Avec Léo is a fitting tribute to the legendary anarchist from Monaco, featuring everything from Lavilliers's literal reworking of La mémoire et la mer, Bashung's destructured take on Avec le temps and Katerine's off-the-wall version of Eté 68. No matter what musical direction they come from, though, these reworkings of Ferré's finest prove the French chanson icon's razor-sharp lyrics and assertive rhymes have survived the test of time.

RFI Musique: How did you come to get involved with the Avec Léo compilation?
Katerine: Well, Ferré was with Barclay for years. He was with the label for a large part of his career, in fact, until he and the directors eventually fell out. I'm with Barclay myself so it was natural for me to get involved with the compilation even though when you look at things my music is actually pretty far removed from Ferré's.
Dominique A: We got together to record things at the end of last year. It was the first time I'd been involved in any kind of compilation like this, any kind of tribute to a "legendary" artist. It was good for me in a way because I'd always felt a bit apprehensive about touching the work of the great stars of the past like Brel, Ferré and Brassens, the people I'd discovered growing up and going through my parents' record collection. I didn't feel their work needed to be revamped in any way really. If kids want to start listening to those kind of songs you don't need a middleman, those records speak for themselves!

Did either of you feel intimidated by Ferré's reputation as one of the sacred figures in French music history?
K: No, I didn't. The way I see it there's no such thing as an "untouchable" artist. Besides, I'm the kind of person who's more into the idea of tearing down commemorative statues and spitting on my idols! Ferré's repertoire isn't perfect, you know, there are some pretty ridiculous things in there. When you sit down and really listen to all the records he put out in the course of his career you realise he was human like the rest of us. But there's no doubt Ferré's repertoire is impressive, there's the sheer size of it alone and then there's the impact of his songs. Listening to Ferré gives you a big kick up the arse, there's no doubt about that!
D.A: I felt all right about things because I didn't choose to cover a classic. Mon camarade is a song that belongs to Jean-René Caussimon as much as Ferré. And for me the song was very much linked to a personal childhood memory, so there wasn't this idea of taking a sacred object out of a museum. There were three or four Ferré songs I used to listen to as a kid and Mon camarade was one of them – I was particularly struck by the melody. Being involved in this compilation gave me a chance to rediscover a song I'd sort of skimmed the surface of for years. When I sat down and listened to the lyrics again I didn't feel I was taking on an absolute classic or anything. It's just a minor song from Ferré's repertoire, but I have to admit the melody still really moves me.

What do you think of the compilation as a whole?
K: Well, on the whole, I'd say this isn't an album that's designed to rub people up the right way. Apart from that there's a couple of people I feel are missing from the album. I could easily have imagined someone like Julien Baer, for instance, who introduced me to Ferré's work when I first came up to Paris. Then maybe someone like Programme to represent electronic music and why not a rap group, like NTM, for instance? Rap doesn't feature anywhere on the compilation and I think that's a bit of a pity. I think the three movements I just mentioned are exactly the sort of thing where Ferré's influence has been important. Ferré's definitely been more influential than Gainsbourg, you know, you only have to think of his long monologues and his experiments with classical music…

Do you think Avec Léo can be seen as a sort of introduction to Ferré's work for those who aren't familiar with it?
D.A: Well, I don't think the records Ferré made have gone out of date or anything. For me, this compilation's more a reflection of the French music scene at a given moment, it's about what artists working today can do with a repertoire as wonderfully rich as Ferré's. I know I sound like I'm doing an all-out promo for the album, but I honestly think that as far as tribute albums go this one's a lot better than most.
K: The way I see it this album's a way of saying thankyou, of saying that if Ferré had never existed the world would have been a sadder place. And if it just does that and nothing else it will have served its purpose!

Do you think it's possible to point to Ferré's direct "descendants" on the French music scene these days?
D.A: Personally, I don't believe giants of that kind leave any kind of descendants. They end up sawing off the branch they sat on. I think these days someone like Bashung can be seen as a new kind of music giant – but even that's relatively recent. No, with stars like Brel, Gainsbourg, Ferré and Brassens it's impossible for anyone to follow in their footsteps!

Ten years on from his death Ferré seems to appeal to everyone across the board, but in his lifetime he consistently divided opinion!
D.A: Well, I know plenty of people who can't stand Ferré! And in my own case I can't say he's had a direct influence on my work. I don't like everything he did, in fact, just one particular period. In a way it was easier for me to cover one of Ferré's song rather than something by Brel because even though there are some things I absolutely can't bear in Brel I'm totally blown away by the quality of the songs I do like. And let me tell you, I'd have had to think more than twice before agreeing to cover anything by Brel!
K: I think what makes Ferré interesting is the risks he was prepared to take in his work. At one point he even made an album with only one song on it! When we got together to record Avec Léo Philippe Eveno, the guitarist who accompanied me on Eté 68, told me he'd seen Ferré in concert when he was ten years old. Ferré had been up on stage singing backed by a taped orchestra and all of a sudden there was this huge power cut. The music went dead and all the lights in the concert hall went out but Ferré kept on going – he stayed up on stage for two hours singing a cappella! The audience were totally blown away. Now who could pull off something like that these days? Francis Lalanne? (Laughs) Daring to do anything the way Ferré did, I think that's one of the most amazing things you can imagine!