Part III: Bahrock Bands: Early Rock Bands of Bahrain - The Sharks (Final Part).

Dear blawggers,

On nows for the last installment of Bahraini rock bands from the 70's and 80's. Get ready, for... in this last post, you will be introduced for the first time I am sure to a band that was really good. And, I have to repeat here... really really good.

The term 'garage band' was coined in the early 60's to describe how some young rock bands were trying new sounds in the privacy of their home garages. That, and the fact that these bands were as raw sounding as a mechanic's garage, to boot. Garage bands are a rarity and the collectors with the wildest heads are after these little-known punkadelic bands as if their lives depend on it.

In Bahrain, and in the late 60's and early 70's, the young generation wanted to rock. They riled and roiled inside their parents' house garages the same as any, say mid-west American garage/beat band did, renting a small room if none was available to hide their instruments and practice their new sounds. One of these was The Shiek Issa Sports City Club in the capital Manama. The Brothers Band played there way too often at its early starts. And so did many other bands. Sadly, and with a sigh... these young people did not succeed in starting a beat band festival like the ones in Israel and Turkey as we've mentioned in previous posts. Instead, they had very fierce competition between them and held promontory battle-of-bands that were so popular in Bahrain and neighbouring Gulf states like Kuwait.

Here below is a quick, final look at some of these bands. We shall start with the best of them all...

The Sharks:

The Sharks Band - Live at the Manama Hilton - 1980.

The Sharks circa 1970s.

This band started singing in Farsi sounding pretty much like every Iranian 70's singer/band. Their roots can be traced to 1967, even if I am not so sure about it. The Sharks (الشاركس), played mostly live and had only one album issued on a cassette years later by the Kuwaiti record label Al-Nazaer. Little is known about this band except that one of its ex-members went later to join Osiris.

Here's the cassette-album. 'Njoy!

The Sharks - S/T.

(Bonus: some of their live songs were caught on video cassette and uploaded at YouTubia. I here, give you these seven live tracks played at the Manama Hilton, Bahrain in 1980. All songs are sung in Farsi/Persian (early Bahraini bands were so heavily influenced by Koroush Yaghmaei and Iranian singers like Dariush and Sattar). The quality of the video cassette is beyond shitty. Unluckily, the tape loops and poops here and there. Mind, still the music is enjoyable. So, try to enjoy these rare moments of good rock music.

The Sharks الشاركس - Live At The Hilton - 1980.









The Happiness Band - فرقة الهابنس:
On with the show now, and we go dig some beats and wonderful rare tunes by The Happiness Band (فرقة الهابنس/السعادة) from Bahrain. One sole cassette survives for this good band (same-titled - Nazaer 1985). Hope it makes y'all happy. Right!

The Happiness Band - الهابنس.

More bands but these are newer ones. Here below are The Family Band, The Salatins Band, and Al-Kawakeb Band. These bands veer more on the pop sounds and almost lick early rap in a way that's not totally deplorable. Still, this treasure trove of old 80's cassette that you're about to explore is a rare occurring and one should take feebly-happening chances like this one here to catch whatever this one-of-its-kind weblog is dropping. The pleasure again, is always mine. Rawk awn!

The Family Band - فرقة العائلة.

The Salatins Band - فرقة السلاطين.

Al-Kawakeb Band - فرقة الكواكب البحرينية.

See ya cowboys and cowgirls at one more blog-post with... Dariush!

Bubai!

H.H.

Part II: Bahrock Bands: Early Rock Bands of Bahrain. Ali Bahr: The Bob Marley of Bahrain? - علي بحر.

Hello once again... in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The last post has surely shed some light on the fledgling Bahrain rock bands' scene, and we know now how it's hard to put any music to any sort of record in the 70's and early 80's back at that time. Part II of Bahrain's awesome music history continues here, with a handful of bands from that period.

There is no doubt about Bahrain being the most musically-developed and mature country among the five other less-interesting ones (namely; Oman, Qatar, the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia and Kuwait). Bahrain saw its first development in music when rock-'n'-roll invaded the world, and records were reaching these states in the mid-60's by way of expat British citizens who worked there mainly in the oil industry. The other states were slow at catching that wave, but most Bahrainis (and for their Iranian backgrounds perhaps...), took the necessary measures and worked hard to start their individual bands, one by one.

