''À l'Olympia'' (English: "at the Olympia") is the second
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
by Canadian singer
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
, released on 21 November 1994 by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. It features primarily French-language songs, mainly from ''
Dion chante Plamondon'' (1991), but also includes English-language hits: "
The Power of Love", "
Where Does My Heart Beat Now", "
Love Can Move Mountains" and "
Calling You". ''À l'Olympia'' was certified Platinum by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
, denoting sales of over one million copies in Europe.
Content
The album was recorded on 28 and 29 September 1994, during two sold-out concerts at the
Paris Olympia. Among songs from singer's previous French album ''
Dion chante Plamondon'', Dion performed also "
Calling You", (
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated song from ''
Bagdad Café''), "Quand on n'a que l'amour" (originally by
Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...
), and a medley of songs from the ''
Starmania'' musical, including two songs unavailable on Dion previous releases: "Quand on arrive en ville" and "Naziland, ce soir on danse" (full English version of that song called "Tonight We Dance (Extravagance!)" was recorded by Dion and included on the ''Tycoon'' compilation in 1992).
Although ''À l'Olympia'' was unavailable in most important music markets (United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia), the B-sides of English singles released there in 1995 and 1996 included tracks from that album.
The video with this concert was never released.
"Quand on n'a que l'amour", "Elle" and "Medley Starmania" were included on Dion's 2005 French compilation ''
On ne change pas''.
Shows at the Olympia were a part of
The Colour of My Love Tour.
Critical reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
said that "the material sounds great live" and Dion's "voice as always a technical marvel".
Commercial performance
The album has sold one million copies in Europe alone and was certified Platinum by the
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
.
''À l'Olympia'' has sold 200,000 copies in Canada
and was certified Platinum.
It was also certified Platinum in France.
The album peaked at number three in Quebec, number ten in France and number 31 in Canada, as Quebec sales did not factor into the Canadian Albums chart at that time.
On the Belgian Wallonia chart, which is available only since April 1995, ''À l'Olympia'' reached number 19.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:A L'olympia
1994 live albums
Albums recorded at the Olympia (Paris)
Celine Dion live albums