Extensive anthology of little known early-60s actress/singer

Hills is probably best known to American audiences for her starring role as a rich teen with a juvenile delinquent streak in the 1959 film Beat Girl. She can also be spotted in such cultural icons as A Clockwork Orange and Blow-Up. Her music career started with novelty sides that included recitations, cha-chas and sound effects, and went on to include French language covers of Helen Shapiro’s “Don’t Treat Me Like a Child” and “Kiss ‘n’ Run” (“Mon Coeur Est Prêt” and “Les Jolis Coeurs”), Bobby Helm’s “Jingle Bell Rock” (“La Tête A L’Envers”), and others. She eventually escaped the overly cute arrangements, found a bit of rock ‘n’ roll in the French yé-yé movement and a bit more depth by writing her own songs. “C’Est Bien Mieux Comme Ca” provides some twist action with a guitar solo modeled after an early Beach Boys record and a cover of the Shirelles’ “Mama Said” (“En Dansant Le Twist”) is rudimentary rather than overdone. More successful are the evocation of Francoise Hardy’s forlorn ennui in “Avec Toi,” “Qui a Su,” and “Rien N’Est Changé,” the blues “Ne T’en Fait Pas” and “Maintenant Il Téléphone,” and the terrific beat pop “Oublie.” The set closes with a fine cover of the Zombies’ “Leave Me Be” (“Rentre Sans Moi”). Disc one and the first half of disc two are mostly forgettable, but the second half of disc two is filled with winners. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Hear “Maintenant Il Téléphone”