 bits / 96 kHz*
    *In partnership with:

This Collector's Edition is available from our online Shop : https://official.shop/umf.

All benefits from the sale of this Collector's Edition will be used for future projects in favor of the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of recorded music heritage.

With the support of: