Skiπ the Greek (Greek music blog, for English speakers)

John the Murderer (Fleury Dandonaki, 1980)

2011-09-10T13:42:00.009+02:00

Fleury Dandonaki

leury Dandonaki was Manos Hadjidakis' favorite singer. She was born in Crete in 1937. She studied philosophy and theater at the University of South Carolina in the late '50s. In New York she made her first steps on the stage of Broadway and critics recognized something different in her wonderful voice, full of sensitivity, and in her large expressive eyes. The «New York Times» declared her talent equal to that of Liza Minnelli's.

In 1970 she meets in New York Manos Hadjidakis as she replaces an actress of the Broadway show "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris". Manos is astonished by her performance. Fleury becomes his favourite singer and during the '70s they work together in many successful theatre and music projects. In 1980, it was at the insistence of Manos Hadjidakis, who was back then director of ERA's Programme C (radio broadcast) that the recording below took place.

Fleury Dandonaki died on July 18,1998 at the age of 60, after a long struggle with cancer and rests in peace next to her long time friend Manos Hadjidakis in a semetery in Athens.

The song was first released by Columbia in 1976. The name of the album is "Immortality". Music by Manos Hadjidakis and poetry by Nikos Gatsos. It is a masterpiece.

John the murderer [Ο Γιάννης ο Φονιάς]

music: Manos Hadjidakis

lyrics: Nikos Gatsos

vocals: Fleury Dandonaki

John the murderer

-son of a woman from Patras

and of a man from Messolonghi-

last Sunday

right after the prison

passed by our house

We treated him desert

we treated him mint

but the murder

we didn't mention (x2)

Only Phrosi

-shedding sea coloured tears

of her large eyes-

kissed silently

his precious hands

and went out of the hall

No one made it

to bear her pain

and no one from the family

found a word to say

And John the murderer

at the corner of the street

with the longing's thorn
remembered again

moons so distant

and the dream that was gone.

The Oath (Foivos Delivorias, 1995)

2011-06-09T20:24:00.010+02:00

Foivos Delivorias

oivos Delivorias was born in Kallithea in 1973, one of the densest Athens neighboorhoods. His guitar teacher was Orfeas Peridis, an artist we haven't had the chance to present yet but we will certainly do so in the future. In 1989, 16-year-old Foivos meets Manos Hadjidakis to presenthim his unreleased songs. Manos is impressed and this meeting results to Foivos first album called "The parade". Six years later (1995) he releases with Sony his second album - clearly more mature than the first - "Life if beautiful, only this way". His first concerts to music halls and univeristy festivals come after his third release called "Mess" in 1998. Since that time he has recorded another 4 albums and perfomed at quite some music shows in Athenian music halls.

His music is easy listening. He easily swithces music styles (even within the same album) possibly because of his references that spread from Greek folk music to Hip hop and modern jazz. The lyrics of his songs (even from his very first album) are distinguished for the excellent use of the Greek language (speaking Greek is tough, but speaking correctly is almost impossible), the natural and "easy-looking" way he expresses complicated stuff, his imagination, politeness and his references.

Everyone appreciates his music but only ages 20-40 can listen to it. Google him or Youtube hime with "Φοίβος Δεληβοριάς" or "Foivos Delivorias".

Today’s song is from his second album, and it is a lover’s oath. A woman first, and then a man tie themselves beautifully.

The Oath

music, lyrics: Foivos Delivorias

vocals: Eleni Tsaligopoulou

"I swear on the cherry tree's dyed lips

that I'll build myself in the waves

if you leave me

I'll reap apart the kisses

I'll swallow the misfortunes

and alone I'll nail myself, my star

on the thorn of my sorrow..."

"And I swear on the sea

that if I leave you

I'll lie down on the sea shore

and as a writing I'll fade away

And my dust will be scattered

on all of the Earth from

so that it get into your eyes, my lovely

to cry with tears of mine..."

I Only Come With Ideas (Nicholas Asimos, 1987)

2011-06-01T23:44:00.008+02:00

simos Nicholas was one of these guys they were appreciated long time after their death. He was born 3 months before the end of the Greek Civil War, in 1949, in Thessaloniki. He started his studies there on Philosophy right with the beggining of the 1967 military junta and little before its fall, he moved to Athens. He was recording songs to tapes which he has selling on the streets.

His songs are very sensitive and proud. "Marginalized" pretty much describes his way of life and his music. I copy from wiki the last paragraph:

In 1987 he was wrongfully accused for the rape of an ex-girlfriend and was forcibly led to a mental institution. Shortly after he was sent to Korydallos Prison and was later bailed out. He never managed to overcome his bitterness over this unfounded charge. The outstanding trial along with other personal problems affected his psychological state profoundly. After two failed attempts, he committed suicide by hanging on 17 March 1988 in his house which he used to call preparation area. It is rumoured that he kept a diary during the last 15 days of his life in which he describes his efforts to find something worth living for in his life. He marked the pages with an "X" which meant that he had not found anything worth living for. The 15th day was also marked with an "X" which is the day he hanged himself.

The following song is a monologue. Nicholas Asimos signs it together with Sotiria Leonardou (that you might remember from this old post). Not much to say about it. It's very famous and I think that it's one of his most representative songs. If you like it, look for more.

I only come with ideas [ Εγώ με τις ιδέες μου]

lyrics, music: Nicholas Asimos [Νικόλας Άσιμος]

vocals with Sotiria Leonardou

Illegal Tape No.000008, March 1987

Ι only come with ideas

you only come with money

I think you want it all yours, heads and tails

I don't need your small talk

neither knowing you at all

I'll punch you where it hurts

I won't let anyone to pay for me

I'll dub myself a knight and jedi

and if I sober up

I'll tell you a "goodbye"

Even gods may change their mind

when great need there is

I never played brave

when it comes to war

and neither a water gun

I have in my shack

I'll keep my way as far as it takes

I won't let anyone to pay for me

I will fire anyone that laughs on me

my pains gives birth

to a thousant truths

I hand it all prepared to you

but you want it all yours

your greed won't let you in peace

take your money and go

and neither with my small toe

I can compare your pride

You can't look me in the eyes

and you'll die without a past

You are a victim of law and order

you don't even know the reason

to conquer me.

The Price of Love (Dimitra Galani, 1983)

2011-04-10T23:35:00.008+02:00

scene from the movie "The price of love", 1983

oday we host the soundtrack of a 1983 movie (by Tonia Marketaki) which was based on a 1912 book (by Konstantinos Theotokis) which was based on an imaginary love story in Corfu of 1900.

Dimitra Galani is singing this simple yet stongly emotional song, explaining how priceless love is. There is barely anything else to say, besides the truth that just a guitar can sometimes bring up to the surface the colours a whole band couldn't.

The Price of Love

music: Eleni Karaindrou

lyrics: Tonia Marketaki

with the voice of Dimitra Galani

There is no price for love
and neither for life there is

Who is selling it? Who is buying it?
Who is taking it to auction?

There is no price for love
and neither for life there is

Whoever loves can give it

with just a glance, a kiss

If you have a little love, give me

to sweeten my life
There is no price for love
there is no price for pride.

"Is this where we vote?" (Our great circus, 1973)

2011-02-19T11:44:00.012+01:00

reece was under a military junta between 1967 and 1974. In June 22, 1973 Tzeni Karezi and Kostas Kazakos started the theater play "To megalo mas tsirko" ("Our great circus") at the downtown Athens theater "Athinaion". Stavros Xarchakos did the music, Iakovos Kampanellis the lyrics, and Nikos Xylouris was the lead singer. The play was a satirical historical flashback of the history of Greece from the Ottoman empire to what was then present time. It quickly became extremely popular, and transformed into an act of political resistance against the dictatorship. People would ask at the register "Is this where we vote?".

It wasn't easy to get through the government's censorship. The play was marketed as a comedy to do so. Here is how the play started:

"One final word, ladies and gentlemen. We told you that our play is a comedy, but it is not a comedy because we say so, or because it was written as such. It is a comedy for a much more serious reason. We declared it as a comedy. We submitted it to the control committee as a comedy, and it was approved as a comedy by state decision number 195. By no means I wish to tell you that you are obligated to laugh by law. I am just noting that every similarity of our comedy to a drama is purely coincidental."

The censorship office soon realized their mistake, detained the producers, and shut down the play. But history had already been made. 500000 people are estimated to have seen the play. In 1974, the music of the play was released as an LP, and in 2003 as a CD. Here is one song of the album.

Our great circus [Το μεγάλο μας τσίρκο]

Music: Stavros Xarchakos

Lyrics: Iakovos Kampanellis

Voices: Nikos Xylouris, Tzeni Karezi, and actors

Great news I bring from up there

give me a moment to catch my breath

and think whether I should laugh,

cry, shout, or be silent.

The kings have fled

and now at the port down by the shore,

the allies are sending them away.

As they manipulated and fixed things

from the outset they dag their own pit

and close up our great protectors,

slowly became the grave-diggers

and who is to pay the bill again

and how can I start over again

at least if I knew why.

What else does my fortune tell me

three schemers are studying it.

Priests and pen pushers will let us know

with drums, parades and celebrations.

Cops are holding the constitution

and the courtiers in the palace

are waiting for something new to turn up.

The foreign bankers have glammed up,

the Greek real estate brokers have shaved.

Seven the interest five the make-up

forty with the oil and the vinegar

and he who believed and had patience

dumb and drugged he stands and stares

at the freedom being auctioned.

People, do not tighten the belt anymore,

don't take hunger for glory any more

Your fights do not count

unless they make up for the blood that has been shed.

People, do not tighten the belt anymore,

hunger for glory is for the quitter,

it is for the the slave and it will bury him.

Sources for this post (in Greek): link 1, link 2, link 3

Source for English translation

Greek lyrics

Zavarakatranemia (Nikos Xylouris, 1973)

2011-02-09T23:22:00.012+01:00

Nikos Xyloyris/ Νίκος Ξυλούρης

evolutionary mood. Tunisia and Egypt recently walked that path with jaw-dropping and extremely massive demonstrations. The last 20 years -that I may say I am capable of such judjement- very few times I had this feeling that something historicly important happens somewhere, right now.

There are some people with the same energy-let's say. They would give you the feeling that they are important, they can change stuff, they simply do. And their way is simple and beautiful. One of them was Nikos Xylouris. We have already introduced his brother on an older post.

We skip the wiki info to go to the main subject: the song.

Zabarakatranemia

Nikos Xylouris

(the song's lyrics contain one repeated phrase of words that mean nothing in Greek. They only remind the phrase "Black flags waved, mother bring me the knife". A call for revolution against the 1967-1974 military junta while it tries to avoid its censorship).

Nikos Xylouris is singing. He is one of the most -if not the most- highly appreciated Greek singers ever to come. He died young, of brain tumor. He comes from Crete, Greeks still call him "the angel" and his voice is pure, wide, strong and sensitive. Diamond.

ps. Look at him singing an other song.

