Why The Mountains Are Black - Primeval Greek Why The Mountains Are Black - Primeval Greek LP Vinyl

Limited double vinyl LP pressing. Third Man Records is proud to present a truly rare musical oddityùa two disc collection of primal and unhinged Greek village music that at times sounds more like free jazz or doom folk, feral and trance-like as it is. After years of research, fieldwork and collecting, Christopher KingùGrammy-winning producer, sound-engineer, curator and writerùhas gathered together from his private 78 rpm archive the most mind expanding and libido inducing song and dance music from the rural hinterlands of mainland Greece and its islands. Recorded between 1907 and 1960, this collection contains the first and the lastùthe alpha and the omegaùof Greek demotikaùor folk music. And it is not what you would expect. Remastered from the original 78 rpm discs, this set contains 28 previously unissued recordings made in the cramped, primitive studios of Athens, Greece, New York, NY, and Chicago, IL. Crazed Macedonian bagpipes, keening violins, shiver-inducing zournas and shepherd-pipes are found throughout the two discs. Cover artwork is by legendary underground artist R. Crumb and designed by Grammy winning Susan Archie. A beautifully thought-provoking if not radical essay on this music by King accompanies the lavish package. Not simply for historians or collectors of long gone sounds, this compilation is intended to push the limits of what we have come to expect of music, its purpose and indeed its origin. You will experience a profound musical transformation immediately upon listening.

1. Kalamatianos 2. Sousta Rethymniotiki 3. Giati Ine Mavra Ta Vouna (Why the Mountains Are Black) 4. Ousak Tsiftelli 5. Enas Aetos 6. Mirologi-Epirotiko Makedoniko 7. Makedoniko Hasapiko 8. Selfos 9. Enas Aetos-Tsamiko 10. E Triantafylllia 11. Pera Ston Pera Maxala 12. Syrtos Haniotikos 13. Syrtos Politikos 14. Kalymnikos Issos 15. Arvanitiko O Aetos 16. Svarniara 17. Kalamatianos 18. Platanos 19. Golfo 20. Patinada Tis Nifis 21. Pousteno