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Credits in this sequence: Artist, Title, Source, year released, comment. 1.Bob Azzam Et Son Orchestre, "Mustapha", 45 vinyl
French pressing from Greece, 1960; 2. Mode Plagal, "Blazing Sun"("Dala Ilios"),
Mode Plagal II; Lyra ML 0668, 1998 3. Kristi Stassinopoulou; "Tin Kardia'm Tin Kleithomeni"("My
Locked Heart"), Greek CD "Ifantokosmos" ("Woven-World"); 4. Muharrem Ahmeti & Nezir Voka, Untitled (cut # 1), from
CD "Kenge Dasmash- Live", Albanian Gypsy pop music,
on the Euroliza label, more info (maybe) from 5. Trifon Pazarenzis, "Kateva Lefko", from the Greek
CD, Radio FM Naousa: Traditional Music Of Naousa and Surrounding
Area" FMNA 12201 6. Petroloukas Halkias(Clarinet) Rakesh Chaurasia (bamboo flute)
Shubankar Banerjee(tabla) "Antamoma-Den Poro Manoula"
adaptation, (track 4), from the Greek CD on the Saraswati label
(SARA001), "Ellines Kai Indoi [Greeks And Indians]Vol. 1"
, recorded live in Larissa, Greece 1999. www.saraswati.gr 7. Stratos Kyprios, "O Ouranos An Gremisti"[If The
Sky Should Fall"], from the Greek double-CD compilation-reissue
"Ta Indoprepi", Music Box International MBI 10629/30set 8. Mode Plagal, "Deli Papas (Papa-Yiorghis)", Mode
Plagal III 9. Hirut Begele [backed by Police Orchestra] , "Man Yawgal
Yebeten" ("What Do You Know About My Private Life?")
from Ethiopiques Vol. 3 10. Yiota Vei, "As Pan Na Dhoun Ta Matia Mou" from
Oi Megales Kyries Tou Dimotikou Tragoudiou" ("The Great
Ladies of Demotika Song: Yiota Vei") General Music (Greece)
GM 5111 11. Mode Plagal "Emena Mou T'apan Ta Poulia" ("The
Birds Told Me"), from Mode Plagal III 12. Mogollar "Dum-Tekka", private collection 13. Kristi Stassinopoulou "Trigona"("Turtledove"),
Echotropia (This record is available in the US!) 14. Dionysis Savopoulos, "San Ton Karagiozi", from
the LP "Deka Hronia Komatia" ("Ten Years' Pieces")
1976 15. Dionysis Savopoulos "Dir La Da". From the 1969
LP "To Perivoli Tou Trellou" (The Madman's Garden") 16. Les G.O. Culture "Le Dirlada Des Bronzes (Original
Version) Adapted From 'Dirlada'" 17. Haji Mike "Maro Maria" from "Aphrodite's
Dream" CD, 1997 18. Dionysis Savopoulos "Angelos Exangelos" from
"To Xenodohheio" ("The Hotel") 19. Baris Manco and Kaygislar "Trip" from "26
Turkish Beat, Psych & Garage Delights" on Grey Past Records
(Netherlands) 20. Blue Birds "A New Idy" from "Elliniki Rock
Skini [Greek Rock Scene] Vol .4 1968" 21. Savopoulos, "S'efharisto, O! Eteria" (I Thank
You, Oh Corporation!") from the LP "Ballos" 1971 22. Kristi Stassinopoulou "Mono I Agapi Meni" ("Only
Love Remains") 23. Poll "Anthope Agapa" ("People, Start Lovin'!")
from LP compilation "Ta Oraiotera Tragoudia Ton POLL"
["POLL's Loveliest Songs"] 24. Noe, "Ilios Anateli" ["The Sun Rises"],
from Ellininki Rock Skini Vol. 9 Mavi Isiklar "Ask Cicegi" ("Send Me A Postcard"-
Shocking Blue) from "26 Turkish Beat, Psych & Garage
Delights" on Grey Past Records (Netherlands)-1971 26. Sincron "Pe Linga Plopii Far Sot" , Romania ca.