The roster for these bands started to get larger and larger, and by the end of the 80's there were around 30 bands active, playing to devout fans, like: The Sharks - فرقةالشاركس, The Roots - فرقة الجذور,  The Sun Shine Band - فرقة الشروق, The Sitting Sun - فرقة الغروب,  The Six-Boys Band - فرقة السكس بويز, Future -  فيوتشر, The Bahraini Trio - فرقة الثلاثي البحريني, The Windows Band - فرقة الويندوز, The Storm - فرقة العاصفة, Smile - فرقة البسمة, Al-Kawakeb ('Planets') Band - فرقة الكواكب, The Stars - فرقة النجوم, The Lights - فرقة الأنوار, Ferqat Angham Al-Khaleej - فرقة أنغام الخليج, The Happiness Band - فرقة السعادة, The Friends Band - فرقة الأصدقاء, The Brothers Band - فرقة الأخوة, The Family Band - فرقة العائلة, The Peace Band - فرقة السلام, The Salatins Band - فرقة السلاطينز, The Candles Band - فرقة الشموع, The Al-Wa'ad ('The Promise') Band - فرقة الوعد, Abdallah Guitar - عبدالله غيتار etc... and with time and individual effort, most of these bands managed to buy their own equipment and learned on their own how to play these like real stars.

The venues weren't as scarce as some might think: Bahrainis are fun-loving. And with time the number of parties and small-scale gigs they played grew making some of these bands popular in nearby countries like Kuwait, and the U.A.E.. This fame and fortune founded in late 70's was probably, all brought by one guitarist who used to sing in Farsi songs made by the exceptional Iranian singer (our very next blog's subject...) Dariush Ighbali; and everyone in Bharain started to nickname him Al-Ustad ('The Leader'), Ali Khamis Bahr. His other, earlier one was The Bob Marley of Bahrain, because at that time, the reggae singer was so popular in all Arab countries that there wasn't one youngster's room devoid of his picture on the wall.

Early Rock Bands of Bahrain. The Brothers Band/ Ali Bahr:

Ali Bahr: Bahrain's best singer.

This young man (1960-2011), who was born in the island of Muharrak came from a very humble family. His father was a sailor and his family was known as a family of singers. The young boy grew fond of western popular music, and started to play in a rock band called الصخرة ('The Stone') in the early 70's (1971-1972 to be 'zact), then they changed their name into Ferqat Al-Bahrain Al-Sha'abiyah ('Bahrains Pop Group'), finally leaving it to form his own band along with what presumably was Bahrain's Godfather of guitar-rock music and Ali's cousin on the side of his mother Mahmoud Shams naming their band The Roots -الجذور.

Ali singing and playing keyboards.

Ali was a perfect keyboardist unparallelled in the region. And, besides singing in a well-formed sweet voice, he has excellent managerial talents that he used to bring together band members from different sects in Bahrain. The Stone grew into another band incarnation in 1986, this time named The Brothers: it was Ali's —Shii'te himself— message to the Shii'te and Sunni Muslim Bahrainins who never had a mutual understanding outside the realm of music. The tensions between these two sects are still visible these days and after Bahrain was declared a Kingdom in 2002 (the new Monarchy is Sunni), they are making sure to curb the power of Shii'tes in this small island of only half a million inhabitants.

The Brothers (Ali is second from right) circa 1986.

The Brothers were Ali himself on the keys and the band's leader and singer, Khaled Al-Thawdi (guitarist), Issa Bahr (Ali's brother and the band's bassist), Nadir Rafaei (percussionist), plus Wajih Hassan (drummer), Sultan Al-Mas (conga-player), and Mohammed Rashid. As one can see, these bands had many members, and played a lot of instruments which added to their rich sound, and was a welcome sight at parties, and wedding haflas. Not just that: their discography up till now is a jaw-dropping 27 albums in total! This is a lot of music IMO. But, their best and most interesting works are the first few albums.

Ali at his later days, circa 2010.

Ali passed away last year and was mourned by fans from as far as Pakistan and India. His memory still lives and will forever be Bahrain's best singer. Among Ali's many nicknames was 'The Golden Throat' or الحنجرة الذهبية, and that's quite spot-on. His voice is amazing. The Brothers are said to be after all... 'Bahrain's best'.

Let's hear it then from The Brothers. Two of their earliest albums are upped here to give you but an idea of how they were so good-sounding among these bands that were trying really hard to succeed having a fierce competition with each other.