Days Strange and Beautiful (Active Member, 2000)

2010-11-03T23:52:00.014+01:00

Active Member on stage

band that was formed a night after a live concert of Public Enemy in Athens, June 1992: "Active Member". On Sunday in Greece we have elections and there if there would be only one thing missing from these, this would be active members.

A great band, giving birth to a sound and a musical form that in 1992 would be a joke if with Greek lyrics, baptised its music as "Low Bap" and with sentimental, strongly political, urban lyrics did what no other Greek hip-hop band achieved: influenced & expressed a 80s generation and teased a 70s one that was facing this music with skepticism.

A song about days that feel as strange as beautiful. That's how most Greeks feel now. Or at least those with a greater sense of identity.

Days Strange and Beautiful

album: Days Strange and Beautiful (Μέρες Παράξενες Θαυμάσιες Μέρες), 2000

*Bonus Track: The Myths of the Swamp

A poem and a TED talk about creativity

2010-09-18T20:13:00.007+02:00

"Sitting a whole afternoon

on my old patched armchair

not expecting anyone to knock on my door

and no one to caress me

and no one to whip me

and no one tto accept me

and no one to reject me

I felt something coming

that could be happiness

So then I stood up to write down these words

and everything got lost."

["Καθισμένος ένα ολόκληρο απόγευμα
Στην παλιά μπαλωμένη μου πολυθρόνα
Μην περιμένοντας κανέναν να μου χτυπήσει την πόρτα
και κανέναν να με χαϊδέψει
και κανέναν να με μαστιγώσει
και κανέναν να με δεχτεί
και κανέναν να με απορρίψει
Ένιωσα να με πλησιάζει κάτι
που θα μπορούσε να 'ταν η ευτυχία
Τότε σηκώθηκα να σημειώσω αυτές τις λέξεις
Και όλα πήγαν στράφι"]

a poem by G.Aggelakas and an inspiring TED talk.

Welcome back and shall we have a great new season.

Paper Moon (Manos Hadjidakis, 1949)

2010-08-24T14:42:00.016+02:00

Melina Mercouri, her most famous picture

ear visitor, prepare for great, for brilliant stuff. Oh-oh spaggetti o. Today is the famous full moon of August. Full moon! The brightest moon of the year will cross the Athenian sky to fall huge and red. Hundrends of archeological sites will stay open till very late tonight with all lights switched off since the reflections of the moonlight to these marbles is one time thing and the Acropolis museum will host a band playing songs about the moon.

Mr. Theodosiou -who is a professor of Astrophysics at the university of Athens- stated clearly: "We were so wrong to step on the moon [...] you know, some things in life should better remain a legend, a myth, a mystery.. and although tonight's moon is neither bigger nor brighter than of other months, we like to believe so in August that the night is warm and the reflection on the ancient marbles so beautiful".

So, there is question... What makes the moon so important? What makes it mysterious and what brings it into songs, poems, books etc.? The fact that it reminds us that we live on a planet is a good answer but not a very successful one since the moon was already too deep into our poems and music long before we realize that earth is not flat. The answer I suppose is "love". And probably this is what Manos Hadjitzidakis had in mind when he composed the following song:

Paper Moon [Χάρτινο το Φεγγαράκι]

music: Manos Hadjidakis

lyrics: Nikos Gatsos

vocals here*: Nana Mouschouri

* Herodion = the Roman theater on the hill of Acropolis.

Sea shall bring in birds

and golden stars (will come with) the wind

to caress your hair

to kiss your hand

Of paper is the moon,

the beach is fake,

if you believed me a little

everything would be true

Without your love

time goes by so fast

Without your love

the world is smaller

Of paper is the moon,

the beach is fake,

if you believed me a little

everything would be true.

The guy that enters the theater in 1984 is Kostantinos Karamanlis, who at that time was the President of Greek Democracy. He is primarily accompanied by Melina Merkouri who was at that time the Minister of Culture in Greece and she was the first to sing this song acting in the play "The Streetcar named Desire" by Tennessee Williams directed by Karolos Koun. Both of them extremely influential political figures in post-junta period (after 1974) in Greece.

Surrealism in Athens and the Salvation of Soul (1985, Stamatis Kraounakis & Lina)

2010-07-29T14:04:00.010+02:00

Lina Nikolakopoulou

urrealism is an element of everyday life in Athens. Let me explain: You wake up when the TV timer switches on, and the sounds of a fight between a truck driver that is on strike and the minister of transport is on its best. Although it's too early for such stuff, you decide to switch off the TV when the crowd of truck drivers behind their representative is rhythmically singing the name of the beautiful young journalist lady that presents the news.

Little before you enter your car you realize that there is a penalty on it because you are supposed to have parked illegally although you have been parking there the last 4 months without a problem and there is absolutely no sign that proves it illegal!

You wait at the traffic lights even when they are green (especially then) simply because of the traffic jam caused by a 2km waiting line of cars for a fuel station. The truck drivers strike left the fuel stations without fuel and only a 10% of fuel stations operate in Athens these days. This, of course, is a great reason for Athenians to wait 2hours in a car line with 35C temperature, to full their cars and buy fuel in bottles as if there is a war coming and there will be no fuel for the next 3 years.

Waiting there, watching two guys fighting because the one tried to cheat the line in front of the other, breathing deep to stay calm you switch on the radio.

And there it comes:

Lina Nikolakopoulou & Stamatis Kraounakis

The salvation of soul [H σωτηρία της ψυχής]

music: Stamatis Kraounakis

lyrics: Lina Nokilakopoulou

vocals: Alktistis Protopsalti

album: Κυκλοφορώ κι Οπλοφορώ (= I'm out & armed).

Countryside’s mornings shall find us again within folded arms in bed,
And it won’t matter that we’re up so early, looking around, but seeking nothing.

All certainty materials are sweet words recorded in tapes,
for all those which passed so swiftly, yet was fully embraced by our heart.

The salvation of soul is a very big thing,
Like a journey of relaxation with a hidden wound

If only we extended the steps of our lives on a deserted beach,
It wouldn’t matter that, all our kisses, before they age, will be washed by the waves

And right by the edge of the seashore we would generously give old pieces of our being,
Those which were so small, but casting a shadow big enough to resemble our palace.

The salvation of soul is a very big thing...

A Rembetiko of 1952 (scene from "The Minor of Dawn")

2010-07-10T18:46:00.009+02:00

k, it's late in the afternoon and the Athenean heat a world of pain for all, however the air breeze that climbs up to my 5th floor and the quite urban view of my window made me listen again to a song that was certainly written on a winter night.

You 'll never get to understand its song beuty unless you sing it. I know its hard but give it a try. Picture yourself on a Greek island, on some mountainous village (those with the white houses all over) having a drink sitting outside at a warm night and few tables far from you, a couple of guys with their instruments start playing.

Oh, man. I need holidays.

Your tired footsteps [Το κουρασμένο βήμα σου]

lyrics: Kostas Virvos

music: M. Bakalis (1952)

Here is a scene of an 80's TV series named "The minor of dawn" which was dedicated to rembetiko music. The lyrics in English are given as subtitiles. This specific song was written few years after rembetiko supposingly seased to be. Its form is such, however the presence of a 4-string bouzouki along with other characteristics of its structure places it a bit towards the form of music that followed rembetiko: Laiko (=people's music). We will have the chance to talk about that genre several times since it spreads in almost 4 decades (1950s-60s-70s-80s) and it can't be overlooked.

...What was I saying? Ah, yeap, that I need holidays. That has to wait a bit...

The Match is About to Start! (Loukianos Kilaidonis, 1979)

2010-06-27T17:11:00.010+02:00

ith the excitement for the world cup on its high-up, although Greeks are already home, I remembered that song by Loukianos Kilaidonis that goes back to 1982 (a year before the party) that makes fun in a really nice way of how people get crazy about football. It's strange that even today, 28 years later, some still sing it without understanding its sarcasm. A good quality studio version is followed by a live concert (Lycabettus, 1982) by the architect that worked as such for just a day and then he went to be a sailor long before he ends up as a musician to perform silly American melodies with sophisticated Greek lyrics.

The match is about to start

music, lyrics: Loukianos Kilaidonis

The match is starting

the roads are empty

it is about time

the match to start

The match is starting

the city is deserted

hurry up folks

the match is about to start

Oh, how much I fancy

watching team scarfs all around

watching flags

and scoring goals

Oh, how much puts us together

and how thrilling it is

Diakogiannis'* voice

The match is starting

get off my back now

it is about time

for the match to start

The match is starting

everyone stays still

silence please,

the match is about to start

Oh, how much I fancy

watching team scarfs all around

watching flags

and scoring goals

Oh, how much puts us together

and how thrilling it is

Diakogiannis'* voice

And whoever knows

what are all these about

he should explain to me

only when the match is over.

*Giannis Diakogiannis: Retired Greek Sportcaster (a good one)

Loukianos Kilaidonis has definately been the "Lucky Luke" of Greek music. At least he feels so, ending up another of his songs with the last page famous line to Luke's beloved horse: "Let's go Dolly..."

For Someone Out There is Already Too Late (Mikis Theodorakis & Manos Eleftheriou, 1974)

2010-06-10T21:49:00.012+02:00

Manos Eleftheriou

he lack of time won't win again over this magnificent song. Mikis Theodorakis -beign along with Manos Hadjidakis the most important composers of modern Greece- dresses up with music the lyrics of Manos Eleftheriou and Maria Farantouri is there to sing.

What a meeting. One time thing. For more about Mikis Theodorakis and that specific period these songs were written, there is a great article you can read here that describes some things in chronological order in a nice musical point of view.

Who, my life

music: Mikis Theodorakis

lyrics: Manos Eleftheriou

sings: Maria Farantouri

Who, my life, who is hunting it down

to single it out in the middle of the night

squealing & screaming the trucks go by

like a fish they've captured me in the net

For someone out there it's already too late

who, my life, who is hunting it down?

Who, for my life, who is in ambush for it

in this world's narrow alleys who is targeting it

where is the one who knows to speak, who knows how to believe

For someone out there it's already too late

who, my life, who is hunting it down?

Mikis Theodorakis

The KKK Took My Baby Away (Ramones in 1981 and Burger Project Today)

2010-05-26T18:42:00.011+02:00

Burger Project new album cover "We live in Athens"

hen Ramones released their 6th album in 1981 had no idea that a Greek band (named Burger Project) would be interested in performing one of their songs that way. Neither the Greek band had any idea that they will ever be famous when they uploaded that performance (they were playing at someone's wedding party). Life can be funny, don't you think? You think.

Ramones first:

and the Burger Project follow:

More about those guys in future posts. Although I think that you will do the search yourself anyway, especially if you are not so big Ramones fans (I am not).

