Friday, December 16, 2016

Loving the alien

Η εκτόξευση του πρώτου δορυφόρου (Sputnik 1) το 1957, που σηματοδότησε την έναρξη της Εποχής του Διαστήματος,  επηρέασε με τον έναν ή τον άλλον τρόπο όλες τις πτυχές της ανθρώπινης ζωής, της τέχνης μη εξαιρουμένης.

Σήμερα, μπαίνοντας στη δεύτερη φάση της Διαστημικής Εποχής (διαστημικός τουρισμός, καλλιέργειες στο διάστημα, κλπ.) ας ρίξουμε μια ματιά στο - μικρό αλλά ενδιαφέρον - αποτύπωμα που άφησε η εποχή εκείνη στην Ελληνική ροκ σκηνή των 70s (άντε και λίγο 80s).
Ακολουθούν 4 χαρακτηριστικά τραγούδια από τα 70s και 1 από τα 80s (με Ελληνικό στίχο).

1. Ο Σωτήρης Κοματσιούλης είναι ένας τοπικός θρύλος με καριέρα που ξεκινά στις αρχές του 70 (και συνεχίζει ως σήμερα) και συνεργασίες που μεταξύ άλλων περιλαμβάνουν τους Soft Machine, 10cc, Bob Marley, Third World!
Το 1972 ο Κοματσιούλης κυκλοφόρησε το single Επιδρομή από τον Άρη/Σαν τον άνεμο με το καταπληκτικό xian-rock Επιδρομή από τον Άρη.
(το εξώφυλλο από τη συλλογή τραγουδιών του 2010 Σαν τον άνεμο)




2. Ο Κώστας Τουρνάς έχει ίσως τις περισσότερες space αναφορές στη δισκογραφία του.
Από τα Αστρόνειρα του 1973 ακουμε το Διαστημάνθρωπο.




3. Ο Ηλίας Ασβεστόπουλος με τους 2002 (GR) Ilias Asvestopoulos 2002 κυκλοφόρησε το 1975 το - κλασικό - άλμπουμ Ο Σιδερένιος Άνθρωπος, από όπου ακούμε το Διαστημόπλοιο.





4. Ο Εξωγήινος είναι ένα χριστιανικό progressive τραγούδι των Δώρου Γεωργιάδη και
Σταύρου Σιδερά από τον xian-rock δίσκο τους Πέρασαν 2000 χρόνια του 1976.




5. Λίγα χρόνια αργότερα, το 1983, ο Δώρος Γεωργιάδης θα γράψει τη μουσική για το δίσκο του Πασχάλη Εγώ Ζωγράφισα τη Γη σε στίχους Σώτιας Τσώτου. Από αυτό τον δίσκο ακούμε τα Διαστημόπλοια.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Greek Salad

Ωραίο disco-funk φολκλόρ από το 1979.
Οι Greek Salad with Gus Kamaras δημιούργησαν ένα κεφάτο super funky δίσκο με μπουζούκι. Η Δύση συναντά την Ανατολή σε ένα δίσκο που στην original έκδοση κυκλοφόρησε με ένα βιβλιαράκι εκμάθησης χορού της κοιλιάς! 

Ξεχωρίζουν το εναρκτήριο groovy “Do the belly disco” και το funky “Greek salad”. 

Greek Salad (1979)



Εδώ κάποιες από τις εμφανίσεις του σπάνιου αυτού δίσκου (οι φωτογραφίες προέρχονται από το Amazon): Discogs Popsike Amazon

Monday, October 24, 2016

PLAY mix


TRACK-LIST

1.   Nicotine 2 (1978) - George Theodorakis
2.   Tivi O (1996) - Stereo Nova
3.   Funny (2012) - Mechanimal
4.   Sisyphus (1994) - Raw
5.   Mia askisi fisikis aliti (1995) - Lena Platonos
6.   Warm Nights Driving On Wet Streets (1991) - In Trance 95
7.   Multi-Track Suggestion (1980) - Vangelis
8.   T 244 (1985) - Makis Prekkas
9.   Theros (1994) - Coti K
10. Outcry (2011) - May Roosevelt
11. And We Hear "I Love You" (Red Axes Remix) (2016) - Lena Platonos
12. With My Whole Being (2015) - Mikael Delta


Friday, July 8, 2016

Χθες το Βράδυ

Σε αυτό το νέο του δίσκο (Χθες το Βράδυ) ο Δημήτρης Καλαντζής διασκευάζει κλασικά "ελαφρά" τραγούδια των Γιαννίδη, Καπνίση, Σουγιούλ, Σπάρτακου, Μουζάκη, Μωράκη, Γιάκοβλεφ και Θεοφανίδη.
Ο Καλαντζής διευθύνει μια ορχήστρα 27 μουσικών με οδηγούς 3 γυναικείες φωνές (Αθηνά Ρούτση, Πηνελόπη Τζανετάκη και Τέρρυ Βακιρτζοπούλου) συν 2 guests: την Αλέκα Κανελίδου και την Έλλη Πασπαλά.

smooth jazz, mambo, bossa-jazz, bolero, swing

Ποτέ μην Κλαις, του Τάκη Μωράκη και του Κώστα Κοφινιώτη. Πρώτη ηχογράφηση: 1955.
Εδώ με την Πηνελόπη Τζανετάκη.

