Come here my little friends because it's party time today...
- Nostra Dam
- Aug 26, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 21
Le Grand Orchestre du Splendid is a French group formed in 1977 in Paris and composed of Philippe Adler, Jacques Delaporte, brothers Xavier and Frédéric Thibault among others….
It was Jean-Louis Foulquier, at the time on France Inter, who first noticed them as they performed some revisited hits from Duke Ellington and Ray Ventura.
He takes them with him on his show Saltimbanques where they will parody the time of a season of great French song titles. This is how they will become masters in the art of mixing with obvious talent many musical currents while infusing them with first-rate parody texts.
1979 was the year that revealed them to the general public when their first 45 Tours "Macao" was released. The title is a real success and the notoriety of the group soars.
But it was a year later, in 1980, that the real consecration arrived with the release of the huge title "La salsa du démon", taken from the album "Théatre de la Porte Saint-Martin". It’s a phenomenal hit and one of the biggest hits of that year. Almost 800,000 copies will be sold !
New success in 1981 with "Radio Pirate", certainly, without commonality with the previous one but success nonetheless.
Last major success on the Singles side but not for the group because the latter will rebound with two musicals that will bring them success and public recognition. First with "Tam tam au pays des noirs-blancs" in 1986 and then "Couac" in 1992.
Other albums were released in the 90s, but they were never able to provide a worthy successor to this piece of anthology which is now "La salsa du démon". A cult Single that even 35 years after its release, still makes thousands of French people dance every Saturday night across France.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Summertime 1978
Paris boogie 1978
Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux 1978
Macao 1979
80s Decade :
La salsa du démon 1980
Radio pirate 1981
La Cadillac de Jack 1981
Super Dupont 1982
La chanson d'Astérix 1984
Katmandou 1986
Le grand lechant mou 1987
90s Decade :
Y'a des hauts y'a des bas 1991
Amusez-vous ! 1996
2000s Decade :
Le swing me soigne 2000
On n'est jamais trop laid 2000
Oui mon miaou 2000
Fais moi al Johnny 2002
La complainte du progrès 2002
Ca pince 2002
2010s Decade :
Un 'x' sur ton Ex 2017
Il sait naviguer...en principe 2017
Jazz volant 2017
Tracks :
1978 ... a luxury revival of Georges Gershwin's cult title to launch the machine. A machine that will quickly get carried away ...
1978 ... at this stage, it is impossible to imagine the ultimate sequel looming on the horizon. The first tracks are of good quality, of course, but it misses like a slight grain of madness. Patience, patience ...
1978 ... the year of the revivals. This time, it is on another cult title that we owe this time to Paul Misraki. Song that will also make the heyday of a certain Ray Ventura before it is taken over by the Splendid ...
1979 ... sudden acceleration in the wacky side. The orchestra is gaining momentum and already shows a talent more than certain for excess and satirical excess ...
1980 ... but it is THIS title which will make them enter the legend. An incredible title, completely crazy and outrageous as you wish. The title literally sets fire to all the Dancefloor in France and Navarre. Undoubtedly one of the most festive pieces of the last 40 years. MAS-TER-FUL !
1981 ... how to compete with the previous gem...?? Impossible is not French but there, it is clear that the group does not manage to repeat the feat despite a title of certain quality...
1981...after a succession of titles that took all the spotlight, it was difficult for the others to exist, as they say. Even impossible...
1982 ... limitless excess that feels good and doesn't eat bread as they say. It's festive, it's joyful and it's already not bad !
1984...the hardest thing now is to manage to maintain the particularly high level that they have managed to achieve...
1986...let's not kid ourselves, the best years are now well and truly behind them. The challenge now will be to manage to last a little longer...
1987 ... the group becomes more and more rare over the years. Whatever it is, the spirit and good humor are once again at the rendez-vous !
1991 ... the group manages to maintain a minimum qualitative level, a level which allows him to attack the following decade with a certain confidence. Far from the pressure of the Top50 ...
1996 ... yet another rhythmic title as they know how to do so well. A unique group that will always have a special place in the hearts of the French !
1996...it's clear that everything that comes out after that will go somewhat unnoticed, but that doesn't mean the end of the adventure, far from it...
1996...it is certain that as long as they take pleasure in what they do, there is no question of them throwing in the towel prematurely...
2000...and the core fans aren't going to complain, far from it. They're always asking for more and more, and will keep asking for more as long as they can...
2000...here they are at the gates of a new decade with the firm intention of not giving up, as always. It remains to be seen whether this new decade will not be one too many...
2000...on the other hand it is certain that with a style and a sound that have hardly changed since the beginning it will be almost impossible to capture any new audience...
2002...at some point they'll have to ask themselves the right questions about how the adventure should continue...
2002...because hoping that their sound and style will become fashionable again in the coming years is a totally crazy bet...
2002...hope springs eternal, as they say, but there are limits to this. Whatever the case, the whole thing remains pleasant, light, and airy, that's undeniable...
2005...a determination to believe until the end that undeniably commands respect. But this group has always been unique, so nothing surprises us...
2005...they continue their adventure in their own way and above all without taking into account the huge gap that now separates them from the latest musical trends of the moment...
2005...how much longer can they keep this up, God only knows. In any case, for now, it's holding up...
2017...well, we're still going to lose them for more than 10 years, but here they are again, who would have thought it possible. Unstoppable, there are no other words...
2017...and nothing has changed, as always. Still as offbeat, still as timeless, still as unclassifiable...
2017...we won't be doing it again, as they say, that's for sure. It's been going like this for over 40 years and they have absolutely no intention of changing anything...
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :
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