Mikis Theodorakis - Requiem

Originally posted in November 2015.

Requiems are masses sung in memory of loved ones who have passed away, eg. sung in a burial ceremony. This album is dramatic, haunting, brilliantly recorded... Theodorakis's use of boys choir against a backdrop of really deep voices is simply stunning. He calls it giving the requiem 'life in the midst of death'.A sombre and sad subject, but this requiem is anything but - it actually manages to be rather uplifting and courageous.

Mikis Theodorakis wrote about his requiem:

"After »Kassiani« (Liturgical Hymn – 1942) and »Holy Mass« (1982), I composed last year the »Requiem« (1984).

The musical language that I used for this work is completely different from the one used for the two previous ones. I believed that the introduction of the female voice – as a soloist – and the sound of the children’s choir were necessary.

The contrast of the young voices, as an aggressive presence of life towards death helps us to pass over the vise of an inevitable phenomenon.

The text belongs to John of Damascus (Ἰωάννης ὁ Δαμασκηνός). It is one of the most important intellectual, philosophical and poetic achievements and helps us to find the real dimensions in the world order of the things.

It invites us to delve into ourselves in order to find »the light that burns« and the real and deep meaning of the human being.

I dedicate this symphony to the dead of the Massacre of Kalavryta."
- Mikis Theodorakis (1985)

Tracklist:

1	Evlogitos O Theos	12:09
2	Evlogitos Ei Kyrie	9:27
3	Doxa - To Trilampes	5:31
4	Pia Tou Biou Tryfi	3:25
5	Oimoi, Oion Agona	6:24
6	Pou Estin I Tou Kosmou	3:19
7	Emnisthin Tou Profitou	6:29
8	Kat' Eikona Sin Kai Omoiosin	3:24
9	Doxa Patri	2:10
10	Makarioi	6:08
11	Exelthomen	6:32
12	Amin	6:51

Mikis Theodorakis - Requiem
(320 kbps, cover art included)

In memory of the victims in Paris.

Zülfü Livaneli & Mikis Theodorakis – Güneş Topla Benim İçin (1985)

From the back cover:

Two internationally renowned musicians, Mikis Theodorakis from Greece and Zülfü Livaneli from Turkey, have – at a time of considerable political tension between their two countries – made a record together. Five compositions by each of the two artists were recorded in Instanbul and in Athens respectively.

For 18 weeks this LP was top of the Turkish charts, and in September 1986, the 'Golden Record' was presented to Mikis Theodorakis personally in Istanbul.

"I am glad that this cooperation with my highly esteemed colleague Livaneli has given me a chance to get in touch with the Turkish people, whom I have always appreciated and loved. I hope that this small, but symbolic Turkish-Greek cooperation should herald – like a first swallow – the spring in the relations between our two peoples!" - Mikis Theodorakis, Athens, 24th January 1986

Above I've used the title of the original Turkish release because it should be known to more readers. This German re-release is quite rare and has his own little history. For the German market the track order has been altered and the title "Together" was chosen, 12 years later it was used again for the 1997 live CD recorded during a concert in Berlin by these 2 artists.

This vinyl record is the only release ever on that label. In fact Ararat Verlag was a little book editor run by a Turkish immigrant serving the Turkish community and those Germans interested in Turkish culture with literature, poetry and children's books in Turkish language, often also including a German translation. Today the book shop has developed into a framing and print shop, and a second one with graphics and postcards for the many tourists, still at the old address.

Tracklist:
01. Zülfü Livaneli & Mikis Theodorakis • O Günler · Τώρα στα ογδόντα έξι · Jene Tage · Those days 02:55
02. Zülfü Livaneli • Güneş Topla Benim İçin · Sammle Sonne ein für mich · Gather the sun for me 04:12
03. Zülfü Livaneli • Yanyana · Seite an Seite · Together 04:19
04. Zülfü Livaneli • Bizim · Unser · Ours 03:01
05. Zülfü Livaneli • Kırlangıç · Eine Schwalbe · The swallow 03:15
06. Zülfü Livaneli • Geceleyin · Nachts · At night 02:59
07. Zülfü Livaneli • Sevgiyle · Mit Liebe · With love 02:48
08. Zülfü Livaneli • Memik Oğlan · Der junge Memik · Young Memik 04:19
09. Sevingül Bahadır • Hep Seni Anar · Erinnerung · Always in thoughts of you 02:19
10. Zülfü Livaneli • Selam Olsun · Der Gruß · Welcome 04:46

Recorded by Fazıl Atuk at Studio Pan, Istanbul, and Yannis Smirneos at Studio Polysound, Athens
© Ararat Verlag, Bergmannstr. 99a, 1000 Berlin 61 Kreuzberg

Zülfü Livaneli & Mikis Theodorakis – Güneş Topla Benim İçin (1985)

(256 kbps, cover art included)

Milva - Von Tag zu Tag (Songs of Mikis Theodorakis) (1978)

Singer and actress Milva reigned for decades among the most popular and far-ranging performers in her native Italy. Born Maria Ilva Biolcati in Goro on July 17, 1939, at 20 she beat out more than 7,000 rivals to claim top honors in an influential talent showcase, and in 1960 cut her debut single, a cover of Édith Piaf's "Milord."

