Pomegranates

Pomegranates collects 16 tracks of the pop, rock and funk variety from Iran in the decade or so leading up to the Islamic revolution of 1979. It seems that many of these tracks have been transferred from vinyl - rescued from the revolution by those who managed to escape into exile. Each crackle, hiss or pop tells it's own story of survival, exile and memory.

Both Zia & Mohammed Nouri took James Brown's funky styling and fused them with the rhythms of a musical style known as Bandari that came from Southern Iran. Sitar player Merhrpouya was influenced by everything from the chachacha to chamber music, and for Soul Raga he found inspiration in Bach's Toccata, the James Brown horn section, and Herbie Mann's flute playing - all underpinned by a percolating, druggy tabla beat. Of the female singers gathered here, Googoosh was the most revered. Her influence on Iranian women at the time was likened to Twiggy's influence on the West. 2 of the 3 tracks included here are poppy ballads, but Talagh is a decent slab of funk. Googoosh's arch rival (they were in fact friends even though the media had them pitted against each other) Ramesh was a similar trendsetter - paisley skirts, head bands and later the classic biker garb of shorts, tights, leather boots and short curly hair. Sharm-e Boos-e owes something to Shocking Blue's Send Me A Postcard, which in turn owed more than something to Iron Butterfly's In-A- Gadda- Da-Vida. Flamenco music played a significant role in the development of Iranian music, and depending who you read, either derives from an Iranian musician who settled in Andalusia or found its way into Iran through the migration of gypsies. Dariush's gorgeous Cheshm-e Man is a prime example of both the style of playing and singing that lies at the heart of Flamenco.

After 1979, music in Iran was effectively silenced and subject to strict Islamic laws - women were, and still are, banned from singing solo in public and just last month a concert was cancelled because 2 members of the orchestra were women.

As usual with Finders Keepers, the sleeve notes are exemplary and written by the compiler, Massha Taghinia, the american born child of Iranian parents.

Ok, come on, how many of you have listened to Persian pop music before? Well i'm not one of them, so once again the legendary label Finders Keepers filled a void with the most refreshing compilation of 2010.

Finders Keepers have put together the most pop-tastic electronic pop/funk/psyche recordings made in Iran in the 1960's and 70's before the revolution and the overthrow of the Shah. The music reflects Iran at a time when it was undergoing massive change from the old traditions to a more open modernistic society. Its clear that a lot of the songs are influenced by the psychedelic vibes of the Americans and British at the time, whilst retaining its own Persian roots.

Some songs are acknowledged Iranian classics, others more obscure. Of course, i haven't a clue what the likes of Googoosh, Dariush, and Mohammad Nouri are singing about, but who cares when they all sound so good! I just hope they've got more Persian gems in the vaults as i'm itching for more, a mind-blowing album from Finders Keepers.

I am a big geek when it comes to global vintage grooves and have recently been overdosing on the stuff, but this album definitely sticks out for me in a big way. It is wonderful. Finders Keepers Records and compilers Arash Saedinia and Mahssa Taghinia have outdone themselves with a captivating collection of some rare pop funk and folk sounds from the psyche influenced music of 70s Iran, just before the cloak of musical opression brought by the Islamic Revolution was pulled over the country, silencing it's musical voice. This makes the tracks here all the more poignant and affecting knowing that these songs are like postcards from a lost era and how lucky we are to be able to hear them, as many thousands of records were destroyed in the revolution. Those lucky enough to flee took with them many LPs and books and art, taking the Persian culture into exile with them.
I've had this for nearly two months and I am still listening to it on a nearly daily basis. Highly addictive, seriously funky and hauntingly beautiful at times too, there are some heavy rhythms contained on this disc and no fan of world music, funk, psychedelia, or persian/middle eastern culture should be without it!