THE DEVIL'S ANVIL : HARD ROCK FROM THE MIDDLE EAST 1967

                                                                         

The Devil's Anvil was a Hard Rock/Psychedelic band based out of New York City in the 1960s. They released one album entitled "Hard Rock from the Middle East" in 1967 showcasing a mix of 1960s hard rock and psychedelic sound with Turkish, Arab and Greek vocals and traditional instrumentals.

MISIRLOU VIDEO :

 

Their middle-eastern acid-rock was unique and bizarrely modern (it predates the British transglobal-dance bands by about 30 years). The fuzzed-out guitar mingled with oud,bouzouki, tamboura, Goblet drum .

It was in 1966, while hanging out in the Village that he chanced upon a group of Middle Eastern-born or -descended musicians, playing at the MacDougal Street Cafe Feenjon.


Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. (December 30, 1939 – April 17, 1983) was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitarist.As a producer, Pappalardi is perhaps best known for his work with British psychedelic blues-rock power trio "Cream" ,"The Flock","Hot Tuna" , "The Youngbloods " and others.

Felix Pappalardi began playing with them, and eventually they became the unofficial house band at Feenjon -- the core members of the group, which took the name The Devil's Anvil, were Steve Knight (rhythm guitar, bass, bouzouki), Jerry Satpir (lead guitar, vocals), Elierzer Adoram (accordion), and Kareem Issaq (oud, vocals).

Knight and Pappalardi developed a good working relationship, trading the bass and guitar spots during the recording of the group's one album, Hard Rock from the Middle East, which set the stage for their subsequent team-up together in Mountain

Instrumental in the band's formation was producer Felix Pappalardi, who helped sign them with Columbia Records.

As a musician, Pappalardi is widely recognized as a bassist, vocalist, and founding member of the American hard rock band "Mountain", a band born out of his working with future bandmate Leslie West's soul-inspired rock and roll band "The Vagrants", and producing West's 1969 Mountain solo album.


Label : Fantazia Records – DVA 1031
Format : Vinyl
Made in : UK
Released : 1967
Genre : Ethnic , World , Rock
Style : Rock & Roll, World Music , Psychedelic Rock

Tracklist

SIDE ONE

A1         Wala Dai     2:40     Rock'n'Roll Arab Ethnic

A2         Nahna Ou Diab     2:57     Ethnic

A3         Karkadon     2:23     Hard Rock Ethnic

A4         Selim Alai     2:25     Psychedelic Arab Ethnic

A5         Isme             5:58     Arab  Ethnic

A6         Besaha       1:53    Hard Rock Arab Ethnic, Psychedelic

SIDE  TWO

   
B1         Shisheler     2:47     Rock'n' Roll Arab Ethnic
B2         Kley             4:38     Mikis Theodorakis (Music)- Tasos Leivaditis(Lyrics)
B3         Hala Laya     2:47    
B4         Treea Pethya     2:22  Traditional  Greek  Song
B5                Misirlou     3:00  Traditional  Greek  Song

"Misirlou" (Greek: Μισιρλού means : "Egyptian Girl"  is a popular old Greek song . The song was first performed by "the Michalis Patrinos rebetiko band" in Athens, Greece in 1927.

As with almost all early rebetika songs (a style that originated with the Greek refugees from Asia Minor in Turkey), the song's actual composer has never been identified .

The lyrics of "The Devi's Anvil" are not the same as the original Greek song .   

These are the original Greek Lyrics of the song :

My Misirlou (Egyptian girl), your sweet glance
Has lit a flame in my heart.
Ah, ya habibi, ah, ya le-leli, ah ( Arabic: Oh, my love, Oh, my night )
Your two lips are dripping honey, ah.

Ah, Misirlou, magical, exotic beauty.
Madness will overcome me, I can't endure [this] any more.
Ah, I'll steal you away from the Arab land.

My black-eyed, my wild Misirlou,
My life changes with one kiss
Ah, ya habibi, one little kiss, ah
From your sweet little lips, ah.


ΚΛΑΙΕΙ  Η  ΜΑΝΑ  ΜΟΥ   ΣΤΟ   ΜΝΗΜΑ
   
Στίχοι: Τάσος Λειβαδίτης
Μουσική: Μίκης Θεοδωράκης
Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Γρηγόρης Μπιθικώτσης

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