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Beautiful Persian pop from Faegheh Atashin, aka Googoosh (alternately, Gougoush)– and like some of the best, adventurous pop music from around the world at the the time, it's steeped in myriad styles – from emotionally string-laden to funky and danceable! Googoosh is a genuine cultural icon in the realm of period Iranian pop music, but even with that status, some of her most amazing music is stunningly rare. Finders Keepers focuses a bit on the rare stuff for this incredible set – all from the early to med 70s – and it's one of their best ever releases. We don't speak the language, but there's no mistaking the genuine soul at the center of the songs. Really great stuff! Includes "Shekayat", "Talagh", "Mano Tou", "Pishkesh", "Mano Gonjishkaye Khooneh", "Digeh Geryeh Delo Van Menikoneh", "Gharibe Ashena" and more.

Bright Persian psychedelic pop, funk, soul and boundless grooves from the 60s & 70s – one of the greatest compilations yet from Finders Keepers! Many of the tunes are actually classics of the era's Iranian scene, if wildly fresh and new our ears, while others are quite obscure all around, but all of it is fresh and exciting exotic pop that we're thrilled to see collected. The sounds draw from the creatively fertile period when traditions were combined in music all around the world – with hypnotic eastern raga strings blended with global funk and jazz, bursting pop tunefulness and both meditative and instantly gratifying melodies of myriad influences, borderline disco grooves and beyond. Exciting stuff! 16 tracks in all: "Helelyos'" by Zia, "Biya Bar-e Safar Bandim" by Mohammad Nouri, "Talagh" by Googoosh, "Miravi" by Soli, "Kavir-e Del" by Marjan, "Naz Kardanet Vaveyla" by Sima Bina", "Sharm-e Boos-e" by Ramesh, "Cheshm-e Man" by Dariush and more.

Early to mid 70s Persian Funk – a nicely compiled set featuring some of the funkiest music released on Iran's Ahang Rooz label from the early-to-mid 70s! It's got instrumental stormers and vocal numbers – in Farsi and English – funk and soul steeped Persian grooves from an incredible period for modern music in the Middle East! Ahang Rooz rose up during a much different period in Iran, when government's Ministry Of Culture nurtured the label and grew to release albums by the biggest acts in the region. From the outset, the label produced music that blended regional folk styles and instrumentation with globally popular genres. Secret Stash celebrates the funky stuff for Persian Funk – be it straight forward or global pop and psych infused. Includes a few great covers, include Martik's take on Stevie Wonder's "Past Time Paradise" and Googoosh's raw and funky version of "Respect" – and other tracks include "Cheshm Be Rah" by Shohreh, "Hard Groove" by Ahamaizadeh, "Soul Raga" by Mehrpouya, "Prison Song" by Shahram Shabpareh, "Del Dare Pir Misheh" by Kourosh Yaghmaei, "Morteza" by Morteza and more. 11 in all.

An amazing view of Iran in the years before the Ayatollah – a rich tapestry of mainstream music that really opens up our understanding of the country at the time! Before the revolution, Iran was one of the most modern nations in the Middle East – and the tunes here really show a strong desire to blend regional traditions with more Western sounds – not just the trippy psych and rock you might know from other compilations, but a good deal of other pop modes too! The tunes often have the vocals right out front, layered over lively rhythms backed by fuller orchestrations – often, on some of the best cuts, with an energy that reminds us of Indian or Pakistani pop of the period. Other numbers get a bit more romantic, but in ways that are still pretty compelling – given the unusual instrumentation, production, and obvious difference in language. Notes are great – almost a guidebook to Iranian popular music at the time – and titles include "Gheseye Rooze Siah" by Habib, "Khaar" by Kourush Yaghmaei, "Ey Vallah" by Pooran, "Omadi" by Shohreh, "Goftam Be Chasm" by Hassan Khayatbashi, "Kalaghaey Khabarchin" by Leila Forouhar, "Tang Ast Dilam" by Ahmad Zahir, "Age Mishod Che Mishod" by Googoosh, "Hobab" by Neli, "Asheghi Doroughe" by Hamid Shabkhiz, and "Abre Payizi" by Simin Ghanem. 28 tracks on 2CDs.