In 1961 Milva earned third place at the influential San Remo Music Festival. A year later she came in second and returned to the competition often in the years to follow despite never earning first prize. In 1962 Milva headlined Paris' legendary Olympia Theatre, performing a set of Piaf songs to rapturous reception. Soon after, she befriended actor and director Giorgo Strehler, who nurtured her interest in musical theater and encouraged the expansion of her repertoire, recommending works spanning from the Italian resistance movement to Bertold Brecht. Milva would become the first actress outside of Germany to prove successful in Brecht adaptations, in addition moving into film, appearing in Mario Mattoli's musical comedy Appuntamento in Riviera.

She remained a remarkably eclectic and adventurous performer in the years to follow, collaborating with composers including Luciano Berio, Ennio Morricone, Mikis Theodorakis, and Ástor Piazzolla and performing at venues including Milan's La Scala, Berlin's Deutsche Oper, London's Royal Albert Hall, and even the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.              

"Von Tag zu Tag" is an album with songs of Mikis Theodorakis, released in 1978.

Tracklist:

01. Zu Hause
02. Zusammenleben
03. Ist er den Kummer denn auch wert
04. Sowas hilft
05. Wir fliegen durch die Wolken
06. Vater
07. Die Macht der Gewohnheit
08. Von Tag zu Tag
09. Du bist so klein
10. Ich hab mich spät von dir befreit
11. Freiheit, Gleicheit und so weiter

Milva - Von Tag zu Tag (Songs of Mikis Theodorakis) (1978)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mikis Theodorakis & Maria Farantouri - Poetica

In the '90s, Mikis Theodorakis had a major asset in singer Maria Farantouri, who handles all of the vocals on "Poetica".

Blessed with a gorgeous voice and a fantastic range, Farantouri brings a great deal of charisma and humanity to such Theodorakis melodies as "With Half a Moon," "Color of Love" and "Sobbing Angels."

Theodorakis is a superb composer - one of the true poets of Greek pop, to be sure - and Farantouri has the sensitivity and depth needed for his songs.

Interestingly, "Poetica" wasn't recorded in Greece, but was recorded for the German Peregrina label at a studio in Ludwigsburg, Germany. In fact, the band that Theodorakis leads on this album, is comprised of German musicians. Highly recommended. 

  
Mikis Theodorakis & Maria Farantouri - Poetica   
(256 kbps, small front cover included)

Liaisons Dangereuses - Liaisons Dangereuses (1981)

Despite the number of fitting associations that have been drawn -- from the Normal to Throbbing Gristle to Suicide to D.A.F. to Nitzer Ebb -- Liaisons Dangereuses remains a very odd and unique album. Cobbled together from a series of four ten-minute cassettes that were then compiled and mixed (at Conny Plank's studio) for wider release in 1981, the album had a profound effect on EBM (electronic body music): a rigid, cold, unrelentingly pulsating form of dance music made with electronics. 

Its overriding characteristics also informed early Chicago house music, with its jack-inducing twitch, which also means its effect sent ripples on through Detroit techno. 

40 years after its release, tracks like "Los Niños del Parque" continue to feature in DJ set lists. What often gets overlooked with this record is how it could just as easily be categorized as post-punk or even no wave -- check the loosely tethered sax squonks in the whip-snapping "Etre Assis Ou Danser," or the dissonant scrapes and drones in "Dupont" and "Apértif de la Mort." Co-ed vocals speak, shout, and harangue in a mix of Spanish, German, French, and busted English. "Peut Être... Pas," one of the more adroit dancefloor-friendly tracks, places wavering synth jabs and squiggles over a couple of brittle percussive elements and a bass foundation that's closer to a series of prickly jerks than a line; an emphatic male voice grunts nervously while a female off into the distance randomly pipes in with sudden shrieks and brief phrasings. On "El Macho y la Nena," a violently coiled-up track simmers throughout; here, the male voice is much closer to a constipated, Spanish-speaking version of Suicide's Alan Vega, spitting out gruff, clipped segments, which are answered by girlish squeaks. If one can't get off on the still-thrilling noises on this album, she or he can at least appreciate its bizarreness.

Tracklist:

A1 Mystère Dans Le Brouillard 

Vocals – Joanna

4:25

A2 Los Niños Del Parque 5:00

A3 Etre Assis Ou Danser 3:25

A4 Aperitif De La Mort 3:40

A5 Kess Kill Fé Show 3:28

B1 Peut Être ... Pas 6:18

B2 Avant-Après Mars 3:48

B3 El Macho Y La Nena 3:58

B4 Dupont 3:50

B5 Liaisons Dangereuses 1:41

Liaisons Dangereuses - Liaisons Dangereuses (1981)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

The Almanac Singers ‎– Songs For John Doe (1941)

Songs for John Doe is the 1941 debut album and first released product of the Almanac Singers, an influential early folk music group.

The album was released in May 1941, at a time when World War II was raging but the United States remained neutral. The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were still at peace, as provided by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. American Communists and "fellow travelers", including the Almanacs, followed the anti-interventionist stance dictated by the Soviet Union through the Comintern, which accounts for the appearance of anti-war songs on the album.

