|
Now-Again Records presents exact reproductions of two of the four 7" singles that the Iranian psychedelic rock musician Kourosh Yaghmaei released before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Taken from Back from the Brink, the only legitimately licensed Kourosh collection, these recordings were thought lost after Islamic fundamentalists took control of Iran. They weren't: Kourosh had protected them - along with key ephemera from the 70's. Here, fans of the 7" vinyl format can purchase Kourosh's first two singles
as he originally released them. Kourosh Yaghmaei and his brothers Kamran and Kambiz were amongst the few inspired Iranian musicians determined to change Tehran's musical landscape in the late 60's and early 70's. The trio, armed with rented, second-hand instruments and records by The Ventures, The Kinks, and The Doors, merged Western garage rock, psychedelia and Iranian folkloric music to create a sound unlike anything that came before them. Later, inspired by the unlikely duo of Elton John and James Taylor, Kourosh's music took a sophisticated turn, and he churned out funky, progressive rock that is as imminently enjoyable as it is impossible to categorize. The first single presented here - "Gole Yakh" - was Kourosh's biggest hit, a weeping ballad backed by insistent drums and embellished by his plaintive guitar. "Del Dareh Pir Misheh," the b-side, is Iranian garage rock taken to its greatest heights. The second single presented here - "Leila" - is not so much a response to "Gole Yakh" as it is a related conversation. Both this and "Paiz" are restrained, folky ballads - and are contained one of Kourosh's rarest 7" singles. |
|