George Dalaras & Vassilis Papakonstantinou - Live At Attikon (2CD, 1991)

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George Dalaras & Vassilis Papakonstantinou - Live At Attikon (2CD, 1991)

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George Dalaras (Greek: Γιώργος Νταλάρας, born 29 September 1949), also possibly spelled as Yorgos or Giorgos Dalaras, is a Greek singer. He is of international fame and has recently been selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. He was born in Nea Kokinia, Piraeus. His father was Loukas Daralas, a singer of rebetiko. Dalaras' first song, "Προσμονή" ("Expectation"), was recorded in 1967. The single never reached any popular status, in fact it was barely released. Dalaras even had to struggle to get into the studio, as ironically the day he began his studio career was the day that the Greek military junta took over the streets of Athens, and the roads were littered with tanks. After several appearances on various recordings as a guest singer, his debut album was released in early 1969, a self-titled album released on the Minos label. The recording included many compositions by Stavros Kouyioumtzis, who in the early years proved a fountain of help towards Dalaras achieving musical success. As Dalaras has said in various interviews, he owes the fact that he became a singer to Kouyioumtzis, who composed Dalaras' first songs. His relation with Kouyioumtzis remained friendly until the sudden death of the composer due to a heart attack in March 2005. The biggest hit of the record, "Pou 'nai ta chronia", is still sung today, and is regarded as a mainstay in Dalaras' large repertoire. In 1970, he released the album Natane to 21 ("If only it were 21", that is, 1821, a reference to the Greek War of Independence). The album was immediately more successful than his debut LP and included hits such as "Natane to 21", "Kapou nichtoni", and an instrumental version of "Pou 'nai ta chronia". The album was made up entirely of a compositions by Stavros Kouyioumtzis. The songs were mainly reinterpretations, as was common in the late 60s for new Greek singers; however, not all the songs on their first release (most of them on the smaller yet more distinctive LYRA label) had proved successful, and in many instances, even now, many people in Greece believe that the Dalaras songs are originals and not cover versions.

In 1972, Dalaras, along with singer Haris Alexiou, received his big break in the Greek music industry when their LP Mikra Asia (Asia Minor) went platinum, his first album to do so. The songs were written by Apostolos Kaldaras, a heavyweight in the laïkó scene of the 50s and 60s, who at this time decided to enter the political fray of Greek music. Dalaras and Alexiou were immediately thrown into the limelight. The LP was also recently re-released in both CD and limited edition LP format by Minos-EMI. The Mikra Asia LP was followed up by Vizantinos Esperinos (Byzantine Vespers) in 1973. The album consisted again of Dalaras and Haris Alexiou, and was composed by Apostolos Kaldaras, however the lyrics were by the emerging Lefteris Papadopoulos, who had written Dalaras' first official recording. This was the last time that Dalaras officially worked with Apostolos Kaldaras in the studio, however, they worked together in live performances. Unlike Mikra Asia, Vizantinos Esperinos did not meet with exceptional sales, and is somewhat 'forgotten' in the repertoire of Dalaras's songs. After several LPs and further collaborations with Kouyioumtzis, Kaldaras, Manos Loizos, Mikis Theodorakis and others, Dalaras decided to release his own renditions of rebetiko songs on the double LP 50 Chronia Rebetiko Tragoudi released 1975. The recording proved an immediate success, despite the toning down of the lyrics. However, as a result, a new movement was set to take place in Greek music, and the once forgotten rebetes were finding themselves performing, in some cases for the first time in 30 to 40 years. He followed up this work with an LP in 1980, Rebetika tis Katochis, which was a more gritty and meaty release, more faithful to the tone of the original rebetika as heard in the 1930s. However again references to drugs were cut out, and only mentioned in passing. Unlike the previous double LP, this one contained some of the original musicians, Bayianteras and Genitsaris in particular making an appearance on the album.

