The Devils Anvil-hard Rock From The Middle East-(remastered)
The_Devils_Anvil-Hard_Rock_From_The_Middle_East-(Remastered)-2009-FNT
- Release Info ————————————————————– -
Artist: The Devil’s Anvil
Album: Hard Rock from the Middle East
Label: Columbia
Playtime: 34:09 min
Genre: Classic Rock
URL: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wbfoxzr0ldje
Rip date: 2009-08-17
Street date: 2009-08-11
Size: 50.60 MB
Type: Remastered
Quality: 198 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo- Release Notes ————————————————————- -
The Devil’s Anvil were a group of Arab-American musicians playing the New
York folk and rock club circuit in the mid-’60s. They differed from virtually
every other group experimenting with Eastern sounds because though they were
rock musicians deeply rooted to the folk traditions of their heritages, and
they played the Anatolian instruments associated with them. Among the members
of Devil’s Anvil were Felix Pappalardi, then a house producer at Columbia,
and Steve Knight, who partnered with him, and Leslie West and Corky Laing in
Mountain. Knight was a founding member of Devil’s Anvil, playing rhythm
guitar, bass, and bouzouki. Other members included the excellent lead
guitarist Jerry Satpir, Eliezer Adoram on accordion, and Kareem Issaq on
vocals and oud. Pappalardi produced the set and added tamboura and durbeki
(dumbek). Hard Rock from the Middle East is the only album issued by the
group. They had the unfortunate karma of having their album released at the
height of the Arab-Israeli war and no one would touch the recording — check
out the cover and it’s easy to see why. That said, this is truly a forgotten
classic. The music found here is often sung in Arabic, its arrangements walk
a tightrope between the modern psychedelia of the day and centuries-old
traditional folk modalities and melodies. There is no camp factor in these
proceedings, and each member is a heavy hitter in his own right. According to
the liner notes, Pappalardi says that the group would back stars on the
Middle Eastern circuit when they came through New York. Tracks such as
”Shisheler” and “Karkadon” (both tunes from antiquity) illustrate the sound
of the set ideally. Amid the electric guitars that are at the forefront of
the sound, oud, dumbek, and bouzouki flood the backdrop. Elsewhere, such as
on the wailing opener “Wala Dai,” the addition of studio drummer Bobby Gregg
and an uncredited Farfisa organ make the music take on a full rock personae,
while displaying its Arab characteristics in vocal, rhythmic pulse, and
harmonic scale with fuzz guitar on full-surf stun. But there are other
surprises, as well, such as “Kley,” which is sung in Greek and played
according to a folk arrangement that straddles both traditions and seems
right at home as a rock tune. Likewise, “Shisheller” utilizes psychedelic
overdriven guitar and bass to fuel a celebratory Turkish tune that is sung in
its native language! This is the true stunner on the set, where everything
that Devil’s Anvil possessed is on display. The best-known cut here is
”Misirlou,” sung in English by Pappalardi and is entirely different — and
better than — the well-known cover of it by ~censored~ Dale. It’s true that Hard
Rock from the Middle East is an album that was ahead of its time, and over
four decades, later it remains so. With its stunning musicianship, songcraft,
and skillful weaving of musical traditions into a cohesive musical statement,
it endures and is perhaps even more relevant today than when it was first
released.- Track List —————————————————————- -
01. Wala Dai ( 2:42)
02. Nahna U Diab ( 3:00)
03. Karkadon ( 2:24)
04. Selim Alai ( 2:27)
05. Isme ( 5:59)
06. Besaha ( 1:55)
07. Shisheler ( 2:48)
08. Kley ( 4:40)
09. Hala Laya ( 2:50)
10. Treea Pethya ( 2:23)
11. Misirlou ( 3:01)- ————————————————————————— -
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