Customer Reviews

Putumayo Presents Greece: A Musical Odyssey

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4 star:		(1)
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Now and then a compilation of different artists hits the jackpot- this one is a winner. Many CDs with Greek music are disappointing because they have one sing-along bouzouki cut after another. This CD has wonderfully soulful, melodic Greek music, featuring a wide range of excellent artists with different instruments and rhythms. Buy it!

i bought this CD after listening to the clips on Amazon and the Putomayo Website. The tunes are well thought out and catchy. You'll be singing along to Pino Pino (and you probably won't even know the words). I listen to this CD when I drive my car during traffic, or have dinner guests. It really feels like I'm in Greece when I listen to it. To boot, the cover is made of a durable cardboard painting which opens up and voila! Inside it is a mini booklet of beautiful Greek photographs.
Also makes a lovely gift for your Greek and non-Greek friends.

I'm teaching Greek at an elementary school, and play this disc for the students while they take notes, etc. We all love it! Back at home, my own kids spin this disc nearly every day. Very relaxing, uplifting and romantic. Putamayo does a great job with these compilations. Efharistoh!

Although I'm from Greece, i usually don't listen to Greek music. I gave this compilation a shot because the Putumayo series are usually far above the average and tend to be excellent :) . I wasn't disappointed! This CD contains some really great songs, which have never been in the same album before. It's not about music to dance, it's about music to listen and relax or sing along. A bit of ethnic, a bit of world and a bit of Greek of course :) All ethnic music fans should listen to this...

Ok, not all of the songs are that good but as a compilation it's surely worth buying and listening. Some of the best songs are: "Eleni", "Pino Pino", "Ragizi Apopse" and "To Parelthon Thimithika" .

Putumayo's excellent "Athens to Andalucia" whet my appetite for Greek music with its three songs from Glykeria,George Dalaras&Anemos.It was a brief,tantalizing taste,and I waited patiently for Putumayo to release a Greek compilation.Luckily,it did.

Greece is the cradle of Western civilization,with Plato,Aristotle,Aristophanes&Sophocles--and they have great contemporary music."Greece:A Musical Odyssey" is an enjoyable journey through contemporary Greek folk/pop music.It's perfect for relaxing with baklava,ouzo&dolmas.

Highlights-
1)Eleni-Not everybody has read Homer's "Iliad." Considering the state of education,most teenagers haven't read this classic.Kostas Mantzios sings a beautiful song about Helen,the most beautiful woman in the world who caused the Trojan War.He breathes new life into an ancient legend.
2)Pino Pino-A joyful little song comparing love with wine.
3)Sou Axize Mia Kaliteri Agalia-With a reggae beat&an accordion,George Dalaras sings an ironic love song.
4)Ragizi Apopse-A lilting,folksy song about heartbreak.It's one of Children of the Revolution's more traditional song.
5)An m'agapas,tha s'agapo-Very melancholy and beautiful.Pantelis Thalassinos has long hair like Yanni,but makes better music.
6)Ela Mia Nichta-A frothy,spritely song though it is about loneliness.
7)Ah,feggaraki mou-A celebrity duet,but a lovely one.

"Greece" is one of Putumayo's best European compilations (along with "Music from the Wine Lands"&"Euro Lounge")If you want to try different European music,give this album a spin!

My husband is a lover of all things Greek. He vacationed there every year for at least 10 years and we spent three weeks once traveling through Greece. This CD makes us feel like we're back in a Taverna enjoying the sights and sounds of Greece. We love it and even the kids enjoy listening to it.

Being a long time fan of world music, I was looking for something different outside of Asian, Indian, Parisian, and Latin music. I immediately found what I was looking for in PUTUMAYO PRESENTS GREECE: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY. I am new to music from Greece (I don't count Yanni since his music bores me, nor is it remotely Greecian). I absolutely love this compilation from Putumayo. The music is unquestionably infectious. I love humming along to Anastasia Moutsatsou's "Pino Pino". Although I do not know what the artists are singing, I get a lot of enjoyment out of listening to them sing in their native tongue. I also love listening to the traditional instruments. It is so nice to listen to instruments I don't hear in the music I listen to on a regular basis. Putumayo put together a wonderful collection here as well as on other compilations I have heard. I have yet to hear a Putumayo compilation that I did not like.

Putumayo's Greece-A Musical Odyssey was released in 2004 to coincide with the Athens Olympics, and features an ear-opening blend of traditional Greek styles such as rembetika (known as Greek "blues" and usually about misfortunes) and entehno from artists such as George Dalaras, Glykeria, Apenanti, Melina Kana, Anastasia Moutsatsou, Kostas Mantzios, and Theodosia Stiga.

The magical bouzouki (a steel-stringed long-necked lute) is featured on every track, along with the santouri (a type of dulcimer). There are Balkan flourishes and even a hint of flamenco on Ragizi Apopse. Many of the songs are melancholy-sounding ballads balanced out by more intense songs such as Pino Pino.

Putumayo has included excellent liner notes as usual, with detailed biographies (with an artist pronunciation guide!), photos, a Greek music glossary, and even a recipe for Tzatziki, Greek cucumber-yogurt sauce.

I had not been exposed to Greek music before watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding and picking up Greece: A Musical Odyssey, but I fell in love with rembetica and the bittersweet songs, and have since expanded my Greek music collection. If you enjoy spirited folk music (or if you really liked the music from My Big Fat Greek Wedding), you'd do well to buy Greece: A Musical Odyssey.

Very good CD with good music and original old songs. Verry happy with this C/D

Love this product and the seller is super to work with. We'll do more business in the future!