1964 from "Surfbeat Behind The Iron Curtain" Archive
International Productions, AIPCD 1057 27. Annabouboula "Zito To Proto Maghio" ("Mayday"),
unreleased demo. 28. (OUTRO MUSIC BED) Dionysis Savopoulos, "Dialima"
["Intermission"] from
Sunday, June 30, 2002
Music from Greece and beyond
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This Week's Playlist (compiled by George Sempepos):
This Middle-Eastern novelty song (sung in French/North African
patois) was a big European hit (#1 in Belgium and #23 in the UK)
and evidently sold well in Greece, because it sneaked into the
repertoire of corny Greek bouzouki bands. Jonathan Richman covered
this tune on a 1994 single. Azzam, who may have been Lebanese,
went on to international instrumental producer/bandleader fame,
recording obscure LPs now prized by breakbeat collectors. Azzam's
follow-up hit was "Fais-moi du couscous, cherie".
At the close of their 2nd CD, Greece's leading folk-fusion-jazz-rock-funksters
have some fun channeling the spirit of an actual Greek cruise
ship emcee (in the Caribbean) running down the evening's entertainment
for his tourist audience. Opa!
A sprightly 6/8 time traditional tune from the repertoire of Greeks
who used to live in what is now Bulgarian Thrace, this appeared
on the 1997 album that set Kristi off on a "world-music/folk-rock"
path.
this Michigan distributor: Malow, tel. 810 254 5534 . Amazing
synth sound; Mouse On Mars should apprentice themselves to these
guys.
Pazarenzis plays zourna, the double-reed shawm heard in old-timey
Greek and Turkish village wedding music, accompanied by accordion
and saxophone, which is a bit unusual, and the hand-drum called
a daouli. Naousa is in Greek Macedonia. Zourna-and-drum is I
think the original party music for Wild and Crazy Guys.
The tune is a "Sta Dhio"["Two-Step"] dance
from the Epirotika tradition of Northern Greece; the pentatonic
mode that clarinetist Halkias plays is echoed by flautist Chausaria
playing in the Bhupali raga, at least according to the notes to
this fascinating and fun attempt at cross-cultural fusion, with
master pan-cultural musician Ross Daly collaborating on some cuts.
Greek folk music of the sort Halkias plays is often showcased
by Greek Gypsies, who in turn revere their Indian roots; so this
collaboration is not so far-fetched.
An example of circa-1960 Greek bouzouki balladry inspired by songs
from Indian filmi such as "Mother India" (which broke
box-office records in Greece under the title "Earth Watered
by Sweat"). The melodies and rhythms of this genre ended
up permanently influencing succeeding styles of Greek indigenous
pop (what is called "Laika").
The hottest traditional-influenced rock cut to come out of modern
Greece yet!
(Not counting Annabouboula, who never recorded in Greece anyway)
Featuring guest lead vocal by traditional singer Yiota Vei; the
moody-but-dignified, martial feel of the Epirus style is given
an amazing Afro-funk 6/8 facelift in this rocking track off the
most recent Plagal CD. These guys deserve to be heard. http://modeplagal.nadit.com/
From Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1975 comes this swingin' 6/8 cut, with
a groove uncannily similar to the previous Mode Plagal selection.
The folk singer of "Deli Papas" in a more traditional
setting.
A tsamiko, the lilting _-time dance from mainland Greece, sung
most soulfully by group sax-man Thodoris Rellos on top of a brilliant
re-figuring of the folk chord progression as a very cool 7-bar
blues.
This very troglodyte-pop slab of Turkish rock-folk fusion most
likely comes from one of Mogollar's 1970s releases.
Another Epirus traditional classic; Kristi and company ably recreate
the spooky close-interval harmonies of the original tune.
Where to begin with Savopoulos, the "Bob Dylan Of Greece"??
This tune was a self-referential parody/tribute to the interstitial
music of the Greek "Karagiozi" Shadow-puppet theater
and it ended up being a signature tune for this eccentric, mad-genius,
singer-songwriter/poet extaordinaire.
