Égérie de la période Yéyé des années 1960 qu'elle illumine de sa beauté, Françoise Hardy est devenue une chanteuse culte pour plusieurs générations au gré d'une carrière débutée il y a plus de cinquante ans. Également connue en tant que compagne de Jacques Dutronc, et mère de leurs fils Thomas Dutronc, Françoise Hardy a aussi été actrice et écrivain. Passionnée d'astrologie, Françoise Hardy a publié plusieurs livres en ce domaine.

Réunis dans ce coffret, 10 de ses meilleurs albums parus entre 1967 et 2006 :
MA JEUNESSE FOUT LE CAMP… (1967) / COMMENT TE DIRE ADIEU (1968) / EN ANGLAIS (1968 / LA QUESTION (1971) / MESSAGE PERSONNEL (1973) / ENTRACTE (1974) / LE DANGER (1996) / CLAIR-OBSCUR (2000) / TANT DE BELLES CHOSES (2004) / (PARENTHÈSES…) (2006). Accompagné d'un livret détaillé, tous les albums sont présentés à l'unité dans une pochette CD simple replica, reprenant les rectos / versos originaux. Ces 10 albums constituent 10 jalons qui ont marqué sa carrière emblématique : 'Ma jeunesse fout le camp'*, 'Comment te dire adieu'*, 'La question' et 'Message Personnel' ont façonné sa légende d'icone Pop dans les années 60 et 70, tandis qu''En anglais'* témoigne de son aura internationale. Le confidentiel 'Entracte'* reste un de ces recueils les plus cultes. Marquant son grand retour en 1996, 'Le Danger' a fait date. Lui succédant dans les années 2000, 'Clair-obscur' (qui comprend la reprise 'Puisque vous partez en voyage'), 'Tant de belles choses' et 'Parenthèses' (albums de duo avec Bashung, Biolay, Dutronc…) restent par ailleurs des sommets de sa discographie. *Remasterisés récemment en 2016 et 2017.

Françoise Hardy is a pop and fashion icon celebrated as a French national treasure. With her signature breathy alto, she was one of the earliest and most definitive French participants in the yé-yé movement (a style of pop music that initially emerged from Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal before spreading to France in the early 1960s). She is one of only a few female vocalists who could or would write and perform her own material. She offered a startling contrast to the boy's club of French pop in the early '60s, paving the way for literally thousands of women all over the globe. Known for romantically nostalgic songs and melancholy lyrics, Hardy's first single, "Tous Les Garçons et les Filles," sold over two million copies and made her a European star overnight. Outside music, Hardy also established herself as a fashion model, actress, astrologer, and author. Though she has recorded songs in several languages, it was her early French tunes — that ranged across pop, jazz, blues, and more — that helped to establish her as a legend. In the '70s, she reinvented herself as an artist transcending teen-friendly pop to interpret songs by everyone from Leonard Cohen to Patrick Modiano and has remained a grande dame of French popular song ever since.

From '88, this is a smooth and lovely collection of pop songs that sound better with each hearing. With superb arrangements and musicianship, and Hardy's wonderful vocal interpretation. Though her voice is quite amplified on this CD, she doesn't lose the intimacy of her unique sound. There's a gentleness to her voice that I appreciate more now than I did back in the '60's, in the days of her international fame.

Throughout her career, most of Françoise Hardy's arrangements have tended toward the lush, though in a good way. La Question is lush too, but it's one of her most sparsely produced efforts, usually finding her voice accompanied by little more than an acoustic guitar, touches of bass, and very subtle orchestration.

Françoise Hardy is a pop and fashion icon celebrated as a French national treasure. With her signature breathy alto, she was one of the earliest and most definitive French participants in the yé-yé movement (a style of pop music that initially emerged from Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal before spreading to France in the early 1960s).

Surprise Party is a 2014 compilation of some of the most influential party tracks in rock & roll. Originally a 5CD box set, this is an edited version done digitally so it would be limited to about two compact discs worth. This was released by Wagram, with some of the tracks targeting the label's French audience.