T.V. picture: Khaled Al-Thawdi(left) Ali Bahr (right).

You're the judge now. Dig.

فرقة الأخوة البحرينية - Ferqat Al-Oukhwa Al-Bahriniya:

The Brothers Band - S/T: 1988 - فرقة الأخوة البحرينية

The Roots(ex-Brothers) - Ana Wa'Liel - أنا والليل('Me And The Night') - 1982

Have fun people.

Next on the Audiotopia? The last part of  'Bahrock Bands': Early Rock Bands of Bahrain, comin' soon!

H.H.

Osiris: The Bahraini Pink Floyd? - أوزيرس.

Ya Halla!

The last posting for The Jets was jus' marvs. I had to return once again to Blogsville as if transmogrified by a magical spell from that ancient land to up one of their Live albums as a bonus (Note: I thought twice  about doing so as some of the tracks there had hiccups and are repeats from other albums, but I did it anyway being quite the completist). And, from what I've seen at Stats, it's got a good 'blogle-age', too. This makes me 'appy, guys. So, keep on listening and DL-ing these wonderful tunes that never really got any airing befitting their musical and historical status.

We will haul ass now, leaving Egypt (not completely,though), to a tiny island in the Persian Gulf called Bahrain to feature its best-known and 'heaviest' band ever: Osiris. Plus, a brief introduction to Bahraini bands' scene of the 70's and early 80's so scarce and little known outside of Bahrain itself. Get ready for jus' another rare rock show from the Middle-east only on Audiotopia.


Osiris - أوزيرس:

Osiris playing on stage cicra 1986.

Osiris is an ancient Egyptian God declared the God of Resurrection and Life and Death, and the Underworld many thousands of years ago. This band has strong roots to this on-again, off-again cycle of life-and-death as two points. Their early formation in 1969 was a beat band (Witch), playing rock and roll hits like any Iranian 60's rock bands which we all know of, and love to smithereens. Iran has a close relationship to Bahrain and most of Bahrainis speak Farsi. They both share the same history and quite like Iran... Bahrain dates way back to prehistorical times when it was a Delmonite kingdom. It was declared a Kingdom again in 2002.

Osiris is a unique band taken from different points. It has a very early start at a place that barely has any band to speak of. This band didn't just break chronological norms, but also did create a new sound so progressive, and inventive, it became known the world over and has a great, rapidly growing listeners and fans-base alike.

Leader Mohammed Al-Sadeqi - محمد الصديقي.

The earliest members of Witch were Mohammed Al-Sadeqi, who played lead guitar and sang in his not-so-bad English, his younger brother Nabil who was the sticks-meister, and cousin Mohammed Haydan who played the electric bass. The Sadeqis later asked their older sister Faiqa to play the organ as early 70's rock bands were made of these four essential instruments. They played privately in parties and rock youth gatherings, then the Sadeqis left to study in the U.S. and the U.K. (people in the Gulf area back in the 70's were maybe, the richest people on earth sending their kids to study at the most expensive universities in the world because of the oil-dollars these Gulfanarian 'cuntries' posses). And, the band broke up in 1974 and reunited only when the brothers returned back home after six years.

Mohammed playing lead live in 1984.

When the Sadeqi brothers came back, they wanted to bring Witch to life again, asking bassist Mohammed Al-Shafee (he also played later the organ), and Sami Al-Jamea (organ) to play along with them. The band grew into a six-member unit with the addition of yet, another keyboard player (Abdel-Razzak Al-Aryan, ex-Sharks member which gets a well-deserved review here on Part II: 'Bahrock Bands': Early Rock Bands of Bahrain), and rhythm guitarist Amin Qahwaji choosing the name Osiris to depict their hard rock interest playing to but a small audience of mostly drug-crazed Bahraini youngsters in secret hide-out houses.

Issa Janahi live on stage mid-80s.

After few rehearsals and an intent to make an album, they wanted to get a singer to sing in good English, and the choice came on a nice-looking gentleman whose name's Issa Janahi. And, the rest? Osiris' first official concert was held to a gawkfest of Bahrainis who watched the band play their first 'super-band' gig at the Rabia Al-Adawiyah girl school hall wearing psychedelic garbs and standing like real-ass heavy-sters such as Pink Floyd and Genesis.

