Vanessa Daou / The Daou

4-24-08 Vanessa Daou / The Daou

This is a wild one. My friend Joe & I used to sift through record label and director’s reels on ¾” U-Matic videotape; either a label’s monthly offering, 12 – 15 clips per month or maybe it was a video reel of a music video director looking for work. There was usually something ‘famous’ on an hour long video reel – to get the attention of the viewer. But I bet lots of those hour long reels got shut off as soon as the ‘famous thing’ video was screened.

So, we’re sitting there in my living room, watching all those anonymous Columbia Records artists of the day (approx. ’92) – and the video for The Daou “Surrender Yourself” music video comes on. Wow.

The Daou:

CD5 GIVE MYSELF TO YOU IRS US X25G-58085

CD HEAD MUSIC COLUMBIA US CK 48683

CD5 SYMPATHY BOUQUET COLUMBIA US CSK 4773 promo

Vanessa solo:

CD DEAR JOHN COLTRANE OXYGEN MUSIC OMWCD 15

CD5 LITTLE BIT OF PAIN, A TWISTED US TWS-50030

CD MAKE YOU LOVE EQ8R US EQ 80001

CD5 NEAR THE BLACK FOREST KRASNOW / MCA KR5P-3485

CD PLUTONIUM GLOW DAOU MUSIC 1101

CD SLOW TO BURN KRASNOW / MCA KRD-11496

12" TWO TO TANGO KRASNOW / MCA KR12-55241

CD5 TWO TO TANGO (3 trks) KRASNOW / MCA KR5P-3853

CD5 TWO TO TANGO (5 trks) KRASNOW / MCA KRDM-55241

CD ZIPLESS KRASNOW / MCA KRD-11278

CD ZIPLESS LOTUS L 1101 (indie vers.)

It was easy enough to find the CD of “Head Music”, the debut album by The Daou. It was in every 99 cent CD bin in town. And it’s really good! I believe Vanessa and Peter Daou are from New York. Certainly never noticed any live shows in L.A.

I guess The Daou have some dance music singles recorded under another name; never could find out what they were for certain. It amuses me no end that Vanessa Daou has worked with Etienne Daho (both Daou and Daho are pronounced essentially the same, as “dow”). Joe & I eventually found a few more music videos by these folks – but never very many. And they’re apparently pretty thin on the ground with the vinyl releases – that I know about, anyway!

I particularly love her solo album “Slow To Burn” – just a great 90’s pop record. I wrote to them, and she wrote back, signing a groovy B&W photo for me! I mail-ordered one CD directly from them (“Make You Love”), then found another one in a Tower Records (“Dear John Coltrane”)…are they releasing stuff in 2008? Last thing I found was a CD single called “A Little Bit Of Pain”, about 2004 or so.

Come back, Vanessa! We miss you! Release some more music!