What is to me the drop (M.Hadjidakis singing Nikos Gatsos, 1972)

2010-05-12T18:15:00.010+02:00

Nikos Gatsos

hat does it matter, the drop that shines on your forehead?

I know the thunder wrote its name on your lips
I know an eagle built its eyrie in your eyes
but here on this marshy bank there is one road only
only one treacherous road and you must cross it
you must soak in blood before time catches up with you
and you must cross to the other side to see your companions again
flowers birds deer
to find another sea another kindness...

Poetry by Nikos Gatsos, a part of the epic poem "Amorgos". Amorgos is one of the most beautiful islands in Greece with a strange mysterious landscape that captivates every visitor's mind. I guess this simplicity in sight along with the rich in sentiments land was what inspired Nikos Gatsos to write a huge surreal poem fundamentally mirroring the Greek culture and give it the island's name. Manos Hadjidakis composed music for this and sung it himself in 1972. This recording was only released 3 years ago.

What is to me the drop [Τι να μου κάνει η σταλαγματιά]

poem: Nikos Gatsos

music: Manos Hadjidakis

vocals: Manos Hadjidakis

Little before we announce the Manos Hadjidakis week "over" do remember previous posts with:

1. The stunning composition "When the clouds come", 1965

2. Manos and the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble performing again Nikos Gatsos' Kemal, 1969

"Amorgos" album cover

When The Clouds Come (Manos Hadjidakis, 1965)

2010-05-03T14:52:00.010+02:00

hat did he know? Manos Hadjidakis certainly didn't know that these would happen today. I read the IMF (International Monetary Fund) & ECT (European Central Bank) measures for Greece. I know -as a 25 year old - that my grandchildren will still be paying back these loans. And I know how bad it feels to let others intrude and decide yours, your children's and grand-children's fate while I do not want to drive any sort of optimism at paying back someone that uses a whole country as a business. And I now realize how perfectly this song describes how it is When the clouds come.

When the Clouds come

album: Gioconda's Smile

composed by Manos Hadjidakis

New York, 1965

The song is the first song of the most legendary musical piece of art a Greek ever made. The first drum is the calling voice, the repeated melodies the clouds themselves and the mandolin that follows, the smile that sets us free.

Often played in Athens' metro. And the music runs into us as a subway train getting closer to elegant sentiments deep inside, releasing them in the air, unlocking their existence. And in a 3 minutes time clouds come and pass by; I hope again. Magnificent.

That day won't be late (Manos Loizos, 1980)

2010-04-17T20:14:00.008+02:00

Manos Loizos

riginaly from Cyprus, born in 1937 Alexandria, Egypt, lived in Greece and died young in Moscow in 1982, Manos Loizos was a diamond of Greek music [see also previous post for another of his songs]. His songs are simple and beautiful. His political action (with the Greek Communist Party) especially the 7 years of dictatorship (1967-73) put him to a lot of trouble but he always remained a low profile musician and people loved his songs. There is a presence of elegance along with simplicity at all his works and this make them seem easy listening. However, there is a fight of a whole generation engrained in them. With a strong political view as well as with emotions. In the next one? Hope.

That day won't be late

lyrics: Fontas Ladis

music: Manos Loizos

vocals: Manos Loizos & Dimitra Galani

That day won't be late

when I'll see you again in front of me.

The sunlight will be broken

and you will be running towards me.

Your forehead will be spreading

golden rain in the sky

and your nice face

will be paler than the moon.

And when our heatrs will become one

everything will be shinning differently

and the whole old world

will be vanished in our shades.

That day won't be late,

my hunted bird,

the West once took you away,

the East is bringing you back.

Candles (Konstantinos P. Kavafis, 1899)

2010-04-04T02:30:00.013+02:00

A Christian worshiper holds a candle inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher during a Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City.

April 2, 2010. (REUTERS/Baz Ratner)

Κεριά

Του μέλλοντος οι μέρες στέκοντ' εμπροστά μας
σα μιά σειρά κεράκια αναμένα -
χρυσά, ζεστά, και ζωηρά κεράκια.
Οι περασμένες μέρες πίσω μένουν,
μια θλιβερή γραμμή κεριών σβησμένων·
τα πιο κοντά βγάζουν καπνόν ακόμη,
κρύα κεριά, λιωμένα, και κυρτά.
Δεν θέλω να τα βλέπω· με λυπεί η μορφή των,
και με λυπεί το πρώτο φως των να θυμούμαι.
Εμπρός κυττάζω τ' αναμένα μου κεριά.
Δεν θέλω να γυρίσω να μη διω και φρίξω
τι γρήγορα που η σκοτεινή γραμμή μακραίνει,
τι γρήγορα που τα σβυστά κεριά πληθαίνουν.

Κωνσταντίνος Π. Καβάφης

Candles

Days to come stand in front of us,
like a row of burning candles -
golden, warm, and vivid candles.
Days past fall behind us,
a gloomy line of burnt-out candles;
the nearest are still smoking,
cold, melted, and bent.
I don't want to look at them: their shape saddens me,
and it saddens me to remember their original light.
I look ahead at my burning candles.
I don't want to turn, don't want to see, terrified,
how quickly that dark line gets longer,
how quickly one more dead candle joins another.

Konstantinos P. Kavafis, 1899

A beautiful poem by Konstantinos P. Kavafis (bio here). Remember the one for the city that he also wrote. Very important guy.

Happy Easter and greets from a small Balkan city that is at its best this time of the year... When back to base, a very special song is coming.

Fssst... Boing! (A twisted Shake, 1963)

2010-03-30T03:16:00.009+02:00

reek movies of 50s, 60s & 70s are the best mirrors for the modern Greek culture. The fiery social changes that were taking part in the US and the rest of Europe could neither spread in Greece as well nor stay away either. The result? A beautiful mess. Greece was definitely not mature for social changes but somehow should adopt the trends that come along. There is the tricky part...

Anyway, today I am going straight to the main dish. A song written by Mimis Plessas, performed by unknown people and sang by the famous actor of the time Kostas Voutsas at the movie "Something to burn" (1963). Ntinos Iliopoulos was one of the greatest comedians of these years and that's why the videos that follow do not need subtitles to laugh (& the movie made a ticket record when it was released). At the first he is trying to dance to impress the girl and the band make fun of him...

... and at the second they visit him at his office saying "Last time, we were missing one, check this one!"

Amazing actors, times and innocence.

Mid-War Athens (Sofia Vembo & Imam Baildi, 1939 & 2007)

2010-03-19T17:28:00.021+01:00

imam baildi

thens has not always been a stressful ugly capital of 5 million scarily stolid people. There were nice times that the city had been a truly beautiful and peaceful city. Seriously. It's hard for me to believe too, but it's true. Just take a look to some before-after pictures (everybody likes before-after pictures..):

Omonoia Sqr.(1920s?)

Omonoia Sqr. (2007)

Lycabettus picture from Acropolis, then

Lycabettus picture from Acropolis, now

Ok, back to the dark reality. All these nice buildings were torn down, all tram-lines were removed in order to sell our allies cars to buy their protection and there we are stuck in the traffic in an ugly city. Take it or leave it, you might say.

Only thing's left from that period is music. A romantic urban music strangely influenced from our European friends, since Greece never experienced a serious urbanization or industrialization since that time. Anyway, the combination was nice, it worked, people liked it, musicians too (not the rembetiko ones of course - but we are anyway talking about a totally different class) and beautiful songs were written for love, wine, and having fun.

The song

Today, two versions of the same song are presented: 1. The original one written by Giannides, Spyropoulos & Papadoukas in 1939 and performed by the great Sofia Vembo. 2. A remake of the modern Greek band Imam Baildi.

I am sure the pics and the songs will give you a really good example of how the city has changed. Still lyrical, but mostly in a nostalgic tone and the decades added a rhythm too. You can dance with it's sterilized beat, or dream with its melody parts. It's your call.

How Sorry I am (Original Version)

music: K. Giannakides

lyrics: Vasilis Spyropoulos

Remake: Imam Baildi

I have met so many loves, and I loved and I broke up
but wherever I was, It was you I was looking for
In all my thousands of dreams, my lips were looking for yours
and my soul as well as my secret passions

How sorry I am, for all there years that we lost
before I meet you, the one I have waited so long.
and how afraid I am that one day I might lose you
because I would never forget you...

Stand by me, my sweetest love
I still want to tell you...

How sorry I am, for all there years that we lost
before I meet you, the one I have waited so long.
and how afraid I am that one day I might lose you
because I would never forget you...

- Remember the other music genre that was very vibrant between the World Wars, Rembetiko.

The Shipwrecks (Miltos Sachtouris)

2010-03-17T00:35:00.006+01:00

arthquakes in Haiti & in Chile. On all cases the Greek media were trying to make sure that no Greek was hurt, despite the incredible losses of human lives and the massive destruction in both areas. If all Greeks are ok, then there's no problem. Humanity can go further. How hypocrites can we be? How self-involved? Well, there is an answer. It's a poem, by the great Miltos Sachtouris.

Τα ναυάγια

Μακριά στον ορίζοντα γίνεται

ένα ναυάγιο,είναι πολύ μακριά

και δε γνωρίζουμε τους πνιγμένους,

τους φίλους και τους συγγενείς που

τους θρηνούν.

Αλλά κι εδώ κοντά γίνεται ένα άλλο

ναυάγιο,κι αλίμονο,ξέρουμε

τους πνιγμένους,καθώς και τους

φίλους και τους συγγενείς που τους θρηνούν.

Μ.Σαχτούρης

The Shipwrecks

Far beyond the skyline

there is a shipwreck, really far

and we neither know those that drowned

nor their friends and families

who weep.

But also here, nearby, there is another

shipwreck, and, alack, we do know

the drowned, as well as their

friends and families who weep.

M. Sachtouris

El Hombre Solo (Diafana Krina, 2003)

2010-03-16T02:53:00.008+01:00

iafana Krina (Διάφανα Κρίνα = transparent lilies) had been the tip of the iceberg we used to call Greek Rock during late nighties and early 00s. Deeply lyrical, instrumentation that reached perfection and that mystery floating over the band was a greatly tempting combination. Thanos Anestopoulos with his exquisitely deep voice sung lyrics inspired from the poetes maudites and the band switched many times to different playing styles experimenting with new instruments and forms.

Their 3 first albums (Έγινε η απώλεια συνήθειά μας - Loss became our habit, 1996, Κάτι σαράβαλες καρδιές - Some Wrecked Hearts, 1998 & Ευωδιάζουν αγριοκέρασα οι σιωπές - The silence smells like wildcherries, 2000) are all masterpieces. The first one put the band on the map and it still contains their most recognizable songs. It was clearly depressing, purely rock and a totally different point of view in 1996. The second one was the most introvert one. Today, 12 years later, I still listen to new stuff in it. The 3rd was their most mature album. Guitars are on fire, great new songs are released and a strange balance between new sounds and old forms was achieved. Since then, an other 4 albums have been released but, in my opinion that was it.