Osiris live at Al-Adawiyah hall.

Back at that time, there were no such thing as 'recording studios' whatsoever in the state of Bahrain. The only working studio in that Shii'te-majority country (they looked down on any western forms of cultural manifestations as a dire threat on their orthodox beliefs), was a small one-apartment studio called Eagle (Al-Nasir). Another session player (Nadir El-Rafie on stand-up conga drums) joined them to record the album's eight songs in late 1981 and early 1982.

Bassist Al-Motawa'a with lead Mohammed Al-Saedqi live.

The band also needed to send the reel-to-reel master tape outside of Bahrain in order to press it as there were also no labels at all. The album (self-titled) was pressed on a private Philippine-based label (WEA), which sent the 1000 copies back to Bahrain. Some of these were again sent to Bahrain's radio jockeys who played the album hailing it as a revolution in Bahrain's music history. And, they're absolutely right: Bahrain had a measly rock scene, but its folkloric music and national (as it's called there 'wataniyah'), music is the most prolific and documented music in the Arabian Gulf region.

Jalil Abdallah (left) Jahani (mid-pic) Mohammed (right).

Success didn't come flying in their way with colours: the band decided to break up one more time, and two of its members left to study abroad. In late 1983, they played live on Bahrain's national (and, only...) T.V., and by 1984 they were ready to pin down their second album after a round of successful hotel-concerts played here and there by the end of that year, naming the album 'Tales of The Divers - Live' which included some Arabic songs for the first time sung by Ferqat Al-Wehda Lil-Finoun Al-Taqlidia ('The Union Band of Traditional Arts'; a good sign of the band's reverting back to their Arabic/Bahraini roots in this concept album).

2nd album Tales of The Divers 1984.

3rd album Myths & Legends 1984.

4th album Reflections 1986.

Visions From The Past - 2007.

(Note: none of these albums are available for download because of copy-right issues).

Meanwhile, the third 'studio' album recorded was being recorded in 1984 (Myths & Legends): an awe-inspiring, synth-driven attempt at braver sounds which encouraged the band to keep as a single, solid unit without any further lineup changes (two members also quit to study abroad at that time). It was the band's highest time for creativity. Most of their earlier albums were so filled with sensitive lyrics and melodic rock somehow bordering on the nostalgic part, not to mention their deeply-influenced spiritual inner hints at magic practice, other-worldy existences, etc... trying to keep sane in a world that does not spare you your mind, but gives you mundane, worthless solace in materialistic abundances in countries like the uber-rich Arabian Gulf states.

On stage, Bahrain, with Debbie Moss
who joined them as a keyboardist.

The band's 'third' album (Myths & Legends, some say it's their second), was in the works, too and through their friends from the Philippines (Pinoys are ten-a-dime in the Gulf states and they leave their country to work there for a few bob), the band arranged to perform live there when some of the ex-members came back to join for this first outside-of-Bahrain major International concert in Manila in 1986. The Sadeqi brothers' youngest (Sabah Al-Sadeqi), also came back from the U.S. forming at first, another heavy rock band named Requiem but after a few gigs, he quit to join Osiris for their fourth album in early 1988 called 'Reflections' which was released officially in 1990-91 by the music label Musea. The band went afterwards into a musical coma whether because its members got busy with work, life, family, or just simply quit.

The full band on backstage 1984.

In the late 90's Osiris started to play and record together again, and the resultant album (Visions From The Past), was an ode to their lifework and those ex-members that passed away. The album included some classical music undertones which was so progressive to boot. Then, and in 2010 another 'pure' progressive rock album (Beyond Control - Live) in which they played their most popular songs was recorded and released. A year later, and in 2011, the band that tried to stick together throughout the years issued their swan song album after they got their collective asses to the grinding, recording-stone to release their last album ever titled 'Take A Closer Look' with the band's fullest current line-up of Mohammed Al-Sadeqi on lead, Ahmed Al Qassim on bass, Nabil Al-Sadeqi on drums, Khalid Al Shamlan on keyboards and piano, Abdel-Razzak Al-A'aryan on keyboards and synthesisers, and Ahmed Ravanbach as their vocalist.

The band today still rocking the world in 2010.