However, on June 22, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Almanacs changed direction and began agitating for U.S. intervention in Europe. Songs for John Doe was quickly pulled from distribution, and those who had already purchased copies were asked to return them. After the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, in February 1942 the Almanacs went into the studio to record a set of songs supporting the American war effort. The new political line was evident on the group's 1942 album, "Dear Mr. President".


For the album, six masters were recorded in a two- or three-hour session. "'C' For Conscription" and "Washington Breakdown" were recorded as a single take.

Tracklist:

A Strange Death Of John Doe
B Billy Boy
C Ballad Of October 16th
D Plow Under
E1 C For Conscription
E2 Washington Breakdown
F Liza Jane

The Almanac Singers ‎– Songs For John Doe (1941)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Alexandrow Ensemble - Der Chor der Roten Armee - Rodina Moja

The "Alexandrow Ensemble" was formed out of the Frunze Red Army Central House in 1928, after Marshall Voroshilov, Minister of Defence, asked A.V. Alexandrov to create a military choir. There is also a story that Stalin then asked Alexandrov to relocate the choir to Moscow. Under the name Red Army Song Ensemble of the M. V. Frunze Red Army Central House or the “Red Army Choir”, twelve soldier-performers – a vocal octet, a bayan player, 2 dancers, and a reciter – officially performed for the first time on October 12, 1928 under the direction of their conductor, Alexandr Alexandrov, a young music professor at the Moscow Conservatory. The program, entitled The 22nd Krasnodar Division in Song, consisted mainly of short musical scenes of military life, including Songs of the First Cavalry Army, The Special Far-Eastern Army, and Song about Magnitostroi.

In 1929, the ensemble visited the far eastern lands of the Soviet Union, entertaining the troops working on the Far Eastern railway.

With the goal of developing amateur art within the ranks of the army and to encourage soldiers’ interest in good music, the ensemble grew to 300 performers by 1933, comprising three different forces of a male choir, an orchestra, and an ensemble of dancers. The Red Army Choir became known as a propagator of Soviet songs, performing original compositions by composers such as Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy, Anatoli Novikov, Matvey Blanter and Boris Mokrousov.

In 1935, the choir was bestowed the Order of the Red Banner and was renamed the Red Army Red-Bannered Song and Dance Ensemble of the USSR.

Having traveled widely throughout the Soviet Union, from the Arctic north to the sands of Tajikistan, the choir performed at the International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life held in 1937 in Paris, France; it won the Grand Prix, the highest honor bestowed by the jury.

During World War II, the ensemble gave over 1500 performances at both Soviet fronts, entertaining troops about to go into battle, at gun emplacements, airfields, and in hospitals.

Following the death of Alexander Alexandrov, the Ensemble was taken over by his son, Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov. Under his leadership, the Ensemble gained fame outside the Soviet Union, making extensive tours worldwide. Boris Alexandrov retired in 1987, and was succeeded by People’s Artist of Russia Igor Agafonnikov the same year, with Anatoly Maltsev as the ensemble chief. He retired as the principal conductor in 1994; he died that year and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery. He was succeeded by Victor Fedorov, the chorus master since 1986.

This album is a compilation with songs originally released in the 1940s and 1950s on shellac.

Tracklist:

1. Hymne der Sowjetunion
2. Lied der Sowjetarmee
3. Mein Heimatland
4. Lied vom Vaterland
5. Ruf der Heimat
6. Der heilige Krieg
7. Auf dem Wege
8. Sing, Soldat sing
9. Unser MG-Karren  
10. Durchs Gebirge, durch die Steppe  
11. Jugend
12. Es wird Zeit sich auf dem Weg zu machen
13. Ich ging durch die ganze Welt die Liebste zu finden  
14. Im Walde sang der Kanarienvogel
15. Feldchen, mein Feld
16. Anuschka
17. Volkstanz  
18. Wiegenlied - Guten Abend, gute Nacht

Alexandrow Ensemble - Der Chor der Roten Armee - Rodina Moja

(256 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Brüder, zur Sonne, zur Freiheit - Arbeitermusik der Weimarer Republik in Originalaufnahmen (1982)

"La Marseillaise", "Internationale", "Brüder zur Sonne, zur Freiheit" - everybody knows some titels of this collection.

This album collects 13 carefully restorated original recordings of labour movement songs, recorded in the 20s and 30s of the last century in the Weimar Republic.

Most of the interpreters are today forgotten, like the "Doppelquartett des Deutschen Freidenkerverbandes" with the song "Ein Sohn des Volkes...".


