Oğuz Yılmaz | Uğur Böceğim

Listen to "Küme Düşersin"

Listen to "Kıskananlar Çatlasın"

Get it all here.

My first exposure to Oğuz Yılmaz was through a cassette tape that I found god knows where probably 15 years ago. Born in 1968 in Ankara, Yılmaz sings a kind of amped up Turkish folk or arabesque, similar in some ways to the great Ibrahim Tatlises.

This CD, which I found at Uludag Video (1922 Ave W, Brooklyn) several years ago remains one of my all-time favorites, for the complex coloration of the music and the ear-popping expressiveness of Yılmaz's voice. (Give a listen to the second sample above and wait a while until the vocals kick in.)

Eirini Konitopoulou-Legaki | Music from Crete

Listen to the first track on this album

Get it all here.

A really lovely CD I picked up at GMV (25-50 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11102). I just assumed that, because it looked to be a female singing duo, this CD must therefore be as awesome as this or this. My assumption was indeed correct--the album is filled with absolutely gorgeous harmonies--although I'm completely in the dark as to whether Eirini Konitopoulou-Legaki is one person or two. Help!

I've been recovering from a bout with what was either a low-grade nasal infection or early strep throat; the antibiotics I started on Friday made me feel so energetic by Saturday that I spent the day rearranging my room and writing/drawing work space. Why should you care? Because, dear reader, in the process I discovered a number of things I had long ago planned to post here but for whatever reason had slipped out of sight and mind. Insane great things. Don't believe me? Check out yesterday's post and then come back to me with your hesitation and nay-sayin'. 

Doubts quelled? I thought so.

Giao Linh | Vùng Lá Me Bay

Listen to Nhớ Một Người

Listen to "Chuyến Tàu Hoàng Hôn"

Get it all here.

A genuinely mind-blowing collection of songs by the ridiculously soulful Giao Linh. Born in in 1949 she became a superstar overnight when she appeared for the first time on Vietnamese television in 1969 at the age of 19. She left Vietnam in 1982 and resettled in San Jose, Calif., where she lives to this day.

Album no. 11 in the Nhac Vang Truoc 1975 series,this dusky jewel was plucked many years ago from the bins of a Vietnamese CD & DVD store on Argyle Street in Chicago.

Fama | Feng Wing Chi

Listen to "跟队唔该"

Get it all here.

Released in 2005 and already out of print, this is Hong Kong duo Fama's second album. You can get their first, "Poon o'da Moon," here, and their insanely wonderful "Wind and Water Rising," here.

At their best--and their best lasted for nearly half-a-dozen albums--Fama is noteworthy for the range of styles, genres and time signatures they take on--even within single tracks. (For the most ear-popping example of this, click on the link to "Wind and Water Rising" above and listen to the sample track on that page.)

This goes out to Craftypants Carol and Holly, my Online Hong Kong Hip-Hop Appreciation Sisters.

Panorama of Rebetiko Songs | 3 CD Box from Greece

Listen to "Smirneiko Minore"

Get all three CDs in 256 luscious kbps here.

An incredible collection spanning from 1927-1940, found in the same Greek store where I got this. 

I had planned to post a couple more Cheb Khaled CDs this week, but then I discovered that both were already among the 52 of his albums posted here. (Also, in response to last week's Chebfest, Hammer posted a huge collection of early Khaled on his blog, дևծιστøρία.)

So, I thought and thought and thought about what would be a nice consolation prize. And, so ... here we are.

I had to upgrade my Divshare account as it expired and they no longer offer the plan I was under. Good news for you: I now have five times the storage space. Which means, from here on out, nothing less than 256kbps ... and maybe we'll even get super-fancy and bump it all the way up to 320. 

Poke around here while you're downloading ...

Cheb Khaled | Ana Dellali

Another great early Cheb Khaled collection, most likely found in Bay Ridge, although I seem to recall having picked up at least one Khaled CD from this no-longer-there Algerian bodega on Steinway Street (where I got this). If you've stopped by the Bodega this week you already know it's All 70s-80s Cheb Khaled Week--I think I have two more CDs to go after this one, so stop by again if you you like what you're hearing.

There's some problem with my Divshare account; I can't upload. Which also means I can't make one of those song sample thingies. So, I found a video of the title song if you want to listen before you grab.

Listen to the title song of this CD

Get it all here.

