The Vendémiaire Label: A Preliminary Checklist
The Disques Vendémiaire label was active from around 1977 to 1983. Its slogan translated to "records of social expression." Vendémiaire covered mostly non-jazz territory, with a clear articulation around the support for political causes on the left. A regionalist angle was also in evidence. Vendémiaire was operated by Jean-Pierre Graziani, who had previously worked for another politically-oriented label, Expression Spontanée. In a short autobiographical book titled Chronique d’un corse libertaire, Graziani listed the memories he retained from Vendémiaire: "The support for a Soviet dissident, whose record I released under the title Chansons souterraines, the release of a record for the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, for Palestine, support, again through records, for the Walloons, Guadeloupeans, also the documentation of workers' struggles (PTT, the steel workers of Longwy, etc.) and, last but not least, the memories of crisscrossing France to record elders at their homes (field recordings) to produce albums on Morvan, Normandy, Corsica, and Limousin."1 In 1981, Vendémiaire acquired the catalog of Jef Gilson’s PALM label. A number of—rather obscure—PALM reissues followed, at times using old PALM covers with an added Vendémiaire sticker. The Disques Vendémiaire logo was changed to Vendémiaire/PALM. Other jazz-based material included original titles by Cossi Anatz and François Tusques, notably his Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra.
The following listing is a not a proper discography, it is a simple checklist that I compiled primarily for context during work on Tusques and PALM. My first source was the catalog of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, where publishers are legally obligated to deposit copies of material published in France, including phonographs. I arranged entries by catalog numbers (which by the way seems to become progressively more inconsistent), then checking the data against copies of the artwork as often as possible. But much of the Vendémiaire material remains quite obscure and it has not been possible to survey all releases thoroughly. Ellipses indicate missing information. Corrections and additions that could lead to the establishment of a more definitive discography would be welcome (especially information on label catalogs, if they ever existed).
Pierre Régnier. Chanson stupide. Vendémiaire VDES 003, 7".
early numbers missing?
Mouna. Vive Mouna c’est le pied! Vendémiaire VDES 010, LP.
011 and 012 missing?
Chanteurs et musiciens de villages en Morvan (Vol. 1). Vendémiaire VDES 013, LP.
Carlos Andreu. Viva la vida. Vendémiaire VDES 014, LP.
Colette Nicolas, Jacques Ivan Duchesne, Philippe Anciaux. Ça reste à prouver. Vendémiaire VDES 015, LP.
Québec: 200 ans de resistance. Vendémiaire VDES 016, LP.
Comité de défense de la vallée de Naussac. Naussac. Vendémiaire VDES 017, 7".
Jacques Papinski. Papinski chante! Vendémiaire VDES 018, 7".
Section syndicale CFDT Wabco-Westinghouse-Sevran. 8 semaines de lutte!! Vendémiaire VDES 019, 7".
Senthaclos. 4 mars et autrement. Vendémiaire VDES 020, LP.
Judith Reyes. Judith Reyes. Vendémiaire VDES 021, LP.
Chanteurs et musiciens de villages en Morvan: Pays de Saulieu (Vol. 2). Vendémiaire VDES 022, LP.
Christian Capezzone. 1848, La République de Pierre Dupont. Vendémiaire VDES 023, LP.
Chants révolutionnaires d’Oman. Vendémiaire VDES 024, LP.
Chanteurs et musiciens de villages en Morvan (Vol. 3). Vendémiaire VDES 025, LP.
CRILAN. Flamanville/La Hague. Vendémiaire VDES 026, 7".
L’Atelier populaire de chanson. Grain de pavé. Vendémiaire VDES 027, LP.
Christian Poslaniec. Pour apprendre à voyager. VDES 028, 7".
Higinio Mena. L’Homme qui regarde son pays de l’exil. VDES 029, LP.
Jean-Marc Le Bihan. Entre l’espoir et la détresse. Vendémiaire VDES 030, LP.
Prisons. Vendémiaire VDES 031, LP.
Martine Drangy et Guéry Burtin. Le temps d’un temps. Vendémiaire VDES 032, LP.
Jacques Gruzon. Contes sauvages. Vendémiaire VDES 034, LP.
COBA. Argentine solidarité. Vendémiaire VDES 035, 7".
Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. L’Intercommunal, Vol. 3. VDES 036, LP.
Chanteurs et musiciens de villages en Morvan (Vol. 4). Vendémiaire VDES 037, LP.
Gamin’ries pou las p’tchiots morvandiaux. Vendémiaire VDES 038, 2 7".
Liberta per i patriotti. Vendémiaire VDES 039, LP.