Tracklist:


A1 La Marseillaise 2:36
A2 Internationale 2:31
A3 Warschawjanka 3:17
A4 Russischer Trauergesang 2:50
A5 Marsch der Roten Armee 2:44
A6 Roter Gardemarsch der Mailänder Arbeiter 2:55
A7 Bandiera Rossa 3:23
B1 Brüder, zur Sonne, zur Freiheit 2:23
B2 Wir sind die erste Reihe 2:27
B3 Die Maßnahme - 1. Teil: Gespräch des Händlers mit dem jungen Genossen 3:18
B4 Die Maßnahme - 2. Teil: Song von Angebot und Nachfrage 3:12
B5 Marsch der Eisernen Front 3:15
B6 Ein Sohn des Volkes will ich sein und bleiben 3:37
B7 Laßt uns wie Brüder treu zusammenstehn / Das Aufgebot 3:19

Brüder, zur Sonne, zur Freiheit - Arbeitermusik der Weimarer Republik in Originalaufnahmen
(192 kbps, ca. 58 MB)

Hai & Topsy Frankl - Lieder von Werner Helwig

Heinrich and Gunnel Frankl are a German/Swedish husband-and-wife team of harmonizing, guitar-strumming, song-collecting folksingers.  

This album is devoted to the songs of Werner Helwig (with some lyrics by Bertolt Brecht), a german author and memeber of the "Nerother Wandervogel". Helwig fled germany in 1939 and went to exile in Swizerland and Liechtenstein.

Tracklist:
01. Gesang des Soldaten der roten Armee
02. Ballade von den Selbsthelfern
03. Mahagonnygesang Nr. 3
04. Legende vom toten Soldaten
05. Gegen Verführung
06. Von der Freundlichkeit der Welt
07. Mahagonnygesang Nr. 2
08. Das geflickte Segel
09. Wo tausend Krieger fielen
10. Die silberne Stunde
11. Das Gaukler-Lied
12. Von Nacht gebeugt
13. Schweigen
14. Porto kufò
15. Baybach-Lied
16. Das kleine Schlaflied

Hai & Topsy Frankl - Lieder von Werner Helwig 
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Alexandrow-Ensemble - Chor der Roten Armee

First posted on 25.12.2016:

Today all 92 people on board the Russian military Tu-154 died after it came down shortly after take-off near the resort town of Sochi.
The plane was carrying 64 members of the renowned military choir and dance band, the Alexandrov Ensemble, including its conductor Valery Khalilov.

With the goal of developing amateur art within the ranks of the army and to encourage soldiers’ interest in good music, the ensemble grew to 300 performers by 1933, comprising three different forces of a male choir, an orchestra, and an ensemble of dancers. The Red Army Choir became known as a propagator of Soviet songs, performing original compositions by composers such as Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy, Anatoli Novikov, Matvey Blanter and Boris Mokrousov.

In 1935, the choir was bestowed the Order of the Red Banner and was renamed the Red Army Red-Bannered Song and Dance Ensemble of the USSR.

Having traveled widely throughout the Soviet Union, from the Arctic north to the sands of Tajikistan, the choir performed at the International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life held in 1937 in Paris, France; it won the Grand Prix, the highest honor bestowed by the jury.

During World War II, the ensemble gave over 1500 performances at both Soviet fronts, entertaining troops about to go into battle, at gun emplacements, airfields, and in hospitals.

Following the death of Alexander Alexandrov, the Ensemble was taken over by his son, Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov. Under his leadership, the Ensemble gained fame outside the Soviet Union, making extensive tours worldwide. Boris Alexandrov retired in 1987, and was succeeded by People’s Artist of Russia Igor Agafonnikov the same year, with Anatoly Maltsev as the ensemble chief. He retired as the principal conductor in 1994; he died that year and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery. He was succeeded by Victor Fedorov, the chorus master since 1986.

Tracklist:

1	Der Heilige Krieg	3:20
2	Hoch lebe unser Land	3:59
3	Tschapajew, Held des Ural	1:17
4	Auf dem Weg	4:00
5	Kalinka	4:18
6	Soldat für immer	3:18
7	Sie gehen aufs Neuland	2:45
8	Gehe auf du Rrte Sonne	4:31
9	Ey Uchnjem - Lied der Wolgatreidler	4:17
10	Erinnert Euch Genossen	4:31
11	Lieder der 27. Rotbanner-Division	3:11
12	Steppe, ja Steppe ringsum	5:57
13	Fahrtenlied	2:15
14	Aus dem Walde hervor	2:51
15	Donkosaken	3:21
16	Schneeflocken wirbeln durch die Straßen	2:46
17	Auf dem Felde eine Birke stand	3:28
18	Tag des Sieges	3:19
19	Unsterbliche Opfer	3:44
20	Im schönsten Wiesengrunde	2:08

Alexandrow-Ensemble - Chor der Roten Armee
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Eric Andersen - A Country Dream (Vanguard, 1969)

Like numerous folk-rock singer/songwriters in the late '60s, Andersen went to Nashville to record country-rock-flavored material, using some of the city's top sessionmen. Charlie McCoy, Ken Buttrey, Norbert Putnam, and David Briggs are all on this record, which doesn't rate among Andersen's strongest '60s albums. 

