''N° 2'' is the second studio album by French musician

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

, released in 1959. It features Gainsbourg backed by the Alain Goraguer Orchestra. The album was not well received at the time of its release. Music journalist and Gainsbourg biographer

Sylvie Simmons Sylvie Simmons is a London-born, California-based music journalist, named as a "principal player" in Paul Gorman's book on the history of the rock music press ''In Their Own Write'' (Sanctuary Publishing, 2001). A widely regarded writer and roc ...

described the album as "...mutant jazz-pop engaged in an unnatural act with chanson, French literature and Americana..." The album cover is a reference to French author and musician

Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of th ...

. The cover of

Lovage Lovage ( ; ''Levisticum officinale'') is a perennial plant, the sole species in the genus ''Levisticum'' in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae. It has been long cultivated in Europe and the leaves are used as a herb, the roots as a vegeta ...

's 2001 debut album pays homage to the cover.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. * Serge Gainsbourg – vocals * Léo Petit – guitar * Paul Rovère, Pierre Michelot – double bass * Christian Garros – drums * Alain Goraguer – piano, arrangements, conductor * Alain Goraguer et Son Orchestre – orchestra * Georges Grenu, Jo Hrasko, Marcel Hrasko, Pierre Gossez, William Boucaya – saxophone * Fernand Verstraete, Fred Gérard, Maurice Thomas, Roger Guérin – trumpet * André Paquinet, Charles Verstraete – trombone * Gaby Vilain – bass trombone ;Technical * Denis Bourgeois – executive production * Jacques Aubert – photography

References

External links

* * 1959 albums Serge Gainsbourg albums Philips Records albums 1950s French-language albums {{1950s-jazz-album-stub