Name: Maarifti Feek
Brand: Fairuz

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

WWSLP 036LP

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2020-06-26

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Forced Exposure

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

3700604726470

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Fairuz 

Genre US

Rest of World

Label US

Wewantsounds

Following the reissue last year of Fairuz's classic 1979 album Wahdon, Wewantsounds pursue their exploration of great Lebanese music with the first vinyl reissue of Fairuz's highly sought-after LP Maarifti Feek, originally released in 1987. Recorded in Beirut around 1983-84, the album features the diva's superb voice combined with Ziad Rahbani's jazz and funk orchestration, making it one of the most in-demand albums on the Arabic funk scene. One of the greatest singers of the Middle East, Fairuz started her career in Lebanon in the '50s and quickly established herself as the most renowned Diva in the Arabic world, playing the most prestigious venues in the world. At the end of the '70s, Fairuz was at a turning point both professionally and personally. Her husband Assi Rahbani, who, with his brother Elias, had penned her biggest successes, has suffered a stroke a few years earlier. This setback ultimately led to both the demise of their marriage and the end of their professional partnership. Enter Ziad Rahbani, Fairuz and Assi's son, a young musician, playwright, and producer who had cut his teeth writing a handful of Fairuz's song -- including her 1973 hit "Sa'alouni El Nas" -- at just seventeen. Ziad Rahbani swiftly took over from his father and uncle as the singer's musical director and composer and this fruitful association, which started in 1979 with the album Wahdon, broke many new grounds for Fairuz with funkier rhythms and edgier lyrics. It was recorded at the same time as Rahbani's own 12" Abu Ali which became a sought-after disco classic in its own right. The association between the two continued with a second album, Maarifti Feek ("Our Encounter"), recorded between 1983 and '84 in Beirut but only released in 1987. The album was another groundbreaking mix of influences ranging from the traditional arrangements of "Oudak Rannan" and "Ma Kdirt Nseet" to the Brazilian flavor of "Version 1" via the synth funk of "Ouverture 83" and its follow-up "Reprise 83". Also featured on the album is a beautiful remake of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" in the form of a tribute to the Lebanese capital, "Li Beirut." This blend of Oriental grooves with jazz and funk orchestrations by Ziad Rahbani is a unique document of Fairuz's career development in the '80s and explains why Maarifti Feek is such a sought-after album. Remastered from the original tapes.

Maarifti Feek

Music US

Buy Fairuz - Maarifti Feek (Vinyl, CD) now from Rough Trade - independent purveyors of great music, since 1976.