anatolian rock blog

under construction/ tadilat var birader

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From “Anatolian Rock Revival Project”:  “Founded in 1969 by Aydın Çakus, Ahmet Güvenç and Nihat Orerel, Grup Bunalım (Depression) was one of the bands that defined Turkish underground music. Their psychedelic and raw sound is evident in the first single, “Taş Var Köpek Yok,” which was released in 1970 by Türkofon Türkiye label. Originally a Sanskrit poem, the song may be one of the first examples of Turkish garage/punk. The one who is speaking at the end of the song is none other than Cem Karaca, the manager of the band at that time. Grup Bunalım disbanded in 1972, after releasing only six 45’s”

The name of the song means “there is a rock, but no dog”, and is definitely ahead of its time in musicality. It is a political song, common of its time, featuring words like “there is a rock, there is a dog, but dare to throw it as the dog belongs to the king”. The poem was translated by poet Can Yücel, also known for his satirical poems. 

The end of the song features a dialogue, one person asking when the poem was written, and upon finding out that it was 1400 years ago, he declares they can now throw the stone, since it’s been so long. 

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“Başak Saçlım” by Grup Bunalım (Bunalım meaning “depression”)

An instrumental piece from 1971 combining traditional elements with Western rock, especially later into the song. The band, despite not being highly popular, was the home of many successful musicians who then went on to gain significance, a common phenomenon in Turkish rock music. Grup Bunalım was notable for complicated musical structures and creative riffs. Names like Cem Karaca worked as producers for the band, and another famous musician, Bülent Ortaçgil is credited for finding its name. 

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“Ölümsüzler” (The Immortals) from the band Sıfırbir (translates as Zeroone). The only known song of the band founded in 1969, Sıfırbir an example of mid-1970′s psychedelic Turkish rock. The song’s style is coherent with the global trends at the time, and could be considered as ahead of its time in the context of Turkey. The lyrics are therefore apolitical (following the global trends instead of local) and deal with childhood memories, growth and the passage of time. 

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Maraş Kalesi by Cem Karaca about the Maraş Massacre of 1978, where over a hundred Alevis and leftists were massacred in Maraş by nationalists. The intro of the song talks about witness account of children being murdered. The song repeats“Those without God killed me in God’s name” and ends in a hopeful note - “we are the people, we are reborn from death”.

More info on the massacre here.

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“İhtarname” by Cem Karaca

an “ihtarname”, warning from the Turkish people to “you”, in this context, the state, authority, elites, etc. the topic is “you know it very well”. a song about how there are “troubles like sand but no solution”, how we “gave up on heaven, we don’t have water to be washed with if we die”

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This song is about the 1980 the coup and Turkish politics in the 80s but it would be impossible to translate it’s both culturally specific and odd in terms of lyrics.

First of all the name of the song (Raptiye Rap Rap) is meant to be reminiscent of the “rap rap” sound associated with the sound of soldiers marching, so are the rhythm and the imagery in the video. Cem Karaca’s hat in the video is an allusion to military coup leader Kenan Evren’s hat.

hanimini hüppen dezigi banna rap rap tefeşle kayyüş illede kıtmir rap rap alavere dalavere kim ala da kim vere rap rap (alavere dalavere meaning dishonesty/plotting) köşeleri möşeleri dön baba dönelim rap rap (”köşeyi dönmek” as a verb means to become rich in short time with an opportunity) raptiye rap rap zaptiye zap zap rap rap (zaptiye: police force in the Ottoman Empire tasked with providing safety and quiet, referring to the army control) n’aber nitekim gene geldi şapka rap rap (what’s up, hence the hat is here again - “nitekim” (hence) was a word used often by Evren, and hat is a reference to him as well)

ben sana hayran (i admire you) sen cama tırman (you climb the window) yok içmeye bir şişe bile ayran (there isn’t even a bottle of ayran to drink - phrase used to signify poverty) nene gerek senin taht-ı revan (why do you need a palanquin - the phrase “ayranı yok icmeye tahtırevanla gider sıçmaya” means “has no ayran to drink, goes with a palanquin to shit” means someone who is poor but spends excessively to show off) maaşla gırtlak gırtlak gırtlağa rap rap (could be translated as “salaries barely enough” - talking about economic hardships) bir de kitap okuyor bakın şu çatlağa rap rap (and he reads - look at the madman!) liberal, miberal malı kap,götür al rap rap (a liberal! grab the goods!)  eriyor liralar mark al dolar al rap rap (the lira is depreciating, buy marks buy dollars!) bul bir kaşalot toriğini işlet rap rap (a term used for efforts to make money the easy way, opportunism, trickery) bir koy üç al üçünü de beşlet rap rap (put one, get three, make the three five) raptiye rap rap zaptiye zap zap rap rap n’aber nitekim gene geldi şapka rap rap üf baba bu ne be fotoğraf makinesi (oh what is this, a camera) u, a, u, a, u, a lambada markası ben sana hayran sen cama tırman şarkıyı burda yasaklasak da mı saklasak -oh george  şarkıyı yoksa yasaklamasak da mı saklasak -oh george (should we ban the song and keep it, should we keep it without banning, allusion to tonguetwister “bu yoğurdu sarımsaklasak da mı saklasak sarımsaklamasak da mı saklasak” - “should we add garlic to this yogurt and keep it, or should we keep it without garlic”. the “george” is obviously george bush.)