Εδώ αξίζει να αναφέρουμε και μια ακόμα ερμηνεία του τραγουδιού αυτου. Ήταν 2013 όταν ο Δημήτρης Καλαντζής συμμετείχε ως πιανίστας στο δίσκο του Πρίαμου Μωράκη The Athenian Project. Η Πηνελόπη Τζανετάκη τραγουδούσε και εκεί το ίδιο τραγούδι σε διασκευή του Πρίαμου Μωράκη αυτή τη φορά.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

The Disco Kid


Costa Anadiotis was born in Greece and moved to South Africa at the age of 18. During the 12 years he lived in South Africa he played with several local bands including Buffalo, Fantasy and Café Society.

Buffalothe band of Peter Vee, was a group mainly doing classic rock covers, blending rock and disco.
Anadiotis played the keyboards in their first 3 albums (Born To Be Wild – 1978, Magic Carpet Ride – 1979 and We’re So Glad You Made It – 1980).

Buffalo - Magic Carpet Ride (from Magic Carpet Ride LP, 1979)



Fantasy was a disco band playing mostly originals mainly written by Anadiotis, Angelopulo and Chelakis.
They released one LP (Fantasy) in 1979.
Anadiotis played keyboards and contributed vocals.
According to YouTube uploader keurspel (Leon Rossouw) they supported The Temptations in 1979 while in 1980 they toured in Greece for several months.

Fantasy - Baby I'm In Love (from Fantasy LP, 1979)



Café Society was the personal vehicle of Costa Anadiotis who played almost all instruments and produced the one album they released in 1985, Relight My Fire and the various singles.
The band was formed in Johannesburg in 1984 and was a quite successful italo-disco act of the 80s.


Café Society - Night Rider (from Relight my fire LP, 1985)



In 1986 we find Costa playing keyboards and producing the Cineromantza album of Giannis Palamidas.
From the 90s and on Costa lives in Greece, writing, playing and producing for several Greek artists.

International discography @ Discogs
Buffalo
Greek discography @ Discogs

Monday, March 14, 2016

3 X Calypso

Andrews Sisters, daughters of Greek immigrant Peter Andreos, became the most popular female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century.
In 1945 their recording of Lord Invader’s Rum and Coca Cola was the most popular song in US.

The Andrews Sisters - Rum and Coca Cola



Demis Roussos covers the Jamaican folk song – made popular by Harry Belafonte version – Day O (The Banana Boat Song) in his album Magic (1977) which was produced by Vangelis.

Demis Roussos - Day O



De Traces were formed in 1987 and released their only album up, Estrella Del Caribe, in 1999. The recording of Lord Creator’s song, Big Bamboo, is only available on an earlier compilation of Elfish records (Random Relations, Part 1 – 1992).

De Traces - Big Bamboo

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Greek AOR

Taxi and Coo both left but one album.
Yet both albums are the best Greek ones of what we call AOR or melodic rock.


Taxi released their album Take it or Leave it in 1980.
Members of the band where Yiannis Saroglou, Richard Whitman, Nikos Politis and Nikos Karvelas who has written all music and lyrics.

Take it or leave it

 Breakin' in


Coo released their album Rock Eyes in 1982.
The band members where Manos Neofitos, Babis Persidis, John Calabokas, Bill Ghinos, Cosmas Amiralis, while the album was produced by Makis Milatos.








Coo full album Rock Eyes

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

David Bowie’s Son

Although David Bowie was a great influence for the Greek pop/rock scene (from Kostas Tournas to South of No North to His Majesty’s the King of Spain and many others), not much of his songs have found their way to discography (as opposed to live performances).

Throughout the Greek discography there is one song that stands out because a) it’s a good song and b) it describes an imaginary (personal) relationship with David Bowie:

it’s David Bowie’s Son by His Majesty the King of Spain (Hyena - Inner Ear, 2012).



As mentioned many artists were influenced by his music and transformations.
Kostas Tournas was among the first to introduce a similar approach to music (music + mythology + pop art innovation) in his Aperanta Horafia (1972) and mostly Astronira (1973).



More recently 2 of the few Bowie covers found their way to an album: both are covers to Gene Genie! The first one dates back to 1986 from a Dimitris Poulikakos live recording which was published in 2004.



The second one (Gene Genie again) comes from a live (again) of Stavros Logaridis (2004) release on a double cd shared with Poulikakos in 2009.



Apart from his connection to Cyprus (through his wife Angie) and to the island of Patmos where he was a regular visitor, it is worth mentioning his one and only live appearance in Greece back in 1996. It was the next year of his great come-back album Outside and Bowie was performing after Elvis Costello and Lou Reed!
The sound, band and orchestration were great and matched the Outside sound, making his older songs sound contemporary (Scary Monsters).

Here’s a David Bowie portrait made of test tubes installed in the front lobby of the hotel King George in Athens. A nice pick!



Here’s Duran Duran playing Starman 40 years after its release in front of Greek audience.



And here’s Dimitri Vassilakis, the sax player, performing The Man Who Sold The World live in a Greek club (2014). The band covers several Bowie songs that night. Unfortunately the sound is …very bad.



And finally here's a mashup I did combining How easy is to fly by Mikael Delta and Let's Dance by David Bowie.

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