Meçhul: Singles & Rarities

Comparisons with Fats Domino or Elvis Presley don’t really do justice to the impact of Erkin Koray on Turkish music. This perennial rebel was an outcast for years and even today, he says, he cannot fully do what he wants. A master of fuzz and distortion married to Turkish instruments and rhythms, he inspired the whole movement of Anatolian rock and his concerts are still crowded with youngsters that could be his grandchildren. There’s no nostalgia, no "those were the good old days" vibe to this collection. The days were bad, just like they are today, and that is why the music and the words have so much weight. Compiled from singles never re-released and now very collectable for the visionary graphics, the CD covers his early 70s work, when Koray had his first major hits. The sound quality, given the sources, is good, while more extended information in the liner notes would have been welcome. Out-and-out rockers like ‘Krallar’, fabulous folk-inspired tunes complete with electrified saz (long-necked lute), spacey vocalising on texts drenched with existential anger and social satire, heavy rock drums and agile darbuka hand percussion: all are unified by the highly original and provocative vocals and guitar of Koray, sucking you into an absorbing musical universe. If you were ever curious about Anatolian rock, get this album and you’ll be hooked.