A bright moment of their 4th album "Whatever's left of happiness" is today's song: El Hombe Solo (The lonely man). It is about a man that loved the world so much but ended up being alone. Really alone.

El Hombre Solo

Diafana Krina

He knew it would happen one day
that crack he used to carry
-boiling wound, bleeding silence-
would shatter him forever through and through

He shook the dust off him
and speechless moved on through the chilled wind
the kids behind Gazi swore at him
and someone poured water on him from a balcony

And dogs stared with tears in their eyes
him disappearing in the night's bottom
like someone who never existed
he who loved the world so much.

Remember the other famous Greek Rock band, and the father of all Greek Rock bands.

The City (Konstantinos P. Kavafis)

2010-03-11T23:44:00.014+01:00

Kostantinos P. Kavafis at a 1983 postage stamp

Είπες· «Θα πάγω σ' άλλη γή, θα πάγω σ' άλλη θάλασσα,
Μια πόλις άλλη θα βρεθεί καλλίτερη από αυτή.
Κάθε προσπάθεια μου μια καταδίκη είναι γραφτή·
κ' είν' η καρδιά μου - σαν νεκρός - θαμένη.
Ο νους μου ως πότε μες στον μαρασμό αυτόν θα μένει.
Οπου το μάτι μου γυρίσω, όπου κι αν δω
ερείπια μαύρα της ζωής μου βλέπω εδώ,
που τόσα χρόνια πέρασα και ρήμαξα και χάλασα».

Καινούριους τόπους δεν θα βρεις, δεν θάβρεις άλλες θάλασσες.
Η πόλις θα σε ακολουθεί. Στους δρόμους θα γυρνάς
τους ίδιους. Και στες γειτονιές τες ίδιες θα γερνάς·
και μες στα ίδια σπίτια αυτά θ' ασπρίζεις.
Πάντα στην πόλη αυτή θα φθάνεις. Για τα αλλού - μη ελπίζεις -
δεν έχει πλοίο για σε, δεν έχει οδό.
Ετσι που τη ζωή σου ρήμαξες εδώ
στην κώχη τούτη την μικρή, σ' όλην την γή την χάλασες.

Κωνσταντίνος Π. Καβάφης (1910)

----------------------------------------------------------------

You said; "I will go to another land, I will go to another sea.
Another city will be found, better than this one.
Every effort of mine is condemned by fate;
and my heart is -- like a corpse -- buried.
How long in this wasteland will my mind remain.
Wherever I turn my eyes, wherever I may look
I see the black ruins of my life here,
where I spent so many years, and ruined and wasted."

New lands you will not find, you will not find other seas.
The city will follow you. You will roam the same
streets. And you will age in the same neighborhoods;
in these same houses you will grow gray.
Always you will arrive in this city. To another land -- do not hope --
there is no ship for you, there is no road.
As you have ruined your life here
in this little corner,
you've wrecked it now the whole world through.

Konstantinos P. Kavafis, 1910.

PS. Almost a month now, we have been trying to avoid the hard work that is needed for a song to be posted by giving quotes and... now a poem. To me, these might be even more precious than any song, but the main theme of the blog remains music. So stay tuned, since great ones are about to come soon!

Thanasis' Quote

2010-02-25T03:19:00.008+01:00

ust as the underground water finds a rock opening and forms a spring, there is a universe music that flows into us that is looking for cracks. And there are some bright minds that momentarily let it come up".

Thanasis Papakonstantinou

The Meaning of Life, If You Come From Samos (A Long Time Ago)

2010-02-18T15:18:00.011+01:00

Platanos village, Samos

eople started spending their time in front of TV and computer screens only very recently. Of course, few decades ago this was not even an option and there are still some places that it remains like this. If the weather is good, the air breeze pleasant, the tree shadow relieving and the company is "she", what else should you need? These thoughts pushed this man write this song. We do not know who he is, or when exactly it was written. All we know is that he had left his beloved island Samos to move to Belgium and work there at the mines. He wrote this song feeling so homesick and desperate to express his love for his homeland. We perfectly understand him. And if you scroll down to listen to it and read the lyrics, you will too - definitely.

First video is how this song is originally played and danced in a local fest, and the second is the recent performance by a Greek reggae band, which I think is great... These songs push you dance, although they are kind of sad. But, I think that's the point.

and the Locomondo's performance:

Platanos' Water

I wish I had Platanos'* water

and wine from Kolona*

I wish I had as well my love

and kiss her

Platanos' water

is what the village's proud of

and whoever tastes it

is born again

Samo's wine that is sweet

I am gonna drink till I get drunk

now that I am so far away

not to forget you

* Platanos ( = platan, the tree) and Kolona (= column) are both names of Samos' places. Platanos is a village on the mountain and Kolona is a cape on the south.

Malvina's Quote

2010-02-15T03:08:00.004+01:00

"There are no smart or stupid, rich or poor, strong or weak. There are just those they have been loved and those that haven't."

Malvina Karali

Cretan Zeus (Psarantonis at Idaeon Antro, 1999)

2010-02-07T16:25:00.021+01:00

Antonis Xylouris (Psarantonis)

here is a cave named Idaeon Antro. It is up on the highest cretan mountain, Psiloritis. According to the Greek Mythology this is the place where Zeus was born and raised. You know, the god that later on started fooling around with any woman that happened to be on his way and moved to Olympus to be the One of the 12. Quite some thousands of years later, an other man -who in a way looks a lot like Zeus - named an album after this cave. His name: Antonis Xylouris. Info dragged from the wiki article:

Antonis Xylouris (Greek: Αντώνης Ξυλούρης, 1939-), nicknamed Psarantonis (Greek: Ψαραντώνης) is a Greek composer, singer and performer of lyra, the bowed string instrument of Crete and most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra. He comes from the mountainous village of Anogeia in Crete and is the younger brother of the late Nikos Xylouris*, a notable Cretan singer/musician as well as the older brother of Yiannis Xylouris, an equally notable Cretan musician. Psarantonis is known for the special timbre of his voice and his lyra** playing style. Apart from the lyra Psarantonis plays various traditional instruments.
He first played the lyre at the age of 13 and recorded his first single in 1964, titled "I Thought of Denying You" (Greek: Εσκέφτηκα να σ' αρνηθώ). He has released many recordings since then and has represented Greece many times in festivals abroad.
In January 2009, Psarantonis gave memorable performances in the rock music festival All tomorrows Parties hosted in Brisbane, Sydney and Mt Buller (in Victoria) and curated by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

* Nikos Xylouris (1936 - 1980) will definately be mentioned in several future posts since he is not just a "notable Cretan singer/musician". Even now - 30 years after his death- he is extremely famous to all generations. Without a doubt, Xylouris is an important part of Greece's modern music history.

** from wiki: Lyra (Greek: Λύρα, Latin: Lira) is a pear-shaped, three-stringed bowed musical instrument central to the traditional music of Crete and other islands in the Dodecanese and the Aegean Archipelago, in Greece. The lyra of Crete is considered as the most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra, an ancestor of most European bowed instruments.

These songs are often very abstract when it comes to lyrics and they have strong connections with Cretan local traditions and history. On the other hand, they are always extremely emotional musically, releasing a perfume of cosmogony and the charm of the rich mythology that accompanies the area. Other great themes often used in Cretan songs are of course love and death. Hundreds of them have never even been recorded and are still played be local musicians when the night is warm and the wine is sweet.

Zeus [Ο Δίας]

Oh, on Psilori-, on Psiloritis' peak

on Psiloritis' peak there's always snow;

Opa, opa there's always snow

Before the old... before the old one melts down

a new one is freezing it again;

Opa, opa a new one is freezing it again.

Zeus was... Zeus was a sheperd

Zeus was a sheperd, up there at the Anogeian paths;

at the Anogeian paths

His home... his home was there too

His home was there, inside the mountain

Opa, opa inside the mountain...

PS. The language that is originally used is always Greek but still the Cretan Idiom is tense and this makes the translation quite tricky. I hope I made it to transfer the feeling appropriately. Have some patience at the first 1.5 minutes of the video that is the introduction. Then comes the real thing.

What Stops My Mind (Giannis Aggelakas & Nikos Veliotis, 2005)

2010-01-28T20:01:00.014+01:00

Giannis Aggelakas (left) and Nikos Veliotis (right)

he Breaths of The Wolves (Οι ανάσες των λύκων / I anases ton lykon). That is the album's title that Giannis Aggelakas and Nikos Veliotis made up in 2005 to cover that quite "difficult" album. We have already introduced that man at a previous post about the rock band "Trypes" of which he was a front man. After the band fell apart, Giannis continued with solo recordings and this is one the most important ones. The album is unique in sound and performance since electronic elements are combined with instruments like cello and there is something deeply melodic behind it (not too obvious).

The Breaths of The Wolves: album cover

The song is named "Too bad you're not here" (Κρίμα να μην είσαι εδώ / Krima na min ise edo) and is simply depressing. I like it.

Too Bad You're Not Here

music: Nikos Veliotis

lyrics: Giannis Aggelakas

Days go by quickly

but some of them are slowing down;
they take me to their back seat
and nicely they drive me around.
They laugh with my finery,
they caress my wounds
and being drunk, they yield to me,
becoming mine.
They leave ashamed
saying goodbye to me
and there I am alone again
bringing memories of yours.

Too bad you aren’t here
when days like these pass by,
too bad you aren’t here
and they can’t hear you laughing...
But what knocks me out
and what just stops my mind
is that you are not,
you are not even somewhere else.

[chords]

Everything Reminds Me Of You (Manolis Rasoulis and Manos Loizos, 1979)

2010-01-21T01:05:00.014+01:00

anolis Rasoulis wrote the lyrics. Manos Loizos composed the music. Haris Alexiou was the first tο sing this song in 1979. Later on many artists covered it in many ways but the charm and innocence of the first recording can be met in extremely few of these efforts.

Haris Alexiou and Manos Loizos in 1979

Bit of info about Manos Loizos dragged from the wikipedia:

"Manos Loïzos (Μάνος Λοΐζος, also transliterated as Loizos and Loisos) was considered to be one of the most important Greek music composers of the 20th century.

Biography

He was born on 22 October 1937 to Cypriot immigrants in Alexandria, Egypt. His parents came from the small village of Ayious Vavatsinias, in the district of Larnaca, Cyprus. Loizos moved to Athens at the age of 17 intending to study pharmacology but soon gave up his studies in order to concentrate on his musical career. He was a self-taught musician, with no formal musical arts training. His first recordings were made in 1963 but he started gaining a larger audience after 1967. By 1975 Loizos had become one of the most popular artists in Greek music.
He died on 17 September 1982 in a hospital in Moscow, Soviet Union after suffering several strokes. He was well known for his leftist political ideology and was an outspoken critic of the Greek military junta. He was also an active member of the Greek Communist Party.