This tongue-in-cheek hipster adaptation of a traditional children's
song-with odd, allusive lyrics referencing various aspects of
modern Greek history and folklore--was maybe Savopoulos' biggest
"hit"-at any rate, it inspired non-Greek cover versions
and became a kind of early-70s Greek tourist anthem.
A Greek/French disco 12-inch from the late '90s, proving the enduring
popularity of that Dir La Da thang.
UK/Greek Cypriot "Vragga-muffin" deejay/rapper/producer
tells sad Greeklish tale of bride who runs off with the best man
and household-appliances-part of the dowry- It's okay, the groom
is left with most of the money. http://www.cylife.com/hajimike/index.html
A Greek free translation of Bob Dylan's "The Wicked Messenger";
Savopoulos also famously covered "All Along The Watchtower";
when he does Dylan, he sort of re-imagines the lyrics from a Greek
poetic and folkloric perspective. This is from a strange 1997
CD of covers of people like Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Talking Heads,
Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jethro Tull(!).
A 1968 acid-garage-rock masterpiece from the late great Turkish
rocker Baris Manco. A different version appears on the U.S. compilation
"Hava Narghile Turkish Rock Music 1966 to 1975".
Of course, '60s garage bands sounded very different in countries
where there were no U.S.-style suburban garages for bratty teenagers
to practice in, but that is what keeps us World Music types whirling
like dervishes.
One of the longest-lasting groups of the early days of Greek rock,
the Blue Birds generally steered in the direction of what I call
"Aegean Sunshine Pop", sort of Southern California bubblegum-gone-Mediterranean-hippie,
a style perfected and never surpassed by Poll (see below). Dig
the Mamas And Papas harmonies and almost-English lyrics.
The haunting closing track from a very Zappa-esque but also traditional-music-influenced
LP, one of a series of Savopoulos recordings made when he and
his "Greek Rock" cohorts were being hounded by a repressive
military dictatorship (with CIA backing, of course); The direction
he pioneered was analogous to the "Tropicalia" scene
in Brazil occurring at roughly the same time and under similar
circumstances.
From her recent (and US-released) CD Echotropia, an original co-written-
as most of her material is- with her partner, multi-instrumentalist
and producer Stathis Kaliviotes.
Check out her news at http://www.tinderrecords.com
Hippie Love-Rock from the Greek underground- it may be hard to
believe, but stuff like this was pretty subversive in 1972, when
it won the hearts of middle-class Athens youth chafing under the
medieval strictures of the Colonels' Junta, which was busy banning
ancient Greek tragedies they considered too risqué, even
as they opened their gates to foreign long-haired tourists bearing
Incredible String Band records, which, merging with the saccharine
tunefulness of Hadzithakis and Theodorakis, resulted in this masterpiece
of Aegean Sunshine Pop.
On this circa-1974 single, the sunshine-pop begins to resemble
Stories-ish '70s power pop. The dictatorship is on its last legs;
as Greek hippies trade Clapton licks, a rebetika revival is in
the wings.
To quote Turkish collector and annotator Gokhan Aya: "Mavi
Isiklar managed to sell thousand of records one after the other
and be loved even in conservative Anatolian towns" They covered
Paul Revere And The Raiders elsewhere, but here they unmask the
innate Oriental feeling in Shocking Blue's Dutch power-pop original.
Romanian Shadows imitators. Lounge-rock and surf instrumental
groups like this were a major '60s subgenre in Eastern Europe
and elsewhere. If we had time, we would have featured more Greek
and Turkish examples.
(Sempepos-Lawrence- Megali Idea Music, BMI)
Inspired by surf music, rebetika and Mediterranean lounge rock,
Annabouboula here make a multi-layered pun matching the old Greek
Communist slogan, "Long Live Mayday" with a phrase that
translates to "Long Live The First Bathing Suit"; the
intent is to anthemize decadent Greek youthhey workers of the
world, summer means fun!
From a forthcoming (any century now) CD
http://www.omnium.com/balkans/anna.html
the score to the Pantelis Voulgaris film "Happy Day"
1972.
Unfortunately, the only tracks currently available in the US are two from Kristy Stassinopoulou’s excellent “Echotropia” on Tinder Records. Some of others may be obtainable as imports, with lots of luck.
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