The band still plays concerts around Bahrain and outside, sometimes in memoriam of their earliest songs and just like Pink Floyd and its affiliate proggers (i.e. King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant, YES, Camel, etc...), Osiris stayed a heavy-sounding neo-prog rock band that deep within... has a soft core of gentleness and a hope for happiness just like a pearls' diver searching for the 'good' stuff way deep into the Arabian sea.

Osiris at the height of their creativity mid-80s.

Featured below is their first and best album (S/T), with its eight tracks: a highly-recommended prog-rock visionary album by all means. Some of the songs there have far-apart genres of music (psychedelia, synth-rock, 80's electro-pop, rock opera) and the reason behind this was, maybe Osiris' trying to play more than one influence gathering these in one beautiful collection of songs like we would find in their first 1982 album. Dig it with teeth and gums.

Osiris - S/T

Tracks Listing:
01- Fantasy.
02- Sailor On The Seas of Fate.
03- Struggle To Survive.)
04- Atmun.
05- Embers Of A Flame.
06- A Story Of Love.
07- Paradox In A-Major.
08- Look Before You Leap (Bonus Track).

Cont'd on the next blog-post:
Part II: 'Bahrock Bands': Early Rock Bands of Bahrain.

Cheers fer nows.


H.H.

The Jets Band: The Egyptian Les Abranis? - فرقة الجيتس.

Hiy'all, erp! I mean Salam...

I had a great ball lasterday upping Simone's first (and best) three albums. That said, once you're in Egypt it's hard for you to leave that great country as one adage there goes, "if you drink from the Nile, you have to return back again to it." So, I decided to get back to Egypt for this post flying a 'Jets' plane, and feature for your aural-pleasures some rare-ass, Egyptian rock music from the late 70's and mid-80's.

Egypt: The Land of The Pyramids.

This music is really rare, no doubt about it. It was recorded and produced on small budgets, and distributed in small numbers. The bands are all but gone, too and it's next to impossible to find information about them. I really had a hard time tracing any information about these bands for years. It wasn't easy, trust me. Few sources lead you at the long run, only... to find absobloodutely fark-all 'bout any of these old Arab rock bands that were popular 30-40 years aborning. This is the 'shove' that gave me the much-needed 'push' to write this entire blog so that the world won't take that hard road as I did (and, still do), and to show some Arabic, and various listen-worthy Middle-eastern bands and artists that are really good.

Tonight's band is an Egyptian, short-lived six-member collective of enthusiasts who got together at the end of the 70's to play some music naming their selves 'The Jets' (El-Jets - الجتس). Their music would be so easily enjoyable because it flows like honey from the land of Pharaohs, and is similar to that of the Kabyle rock (also called Rockabyle) groups like Les Abranis (الأبرانس), who rocked Algeria for many years and still do... their albums and cassettes became collectors' item the world over appearing in many prestigious compilations like the famous 'Waking Up Scheherazade', but not this band. Naw.

So, allow me 'ere to introduce you to this amazing band.

The Jets:

The Jets' first lineup circa 1978.

It was founded by Samir Habib (third from the left), who was a music prodigy with a taste that harked back to old  Arabic classicals; a musician who wanted to make old music new so, he re-wrote music for most popular 'baladi' (local folk), 'tarabyat' (old classical tunes), 'Fairuzyat/Rahbaniyat' (music of the Brothers Rahbani who also composed songs for Fairuz), 'Wahabyat' (music of Mohammed Abdel-Wahab), The Bandali Family... etc in a new format, making it sound amazingly cool.

The Jets' full lineup circa 1986.

Then, and after gaining a meager foothold at the Cairo club scene (they started playing at the famous Good Shot club in 1975 which was a-buzz with tourists who at that time, wanted to get a taste of that 70's 'eastasy' that was going all around the Arab world), the Jets started to write their own music soon and issued one album after the other (mostly on Compact-Cassettes), besides getting invited to sing and play at private parties, weddings, open-air small festivals, and even make music for commercials and quiz shows on Egypt T.V..

Iman Younis on Egypt T.V. - early 80s.

Al-Masrieen, w/Iman Younis (middle).

