Search - Various Artists :: Anthology of Rebetiko Song 1930-1940 2

Greek archives: anthology of rebetiko songs

lara | new york, u.s. | 06/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The anthology is a rare opportunity to hear the rembetica songs in their original recordings, before the music became acceptable, was commercialized and lost its underground flavor. For the first time I heard rembetico songs in 1993, in a open-roof taverna near Naphpaktos (Greece) and it was unforgettable. Now the music that we know as rembetico is very popular among large audience but it was born in 19-century in ports, in hashish dens and in prisons. It reflects the sadness and the cynicism of the time, but also much more complex feelings. I really like the lyrical song Vlamissa, which is a slang word for a girlfriend (who is also a tough chick and a sort of comrade in the underground) and which comes from Albanian word for blood sister, I believe. It's really touching. It is also nice to hear the encouragement remarks from the musicians to each other during the record: Yia sou, Stellaki mou! (Here is to you, my Stellakis!)"