My Only Consolation - Classic Pireotic Rembetika 1932 - 1946
Various artists
Rounder Records
Rounder CD 1136
| Mrkos Vamvakris | Koroidho (Sucker) |
| Giorgos Batis | Sou 'chi Lachi (It's just your luck) |
| Anestis Dhelias | O Ponos tou Prezakia (The junky's pain) |
| Stellkis Perpinidhis | Vlamissa (Tough Chick) |
| Stratos Pagioumtzis | Lament in the minor |
| Mrkos Vamvakris | O Grousouzis (Jonah - The Jinx) |
| Stelios Keromitis | I Moni Mou Parigoria (My Only Consolation) |
| Michlis Yenntsaris | Ego Mangas Fenomouna (It Showed I Was a Mngas) |
| Mrkos Vamvakris | Don't Be Stubborn With Me |
| Mrkos Vamvakris | Down There in Dhrapetsna |
| Stratos Pagioumtzis & Stelios Keromitis | Pandara ola ta psila (I Gambled All My Change) |
| Hadzichristos - Stamoulis | I Manoula |
| Mrkos Vamvakris | M'Ekapses Tsachpina (You've Wounded Me, My Flirt) |
| Giorgos Batis | Btis the Dervish |
| Anestis Dhelias | Nikos Trellakias (Crazy Nikos) |
| Mrkos Vamvakris- Kostas Roukounas | Ziliara (Jealous Woman) |
| Mrkos Vamvakris | Mana me Macherosane (Mother, They've Stabbed Me) |
| Ioannis Papaioannou | Serviko Smyrneiko |
| Ioannis Papaioannou | Otan Dho To Dhio Sou Matia (When I See Your Two Eyes) |
| Giorgos Kavouras | Mia Varkoula Tha Navlosa (I'll Hire Myself a Boat) |
| A Hadzichristos | Servikos Horos |
| Stratos Pagioumtzis - Kostas Kaplanis | O Loulas |
Here is a lovely collection, from Rounder Records, who take great care to give good value in their compilations. This comes with a very informative leaflet, in English. There's an introduction, a useful glossary, and each track has excellent notes, telling you who is on it and when it was recorded, as well as the words in transliterated Greek and in English translation. There are some good photographs as well.
As the subtitle says, this is absolutely classic Pireotic Rebetiko. Male singers, bouzouki, baglama, guitar. The subjects are drugs, tuberculosis, love and drugs. Lots of Markos Vamvakaris, some great tracks by Batis and Stratos Pagioumtzis. Soon after these tracks were recorded, the Fascist government imposed censorship, and everything changed. Yet another vital CD...