In 1985, a big concert dedicated to his memory took place in the Athens Olympic Stadium, attended by more than 50,000 people. Manos Loizos' songs and music remain popular until today among all ages of the Greek society."

Manolis Rasoulis. I am not sure whether I can describe that guys life. I will just give you the link to the most "cult" site you might have experienced and... it's your responsibility to go through it! One thing for sure, is that I am not gonna say a single word about Haris Alexiou. Google is your friend (or "kato vitu googlesta" - as you might say... more politely). I am not even uploading here the first recording.

Manolis Rasoulis with his daughter Natalia Rasoulis sing "Everything Reminds Me of You" together. Genial. The translation given below is dragged from stixoi.info.

Everything Reminds Me of You (Όλα σε θυμίζουν / Ola se thymizoun)

lyrics: Manolis Rasoulis (Μανώλης Ρασούλης)

music: Manos Loizos (Μάνος Λοΐζος)

vocals (here): Natalia Rasoulis, Manolis Rasoulis

Everything reminds me of you
Simple, beloved,
everyday things of yours
seem to be waiting along with me
for you to come; even if there was no other sunrise to follow

All our love fills the room
just like a song we used to sing together
Faces and words, and this dream that now is creaking…
What will be true, when the dawn comes?

Everything reminds me of you
Simple, beloved,
everyday things of yours…

Everything reminds me of you
All our closest friends
are now in the tavern, or at the cinema
On my own here, I’m reading the letter you had sent me
Before we kissed for the very first time

All our love fills the room
just like a song we used to sing together
Faces and words, and this dream that now is creaking…
What will be true, when the dawn comes?

Everything reminds me of you
Simple, beloved,
everyday things of yours…

[chords]

Tribute to the Times of the Lovers (Stamatis Kraounakis, "Dying in Athens", 2006)

2010-01-16T17:10:00.015+01:00

ow can a very bad movie be accompanied by an astonishing soundtrack? Honestly, I do not know. Still, these guys made it.

It was one of these unexpectedly rainy evenings that there is nothing better than jumping in a cinema that was on the way. Things like that happen in Athens. I remember coming out angry about the pictures I suffered for 103 minutes. However, I was singing all the way back home the song you 'll listen if you scroll down to this post.

Nikos Panayotopoulos - the director of the movie- did only one thing right. He asked Stamatis Kraounakis to make the soudtrack. Also, the theme of the movie was quite good. Although it was approached with a shockingly amateur way, so badly that you want to spit on the computer screen. It is supposed to deal with the last generation of "Lovers" (=Εραστές). People that met unexpectedly and fell in love - illegally.

Links:

1) Movie review

2) Watch the movie - no subtitles.

The artist

Stamatis Kraounakis. Born in Athens - check the brief wiki article.

The album

The song this post is about, is the first of the Soundtrack album. The movie failed so badly, that this soundtrack is one of the less known woks of St.Kraounakis. I may be proven wrong but in 10-20 years from now, I bet that this will be mentioned as one of his greatest achievements.

The song

The Lovers

Lyrics by Giorgos Makris
Vocals: Erofili, Rita Antonopoulou & Natassa Bofiliou
Music: Stamatis Kraounakis

Their time was soon up
and sadly they walked away
making steps formal and slow
having their gabardines all buttoned.

And we felt sorry about these lovers
and their small spinning around
their little world;
Dreaming to fold in warmer arms,
scratching the ground
with the peak of their umbrella.

Contact Uς

2010-01-11T02:32:00.009+01:00

skipthegreekmail@googlemail.com

You Came to See Me & Yet You Didn't (Ksembarkoi at Kavvadias' "Fog", 1986)

2010-01-11T01:45:00.005+01:00

Nikos Kavvadias in 1934 (s/s Ionion 1934)

Nikos Kavadias wrote the poem. Born exactly 100 years ago on the 11th of January 1910, he died in 1975. During these 65 years, he travelled a lot -being a sailor, and he wrote beautiful poems that later on became beautiful songs. Some info about his life and works can be found here.

The first and most popular set of his poems to music was done by Thanos Mikroutsikos in 1979 with the album "The Southern Cross" (Ο Σταυρός του Νότου/ O Stavros tou Notou). Less known, the band Ksembarkoi (meaning... "left overs") made an other approach quite different than the first one with the album "S/S Ionion 1934" that was released in 1986. Simple intsrumentation, minimal and tense expression in vocals, nice melodies. Worth to listen to one of Kavvadia's most famous poems, as they set it to music. We are lucky to host a professional translation by Tefkros Simeonides (what a difference!).

Fog

poem: Nikos Kavvadias

music: Ksembarkoi

The fog fell with the evening
-- the lightship lost --
and you arrived unexpected
in the pilot-house to see me.

You are wearing all white and you're wet,
I'm plaiting your hair into ropes.
Down in the waters of Port Pegassu
It always rains this season.

The stoker is watching us
with both feet in the chains.
Never look at the antennas
in a storm; you'll get dizzy.

The boatswain curses the weather
and Tocopilla is so far away.
Rather than fearing and waiting
better at the periscope and the torpedo.

Go! You deserve firm land.

You came to see me and yet see me you didn't
I have since midnight drowned
a thousand miles beyond the Hebrides.

Relevant music links:

1) The sailor's prayers by Ksembarkoi, at the same album

2) Giannis Koutras sings amazingly Thanos Mikroutsiko's music and the poem "Woman" of the Album "Souther Cross".

3) Giannis Koutras sings the poem "Kuro Siwo", music: Thanos Mikroutsikos.

Comet Halley (Thanasis Papakonstantinou, 1993)

2010-01-09T19:17:00.009+01:00

he most popular periodic comet - visible from Earth every 75-76 years - became a song seven years after its latest apparition in 1986. Thanasis Papakonstantinou composed it and performed it, just like its name states: like a comet.

Comet Halley

music, lyrics: Thanasis Papakonstantinou

Now that Halley's comet is gonna pass by earth for a while, why don't you open your window; we might make some time for a kiss, or even something more...

*The next predicted perihelion of Halley's Comet is July 28, 2061

The Right for Love (Dimitra Galani & Alkistis Protopsalti, 1988)

2010-01-03T22:50:00.016+01:00

Alkistis Protopsalti

imitra Galani's first compositions were songs that the Egypt-born Greek Alkistis Protopsalti sang in 1988 at the album "Dikeoma" (= the Right). They are both still active releasing new records every little while, though to my perception their worth-to-mention works stopped around 10 to 15 years ago. Since that time they have either been repeating themselves or just fail to be more "trendy"- although they try a lot.

So we are going back to 1988 to listen to the song the album was named out of. This is a live performance much much later (hard to say when). The translated lyrics of this love song are given below and they are based on the ones found at stixoi.info -with minor changes.

The Right

music: Dimitra Galani

lyrics: Lina Nikolakopoulou

vocals: Alkistis Protopsalti

And the right
to love you I no more have
the basis of my loneliness

will be this

To caress you once
it's not enough nor it concerns me
we both wanted sometime
But now
I just want you for myself

And the right to love you I no more have

And the right
to hold me you no more have

to take me
to the middle ages of your logic

To caress you once
it's not enough nor it concerns me
we both wanted sometime
But now
I just want you for myself

And the right to love you I no more have

A Rubaiyat For The Year To Come

2009-12-31T20:02:00.006+01:00

Alike for those who for Today prepare,
And those that after a Tomorrow stare,
A Muezzin from the Tower of Darkness cries
"Fools! your Reward is neither Here nor There!"

by the Persian mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, physician, and poet Omar Khayyám.

Greek Christmas Carols (& Their Crazy Parody)

2009-12-24T01:16:00.007+01:00

hristmas Eve today and the tradition brings small groups of kids from door to door singing the Christmas Carols and expecting a small tip. So we certainly expect our door bell to ring many times today...(hope this won't be too early).

The Greek Christmas Carols are very old folk songs that originate from the Byzantine Calends. The kids are singing wishes for each family they visit also "announcing" that Jesus is born. That is the content of the song, no need to get into so much trouble to translate it (old folk songs are impossible to translate).

A late 90s TV broadcast made a parody sketch of these Carols, depending on the family's favorite music. Crazy guys... Enjoy!

Part 1: Pop Bouzouki Songs

Part 2: How Greeks imagine music in Hawaii

Part 3: Disco

Part 4: Rembetiko!

Part 5: Opera

Part 6: Metal

A Party or How Parties Should Look Like (in Vouliagmeni, July 1983)

2009-12-21T20:41:00.015+01:00

ighties summers in Athens were slow, lazy and innocent. Beach-party was a term unknown and large-scale concerts had only taken place in football stadiums.

Vouliagmeni (which means "sunk"), is a coastal suburb of Athens, south and east. Supposed to be an expensive one, although it is quite densely built and surrounded. Being coastal was always a privilege. Especially in 1983.

One evening with a full moon, the 25th of July 1983, there was a concert named "Party in Vouliagmeni" performed by Loukianos Kilaidonis.

Loukianos Kilaidonis

Many surprise guests showed up. Dionysis Savvopoulos, Vaggelis Germanos, Giorgos Dalaras, Margarita Zorbala, Afroditi Manou were just some of them. The band was on a floating stage 12 meters away from the beach. A radio broadcast was covering the concert and its exceptional energy live. All of a sudden, people from all around the city started joining... Of course it was impossible to hold these people out of it, so the concert doors opened soon to everyone - no ticket needed. The concert turned to a vast beach party with more than 70,000 people (some say 100,000)!

So there we are, and Vaggelis Germanos just showed up... would you swim?

Cruise [Κρουαζιέρα / Kruaziera]

Vaggelis Germanos

The ship will take off in late evening
Take the metro to Piraeus*
In sweet little summer
to go on cruise to the islands

With the waves will the boat sail
the wind will blow our hair away
We'll become skilled to love
and the thoughts will fly away like birds

Oh, oh, I'll take you on cruise
Oh, oh, because I care about you and I love you
Oh, oh, to Mykonos and Santorini
Oh, oh, like penguins in love

Leave bad people shouting
at beaches, restaurants, pensions
We, with sleeping bags and water-melon,
will go around the islands

Naked we will swim at the beaches
The sun we will face "en face"
I'll treat you like a chinese fan
and you'll never go to the office again...

*Athens' port

Ps1. This is only the first song he is playing. No need to translate the second one, I guess you get the feeling...

