1.23.2006
Sabah s/t
Sabah s/t LP (Phillips Lebanon, 196??)
You are about to hear one of the most amazing voices ever. Born in 1927, Sabah is one of the legendary voices of Lebanese and Arab music. Her stature in Lebanon is only rivaled by the great Fairuz. How big is Sabah? Think Sinatra big. During the 1940s, 50s, 60s, & 70s she appeared in over 80 movies, made dozens of albums, toured the worlds, and much much more. She was married 8 times, rare for women in the Arab world. Her marriages not only gave Arab women a sense of indipendance; Sabah's dress also showed Arab women that they could be colorful and creative. In the 1960s, her wearing of short pants in public caused a national scandal and wrecked on of her marriages. Now in her 90s, she is still on many men's wish list, though after a failed romance in the early 2000s, she asked her daughter to poison her if she ever fell in love again, a request she took back when she fell in love to a much younger man. Recently she told a radio announcer the only thing she hasn't done that she is looking forward to doing is to die. According to reports, she said this as a matter of fact, not with a hint of sadness.
I knew nothing of Sabah before I found this record and I probably would not have picked this one up had I not been dating a belly dancer at the time. The belly dancer was pretty bummed when she heard this because it doesn't lend itself to dancing. I was anything but disappointed: I was floored. The voice you hear on Abou el Zolof is not doctored. No editting was involved. It is pure lung power and remarkable voice command. The two blast you hear are more than 20 seconds long. When I first heard it, I walked over to the turntable to pick up the needle because I thought there was a skip. But when I looked, the needle was moving smoothly through the grooves. When I play this for friends, they ask me if the record is skipping and when they find out it is not, they are in awe. I hope the same feeling comes over you.
# posted by Scott Soriano : 07:32
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Oh my god!! I can't believe that's really her voice. This is incredible. Thank you for posting this!
# posted by 
: 14:47
: 14:47
N, I dont. I've only seen one copy of the record posted and it is the one I have. I have bought two copies of Pinwheels but those are the only ones I've seen. Online her records go for $20 - 75. There are some "Best of..." cds available but even those are in the $20+ range (though maybe less in Europe). I am sure that if you were to visit Arab countries you would find a lot for next to nothing.
it's funny, the same thing happened to me. i was listening to this last night, and i thought the record skip had been recorded on the mp3. I thought, "this is one of those recordings that is worth dealing with the skip" then I came downstairs the next morning, did some surfing, read the post I had not yet read, only to find that there was no skip after all.
# posted by : 04:16
: 04:16
i randomly stumbled upon your site here...so im not sure where i can even find the link to this album. is it still up? my mom would be shocked if she heard me play this. i remember her listening to this when i was younger.
if you still have the link and can point me in the right direction, id appreciate it. if i find it before then..thanks for putting this album up.
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if you still have the link and can point me in the right direction, id appreciate it. if i find it before then..thanks for putting this album up.
# posted by : 16:00
: 16:00<< Home