Pieds joints. Fonce pas comme ça/Spaghetti rock. Vendémiaire VDES 040, 7".
UIS CFDT de Longwy. Longwy: La colline rouge. Vendémiaire VDES 041, 1979, 7".
Chanteurs et musiciens de villages en Normandie (Vol. 1). Vendémiaire VDES 042, LP.
Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra, Vol. 1. Vendémiaire VDES 043, LP.
Senthaclos. Chansons des colères. Vendémiaire VDES 044, LP.
Solèy ka Lévé. Sé timoun-la, an nou alé. Vendémiaire VDES 045, LP.
Fanfare bolchevique de Prades-le-Lez. 1974-79. Vendémiaire VDES 046, LP.
Pierre Dieghi. Canti per i zitelli 1. Vendémiaire VDES 047, 7".
Gleb. Chansons souterraines d’URSS. Vendémiaire VDES 048, LP.
049 missing?
Chansons et musiques populaires d’Albanie. Vendémiaire VDES 050, LP.
Chants et danses d’Érythrée. Vendémiaire VDE 051, LP.
Claude Antonini. Ma fille a mal tourné… Vendémiaire VDE 052, LP.
053 missing?
Chansons de luttes ouvrières: Archives sonores 1 du mouvement ouvrier 1971/1979. Vendémiaire VDE 054, LP.
From 055 to 092, many numbers seem to be missing. Vendémiaire acquired the PALM catalog from Jef Gilson and started to reissue PALM titles. Perhaps catalog numbers in this range were reserved for PALM reissues that did not materialize.
Christian Vander and Frank Raholison. Fiesta in Drums. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 056, LP.
Byard Lancaster and Keno Speller. Exactement, Volume 1. Vendémiaire/PALM … 064, LP.
Jef Gilson. Anthologie Jef Gilson: The Beginning of Jean-Luc Ponty. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 071, LP.
François Jeanneau. Une bien curieuse planète. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 074, LP.
Raymond Boni. Rêve en couleur. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 076, LP.
Jean-Charles Capon/Philippe Maté/Lawrence "Butch" Morris/Serge Rahoerson. Jean-Charles Capon/Philippe Maté/Lawrence "Butch" Morris/Serge Rahoerson. Vendémiaire/PALM … 078, LP.
Europamerica. Europamerica. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 080, LP.
David Murray. Organic Saxophone. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE PAL 083, LP.
Claude Cagnasso et son grand orchestre. Plein jazz. Vendémiaire/PALM VDP 093, LP.
094 missing?
Vesprada al païs dels Vans. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE 095, LP.
Jean Mathelin. Bach/Barrios, Vol. 1. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 096, LP.
Hamou Cheheb. Un paradis de gadgets. Vendémiaire VDE 097, 1981, LP.
098 missing?
Chansons de luttes paysannes: Archives sonores 2. Vendémiaire … 099, LP.
100 to 113 missing, or break in numbering?
Folklore instrumental albanais. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 114, LP.
Byard Lancaster. Funny Funky Rib Crib. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 115, LP.
Dits, chants et danses populaires du Limousin, Vol. 1. Vendémiaire/PALM VDE/PAL 30116, LP.
Djalma. Chante… Vendémiaire/PALM VP 117, LP.
Les Galvachers du Morvan. Vendémiaire/PALM … 118, LP.
Jean-Pierre Graziani. A dumane. Vendémiaire/PALM VDP 33120, LP.
Chantal Grimm. Apprentissage. Vendémiaire/PALM VDP 33121, LP.
Cossi Anatz. Jazz afro-occitan. Vendémiaire/PALM VDP 33122, LP.
123 missing?
Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra. Intercommunal Free Dance Music Orchestra, Vol. 4. Vendémiaire/PALM VD 33124, LP.
Dieghi. I canzoni di Ziu Mirliu. Vendémiaire/PALM … 125, LP.
François Tusques. Le Cabaret de la dernière chance. Vendémiaire/PALM VD 33126, 1982, LP.
Canzone di prigiuneri corsi in Alimania, 1916/17. Vendémiaire/PALM VD 33127, LP.
Chanteurs et musiciens du Creusot (Vol. 5). Vendémiaire VD 33128, LP.
Vania Adrien Sens/Gaston Couté. La chanson d’un gâs qu’a mal tourné. Vendémiaire … 129, LP.
Cismonte: Castagniccia. Vendémiaire VD 33130, LP.
Jean-Pierre Graziani, Chronique d’un corse libertaire (Nocario, Corsica: Cismonte è Pumonti, 2010), 108-9, my translation.
Important informational spadework! I hope that scholars to come can use this as a base to build more details and fill in more of the historical picture