Ps2. The translation of the lyrics is based on the one found at stixoi.info

The Inspirer Of Two Generations (Manos Hadjidakis at Kemal, 1969 & 1993)

2009-12-21T02:32:00.013+01:00

he head-corner stone of Greek music. Manos Hadjidakis is without a doubt, the most important composer and conductor in Greece's modern history. We simply can't compress this man's life and works in a few lines and we will certainly refer to him repeatedly on the posts to come. Regarding his life and works you can take a look to the wiki article. What we will post here is what he responded when he was asked so:

I was born on 23rd October, 1925, in Xanthi, that quaint old town and not the eyesore that was later developed by migrants from rural areas. The blending, in those days, of a belle époque decorative style with Ottoman minarets gave colour and substance to a community hailing from all corners of the land, and which, incidentally, found itself living in an outlying region, dancing the Charleston in public squares. When I first saw the light of day, I was amazed to notice the number of people that awaited my arrival. (Even later on I never ceased to be amazed, as if they were waiting for me to make a late appearance.) My mother was from Adrianople, the daughter or Konstantinos Arvanitidis, and my father from Myrthio, the prefecture of Rethymnon, Crete. I am the offspring of two people who, as far as I know, never cooperated except when they decided to produce me. That is why I have in me thousands of conflicting elements and every kind of mixed blessing. However, my bourgeois conscience, along with my "European tutelage," so to speak, yielded an impressive result.

Manos Hadjidakis and Nikos Gatsos drinking coffee at "Zonar's", Athens.

Throughout the time we lived in Xanthi, I tried to get to know my parents really well and to do away with my sister! I failed in both instances. In 1932 we moved to Athens, where I could never get over my failure.

In the capital I began living and studying, while, at the same time, I became initiated into the erotic and poetic functions of the times. But I received an "Attic education,” when there was still an “Attica” and "Education" in the country. I was deeply influenced by Erotokritos, General Makriyannis, the Fix Brewery, Haralambos, the waiter at Vyzantion, the damp climate of Thessaloniki, and chance encounters with strange people who remained strangers in after years. During the period of German occupation, I decided that music lessons were useless, for they had a way of diverting me from my initial objectives, which were to communicate, to convey, and to disappear. That is why I stopped them right after the war. Thus, I never attended a conservatory, and was saved from becoming like those members of the Panhellenic Musical Society. I wrote poems and many songs, and I made every effort to carry my point democratically, something that proved highly beneficial to me when later on I became an official. I avoided at all costs whatever hurt my feeling of love and sensibility.

I travelled extensively, and this helped me realize that stupidity is not a Greek exclusivity, as local chauvinists and votaries of nationalism proudly claim and go out of their way to prove. In parallel, I found it absolutely essential that people who interested me should speak Greek, because communication in a foreign language proved onerous and tended to negate half of my personality.

In 1966 I found myself in America. I lived there for about six years (the years of dictatorship in Greece), purely for tax reasons. It was discovered that I owed the Inland Revenue something like Drs.3.5 million. Having settled my debt, I returned in 1972, and opened a café-theatre, which I named Polytropon. It functioned until the political changeover in 1974, which marked the advent of football mania and the political defusion of the masses. I kept my cool, and refrained from partaking in national and anti-dictatorial dances in gymnasiums and football grounds packed with youths. When I shut up shop, my liabilities were in the region of Drs.3.5 million - a fatal number as far as I was concerned.

In 1975 began for me a period in the limelight, which, for the purpose of distinguishing it, I shall call “clerical,” and which made me famous among a large and ignorant public - Greek, of course - as an implacable enemy of Greek music, Greek musicians, as well as Greek culture. During this time, and after an abortive heart attack, I strove once again, albeit unsuccessfully, to implement my costly café-theatre ideas on Greek Radio and through the Ministry of Culture by democratic means. Both these organizations, rotten to the core, made a successful stand against me - beat me hollow, as they say. Be that as it may, this period marked the nascence and commanding presence of the Third Programme.

The résumé of my life to date is as follows:
I shun at fame. It restricts me within its confines and not mine.
I believe in the song that reveals us and express us deeply, and not the one that humours our naive and forcibly acquired habits.
I feel contempt for those whose object is not to receive their ideas and intellectual pursuits; complacent contemporaries; dark and shady journalism; and every form of vulgarity.

Thus, I managed to put the finishing touches to my personality, one traumatized in childhood, ending up by selling "lottery tickets in the sky" and inviting the respect of younger people, since I have remained a genuine Greek and a Magnus Eroticus.

The album "Reflections" was released in 1969 in New York, composed by Manos Hadjidakis and perfomed by New York Rock and Roll Ensemble. In 1993, it was released again with Greek lyrics written by Nikos Gatsos in Athens. The most famous song of the album is given below, Kemal. The translation from Greek is credited to Sinistro. Hadjidakis himself prologues the song, and Aliki Kagialoglou is singing. Masterpiece.

Kemal

music: Manos Hadjidakis, lyrics: Nikos Gatsos

vocals: Aliki Kagialoglou

"Hark to the story of Kemal

a young prince of the East
descendant of Sinbad the Sailor
who thought he could change the world.
But bitter is the will of Allah
and dark the souls of men."

In the lands of the East once upon a time
the purse was empty and the water stale.
In Mosul* and Basra* on the old coconut tree
the children of the desert now cry bitter tears.

And a young man of an old and royal line
hears the lament and grows near.
the Bedouins look at him sadly
and he gives them an oath in Allah's name, that times will change.

When the lords heard of the lad's fearlessness
they set out with wolf's teeth and lion's skin
from Tigris** to Euphrates**, from the earth to the heavens
they hunt for the deserter, to capture him alive.

The horde descends upon him like rabid dogs
and takes him to the Caliph to place the noose [on his neck]
black honey and black milk he drank that morning
before he breathed his last on the gallows.

The Prophet*** awaits before the Gates of Heaven
with two elderly camels and a red horse.
They now go hand in hand and it's cloudy
but the star of Damascus kept them company.

In a month and a year they see Allah before them
and from his high throne he says to the simple Sinbad:
"my beaten smart-aleck, times do not change,
the world always moves on by fire and blades"

Goodnight Kemal, this world will never change.
Goodnight...

*Cities in Iraq.
**Rivers in the region of Mesopotamia.
***Muhammad.

(Translations also available in Italian, Hebrew, Polish, German)

An Album Reflecting Three Decades (Dionysis Savvopoulos at "A Little Sea", 1975)

2009-12-17T19:58:00.015+01:00

ionysis Savvopoulos (a song of whom has already been presented at the first post of this blog) right after the dictatorship fell in 1974, released an album with several recordings that took place between 1965 and 1975, named "10 Years' Songs". Censorship had officially stopped, so the album could be released. The live concerts that followed in club Kyttaro in Athens are still famous for their energy and influence. One of these songs, named "A Little Sea" is given below. This was not the first recording of the song that initially was played with a guitar, but the one of the 1975 album that piano is leading. A great and quite popular song of 70s. Below the home grown translation, I embed one more video dated a couple of years ago that Dionyssis himself in a TV show is performing this specific song. Enjoy.

A Little Sea

music, lyrics: Dionysis Savvopoulos

A little sea,

a little sea

is what my summer is,

what my love is and my pain.

A little sea

shines in your eyes

every morning

A little sea

it's in your tear, it's in the song,

in every kiss of yours

there is a little sea.

A little sea,

a little sea

and my cup in the corner

for one summer

it was you.

I was singing about you,

like the strings of wind do

on your black hair.

I was following you,

like the tall grass does

the wind.

I was singing you.

A little sea,

a little sea

that told you a bitter goodbye,

is waiting for you.

A little sea.

(Available also in Spanish and Russian)

The Movie named "Rembetiko" (1983) & its Soundtrack

2009-12-13T03:04:00.014+01:00

t last some action. We had been presenting and translating all these songs without a word about the instruments or the conditions under which they were originally performed. This is mainly because most videos we can find are either of low quality (like the recordings) or aestheticly bad (you know, these youtube videos with silly photostreams) and our description skills in stuff you have never seen are not good enough.

The video below is dragged from the movie "Rembetiko"(1983) written and directed by Costas Ferris. The movie was awarded in 1984 with the "Berlin Silver Bear" but the soundtrack was proven to be much more popular than the movie itself. Its composers were the poet Nikos Gatsos (Νίκος Γκάτσος) and the conductor Stavros Xarchakos (Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος).

Skip the Greek of the first dialogues, there's nothing important with that, and focus on how this woman (Sotiria Leonardou/ Σωτηρία Λεονάρδου) gains people's attention as she sings with her soul. The theme of the song is the vainess of human nature. And this is a proof that you can better discribe such stuff with that sort of music. Rembetiko is like the imaginary part of complex numbers. A shortcut to simple truths.

I'm on fire, I'm on fire

lyrics: Nikos Gatsos

Music: Stavros Xarchakos

vocals: Sotiria Leonardou

When the man is born

a pain is born too

and when the war flares

you are incapable of counting the blood

I'm on fire I'm on fire

add more oil into the flames

I am drowning I am drowning

throw me in a deep sea

I swore to your eyes

which was like a Gospel's truth to me

the stab you gave me

to turn it into laughter

I am on fire I am on fire

add more oil into the flames

I am drowning I am drowning

throw me in a deep sea

But you deep inside Hell

brake the chains

and if you drag me next to you

bless you to be

I am on fire I am on fire

add more oil into the flames

I am drownig I am drowning

throw me in a deep sea

(translation dragged from stixoi.info - English version credited to dimitris2, available also in Italian)

When That Great Composer Met That Woman's Voice (Thanasis Papakonstantinou & Melina Kana at the "Seducing Foreign Land", 1995)

2009-12-08T04:04:00.014+01:00

Thanasis Papakonstantinou

ust the word "influenced", could not really describe the relation between rembetiko and modern Greek composers. Rembetiko is considered dead. Some might still experience it quite emotionally but it's gone long time ago (around mid 50's) turning to a show piece. However, it certainly is a reference point for a numerous trends and paths in modern Greek music as well as something more than that: identity.

Today, a stunning song of a famous Greek composer is presented. It is a love song, written in mid 90s by Thanasis Papakonstantinou (Θανάσης Παπακωνσταντίνου). That strange guy has started recording in 1992 with an album named "Saint Nostalgia" (Αγία Νοσταλγία) which was directly referced to Rembetiko with sophisticated lyrics. His second recording took place in 1995 named "On Andromeda and on Earth" (Στην Ανδρομέδα και στην Γη) and most songs were performed by Melina Kana (Μελίνα Κανά), a woman's voice that matched perfectly with the spirit of the album. The composer continued releasing albums until today with many changes along the way on the music style, the forms etc. We will certainly come back to him later on.

This song (dragged from his 2nd album) is what a woman says to her beloved one, that he had left for another country and he stayed quite long as it appears. Notice the balanced way that all these instruments come together with her mature and tricky voice.

Melina Kana

Seducing Foreign Land [Πλάνα Ξενιτιά]

music, lyrics: Thanasis Papakonstantinou

vocals: Melina Kana

I cut the sea in two

and there I am opening a path

for you to come into my arms again

straight from the depths of the map

You ‘d better stop chatting me up

that all you want is to return

and supposingly the Cyclops

are raising objections

I turn my face upwards

towards the vaulted sky

for you to see the grief in my eyes

by way of a satellite

But I am waiting in vain

and the memory has faded

In seducing foreign lands

how many has been swallowed...