The LP's not so much weak as meek, or pleasantly undistinguished. Even by Andersen's own low-key standards, the mood is mild, the songs drifting amiably without a great deal of force. The cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay" and the instrumental "Smashville Jam" seem like padding. The Salvation Army comedy of "Devon, You Look Like Heaven" could have hardly been more ill-placed in the running order, following as it does one of the better and most serious tracks, "Deborah, I Love You" (presumably addressed to his wife, Debbie Green). It's not that overt of a country-styled record, though Weldon Myrick makes his steel guitar heard often and Andersen takes a shot at the hit popularized by Hank Williams, "Lovesick Blues." The best song, though, is the concluding six-minute "Waves of Freedom," which is just as tranquil as the rest of the album, but a little more melodic and moving.

 - Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com  

The album starts off with a really cool cover of Otis Redding`s Sittin` On the Dock of the Bay. Eric Andersen sings country & folk songs backed by the same musicians as Dylan on John Wesley Harding. An uneven album with some nuggets.

 

Tracklist:

01. (Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay
02. All I Remember Is You
03. Deborah, I Love You
04. Devon, You Look Like Heaven
05. Eyes Gently Rolling
06. Just A Country Dream
07. Lovesick Blues
08. Second Time Around
09. Smashville Jam
10. Waves Of Freedom

Eric Andersen - A Country Dream (Vanguard, 1969)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

Franz Josef Degenhardt – Mit aufrechtem Gang (1975)

Learned and versatile, German poet, novelist, folksinger, and noted attorney Franz Josef Degenhardt was born December 3, 1931. He began releasing records in the early '60s and hasn't let up, with some 50 album titles in his personal discography, the most recent appearing in 2006. Degenhardt is also an accomplished novelist, with a half dozen largely autobiographical novels to his name.

From the early 1960s onward, in addition to practicing law, Degenhardt was also performing and releasing recordings. He is perhaps most famous for his song (and the album of the same name) "Spiel nicht mit den Schmuddelkindern" ("Don't Play With the Grubby Children," 1965), but has released close to 50 albums, starting with "Zwischen Null Uhr und Mitternacht "("Between 00:00 and Midnight," 1963), renamed "Rumpelstilzchen"; his most recent albums Krieg gegen den Krieg ("War against the War") and Dämmerung ("twilight") came out in 2003 and 2006. 

In 1968, Degenhardt was involved in trials of members of the German student movement, principally defending social democrats and communists. At the same time, he was – in his capacity as a singer-songwriter – one of the major voices of the 1968 student movement. In 1972 he translated the song "Here's to You" under the title "Sacco und Vanzetti" with five new verses. On his 1977 album "Wildledermantelmann" he criticized many of his former comrades from that era for what he saw as their betrayal of socialist ideals and shift towards a social-liberal orientation. The album's title (roughly, "man with velour coat") mocks the style of clothing they had supposedly adopted.

Degenhardt lived, until his death in 2011, in Quickborn, Kreis Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein.

Tracklist:

A1 Emigranten-Choral 3:47
A2 Zündschnüre-Song 4:55
A3 Station Chile 4:29
A4 Wolgograd 6:45
A5 Portugal4:01

B1 Immer noch grob sinnlich 4:53
B2 Belehrung nach Punkten 8:52
B3 Mit aufrechtem Gang 2:13
B4 Hört ihr noch den Ruf der Schwäne 5:53
B5 Grandola, Vila Morena 3:32


Franz Josef Degenhardt – Mit aufrechtem Gang (1975)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mikis Theodorakis - Grammata Apo Ti Germania / Letters From Germany

These political songs in an original, satirical style were written by Mikis Theodorakis with lyrics of Fontas Ladis in 1966 and banned by censorship for ten years.

After the WWII and a destructive and painful civil war, a great number of Greeks emigrated to Germany as heavy industry and mine workers. These songs are dedicated to the problems and the pain of all the emigrants worldwide, through the letters they send to their beloved. Beautiful music by Theodorakis, arranged and directed by the great composer and orchestrator Thanos Mikroutsikos. The songs are interpreted by the expressive voices of Afroditi Manou, Antonis Kalogiannis and Yiannis Siris.

Tracklist:
01. Afroditi Manou - I sent you (Sou 'steila)
02. Afroditi Manou - A blond from Wiesbaden (Mia xanthia ap' to Visbaden)
03. Antonis Kalogiannis - Our life was for sale (Vgike i zoi mas sto sfiri)
04. Afroditi Manou - May is coming (Kinis' o Mais gia na 'rthi)
05. Afroditi Manou & Yiannis Siris - Cruises (Krouazieres)
06. Afroditi Manou - Bye mother bye Stratos (Gia sou mana gia sou Strato)
07. Yiannis Siris - I sent to the party (Estila sto koma)
08. Afroditi Manou - At the cafe Ellinikon (Sto kafenio Elliniko)
09. Antonis Kalogianis - Mitsos
10. Afroditi Manou - Yesterday at Wilhelmstrasse (Htes sti Vilhelmstrase)
11. Afroditi Manou & Yiannis Siris - A forest (Ena dasos klares)
12. Afroditi Manou - Some generals came (Irthan kati stratigi)
13. Yiannis Siris - To the ministry of labor (Pros to ipourgio ergasias)
14. Afroditi Manou - Greeks, Turks and Italians
.
Mikis Theodorakis - Grammata Apo Ti Germania / Letters From Germany
(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Chapter 2 of "Words" - Lee Perry & Friends (Trojan)