The Jets (الجيتس), were a rock band collective which had a huge popularity in a competitive music-sphere, set there at the topmost spot among many Egyptian 70s' bands like Ferqat Al-Masrieen ('The Egyptians Band' with Hani Chinoudah), Ferqat Al-Houb Wa Al-Salam ('The Love And Peace Band'), Ferqat Al-Asdeka'a ('The Friends Band'), The Black Coats, Les Petite Chats, Sahara Band, Ferqat Al-Nahar ('Morning'), Ferqat Al-Insan ('Human'), Ferqat Ashorouk ('The Rising Sun'), Tiebah (Hussein & Moudi El-Imam), Dr. Izzat Ouf & The 4-M Band ... etc. The original lineup was made of six members but it grew to seven when pop female singer Iman Younis joined them from Al-Masrieen Band to sing in an album (Abu Shanabat: a children's songs album), in the mid-80's. She has now a music school ('Emylise School for Music'), and leads a happy content life teaching kids how to play various instruments and how to practice singing.

The Jets 1st album.

As same for most of the above-mentioned bands, the Jets disbanded and some of its members spent the rest of their lives singing at hotels and bars to a gaggle of gawp-happy tourons (tourist morons). Samir Habib quit the band in the late 80's and the remaining members regrouped with Iman for one last album (Ya Police), adding a saxophone (read: lame), and keyboards (read again: lamer), with Jalal Saleh as co-singer to Iman's sing-a-longa voice. Few months on, and then the band went poof forever.

The Jets sounded like almost any 70's Arabeat rockers in their first years: fuck-you garage-y raw guitar strings, heavy 'chunk' drumming with a hollow echo-effect to it (studio engineering was mediocre, mind), and head-swirling rock lyrics. But, the over-all groovtacular proto-prog, psych-band sound was drowned as the early-80s' Melodelica tunes rolled in and their songs started to erm, suck. All 'nd all, many styles are there to pick and choose from. So, let's enjoy this rare music sung in Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, and English.(Whews! Must 'ave been the tourons. So 'worldelica!').


I know I might sound here like a completist shit, big whupski... But, I shall up all of their first six albums in one Mediafire Cloud folder file, and separately as individual downloadable links. Fullstop. And, you know what else? I will up one of their 'Live' albums (sung in English), to make the list complete. The tote would be 7 albums,babes. Not bad for a night spent beside the Nile, righty-oh? If the old adage saying holds any truth to it, man alive! I wanna drink the whole of the damn rivaaa!

Here below are the linkages to their albums, individually.

The Jets - الجيتس: Complete Discography:

-First Album - Shedd El-Hizam - (Fasten Your Seat-Belts).

-Second Album - Alo!! Alo!!











-Third Album - Abd El-Routine - (Slave of Routine).









 
-Fourth Album - El-Maya Feen Ya Afandi - (Where's The Water, Sir).

-Fifth Album - Sidi Ya Sidi - (Boy Oh Boy).

-Sixth Album - Abou Eshanabat - (The Moustachioed One).

 
-Seventh Album - Ya Police - ('Help! Police')*.
-The Jets - Live Recordings (in English).
-Bonus:
The Jets: Live at The Good Shot Club.**


*[Not uploaded, sorz babes].
**[Was uploaded on 03|15|12].


Guys and guyettes, I urge you to enjoy these rare tracks. They are yours at Audiotopia: your faithful blog for Middle-eastern sounds.

Rock on.

H.H.

Simone: Egypt's Madonna? - سـيـمــون.

Halla!

Today's the birthday anniversary of Mohammed Abdel-Wahab (13th March, 1902- 4th May, 1991). A very gigantic figure of Arabic music who's Egyptian. Abdel-Wahab's music defined a whole century of Arab-listeners over and over, keeping the olden traditional forms of music intact, and at the same time, developing these into worldly standards. He was a genius. His music is studied by scholars nowadays to get hints on how old and new music can live side by side.

This anniversary has led me to think for a while about the Egyptian music in general, and the 'new stuff' in particular. I don't like extremes such as 'old' and 'new'. But, what if I wanted to see who among the many, uncountable Egyptian musicians was the most 'out there'? Whose music was the bravest attempt at modern sounds, and still wasn't as boring as, say Madonna's? Simone was the answer.


Simone:

'Sweet' Simone. 1988.

She's adorable. I mean it. This young Egyptian woman (full name: Simone Phillipe Kamil,  born 1966 - سيمون), beside being so attractive, was 'One-dear-ful' and oddtastic, too. First, one of her close cousins is none other than (gulp?) Hassan Al-Asmar! Wow! She, in the meanwhile looks like a supermodel when her famous chaabi  cuzza (who passed away earlier this year), looked like one of these street peddlers that sell 'termis' (lupine; considered the cheapest food to buy, and for a nutritian... the world's most non-bioavailable food), on some street abutting the Nile in Cairo!