One 1936 Afternoon (Anestis Delias, "The Poser")

2009-12-03T03:28:00.018+01:00

Anestis Delias (the light jacket man sitting on the left) and a bunch of musicians

ne afternoon, I was with Anestis Delias and Mpatis, here - around Keratsini - up to the hill. Anestis and Batis had their instruments with them, as well as something to get ourselves high on later. On the way, we found Karydakias that was playing bouzouki. Nice guy, he was killed later on -during the war. Anestis had written the music, but he had no lyrics. It was... a zeibekiko. We stood there, on the hill, Anestis were teaching the others the music and all three of them started playing. I was listening. Batis said: [Hey magka, your knife, to handle it right...] and there he stopped. We all got what the song was about, so we started helping out with the lyrics.[...] Karydakias continues: [...You need to have the guts, you poser, (you need to have) the heart to pull it out...]. The first part was ready. The second and the third was Batis’ and the last one is Karydakias’ and mine. That’s how we wrote that one.”, Nikos Mathesis (nicknamed : Nikos the nuts) remembers.

Anestis Delias

It is not only the evolution of music forms and trends. It is a whole mindset mirrored in these songs. A deeply familiar way of life, no matter how many years have passed.

The song is titled Poser and it is attributed to the Smyrne -born (Izmir) Anestis Delias. The picture given above is a croped part of the one given in previous post (the man standing on the right). He died 31 years old because of heroine. A woman destroyed him, trying to possess and control him, they say. An amateur home grown translation is given below.

The Poser [Το κουτσαβάκι / Ο Φιγουρατζής]

Anestis Delias [Ανέστης Δελιάς]

1936

Hey magka*, your knife
to handle it right
You need to have the guts you poser,
a heart (you need to have), to pull it out
You need to have the guts you poser,
a heart, to pull it out

Don’t you try these on me
You‘d better hide your “sword”
Cause I’ll get high one day, you poser
and I‘ll come along your crib

Cause I’ll get high one day, you poser
and I‘ll come along your crib

(Long live Artemi with your nice plectrumings**!)

You‘d better go to someone else, you poser
To show off that way
Cause I have smoked as well, you poser
And I got dangerously high

Cause I have smoked as well, you poser
And I got dangerously high

I told you once, behave wisely
Or else I’ll bash you straight away
I’ll bring my “gat”, you poser
And there I’ll humble you
I’ll bring my “gat”, you poser
And there I’ll humble you

(Long live Babi with your Baglama.... bravooo!)

*magkas {μάγκας} = tough guy / buster / hep.

**plectrumings = the ups and downs of the bouzouki plectrum

Markos Vamvakaris & His "Shipwrecks" (1936)

2009-11-28T18:03:00.040+01:00

e continue the rembetiko journey back to 1936 with the song "Karavotsakismata" ("shipwrecks") by Markos Vamvakaris (standing on the left) and Stratos Pagioumtzis (sitting on the left). The song is attributed to Markos Vamvakaris. Markos and his famous Piraeus Quartet is probably the standard reference when it comes to classical rembetiko music. The following bio is from the Markos Vamvakaris Archive.

When Markos was fifteen years old he stowed away on a ship to Piraeus and got a job loading coals on the docks. This was tough, low-down work, but the nights were all about hashish and women. He was kept in fine clothes by an older whore and hung out at the tekes every night. In 1925, Markos heard Old Nikos play bouzouki and was immediately hooked. Six months later he was playing at a teke when Old Nikos stopped by, he couldn't believe it was the same kid who'd never even played a few months earlier. Nikos said they'd show Markos something in the morning and he'd come back and play it better than them in the evening.

Because the bouzouki was considered a low-class instrument, it had not been recorded until 1932 when Yiannis Halikias (aka Jack Gregory), a greek-american, recorded his "Minore Tou Teke". The record was very popular, so Spyros Peristeris, who was working as a record producer, composer and instrumentalist for Odeon records in Greece, convinced Odeon to record Vamvakaris. In 1933, Peristeris supervised, and played guitar on Markos' first recording session (although he had recorded two songs in 1932 for Columbia, they were not released until later). Markos recorded one zebekiko, O Dervises, and one Hassapiko, O Harmanes. Markos hadn't considered himself a singer but ended up doing the vocals on these records. They were very successful and Markos' rough and powerful singing became fashionable.

Markos eventually teamed up with singer Stratos Pagioumitzis, baglamatzis Jiorgos Batis, and bouzouki player Anestis Delias to form his famous Piraeus Quartet. His popularity was sustained throughout the 1930's, despite growing political turmoil. Eventually the style of rebetika that Markos had pioneered became more mainstream, and by the 1940's Tsitsanis had started changing the subject matter to be about love and less about hashish, prison and other rebetika topics. Likewise, Hiotis started changing the sound of the music, adding strings to the bouzouki in 1956 and moving towards a more flashy, electric and westernized sound. Markos continued to record in his older style through this period. He passed away in 1972.

Shipwrecks [Τα καραβοτσακίσματα]

Markos Vamvakaris [Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης]

Torments, bitterness, poison, shipwrecks, oh

As the rock that gets beaten

by the sea waves

As the rock that gets beaten

by the sea waves, oh

Torments, bitterness, poison, shipwrecks

What have I done and you harass me

Oh, what do you think you're doing, adoring someone else

You don't love me, just say it

I am left alone and forsaken

I'll die, I won't live anymore

I stop loving, I'll forget

I'm a shipwreck, stop laughing at me

(Stratos: Long live Marko!)

At home everybody is coming down on me about you

Their harsh words poison me

At home everybody is coming down on me about you

What have I done and you harass me

Oh, what do you think you're doing, adoring someone else

You don't love me, just say it

I am left alone and forsaken

I'll die, I won't live anymore

I stop loving, I'll forget

I'm a shipwreck, stop laughing at me

(Markos: Long live to you too Strato!)

(home-grown translation)

A Subjected To Censorship (Vasilis Tsitsanis & Sotiria Mpellou,"Be A Little Bit Patient", 1948)

2009-11-27T01:07:00.027+01:00

Vasilis Tsitsanis and Sotiria Mpellou

arming up with easy west-influenced listenings couldn't last long. So we go straight back to 1948, to listen to a recording of a love song that had been strictly censored because of it can also be read politicaly, "Be a little Patient". Times of civil war, since 1946. A war that was the first act of cold war in Greece which ended in October of 1949 leaving behind a totally demolished country, socially and politically. Vasilis Tsitsanis -the composer- sung this song with Sotiria Mpellou, an incredible and unique woman voice. A little bit of background about that man can be found on Rebetiko Row website link for him.

Rebetiko (which may also be found as rempetiko, rembetiko) is a music kind oriented from the East. As such, or more specifically as "of Turkish influence and origin" rebetiko is officially prohibited in 1936. Do not look for glory, decency or elegance on the lyrics or the music. It was played for many years by lower social classes, drop-outs, also by some considered "criminals" at their time. But still, look for emotions, for pain, for love, for humor, for a fight against the Establishment and the social injustice. Some sort of blues, you could say. The wiki article is surprisingly nice:

Rebetiko, plural rebetika, (Greek ρεμπέτικο and ρεμπέτικα respectively), occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is the name for a type of Greek urban folk music. A roots music form of sorts, the sound of the genre reflects the combined influences of European and Middle Eastern music. Rebetiko music has sometimes been called the Greek blues, since like the blues, it grew out of a specific urban subculture and reflected the harsh realities of an oppressed subculture's lifestyle: poverty, alienation, crime, drink, drugs prostitution, and violence. But rebetiko's subject matter also extends to other subjects: romance and passion, social matters, people such as the mother, death, the difficulties of living in a foreign country, army life, war, trivial matters of everyday life, exotic places, poverty, labor, illnesses, and the minor sorrows of people. A major theme of Rebetiko is the pleasure of using drugs, especially hashish. Rebetiko songs of this kind are called Χασικλίδικα (hasiklidika). Also like the blues, rebetiko progressed from being a music associated with the lower classes to becoming during the 1960s and later a revived musical form of wide popularity, especially among younger people. Rebetiko music was closely associated with the mangas Greek urban subculture. Finally, rebetiko songs usually display the same chord progressions found in songs from classic Mississippi delta bluesmen like Robert Johnson and others.
All the rebetiko songs are based on traditional Greek or Anatolian dance rhythms, zeibekikos, aptalikos, chasapikos and servikos being very common but they also include tsifteteli, karsilamas, syrtos and other dance styles.
[...]
Petropoulos divides the history of the style into three periods:
1922–1932 — the era when rebetiko emerged from its roots with the mixture of elements from the music of Asia Minor
1932–1942 — the classical period
1942–1952 — the era of discovery, spread, and acceptance.

So, there we are. Third period, lets say. However the song doesn't know about periods. It talks about things without age. It's one of those that you can dance. Zeibekikos is the rhythm called. A beautiful male dance that originates from the Zeybek warriors of Anatolia. Since we are definitely going to come back to that later (while this post is already getting to big), you can read the wiki article for some introductory information.

Sotiria Mpellou

This specific unique record is dated at the 11th of November of 1948. The key word for its censorship (that continued even after the civil war) was the word "dawn". Tsitsanis as well as many other composers wrote songs about love with undercover meanings of that form to cheat the censorship. In 1950 the song entered the Athens Police Department's list of "forbiddens" under the title "The Patient". At that time there were policemen destroying hundreds of gramophone records with that song... Tsitsanis himself at his autobiography is stating:

"It was very hard to write what you really wanted to. You wouldn't get the licence even to record it. [...] At that time, around 1948, I wrote one with symbolism in lyrics hoping that it would pass the censorship, while its meaning is clear.. "Don't fall in despair for he won'’t be late at the crack of dawn he'll come by you to beg from you a new love's beginning be just a bit patient..". The first part talks about the soldiers' needed patience since he might be on the mountains, in exile or in prison. The second "pushes the clouds away" from their hearts and the last part symbolises the hope for peace.."

The translation given below the song was dragged from www.stixoi.info and it is also available in Italian, German, Hebrew, Turkish and French. You can check there.

Be a Little Bit Patient

Vasilis Tsitsanis - Sotiria Mpellou

Don't fall in despair for he won'’t be late

at the crack of dawn he'll come by you

to beg from you a new love's beginning

be just a bit patient

Push the cloudy darkness away from your heart

and don’t lose your sleep sobbing all night

what if he is not in your cuddly arms as yet

he'’ll come one day, don'’t you forget that

Some sweet daybreak he'll awake you

and your love for each other will resurrect

a new love will bloom again

be just a bit patient...