The 22 tracks on Chapter 2 of "Words" all date from 1972-1973, a period when Lee "Scratch" Perry was a sort of nomad, recording tracks at various studios and mixing them at King Tubby's. The music reflects this, varying widely in sound and feel, from the traditional to the far-out, from the heartfelt to the downright goofy. This lack of cohesion prevents Chapter 2 of "Words" from being completely satisfying, but the same can be said of many attempts to chronicle Perry's career, which has been as chaotic and confusing as it has been brilliant and prolific. Scratch devotees will be particularly interested in the link Chapter 2 of "Words" provides between his Upsetter Records era (circa 1970) and the rise of the Black Ark (1975). While Scratch still employs some of the basic techniques of his earlier records (in fact, I. Roy's "Dr. Who" is simply a DJ version of the 1969 Upsetters release "Medical Operation"), he exploits improving sound quality to put more emphasis on the bass and drums. This in turn permits him to drop other instruments out of the mix, rely less on vocals, and experiment with tape manipulations and sound effects, beginning his journey into the uncharted territory of dub. For a quick reminder of just how far ahead of his time Perry was, check out "Station Underground News," which employs both pseudo-rapping and a "sample" from the Chi-Lites' "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People," or the aptly named "Space Flight," with vocals by Scratch and I. Roy over a bed of hard rhythm and futuristic synth effects.

Chapter 2 Of Words is an absolutely upsetting collection (if you ignore the awful cover art). Featuring versions of such classic rhythms as "Words Of My Mouth" and "Curly Locks" as well as some of Scratch's wildest productions, Chapter 2 is out of sight. Motorycles sampled on "Forward Up", fire engines on "Sunshine Showdown Version", ravers by Dave Barker and I Roy as well as many other upsetting touches will leave you reeling. However, there are also less manic songs like "Silver Locks" by The Upsetters (a very nice acoustic guitar version of "Curly Locks") to cool things down. This one is a must!


Tracklist:

01. Words (Intro) - Lee Perry
02. Forward Up - The Stingers
03. Forward Version - The Upsetters
04. Nebuchadnezzer - The Upsetters
05. Peace - Chenley Duffus & The Soul Avengers
06. Peace Version - The Upsetters
07. Three Blind Mice - Leo Graham
08. Mice Skank - The Upsetters
09. Station Underground News - Lee Perry
10. Sunshine Showdown - Lee Perry
11. Sunshine Showdown Version - The Upsetters
12. Dr. Who - I Roy
13. Sunshine Rock - The Upsetters
14. Rasta Dub - Dennis Alcapone
15. Rasta Version - The Upsetters
16. Space Flight - I Roy & Lee Perry
17. Burning Wire - Jerry Lewis & Lee Perry
18. Militant Rock - Lee Perry
19. Silver Locks - The Upsetters
20. Words - Lee Perry
21. Little Flute Chant - The Upsetters
22. Hot Tip - Prince Django

VA - Chapter 2 of "Words" - Lee Perry & Friends (Trojan)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Judy Collins - In My Life (1966)

Judy Collins' musical ambitions often seemed to be a bit broader (and her style a shade more theatrical) than most of her contemporaries on the East Coast folk scene of the early '60s, and with her sixth album, 1966's "In My Life", she made a clear break from interpreting the favorites of the singer/songwriter community into a broader and more eclectic style.

While "In My Life" includes songs by Bob Dylan, Richard Fariña, and Donovan, it also finds Collins embracing the work of Jacques Brel and Kurt Weill, as well as the Beatles and Leonard Cohen (whose "Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag" sound more at home with the Europeans than the New Yorkers). Joshua Rifkin's arrangements abandon folky purity, not an uncommon event in the post-Highway 61 Revisited musical economy, but rather than embracing rock & roll in one of its many forms, here Rifkin's backdrops betray a significantly artier approach, with the opening Dylan cover accompanied by flutes and Fariña's "Hard Lovin' Loser" backed with a harpsichord, neither of which is especially effective. Far more successful are the European theatrical tunes, especially "Marat/Sade," in which Collins delivers a superbly controlled, but passionate, performance, and a splendidly spare rendition of "Suzanne" that ranks with the finest interpretations of that oft-covered tune. Collins also sounds splendid on Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" and even finds something special in Donovan's "Sunny Goodge Street." 

Judy Collins was already an accomplished interpretive singer before recording this album, but In My Life found her widening her horizons and revealing an even greater gift than one might have imagined; for the most part, it's a superb album and still one of her best.

