June 18, 2018 - Erkin Koray - Aska Inanmiyorum (1973)

Erkin Koray was featured on the blog in June 2016 with his song Mesafeler. Since I just can't get enough of his debut album, here's another one called Aska Inanmiyorum.

The title translates as "I don't believe in love", and the lyrics are pretty harsh:

I loved for years, burned with your love

I don't believe in love any more

I suffered a lot since I loved

I don't mind if she leaves me

If my heart that is beating for her burns

Let it burn, I don't burn

You said you loved, you told a lie

You ruined the heart that loved you

You deceived me and you didn't know my worth

I don't believe in your words any more

As is typical of Anatolian rock, the music combines middle eastern melodies with psychedelic rock instrumentation. The 0:41 intro passes through a few stages before the vocals appear. I particularly like the drum fill at 0:18. Erkin's voice is pure and passionate, I'm so glad autotune wasn't around in the 70s. I can't stand that garbage, unless it's used in a funny way.

Check out the drum fill that leads into the brief solo at 1:51. Brilliant. The guitar has that clean tone with a percussive element to it, kind of a sitar effect. I believe there is also a Baglama, a Turkish stringed instrument used on many songs.