The Orient
Express' sole LP from 1969 stands today as an early experiment in world
fusion - and a pretty successful one at that, at least artistically.
Guitarist Guy Duris is a Frenchman who became enamored with the oud, a
classical Arabian guitar. Belgian Bruno Giet is a bass player with a
rock background. Iranian Farshid Golesorkhi is an award-winning
percussionist in the Persian tradition. As a trio, they only left 35
minutes for posterity, but these minutes are filled with interesting
ideas and kitschy songs, all originals. All three men sing in English,
with an accent so thick most lyrics become undecipherable (and, from the
bits you can make out, they don't seem worth deciphering), but the
songs are quite good and very positive: "Dance with Me" features greatly
ornamented vocals Arab-style, while "A Little Star" and "For a Moment"
are straightforward pop songs of their time, albeit with dumbek battling
the drum kit for percussive prominence, and sitar providing a
background texture. Duris and Golesorkhi get solo features ("Layla" and
"Impulse (Forty-Two Drums)" respectively), and "Azaar" is a canon song.
The other tracks are instrumentals ranging from Indian-tinged
psychedelic tunes to crosses between French pop and Middle-Eastern
classical music. The Orient Express uses a lot of the clichés associated
with Middle-Eastern music, except that these were not cliché yet back
in 1969 and they are being used here in good faith. It explains why this
LP still sounds fresh and exciting today. Line-up / Musicians Bruno Giet/vocals,guitar Farshid Golesorkhi/Drums,percussions,vocals Guy Duris/sitar,vocals Discography The Orient Express 1969
1.Fruit Of The Desert 2.Dance For Me 3.Layla 4.Birds Of India 5.Train To Bombay 6.Caravan Of Silk 7.Azaar 8.For A Moment 9.Impulse (42 Drums) 10.A Little Star 11.Cobra Fever
