Selda
Vurulduk Ey Halkim Unutma Bizi (spain)
There were female Turkish folk singers before Selda Bagkan, but none whose hot-blooded voice carried such righteously angry words and none who also accompanied themselves on guitar. Her first (s/t) album had help from the cream of the crazy Istanbul pop scene, and cuts from the same sessions were also released on this second LP. While the direction is folky overall, there's fuzz, zooming synthesizers, and heavy flute to be found as well. When Selda performed the title track in 1977, in a coastal town not far from Istanbul, her protest lyrics, though taken from an old poem, got her heckled by audience members who screamed that she should go back to Moscow! Find out why this brawny mama couldn't be stopped by a military government that put her on trial 9 times, and could call herself the bitter voice of the Turkish people. Comes with fully remastered sound, and a booklet with liner notes.