Simone:
the coolest girl in Egypt

To continue in my explanation... one scene in a film these two shared the lead roles at, has them both groping and kissing like hot monkeys! When in a strict Islamic-tradition country like Egypt such PDAs would start a fuckin' riot. Islamist rightists are now back at the power seats in the newly-elected Egyptian Parliament, and it's not boding well so far for artists and musicians alike (some got jailed last month, and one of them was A'adil Imam; Egypt's first actor). Such open sexual freedom demands cojones on Hassan's side, and a load of heuvos for Simone's and yes ma dearies... She got these by the truck-load.

She was born in Shubra which is a very popular (or, chaabi) neighbourhood, in uptown Cairo, and came from the same descent as Hassan himself was known: Saeedi. These are like 'yokels'/'boors'/'hicks' etc in say America, clodhoppers in England, and country folks everywhere else in the world. Saeedis, or as some call these folk people sa'aiydah, are a ripe fodder for jovial jokes and urban legends as well. Everyone all around the Arab world takes alorra Mickey outta them. But, we're not here to do the same to Simone. God forbid it.

On The Nile, circa 1989.

Her first singing career steps were at a singing contest for hmm, Greek songs. Simone won the contest with flying colours. I don't think that it's her voice only that got her that, but she's a stunna (in Egyptian aesthetic levels, OFC). Soon, every producer and film director wanted to put his hands on this new 'Madonna' lookalike. Actually, that's become her nickname in Egypt: Madonna Masr (مادونا مصر), on which she said to the press once that she, "didn't mean to become Khwajayah", or 'foreign'. Her singing career was a musical 'odd-yssey' dedicated to a young generation of Egyptian youth who wanted to feel free, have fun, and yes... be able to dress; walk, talk, get sad, mad, bad... and love the way they very well damn pleased. The whole world has witnessed these youngsters in that 25th, January, 2010 revolution, or 'Sawrat Masr' and how they single-handedly toppled Mubarak's reign and presented him to a tribunal to prosecute his ass. Gyppies rock, yeah... but, 90% of that revolution was backed by American and western (read: France and Britain) neo-colonial dickwads to set the country at chaos so they can siphon all the natural gas reservoirs newly-discovered near Doumyat city on the Mediterranean coast up north.

Anyways Simone's not yer average Jane. Nah. She's wild (picture on far left), mischievous, playful, funny, crazy-kooky. She's well-composed (picture on the far right), gentle, loving, sweet-eyed, all a woman. And the middle picture shows how she looks 112% Madonna! (middle one)... This young woman —even in a society that eats 'gossip' and rumors with every meal like the Gyppies, she laughed at these rumors that were mostly endless sexual innuendos about her having an affair with this or that so-and-so artist/businessman etc. Simone's also well-educated and knows many languages, too. She graduated from The American University in Cairo (AUC), and holds a B.A. in French Literature.

Singing on stage, 1991.

That contest was part of the AUC's extracurricular activities in fact, and a well-known producer who managed many Egyptian singers at that time (namely, Tariq Al-Kashif), was given the heads-up by the famous writer Jamal Abdel-Aziz about her. Add one to one... I mean, three... and he ended up producing her first three albums which I will up them all for yer listening pleasure right here in this post. Other art directors took notice of her exceptional looks and singing ability and were really interested in this young woman as to make a bunch of films starring herself alongside the 'usual suspect' male popular star. The total of her albums amount to six, and they are good works of 80's & early 90's Arabic popular music that differ by streets and miles than Abdel-Wahab's classical Arabic music. But, still worth a listen. Some even seemingly veer audibly on synth-pop, hip-hop, and yeah... that much-abhorred word 'disco'.

With singer-actor Mohammed Munir
in Youm Mour We Youm Helw - 1988
a Kahyeri Besharah film.

Then, eh... came her T.V. years, and that was just horrible. Honestly, she's not a good actress. The damage didn't stop at this: a crazyassed theatre star (actor Mohammed Subhi) asked her to perform popular plays with him and she agreed wholeheartedly. This Subhi whatever was a nutcase whose plays were musical headache-inducing, three-hour non-stop retardedness. I'm sure as sin on Sunday it was the beginning of the end for both her singing and acting career. Damn! Another shitwad who did her damage was Amr Diab. This fat cunt the western world loves to listen to and mumbles his stupid songs like bubonic baboons... chose her to star with him in one of his films (Ice-cream Fee Gleem - آيس كريم في جليم), just to make use of her good looks to sell tickets. Little wonder he's still singing and she's not, and that he's a millionaire, too.