Tracklist:

1. "Tom Thumb's Blues" Bob Dylan 5:03
2. "Hard Lovin' Loser" Richard Fariña 2:37
3. "Pirate Jenny" Marc Blitzstein, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill 4:02
4. "Suzanne" Leonard Cohen 4:21
5. "La Colombe" Jacques Brel, Alasdair Clayre 5:03
6. "Marat/Sade" Richard Peaslee 5:33
7. "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" Randy Newman 2:46
8. "Sunny Goodge Street" Donovan 2:55
9. "Liverpool Lullaby" Stan Kelly, aka Stan Kelly-Bootle 2:57
10. "Dress Rehearsal Rag" Leonard Cohen 5:19
11. "In My Life" Lennon–McCartney 2:53

Judy Collins - In My Life (1966)

(ca. 192 kbps, cover art included)

Mikis Theodorakis - The Ballad Of Mauthausen & Six Songs - 1974

"A good friend of mine, the poet Iacovos Kambanellis, was a prisoner in Mauthausen during World War II. At the beginning of the sixties, he wrote his memories of this time under the title of "Mauthausen". In 1965, he also wrote four poems on the subject and gave me the opportunity to set them to music. I did this with much pleasure, firstly because I liked the poetry of the texts, and secondly because I was myself locked up during the Nazi occupation in Italian and German prisons, but mainly because this composition gives us the chance to remind the younger generation of history, that history must never be forgotten.

First and foremost, of course, the Mauthausen Cantata is addressed to all those who suffered under Fascism and fought against it. We must keep the Nazi crimes continually in our minds, because that is the only guarantee and the only way to assure that they are not repeated. And we can see every day that the ghost of Fascist is far from being laid. It seldom shows its real face, but Fascist cultures and mentalities exist all over the world. For us, who had to live through this time of horror, the most important task is to protect our children against this peril."
- Mikis Theodorakis

The four Mauthausen songs have a common thread: they express in powerful music and lyrics the terror, the agony and torture of the concentration camp and its effects on the minds and bodies of the inmates. Best-known of the 4 songs is “Asma Asmaton” expressing the anguish of a Jewish prisoner on learning that the women he loves has just been sent to the gas chamber. Maria Faranouri delivers a remarkable performance as in the fourth song ”Otan teliosi O Polemos” ( "When the War Ends") which portrays the life-in-death fantasy of a Jewish internee who dreams of the end of the war, or of life in almost surrealist images.

The six songs that make up the rest of the album, four ballads and two lively, up tempo ones, all demonstrate Farandouris’ distinctive dramatic style, which adds an essentially Greek touch of pathos and nostalgia even in the lively gaiety of the two faster songs.

01-Asma Asmaton - Song Of Songs
02-O Andonis - Anthony
03-O Drapetis - The Hostage
04-Otan Teliosi O Polemos - When The War Ends
05-Kourastika Na Se Krato - I'm Tired Of Holding Your Hand
06-O Iskios Epese Varis - Deep Shadows
07-Pira Tous Drmous Tou Ouranou - I Took To The Streets Of Heaven
08-Stou Kosmou Tin Aniforia - The Uphill Road
09-To Ekremes - The Pendulum
10-To Oniro kapnos - The Dream Went Up In Smoke

Mikis Theodorakis - The Ballad Of Mauthausen & Six Songs (1974)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Words Of My Mouth - The Producer Series: Lee Perry (Trojan, 1996)

From 1973 to 1975, producer Lee "Scratch" Perry was arguably at the top of his game. His productions, notably Leroy Wallis's "Herb Vendor" and the Junior Byles classic "Curly Locks," were dominating the U.K. reggae charts, and in 1974 he built his own studio, the legendary Black Ark, from which flowed some of the strangest and most beautiful music of reggae's classical period. 

This generous collection provides an excellent overview of Perry's output just before and during the Black Ark period: "Curly Locks" is here in all its dark, sweet glory, followed by Perry's dub-and-deejay version titled "Dreader Locks" (in which he castigates another producer who had appropriated the popular "Curly Locks" rhythm for his own use); the Unforgettables deliver the very catchy "Two Bad Bull," which is followed by a dub version, and there are other highlights as well, including the creepy "Bushweed Corntrash" by Bunny & Ricky and the title track, a minor-key roots masterpiece by the Gatherers. 

An added bonus on this album is Perry's highly inspirational ode to personal hygiene entitled "Bathroom Skank" (which features the deathless couplet "Grab a towel/An' scrub you bowel").

Tracklist:

01. Words Of My Mouth - The Gatherers
02. Words Of My Mouth (Version) - The Upsetters
03. Kuchy Skank - The Upsetters
04. Rejoice In Jah Jah Children - The Silvertones
05. Rejoicing Skank - The Upsetters
06. Bush Weed Corn Trash - Bunny & Ricky
07. Callying Butt - The Upsetters
08. Da Ba Day - The Upsetters
09. Kiss Me Neck - The Upsetters
10. Curly Locks - Junior Byles
11. Dreader Locks - Lee & Junior
12. Many A Call - The Unforgettables
13. Two Bad Bull - Bunny & Ricky
14. Two Bad Cow - The Upsetters
15. Fists Of Fury - Lee Perry
16. Herb Vendor - Horse Mouth
17. Cane River Rock - Lee Perry & The Upsetters
18. Riverside Rock - The Upsetters
19. Stay Dread - Lee Perry
20. Kentucky Skank - Lee Perry
21. Bathroom Skank - Lee Perry
22. Spiritual Whip - Jah Lloyd

VA - Words Of My Mouth - The Producer Series: Lee Perry (Trojan, 1996)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mikis Theodorakis - Resistance - Historic Recordings From The Underground And Exile

Mikis Theodorakis is a renowned Greek troubadour and one of his country's greatest composers. He wrote many symphonies, cantatas, several ballets and operas, plus popular songs including "Zorba the Greek," famous from Herb Alpert's instrumental hit.
Liner notes from the backcover:

"The sound documents published here were recorded during the dictatorship of the colonels in Greece, following the military coup of April 21, 1967.

