The Devil's
Anvil were a group of Arab-American musicians playing the New York folk
and rock club circuit in the mid-'60s. They differed from virtually
every other group experimenting with Eastern sounds because though they
were rock musicians deeply rooted to the folk traditions of their
heritages, and they played the Anatolian instruments associated with
them. Among the members of Devil's Anvil were Felix Pappalardi, then a
house producer at Columbia, and Steve Knight, who partnered with him,
and Leslie West and Corky Laing in Mountain. Knight was a founding
member of Devil's Anvil, playing rhythm guitar, bass, and bouzouki.
Other members included the excellent lead guitarist Jerry Satpir,
Eliezer Adoram on accordion, and Kareem Issaq on vocals and oud.
Pappalardi produced the set and added tamboura and durbeki (dumbek).
Hard Rock from the Middle East is the only album issued by the group.
They had the unfortunate karma of having their album released at the
height of the Arab-Israeli war and no one would touch the recording --
check out the cover and it's easy to see why. That said, this is truly a
forgotten classic. The music found here is often sung in Arabic, its
arrangements walk a tightrope between the modern psychedelia of the day
and centuries-old traditional folk modalities and melodies. There is no
camp factor in these proceedings, and each member is a heavy hitter in
his own right. According to the liner notes, Pappalardi says that the
group would back stars on the Middle Eastern circuit when they came
through New York. Tracks such as "Shisheler" and "Karkadon" (both tunes
from antiquity) illustrate the sound of the set ideally. Amid the
electric guitars that are at the forefront of the sound, oud, dumbek,
and bouzouki flood the backdrop. Elsewhere, such as on the wailing
opener "Wala Dai," the addition of studio drummer Bobby Gregg and an
uncredited Farfisa organ make the music take on a full rock personae,
while displaying its Arab characteristics in vocal, rhythmic pulse, and
harmonic scale with fuzz guitar on full-surf stun. But there are other
surprises, as well, such as "Kley," which is sung in Greek and played
according to a folk arrangement that straddles both traditions and seems
right at home as a rock tune. Likewise, "Shisheller" utilizes
psychedelic overdriven guitar and bass to fuel a celebratory Turkish
tune that is sung in its native language. This is the true stunner on
the set, where everything that Devil's Anvil possessed is on display.
The best-known cut here is "Misirlou," sung in English by Pappalardi and
is entirely different -- and better than -- the well-known cover of it
by Dick Dale. It's true that Hard Rock from the Middle East is an album
that was ahead of its time, and over four decades, later it remains so.
With its stunning musicianship, songcraft, and skillful weaving of
musical traditions into a cohesive musical statement, it endures and is
perhaps even more relevant today than when it was first released. Line-up / Musicians Bobby Gregg/drums Kareem Issaq/vocals Jerry Sappir/guitar,vocals Felix Pappalardi/bass, guitar,Bulgarian tambura,percussion,vocals Steve Knight,guitar,bass,bouzouki,Percussion Discography Hard Rock From the Middle East 1967
1.Wala Dai 2.Nahna Ou Diab 3.Karkadon 4.Selim Alai 5.Isme 6.Besaha 7.Shisheler 8.Kley 9.Hala Laya 10.Treea Pethya 11.Misirlou
