Loup Garou

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Loup Garou
Loup Garou cover
Studio album by Willy DeVille
Released November 4, 1995 (Europe)
June 18, 1996 (U.S.)
Recorded The Nut Ranch, Studio City
Room & Board, Nashville
Schnee Studio, North Hollywood
Track Studio, North Hollywood
Genre Country, Blues, Cajun, Mariachi, R&B, Soul
Length 54:51
Label EastWest (Europe)
Discovery (U.S.)
Producer John Philip Shenale
Willy DeVille
Professional reviews
Willy DeVille chronology
Big Easy Fantasy
(1995)		 Loup Garou
(1995)		 Horse of a Different Color
(1999)

Loup Garou is a 1995 album by Willy DeVille. Loup Garou means werewolf in French.

The album was released in Europe in 1995 on the EastWest label; it was released the following year in the United States on the Discovery label. It was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by John Philip Shenale, who also produced DeVille’s Backstreets of Desire album.

Contents

[edit] Duet with Brenda Lee

Loup Garou includes a duet with Brenda Lee (“You’ll Never Know”). DeVille said about recording with Lee:

She’s amazing, and so professional. She's just this tiny little woman who has this great big voice. I had to cool out her accent a little bit. She had a real cracker-type of accent. I guess it's gotten thicker over the years, because she didn't sound like that when she was a teenager doing "Sweet Nothing."
She didn't know who the hell I was. I just called her up, played the song for her, and she loved it. She had her business people check me out, and they reported that I was big in Europe and had been recording for twenty years. So I flew to Nashville, which is a very weird place. Everybody is in the music business—every cab driver, waiter and busboy.
She was very shy. I thought she didn't like me at first, but once she got into the studio and saw me with all my dogs, she realized I was a very normal person. I told her I'd seen every show she ever did in New Orleans. I was the guy in front, and I had a picture of her sitting on my lap. I had my proof. That's got to go down in my book as one of the most memorable experiences in my career.[1]

[edit] Reviews

All Music Guide said about the album, “With Loup Garou, Willie DeVille explored new rhythmic and melodic territory, experimenting with cajun and mariachi music. Not all of the songs work—frequently, Deville sounds too nervous and studied to really break free and have fun with the material—but it nevertheless is enjoyable, with enough strong songs (especially ‘You'll Never Know,’ a duet with Brenda Lee) to make it worthwhile for longtime DeVille followers.”[2]

Musician said, “Loup Garou is subtle in nuance but staggering in scope, it connects the dots between all of the artist's sacrosanct influences, often within the framework of a single song… All of it is on the money, performed from the heart….”[3]

[edit] Other Information

Freddy Koella, a long-time member of Willy DeVille bands, helped write one of the songs ("When You're Away from Me"). "No Such Pain as Love" presents a rare country music offering by DeVille.

As well as English, songs on the album are sung in Cajun French and Spanish. “Asi Te Amo” is a rendering of “Still (I Love You Still)” in Spanish.

The cover photograph shows Willy DeVille standing in front of Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, located on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Philip Street in New Orleans, said to be the oldest bar in the United States.

[edit] Track listing

Unless otherwise noted, all songs by Willy DeVille.

  1. “No Such Pain as Love“ - 3:43
  2. “Runnin' Through the Jungle (Shootin' the Blues)“ - 3:44
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Chris Spedding, Freddy Koella, and Brian Ray on guitars; David Faraghar on bass; Michael Urbano on drums and percussion; John Phillip Shenale on optigan; Efrain Toro on shaker
  3. “When You're Away from Me“ – (Willy DeVille, Freddy Koella) - 5:29
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums; Billy Valentine and James Gilstrap on background vocals
  4. “Angels Don't Lie“ - 5:07
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Brian Ray on guitar, Freddy Koella on violin, John Phillip Shenale on keyboards, David Faragher on bass, Michael Urbano on drums, Efrian Toro on slit drum, Hunter Lee on penny whistle and uilleann pipes, Siobhan Maher on background vocals
  5. “Still (I Love You Still)“ - 4:07
    • Willy DeVille on vocals, Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums; Efrian Toro on castanets, wood claps, and guiro; Jesús Guzmán and Salvador Hernandez on trumpet
  6. “White Trash Girl“ - 3:34
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums
  7. “You'll Never Know“ - 3:43
    • Willy DeVille and Brenda Lee on vocals; Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums
  8. “Ballad of the Hoodlum Priest“ - 4:16
    • Willy DeVille on vocals;, Freddy Koella, Brian Ray, and David Keyes on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Frragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums, Efrian Toro on percussion; David Keyes, Billy Valentine, John Denham, and Will Wheaton on background vocals
  9. “Heart of a Fool“ - 4:07
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Chris Spedding and Brian Ray on guitars; Freddy Koella on mandolin; David Faraghar on bass; Michael Urbano on drums and percussion; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; Ismael Gallegos on accordion; Billy Valentine, John Denham, and Will Wheaton on background vocals
  10. “Asi Te Amo“ - 4:06
    • Willy DeVille on vocals, Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums; Efrian Toro on castanets, wood claps, and guiro; Jesús Guzmán and Salvador Hernandez on trumpet
  11. “Loup Garou ‘Bal Goula’” - 4:50
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums; Billy Valentine, John Denham, Will Wheaton, and Dixie Belle on background vocals; John Phillip Shenale and Pete Magdelano on vocal effects
  12. “Time Has Come Today“ – (Joe Chambers, Willie Chambers) - 4:07
    • Willy DeVille on vocals, Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums; Efrian Toro on percussion; John Phillip Shenale on background vocals
  13. “My One Desire (Vampire's Lullaby)“ - 4:04
    • Willy DeVille on vocals; Freddy Koella and Brian Ray on guitar; John Phillip Shenale on keyboards; David Faragher on bass; Michael Urbano on drums; Nancy Stein-Ross and Ernie Erhardt on cello; James Ross on viola; Scott Smalley as conductor

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Production

  • Willy DeVille - producer
  • John Carter - mixing ("Loop Garou 'Bal Goula,'" "Ballad of the Hoodlum Priest")
  • John Hendrickson - assistant engineer (Schnee Studio)
  • John Beverly Jones - recording engineer
  • Ray Kennedy - recording engineer
  • Kirschstein and partner: cover design
  • Pete Magdaleno - assistant engineer (Nut Ranch, Track Record)
  • McDermott and McGough - photography
  • Raquella Rios - Spanish coach
  • Doug Saks – mastering
  • Al Schmitt - mixing
  • John Philip Shenale - producer

[edit] References

  1. ^ René, Sheila (1996) “Interview with Willy DeVille.” Willy DeVille fan page. (Retrieved 3-9-08.)
  2. ^ Owens, Thom (2007) “Review: Loup Garou.” All Music Guide. (Retrieved 3-9-08.)
  3. ^ Editors (September 1996) “Review of Loup Garou.” Musician magazine, p. 90.