JACQUES BREL was a Belgian-born singer, songwriter and actor, who famously composed melodramatic songs and performed them in a dramatic, theatrical style. The third-best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time, with more than twenty-five million worldwide sales, he was also a master of the modern chanson and initially built a large, devoted following in Belgium and France. Although he recorded in French he became a huge influence on several English-speaking writers and performers, notably Rod McKuen, Scott Walker, David Bowie and Mort Shuman. This compilation of classic early Brel recordings is drawn from EPs issued in France and Belgium on the Philips and Barclay labels between 1955-62, which had been spun off his LPs. Among these sides are his original versions of several of his songs which went on to become internationally known.