They are at once music and lived resistance. They are a scream, desperation, hope. Recorded on a simple tape recorder under circumstances of illegality, house arrest, banishment.

A testimony to circumstances in which life, death and dignity were at stake."

 Mikis Theodorakis - Resistance

VA - Dry Acid : Lee Perry Productions 1968 – 1969 (Trojan)

Lee "Scratch" Perry's mid- to late-1970s productions at his Black Ark studio have been much lauded and admired, and justly so, but his work from a decade earlier, before that studio was built, is no less striking, albeit in different manner. The tracks collected on Dry Acid come from 1968 and 1969, when Scratch was still scrambling around to record in studios like Randy's, and they exhibit a wonderfully rough and ragged funkiness, with crisp, hard rhythms and often goofy, offhand lyrics that sparkle with vitality and freshness. 

Among the many highlights on this fine Trojan compilation are two unrelated songs by the Ethiopians (a duo at the time, of Leonard Dillon and Stephen Taylor), "Not Me" and "Cut Down," both voiced over the same chugging rhythm. Ernest Wilson's buoyant "Freedom Train" also shines, as does Pat Kelly's interesting cover of James Carr's "Dark End of the Street." There are also several (frequently loopy) instrumentals by Perry's house band at the time, the Upsetters, who bring a distinctly Jamaican version of R&B to the table in tracks like "For a Few Dollars More." 

Countless legal and not so legal anthologies of Perry's work are available on the market, drawn from all stages of his long history, and quality can vary considerably from disc to disc, but Dry Acid is all killer and holds up wonderfully.

Tracklist:

1 –Denzil Laing Beware Of The Vampire 01:53
2 –Val Bennett Barbara 01:52
3 –The Upsetters Prison Sentence 02:16
4 –The Ethiopians Not Me 02:31
5 –The Ethiopians Cut Down 01:55
6 –The Mellotones Uncle Desmond 02:35
7 –The Inspirations Down In The Park 02:30
8 –The Inspirations Love Oh Love 02:00
9 –Eric "Monty" Morris Can't Get No Peace 02:34
10 –The Upsetters For A Few Dollars More 02:13
11 –The West Indians Strange Whisperings 02:47
12 –The Upsetters A Taste Of Killing 02:26
13 –Carl Dawkins Hard To Handle 02:41
14 –The Upsetters My Mob 01:57
15 –Ernest Wilson Freedom Train 02:08
16 –Pat Kelly Dark End Of The Street 03:16
17 –Pat Kelly Since You Are Gone 02:39
18 –The Upsetters Return Of The Ugly 02:52
19 –David Isaacs Till I Can't 03:03
20 –Peter Tosh & U-Roy Rightful Ruler 02:28
21 –The Upsetters I Caught You 03:15
22 –Eric Donaldson Never Get Away 02:19
23 –Busty Brown A Broken Heart 02:29
24 –Count Sticky & The Upsetters Dry Acid 02:54
25 –The Reggae Boys Selassie 02:51
26 –The Mellotones Facts Of Life 02:23

VA - Dry Acid : Lee Perry Productions 1968 – 1969 (Trojan)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) – The Pilgrim (1986)

There is a quality to pianist Abdullah Ibrahim’s music that makes it sound like a slow, sad goodbye. That may be because he spent the majority of the 1960s to the 1990s in self-imposed exile from his home country of South Africa – a protest against the racial segregation of apartheid – or it may be to do with the soft, downtempo way he picks out each note hunched behind his grand piano, improvising as if he is forever playing towards the end of a phrase.

Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and Ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Ibrahim is considered the leading figure in the subgenre of Cape jazz. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. He is known especially for "Mannenberg", a jazz piece that became a notable anti-apartheid anthem.

During the apartheid era in the 1960s Ibrahim moved to New York City and, apart from a brief return to South Africa in the 1970s, remained in exile until the early '90s. Over the decades he has toured the world extensively, appearing at major venues either as a solo artist or playing with other renowned musicians, including Max Roach, Carlos Ward and Randy Weston, as well as collaborating with classical orchestras in Europe. With his wife, the jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, he is father to the New York underground rapper Jean Grae, as well as to a son, Tsakwe.

"The Pilgrim" is a compilation, released in 1986, using tracks from the albums 'Good News from Africa (ENJA 2048) and 'Echoes from Africa (ENJA 3047)


Tracklist:

1 The Pilgrim 9:50
2 Ntsikana's Bell 6:15
3 Msunduza 4:37
4 Namhanje 16:54
5 Saud 5:54
6 Moniebah / The Pilgrim 12:00

Tracks 1 to 3 & 6 recorded on 10.12.1973
Tracks 4 & 5 recorded on 7.9.1979

Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) – The Pilgrim(1986)

(320 kbps, cover art included)