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(From the Youtube page - “Anatolian Rock Revival Project”)

Deniz Üstü Köpürür by Kardaşlar

“Kardaşlar, which was a very popular band in 1970’s, was founded by famous singer Cem Karaca. They released their first record Dadaloğlu in 1970 and became countrywide famous. Just after a year, they were chosen the 4th band in “the bands of the year” category, in Milliyet daily newspaper’s public survey. They released Deniz Üstü Köpürür / Çökertme, which was a taste of progressive rock rather than Anatolian rock, in 1973. In 1973, a big exchange also happened: Cem Karaca left the band and joined Moğollar while Ersen Dinleten left Moğollar and joined Kardaşlar. They also worked with Selda Bağcan as a vocalist. Vocal & Guitar: Ünol Büyükgönenç Bass guitar & kabak kemane: Seyhan Karabay Bağlama: Fehiman Uğurdemir Drums: Cengiz Teoman”

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Alamanya Berbadı by Cem Karaca 

A rather long song, can be considered to complement another Cem Karaca song, Alamanya, “Alamanya” being the name for Germany (normally Almanya) used by immigrants from Turkey. The song details the disillusionment and negative experiences of immigrants, and skepticism about the prospect of integration.

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Mavi Işıklar - Zaman

A cover of Take It As It Comes by The Doors, with Turkish lyrics, by the band Mavi Işıklar. The cover is from the 1970′s, which is a period where influences of The Doors were very visible on the band’s music, distinguishing it from its Beatles and Beach Boys inspired 1960′s sound.

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Mavi Işıklar - Ankara Rüzgarı

Originally a work of Classical Turkish Music at the makam of Muhayyerkürdi, written and composed by Gündoğdu Duran, “Ankara Rüzgarı” means “the wind of Ankara” and it was covered later on by many classical, pop and rock musicians, including Mavi Işıklar (”Blue Lights”). Mavi Işıklar were a pop rock/rock and roll band from the 1960′s, and while their music reflected Western influences of the time, they also combined this with Turkish folk and classical music, resulting in an interesting sound. 

This song was significant, as Mavi Işıklar made it to the top of the charts in Turkey with it, at a time the Beatles were almost impossible to counter in popularity in the country’s pop scene.

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Cem Karaca - Islak Islak 

From the album “Nerede Kalmıştık”, on which Cem Karaca, Uğur Dikmen and Cahit Berkay perform, the Cem Karaca song Islak Islak is a love song, where Karaca promises to do many things (like to brew your tea on the sun and strain it through his heart before giving it to you) for the loved one’s happiness, and asks “yeter ki ıslak ıslak bakma öyle” - just so you don’t look at me with wet eyes.

A famous cover of the song was made by the musician Barış Akarsu in 2005, who died in a car accident in 2007.

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Cem Karaca - Resimdeki Gözyaşları 

Recorded in 1968 with Karaca’s band at the time, Apaşlar, the song whose title can be translated as “Teardrops on the Picture” talks of a breakup, and the singer addresses his former lover, saying that she has left him and should look at a picture of him to see the tears if she wants a consolations from the days past, because that is all he has left her.

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Erkin Koray - Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum

Originally written as a folk song by Neşet Ertaş and covered in 1970 by both Erkin Koray and Cem Karaca in separate works, Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum is a song of regret after (presumably) the end of a relationship. 

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Erkin Koray - Cemalım

Originally a folk song by Refik Başaran from Ürgüp, and about the killing of a man named Cemal, sung by Erkin Koray in a more rock-like fashion in his album Elektronik Türküler (Electronic Folk Songs), the song is musically significant for the solo it contains and its psychedelic influences. Koray and his band perform the song in a calm and stoic manner, in contrast with its meaning and the mood of its original version.

The song has been covered by many other Turkish musicians, and also has reached the international scene after the cover by Koray. Here is a cover by the Icelandic band Dead Skeletons, and by the Japanese band Kawaguchi Masami. 

Selahattin Demirtaş, the leader of the political party HDP has also performed the original folk song.

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Edip Akbayram - Aldırma Gönül

Released in 1992 in Akbayram’s album Unutamadıklarım, this song is a musical interpretation of a poem by Turkish poet Sabahattin Ali. It was inspired again by the Sinop Fortress Prison, and this shows itself in the second verse: “Dışarıda deli dalgalar / Gelir duvarları yalar” “The mad waves outside / Come and lick the walls” (The Sinop Fortress Prison was built along the coast). It is an inspiring song, telling the listener not to worry, and assuring them that time heals everything.

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3 Hürel - Sevenler Ağlarmış

3 Hürel is a band created in 1970 by three brothers: Onur, Haldun and Feridun Hürel, from the city of Trabzon. They were known for their hippie-like image and the instruments they made themselves, especially in their earlier years as they faced financial difficulties, most notably the double-necked saz-guitar also seen in this video. The song is about how the singer wanted to love, but did not know that love would end sadly and that the lover would cry.

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Cem Karaca - No, no, no

The melody of the song is from a different song by Cem Karaca, Emrah, which is based on the work of Aşık Emrah, an Anatolian folk musician. The lyrics have been written in English, but they do not hold the same meaning. 

Both songs are from the late 1960′s, a period that could be considered Karaca’s youth and his early works. During this time he performed with his band “Apaşlar”.