Since the 1960s, George Dalaras has recorded more than 120 records. He has sung numerous different Greek music styles (e.g. rebetiko, laïkó, Latin, pop), Israeli and Arabic music, and religious music. He has collaborated with many contemporary Greek composers, including Mikis Theodorakis, Stavros Kouyioumtzis, Manos Loizos, Apostolos Kaldaras, Stavros Xarhakos and Manos Hadjidakis to Christos Nikolopoulos. He also discovered and supported little Areti Ketime, whose first CD album he produced. Apart from his prominent singing career, Dalaras is considered to be one a talented musician as he plays most of the stringed instruments of a Greek folk band with great success, including the guitar, bouzouki, baglama, tzoura and outi. He has accompanied Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucía, among others. Dalaras' most important projects include collaborations with several international singers, including British singer Sting, even releasing a duet with Sting ("Mad About You"). He has also collaborated with Pyx Lux, Bruce Springsteen, Jethro Tull, Emma Shapplin, Goran Bregovic, Apostolis Anthimos, Dulce Pontes, Andriana Babali and many others. Dalaras moved from his homestay label of Minos EMI in favour of Universal Music Greece in 2006, thus ending an almost 40 year collaboration. At 2000 George Dalaras discovered a new local orchestra that specialized at traditional "Smirneiko" and "Rebetiko" songs. The orchestra's name was "Estoudiantina Neas Ionias" and it came from Nea Ionia, a city near Volos. Dalaras pulled Estoudiantina in the light of publicity and make it known to the Greek public. Since then Estoudiantina has become one of the most important and famous orchestras in Greece. Estoudiantina's repertoire now also includes Modern Greek, Greek Laiko, and Mediterranean.

In his almost 40 year singing career, Dalaras has performed in thousands of concerts, and in 1980, entered the era of the live Greek club. Two historical concerts occurred in the Athens Olympic Stadium, attended by more than 160,000 people. This was the largest attendance at a Greek concert, to the point where Rolling Stone magazine commented that Dalaras was responsible for the birth of the Stadium era in Greece. Dalaras personal albums total beyond 70. He has sold more than 12,000,000 records in his career and is regarded as one of the biggest names in contemporary Greek music. He has toured extensively throughout the world and was even invited to sing for Nelson Mandela on his birthday. Currently his album sales are about 12.000.000. His live albums, including tributes to Vassilis Tsitsanis and Markos Vamvakaris, all reached multi platinum sales, and resulted in being among the top 10 releases of 2005. December 2005, he released a live recording called "Mediterranean 30th 40th parallel - Μεσόγειος 30ος 40ος Παράλληλος" with various renditions of Greek, Italian, Israeli and Arabic songs, and famous musicians from Hebrew and Arabic backgrounds, which gained multi platinum status, however, sales of his last three studio LPs have been not so successful.

Vasilis Papakonstantinou (Βασίλης Παπακωνσταντίνου) (21 June 1950) is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in Greek rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus. Vasilis Papakonstantinou was born in a village called Vasta, outside of Megalopolis, Arcadia. In 1957 he moved to Athens along with his family. He has three siblings. His adolescence was marked by the musical and social trends of the 1960s: Mikis Theodorakis, protest rock, international peace and liberation movements, while Greece was trying to quickly heal the wounds of the Greek Civil War. According to some interpretations, the Left sought to shelter itself and give a perspective to the shattered disappointment following the civil war by providing a sensitive and claiming culture. Vasilis Papakonstantinou became a follower of the left without ever becoming a member of a leftist party. In 1973, after having served in the Hellenic Army, fulfilling his national service obligations, he moved to West Germany and settled in Munich. There he participated in anti-dictatorship organisations, campaigning against the Greek military junta of 1967-1974 and singing in places with a considerable Greek student and immigrant population.

