Blessed Virgins

  • Blessed Virgins
  • Blessed Virgins (Fr. Epic) 1982 

After playing this French band’s record, you know the joke in their moniker is funnier (and more joyful) than you thought. Youth really is on their side. Of course, the forms — a pinch of revved-up blues, a dash of chugging punk, a whole lotta high-energy rock’n’roll — aren’t new, and the songs won’t change the world, despite a passel of catchy riffs. (The lyrics are in slangy French, but seem smart enough.) What makes this album a blessing is that the Virgins make it all sound new and fresh, including a reworded (in French!) “Summertime Blues”! Vibrant, free of pose — if anything can keep rock’n’roll eternally young, this is a snapshot of it.

[Jim Green]