The Greek Rock Band That Made People Jump (Trypes, 1993)

2009-11-20T00:51:00.026+01:00

jump to the early nineties. Rock is alive and the band "Trypes" on its high up. In 1993, the album "9 Pliromena Tragoudia" (= 9 Paid Songs) is released. Nearly ten thousand people watched their live performance in Lykavittos theater in Athens -as stated below. Nearly a hundred thousand people today would kill to be on that concert. Trypes (= holes) is a legendary group. Considered to be the best rock band Greece ever had, or at least at the top 3. Bit of history again:

Trypes was created in Thessaloniki in 1983 when Giorgos Karras and Giannis Aggelakas wrote their first, post-punk influenced lyrics. Michalis Kanatidis (guitar) and Kostas Floroskoufis (drums) accompanied them at their first appearance. In 1984 Babis Papadopoulos replaces Michalis at the guitar and in 1985 they record their first record, "Τρύπες", which included their first hit song "Ταξιδιάρα Ψυχή" (Taksidiara Psichi - Travelling Soul) for Ano-Kato Records. The album was followed by live appearances at the "Selini" club, the university campus and the surrounding areas of Thessaloniki. Kostas Floroskoufis was soon replaced by Giorgos Tolios; concerts were held in Athens in the Rodeo Club and at the open air amphitheater of Lykavittos, where they played the opening act for Dimitris Poulikakos.
Meanwhile, the band's working relationship with Ano - Kato Records started to go sour. They decided to go independent and - on borrowed money - recorded their second disk "Πάρτυ στο 13ο όροφο" (Party sto dekato trito orofo - Party on the 13th Floor) which was eventually published with Virgin Records. The album was very successful; it figured in the top five list of best rock albums of all time in Greece in 2006.
In 1990 comes their third album, "Τρύπες στον Παράδεισο" (Trypes ston paradiso - Holes in Paradise), and their first concert outside Greece in Belfort, France. Guitarist Asklipios Zambetas joins the band as the fifth member.
The fourth album was recorded in 1993, titled "9 Πληρωμένα τραγούδια" (9 Pliromena tragoudia - 9 Paid Songs). A live performance at Lykavittos gathers a record-setting 10.000 people.
In 1994 a double live album was released, named "Κράτα το Σώου μαϊμού" (Krata to show maimou - Keep the Show Bogus) with recordings from 4 concerts at Rodon club and 5 unplugged performances. Both this album's and the film soundtrack (H epohi ton dolofonon) sales went through the roof. Concerts during 1995 were often sold out all over Greece, at the Mylos club (Thessaloniki), Rodon club (Athens), and England, at Manchester and the Marquee club in London.
The fifth studio album, "Κεφάλι γεμάτο χρυσάφι" (Kefali gemato chrisafi - Head Full of Gold) arrived in 1996. The sixth studio album was titled "Μέσα στη νύχτα των άλλων" (Mesa sti nichta ton allon - Into the Night of Others) and was released in 1999. The band announced their break-up in 2001.

Since that time, Giannis Aggelakas continues a solo career. This blog will deal with that very special man's achievements little later. For now, back to 1993 and the song "Den choras pouthena" meaning "There's nowhere you can fit in". Plenty of people had been jumping around with this one. Maybe these live performances were the only place they could fit in. Great song, pure rock spirit.

The following video is the official song's videoclip. An amateur translation of the lyrics is given below it.*

There's nowhere you can fit in [Δεν χωράς πουθενά]

Trypes [Τρύπες]

If you can’t fit in a messy homeland
If a blind hope is not enough for you
If you can’t fit in a dream-trap
If you can’t fold in arms that shut you in

R: Then what a shame, what a shame, what a shame
You are everywhere a left-over, you’re everywhere dying
Then what a shame, what a shame, what a shame
There’s nowhere you can fit, there’s nowhere you can fit in

If you can’t fit in a bad joke
If a tough prayer is not enough for you
If you can’t fit in a soul-brothel
If you can’t fit in a broken body

R: Then what a shame, what a shame, what a shame
You are everywhere a left-over, you’re everywhere dying
Then what a shame, what a shame, what a shame
There’s nowhere you can fit, there’s nowhere you can fit in

Babis The "Flou" (Pavlos Sidiropoulos, 1978)

2009-11-17T15:24:00.028+01:00

he Prince. That's Pavlos' nickname. The Prince of Greek Rock. A musician-symbol of a whole generation. His life has been widely discussed. His addiction to drugs, his early death. Before introducing the song, a little bit of information dragged from wikipedia which briefly presents his music path (but not his life):

Pavlos Sidiropoulos (Greek: Παύλος Σιδηρόπουλος) (Athens, August 27, 1948 – Athens, 6 December 1990) was a Rock musician, noted for supporting the use of Greek lyrics in rock music, at a time when most Greek rock groups were using English lyrics. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was arguably the most popular Greek rock musician. Despite his early death, he remains one of the most popular rock musicians in Greece.

Sidiropoulos began his career in 1970 in Thessaloniki, where he was studying mathematics. Together with Pantelis Delleyannidis he founded the rock group “Damon and Phidias”. They soon met the influential Greek musician Dionysis Savvopoulos and his group “Bourboulia”. They joined that group and participated in the album “Damis the tough” (Greek: Ντάμης ο σκληρός). They stayed in this group for two years until 1974 when Bourboulia and Sidiropoulos's ways parted. It was through this group that Sidiropoulos first experimented with combining Greek and Rock music.

Afterwards, Sidiropoulos collaborated with the Greek composer Yannis Markopoulos: he sang in his compositions “Oropedio”, “Thessalikos Kiklos” and "Electric Theseus" on lyrics by the poet Dimitris Varos. In 1976, together with Spiropoulos brothers, he founded the music group “Spiridoula”. They created the album "Flou", considered by many the most important album in Greek rock music. A song of that era (“Clown”) later came out in the album “Zorba the Freak”. It was during this period that Sidiropoulos made his two film appearances. He had the leading role in the film “O Asymvivastos”, directed by Andreas Thomopoulos. He also sang all of the songs of the soundtrack, written mostly by Thomopoulos, from which the greatest rock hit of Greece, 'Na m' Agapas' was later sang by the forthcoming generations. At the same time, he starred (together with Dimitris Poulikakos) in another movie by Thomopoulos, “Aldevaran”. Sidiropoulos also made one appearance on TV in a series called “Oikogeneia Zarnti”, directed by Kostas Ferris.

In 1980, Sidiropoulos joined the band “Oi Aprosarmostoi”, where he remained until his death. This was arguably his most successful collaboration with a band. They released several albums and made numerous live performances. In 1982, the album “En Leyko” was published. Unfortunately, many of the songs were censored. In 1985, the notable LP “Zorba the Freak” was released, and in 1989 they released “Without Make-up” (in Greek), which was recorded live at Metro club in Athens.

In the summer of 1990, his right hand started getting paralyzed, as a result of his long term drug use that he was trying to overcome for many years. He continued his live performances but the deterioration of his health had serious psychological implications. On December 6, 1990 he died from heart attack, caused by heroin overdose.

In 1991, his band “Oi Aprosarmostoi” released the album “Ante... ke Kali Tichi Maghes”, named after one of his songs (realised in 1985), the title of which can be interpreted as “So long folks”. Some of the songs were sung by Sidiropoulos in earlier recordings; others by various artists. In 1992, the album “The Blues of the Prince” (in Greek) was released. It contained experimental recordings from 1979 to 1981. In this disc, Sidiropoulos combined the blues with what can be considered as its Greek equivalent, rebetiko. In 1994, the album “En Archi In o Logos” came out; it contained recordings from the years 1978-1989 and fragments of an interview of his on the Greek channel ET2. In 2001, the EP "Day after Day" came out; composed by the rocker's friend, Michael Karras, the songs were recorded in 1973 with Sidiropoulos, the band "Bourboulia" and bouzouki player Thanassis Polykandriotis. After Sidiropoulos's death, Karras discovered the lost recording and orchestrated the release of "Day after Day" through Minos-EMI in 2001.

So, there we are. In 1978. The band name is Spiridoula and the so called "most important" album is Flou. Flou (pronounced like the english "flu") is a slang adjective in Greek, possibly dragged from the English verb flow (well, that's how I get it). It means blurry/ uncertain/ not set/ unorganised/ liquid. Babis is such a guy. With some sort of freedom that we envy. The song portraits that man. Masterpiece.

Babis the Flou [Μπάμπης ο Φλου]

Pavlos Sidiropoulos [Παύλος Σιδηρόπουλος]

I am gonna tell you a story
For a guy named Babis, Babis the flou
When you were asking him “what’s going on?”
He would just say “flou my friend, everything is flou”

Always drunk and jobless
nice guy, Babis the flou
mumbling always alone
just saying “flou my friend, everything is flou”

Babis was teasing anyone
Without a second thought
And if he‘d feel a little bored
He would just find a sunny place to lay

Babis was teasing always brunnets
Nice guy, Babis the flou
Pecking also a bit of blondes
What a nice guy, Babis the flou

And when he was dragged to the police
He was playing dead, Babis the flou
And if they were asking too much
He was just saying “Flou my friends, everything is flou”

Babis was teasing anyone
Without a second thought
And if he‘d feel a little bored
He would just find a sunny place to lay.*

Dimosthenous Lexis (Dionysis Savvopoulos, 1970)

2009-11-16T02:11:00.015+01:00

eventies. In Greece the political situation is unstable with a military junta already since 1967 in power. Strict sencorship and propaganda, powerful spying of any suspect of being against the junta. It lasted till 1973, 4 days after Turkey's invasion of Northern Cyprus. During these 7 years, music was a way to react and help the masses realize. Dionysis Savvopoulos, born in Thessaloniki in 1944, was imprisoned in 1967 by junta because of his political convictions. This song ("Δημοσθένους λέξις" = "Demosthenes' word") was recorded in 1970 for the album "Vromiko Psomi" (= Dirty Bread) and an amateur translation of the lyrics is given below the video. All video scenes are taken at the city center of Athens.

Dimosthenous Lexis [«Δημοσθένους Λέξις»]

Dionysis Savvopoulos [Διονύσης Σαββόπουλος]

What if I am free, out of this prison
Nobody will be waiting for me
Deserted all the streets will be
and my city a complete stranger

All the cafes will be closed
while all my friends will have fled
And I ‘ll just blow with the wind
The day I am free, out of this prison

And the sun will fall asleep
Behind the ruins of Olynthos
And they will be like in a myth
All friends and enemies

They will all stand still
Rhetors and conmen
Beggers, prostitutes and prophets
They will all stand still

I am gonna stand by the gate
Carrying the blankets under my arm
And with a slow move of the head
I am gonna greet the guard

Without will, without a god
Like a king in ancient drama
I am gonna say the word
When I stand by the gate.

What Is This Abouτ

2009-11-16T01:50:00.011+01:00

This is about filling the gap between an English speaker and Greek music. The language and a bit of information.

So, every now and then, a song from Greece and its artist will be briefly presented, aiming to complete the puzzle - the way we percept it.

*We apologise in advance to any professional translator that might read this blog. We are just engineers.

Welcome.