His first musical encounter was with Mikis Theodorakis in the summer of 1974, in Paris - their collaboration commenced two years later. In 1974 Vasilis returned to Greece following the fall of the dictatorship and embarked on a professional singing career, singing in clubs, and also recorded a 45 rpm gramophone record. That same year he collaborated on the recording of "Ta Tragoudia tou Dromou" (Road Songs) by Manos Loïzos. In 1975 he recorded "Ta Agrotika" (Rural Songs) by Thomas Bakalako and met with two composers with whom he was going to work closely for many years: Manos Loïzos and Thanos Mikroutsikos, two composers that were bearing a fresh new sound to Greek music. Both of them promoted in new manners the songs of the big city without following faithfully the traces of popular or artistic music of earlier famous composers. Papakonstantinou's interpretation was ideal in expressing their dynamism and expressiveness. In 1976 his much anticipated collaboration with Mikis Theodorakis took place in the recording of "Tis Exorias" (Songs of Exile), and in 1978 the composer included Vassilis in the singers who took part in his international tour of Europe, the Americas and Australia. At home Papakonstantinou actively took part in youth and worker movement rallies, singing at strikes, meetings, anti-racist and anti-fascist concerts. From that time on, just before the 1980s, Papakonstantinou began demonstrating influences from the international rock movement. He performed songs which had an obviously more electronic sound and more acute and intervening lyrics. This trend appeared gradually in the two records that he recorded in the early 1980s; the first one was titled after his name and included songs written by Antonis Vardis and adaptations of songs written by Dionysis Savvopoulos, Mikis Theodorakis and Luis Lach. The second one "Fovame" (I fear) with songs composed by Manos Loïzos, Lakis Papadopoulos, Giannis Zouganelis and Giannis Glezos consolidated his profile from that time up to date. He met Nikolas Asimos and took part in his first record "Xanapes" (Say it again) by singing two songs. Assimos became the second person after Loizos, who influenced him a lot with his peculiar personality. In 1984 with his record "Dieresi" (Division) his new sound was finally established. In 1987 he reconfirmed it in "Heretismata" (Greetings) including songs by Nikolas Asimos, Aphrodite Manou, and Christos Tolios and by the mid-1980s Vassilis Papakonstantinou was considered one of Greeces most popular concert performers. In April 1985, a 16,000 audience attended his first major personal concert at the Peace and Friendship Stadium and again in June 1988 at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium on Alexandras Avenue. Vasilis, never received any support from the media; even though his era was eroting away as many suggested 8 years ago, however in the 19th festival of EDON (new democratic youth of CYPRUS- or as many would suggest the Communist youth) Vasilis managed to attract a 20,000 tickets-sold-audience, many managed to enter the concert by jumping over walls and fences reasing the sum of those attended to around 23,000; making it probably the biggest concert ever made on the island ever. He united three generations of fans including a strong following of "educated" adolescent fans. At the end of the 1980s he interpreted "difficult" songs with lyrics written by Kostas Tripolitis and music by Thanos Mikroutsikos. In between he sang "Chorevo" (I am Dancing) and in the new decade he sang for the second time after 1978 in "Stavros tou Notou" (Southern Cross) songs by Nikos Kavvadias and Thanos Mikroutsikos. Although his songs of the last years follow the sound of "popular" culture he hasn't hesitated to record LP albums on the verses of two of the most celebrated Greek poets. In 1984 he sang poetry by Kostas Karyotakis in a record named after the poet, and in 1993 "Fissai" (It is Blowing) had verses by Tassos Livaditis and music by Giorgos Tsegaris. He interpreted Nikolas Asimos again in 1992 in "Falimento tou Kosmou" (The end of the World) and in the last decade he made "Sfedona" (Sling). In 1995 he made "The Shikoni" (Impossible) cooperating with Alkis Alkeos, Christophoros Krokides, Vassilis Giannopoulos, Stamatis Mesimeris, Aphrodite Manou, Odysseas Ioannou and Minos Matsas. The last record that hit the market in April 1997 under the title "Pes mou ena Psemma gia na Apokimitho" (Tell me a Lie to Sleep), included songs of Nikolas Asimos, Apostolos Boulassikis (making his first appearance), Stamatis Messimeris, Giannis Ioannou, Vassilis Gianopoulos, Christophoros Krokides, as well as the song, "Malista Kyrie" (Yes Sir) by Giorgos Zampetas and Alekos Kagiantas.