Khwajayah, or foreign Simone.

When asked who does she think will be the best star in the music scene (and, the acting one) back in the late-80s... Egyptian film-star Souad Husni said, "Simone will!". Simone was a sweet woman and not a sweet Cinderella story that kitchy children books like to make out of a simple success story. Strong will and a real life-affirming love makes people stars regardless of how much one has behind the bank doors, or who sings whose songs. She didn't become rich like 'Maddy-Mo The Material Girl Madge' did, but she was rich in heart with her mellow, child-like innocence and very cute voice one must hear from time to time to remind him or herself how life is still worth living.

Jacket of her last album Tani Tani.

Simone today:
Still young and veracious. Grr!

Lastly, and in one interview, she was asked what's the best film role that she most wanted to act, and her answer was: Susan Hayward's Barbara Graham in her 1958 film 'I Want to Live!'. She didn't win much stardom for too long, correct... she lost lovers here and there, righto... but, she won her life. I shouldn't have written her a long post like this: all I had to say about Simone was one word: Happy.



Have fun listening to her 'happy' songs that most Arabs have forgotten, sadly. You're to find here her first three albums and these came out in the early 90's but the songs are from different collections and studio recordings made between the mid-80's up to the early 90's. Bonus is a 1993 'Best Hits' comp. The music varies from New-Romantic 80's sound, to old-skool hip-hop and drum-machine-led break-beats. Some songs were remakes, or 'covers' of Euro-disco hits from the mid-80's. It's a variation of styles little seen in any Arab pop singer. Simone's music is gorge, and her voice makes even those stupid songs sound so good to listen to, and ultimately... sing. A true musician, really.

Les' sing now. Funjoy!

1.) Simone سيمون - (Batkalim) Gad - I Am Talking Seriously - بتكلم جَد issued 1990.

01- Beskout - (Biscuit) - بسكوت

02- Einou Mine - (He's Eying Me) - عينو مني
03- Hikayat - (Stories) - حكايات
04- Leila - (Night) - ليلة
05- El-Haya - (Life) - الحياة
06- Toumba - *تومبا
07- Batkalim Gad - (I Am Talking Seriously) - بتكلم جَد

2.) Simone - Allo - ألو issued, 1991.

01- Helou We Morr - (Bittersweet) - حلو و مر
02- Allo - ألو

03- Rekka - (Sweetness) - رقة

04- Einey - (My Eye) - عيني

05- Masbsoutah - (Correct) - مزبوطة

06- Ana Moush Seme'et (I Didn't Hear A Thing) - أنا مش سمعت

07- Al Eih (As If) - آل إيه

08- Wareeny (Show Me) - وريني

09- Allo - (Instrumental)

10- Ana Moush Seme'et - (Instrumental)

3.) Simone - Aheb Akolak - أحب أقولك - I Like to Tell You issued 1993.
01- Estana Chiwayah (Stay for Just A While) - إستنه شوية

02- Mashia Fi Hali (Walking On My Own) - ماشية في حالي
03- Ella Embareh (All But Yesterday) - إللا إمبارح
04- Sadekni Behebak (Believe Me, I love You) - صدقني بحبك
05- Fee El-Gana (In Heaven) - في الجنة
06- Aheb Akloak - (I Like to Tell You) - أحب أقولك
07- Ayza Asarakh - (I Want to Be Open With You) - عايزة أصارحك
08- Al Dounia Trouk - (Life Gets Better) - الدنيا تروق

Simone - Greatest Hits issued 1993.
01- Taxi - تاكسي
02- Batkalim Gad
03- Tani - (Again) تاني
04- Casanova - كازانوفا
05- Wayyak - (With You) وياك
06- Ka'edeen Sakteen - (Sitting Silently) قاعدين ساكتين
07- Einou Mine
08- Toumba*
09- Kalbi El-Loulou - (My Pearly Heart) قلبي اللولو
10- Merci - ميرسي

*A remake of Aris San's Boom Pam! Wonderful.

H.H.