Customer Reviews

Don't Climb the Pyramids

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I came across this cd by pure Good Luck - I liked the cover and picked it out of the 'used' bin!! (label: Barbarity 020, 1997) Boy, oh boy - what a lucky catch! This is two seperate Egyptian bands playing together: Alain Croubalian's "les Maniacs" and Fathy Salama's "Sharkiat": The cd consists of 10 songs recorded in Shobra, Cairo...It's an alarmingly successful blend of old-world, middle-eastern folk, international pop, electronic, and good 'ol rock'n'roll. instrumentation includes: accordian, mizmar, ney, tabla, riq, sagats, djembe, bells, bongos, piano, bass, drums and guitar. English-language pop vocals overlay a framework of jammin' rock guitar riffs and driving percussion. A deft interplay of traditional egyptian accordian and tablas, leading into ferociously smooth guitar riffs and a massive 4/4 drum beat: That's the intro to the album's 1st cut: "I Can't Find (mish lei)" and it sets the tone for the album. Other favorites include cut 3's: "Om El Kahir" and cut 2's: "Pic nic" There's a fantastic sample of traditional muslim prayer chants (male vocals only) which works its way into cut 4's "Cairo Lullabye" Its repeated, on its own, as cut 10's "Cairo Chant"...Worth the price of admission right there! NOT at all like the mellow/ambient/groove work of Mukta, Talvin Singh, dj Cheb i Sabah, or Yair Dalal and the A101 Ensemble - but if you DO like that stuff (like me), AND you were raised on rock'n'roll (like me), this album is unexpected, a rare treat, a "keeper", AND a "must-have"! Enjoy!

This album is a mixture of North African music and hippy music. Some of the songs I really like and others aren't too thrilling. The CD recording is of good quality. I'd recommend this CD to anyone who is interested in exploring unique music. Some of the songs are in English.

This CD is different. It's a mixture of North African music with hippy music from the past. Some of the songs I like a lot and others are just not to thrilling. If your looking for something unique I recommend this CD for you. The recording quality sounds good too.