1950's and 1960's Greek Music Videos

 Every once in a while it seems like a good idea to take a brief detour from the world of rebetika / bouzouki / drunken-zembekiko-dancing and go upscale to hear some pop; this particular video is a doozy and features the future worldwide star Nana Mouskouri.  The video quality is excellent, the dress and hairdo are exquisite, and the band is dope (plus they whistle -- this might be the only video on this blog with such enchanting whistling).  To top off everything, there is a woman in the crowd who seems to be having one of the When Harry Met Sally -- "I'll have what she's having" moments... Nana Mouskouri's career took her far beyond Greece and Greek music -- she studied opera and jazz and is best known for her work in French (I believe this video was recorded just before she emigrated to Paris).  For more head to her wikipedia page or check out your parents Long-Play albums.  At this point she is still living (if you are reading this Nana: Howdy from the great

 Here's a nifty one.   The band takes off and Ms. Giannakopoulou stumbles onto the stage (see below) and  delivers a dazzling performance to a rapturous audience.   I am guessing (with only circumstantial evidence) that this was a scene from the 1965 movie Storm ( Kataigida ) which is, according to IMDB, about the relationship between a successful male composer and a singer whose career is going downhill and who is "battling with alcohol dependence".   The action takes place in what looks like a movie theater.  To top things off, the camera cuts away to an adjoining room where some contentious dialogue takes place, probably about her condition.  Final question -- Is the bouzouki player on the right the same person who did those hot licks at the beginning of the  Panos Gavalas and Ria Kourti video? Yota Agelastopoulou (from the comments, as translated by HRH Google*) puts it much better than I ever could.  She says  A unique and unrepeatable story of the people, she shock

 Another subtle but wonderful video!  Fine stage, great band, beautiful singer, good songs... Plus there's dancing, interesting things happening with the cheery crowd, cutaways to boats and much more.  All in all this is a fine use of your precious spare time, even if it does not hit the crazy highs and dismal lows of some of the other featured videos in this blog. Spyros Kalfopoulos was a composer, actor and musician (and that's about all I could find out).  I know even less about Kati Petrakis, except that she is totally awesome!   This seems to be from the 1959 movie I Want a Forceful Man , a title that definitely would not go over well these days.  Here's a description from IMDB Mina is married with Lakis who is too kind and soft,so she tries to make him react somehow, by flirting with another man. His friend Nionios who is a womanizer, advises him to flirt with other women too... Surprisingly, Lakis, who is as meek as a lamb, makes Mina, his wife, furious. And, as a re

Nothing too offbeat or amusing here -- just a great song, a hot band, and wonderful singing... The video begins with some fine twin bouzouki playing.  Those guys know that they have something special going on and smile broadly after they pull off their riffs. This is from the 1963 movie "7 Days of Lies".  Here is the plot summary according to our friends at IMDB:  To keep the generous wedding gift by her affluent aunt, an imaginary wife enlists the help of a poor bookseller to pose as her loving husband for as long as she stays in Athens. Can he survive seven days of lying? And here are a portion of the lyrics, according to  Stojance Dezalekov (in the  comments below the video) as translated by  G oogle. You have given me bitter medicine Bitter very bitter Which if it was someone else he would have hated you But I love you, I love you   You don't hurt me, that's why you torture me You don't really love me You bully me and tear my heart apart You don't love me

 Here's something a little different -- a pleasant domestic scene with a family, a piano and some duet and communal singing (and one of the youngsters playing bouzouki type lines on guitar).  All in all a picture of bliss -- hopefully the phone call at the very end doesn't change anything, but unless you watch the 1967 film "The Wren Who Became a Lamb" you may never know. Slim Yannis, in the comments section (helpfully translated by Google) raves about the pianist -- " Maro Kotou belongs to the generation of miracle women who raised Greek cinema to its peak. Beautiful, funny, talented, a wonderful actress."