Cheb Khaled | Best of Vols. 1-2

Listen to "Chaba" from Vol. 1

Listen to "Dalali" from Vol. 2

Get both at once here.

Contrary to how it looks, this is not a collection of Khaled's late-80s to present greatest hits. It's pure early to mid-80s Cheb Khaled, including raw versions of many songs that were re-recorded and spruced up for later albums--for instance, "Chaba," which you can listen to above. If you only know the Don Was-produced (and later) Khaled, you'll definitely want to check this out (as well as this and this.)

I'll be posting everything I have of Cheb Khaled from the 70s and 80s over the next few days, so check back tomorrow evening if you're a fan.

Cheb Khaled | Hada Raykoum

Given the response to the posting of Khaled's 1979 Yal Malblia yesterday, I hereby declare this Cheb Khaled Week at the old Bodega. Every night after work I'll be posting another great 70s or 80s collection by the King of Rai, stopping just shy of 1988's Kutche ... not because I don't like that album (I love it), but because most people visiting this blog will already be familiar with the later Khaled stuff. 

Although the recording in yesterday's post predates this one by some six years, it's this album--Hada Raykoum--that is generally considered to be Cheb Khaled's first studio recording. The sound on this copy is not the greatest--unlike everything else I'll be posting this week, it didn't originate with me; I found it online somewhere and I have no idea whether it was ripped from LP, cassette or CD. 

But, like I say, it's considered to be his first studio album, so it's sort of obligatory. And, yes, it does indeed rawk. You'll want to let the sample song below go on for 30-40 seconds to see what it's really going to do--although it starts out sounding a bit tame, it quickly winds itself into brilliantly fucked up, off-kilter territory the likes of which you've probably not yet experienced.

Listen to "Hadak Hobi Laoual"

Get it all here.

China A Go Go | A Bodegapop Original

Listen to "偷心的人"

Listen to "Shaking All Over"

Listen to "淚的衣裳"

Get it all here.

A selection of supremely rockin' 60s (and perhaps one or two 70s) songs from Hong Kong, Taiwan and maybe a few other places on the globe.The temptation to poach from other music blogs was great, but I instead limited myself to what I've found on CD in Manhattan and Brooklyn's Chinatowns and Flushing, Queens. (The sole exception is the Nancy Sit version of "Shaking All Over," which I couldn't find anywhere else but on a YouTube video, so I grabbed it as it's rather insanely great.)

Not enough for ya? You'll find more in this vein on No Not Nyet, here (including a version of the first song above, but ripped from fabulously warm & scratchy vinyl) and on Ghost Capital, here. (Trust me, both are well worth the time it takes to download them.)

Sexbomba | Woda. Woda. Woda.

Found last summer at Music Planet near the Nassau G stop near the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, where I also found this insanely great Joy Division tribute. (If you haven't yet grabbed that one, go get it now--it's one of the best albums I've ever posted here.)

Here's what I previously wrote about my interaction at Music Planet:

"Music Planet is a Polish CD and DVD store that I discovered a couple of weeks ago with friends as we wandered around the neighborhood, waiting for a table to have brunch. Somehow, I was able to talk them into stepping inside, after which I took note of several things [the aforementioned Joy Division tribute and Sexbomba's Woda. Woda. Woda.]...

"When I returned today I managed to find [the Joy Division tribute] immediately, but not the Sexbomba. As I stood there, scanning the stacks, one of the clerks, dressed more like a pharmacist than a guy selling CDs, asked me what seemed like a very long question in Polish as he walked by me. Assuming he was asking me the obvious, I blurted out 'Sexbomba!' He stopped, wheeled around and, again saying something that sounded incredibly long and complicated, pointed out the Sexbomba section. I thanked him in English.

"'You like this band?' he asked, without skipping a beat. He seemed impressed.

"'Mm, thanks for finding it for me.'

"'That's what I'm here for!' he replied, disappearing into the back of the store as I made my way to the register."

The members of the punk outfit Sexbomba claim to have met in 1986 while working together in the Warsaw Zoo. In their own words:

"We wanted to play fast and full of energy music supported on riffs, rythm [sic] and simple melody.

"Rock'n'Roll with punk rock means many songs with strong choruses. The lyrics are simple and sencere [sic] and are not going to teach anybody. Things have changed but we still play the same kind of music."

Google's translation feature tells me that "woda" means "water," so the title of this album would then be: Water. Water. Water.

Listen to "Sposob Na Swinie"

Get it all here.