Gilbert Becaud - Encore Plus De Bécaud: 37 Chansons Essentielles (1996)

Gilbert Becaud began his career in the early fifties and was still having big hits occasionally in the eighties. This 20-track compilation scarcely does justice to him, but it includes all the essentials and will suffice for most people. There is also a 37-track double CD (Encore plus de Becaud) with identical front cover artwork, containing all the songs included here plus 17 others, for those that want to dig a little deeper. Among the extra tracks on that collection is Mustapha Dupont, a controversial song about immigrants. More recently, a 100-track 4-CD set has been released. Nevertheless, the 20 tracks here will do for most people.
The tracks here include the two songs that Gilbert is most famous for internationally - Et maintenant (translated into English as What now my love) and Je t'appartiens (translated into English as Let it be me). Another song that was a success following translation is Le jour ou la pluie viendra, recorded by Jane Morgan as The day the rains came - it became a British number one hit for her.
In the sixties, Gilbert had many hits in his homeland. Among those included here are Dimanche a Orly (about his constant touring), Nathalie (one of his most famous songs), C'est en Septembre, L'important c'est la rose and Quand il est mort le poet.
Success in the seventies and eighties was less consistent although Gilbert remained popular with songs such as Solitude ca n'existe pas, L'indifference and Desiree.
If you have even a little interest in sixties music, you ought to have at least one Gilbert Becaud album. If you just want a single CD, this is as good as you are likely to find but if you are serious about his music, look for a more comprehensive compilation.