Various "Closer Spirits Cafe" 2003(comp)****

Bars in Greece aren’t just places you go to have a drink. Or just to socialize, or flirt. They can be all of these things, of course, but above all they’re a place to enjoy your favorite music with other like-minded souls. Socio-musical tribes form in them and revolve around them. Well, maybe not all bars are like that, I’m talking about a specific kind, one that thrived at my old Athens neighborhood and which I experienced from the 80’s to 00’s. One of the best music bars of this kind was Closer: the very best music, and DJ’s who interacted with the customers, and who expertly mixed the newest alternative rock hits with classic oldies and cult artists whose discovery could change your life. Not to mention live gigs, often unannounced. You'd go for a drink in your favorite bar and Holly Golightly or Savage Republic would be playing in the corner. Bars in The Netherlands aren't like that. Here the function of the music, if it’s there at all, is ambiance. It’s usually a random playlist played at low volume. Dance clubs have DJ’s of course, but they don’t really play music, just a spastic beat for your body to move to. Anyway, Closer closed  down as it fell victim to the recent Greek financial crisis. Just one of those little things that, when added up, confirm that the country is going to hell...only it isn’t, because it opened again. Different address but same atmosphere and, once more, the best music in town. I really enjoyed visiting it on my last trip to Athens, and when I got back home I found this CD out and put it on the stereo.

So what if this isn't an official CD? It’s a CD-R compilation given away to loyal customers by the owners of Closer Bar at its second anniversary (2003). But it’s also a labor of love, and it very much shows it: from the intricate fold-out case to the 16-page booklet with short stories, poems or dedications by the club’s regular and guest DJ’s, each of whom chose a song for this compilation. Participators include some of the era's top alternative radio producers, club DJ's and music writers but one name hits a nerve more than others: Thanos Anestopoulos, singer of rock group Diafana Krina, who succumbed to an aggressive form of cancer before his 50th birthday. A melancholic and poetic soul, he is very much missed in the Athens music scene. For his contribution here, he quotes a poem by Giorgos Seferis and typically chooses for inclusion a song by Divine Comedy called "The Book Lovers", basically a roll call of Neil Hannon's favorite authors recited over quasi-classical music. Of course to a book lover it's more than just a list, every name brings to mind countless poignant, joyful, or thrilling moments. The collection opens naturally with Joy Division - who else did you think Closer got its name from? It's followed by Interpol, at the time the newest, hippest Joy Division reincarnation - chosen by Athens' favorite Goth DJ, George Fakinos. Co-owner and resident DJ Vaggelio chose her favorite, Nick Cave - a relatively obscure Roy Orbison cover. More gloomy atmospheric vibes follow (Cocteau Twins, Handsome Family, Tindersticks) but that's not indicative of a typical night at Closer.
It was usually much more rock'n'roll, and that's evident in the variety of songs here: from 60's legends (Yardbirds, Stones, Booker T & The MG’s) to The Clash (some of the DJ's dedicated their entries to then recently departed Joe Strummer), not discounting then contemporary alternative radio hits (Kid Loco) and what might be your introduction to your next favorite artist - be it the Velvet-y psychedelia of Brian Jonestown Massacre, punk blues of Beasts Of Bourbon or Paisley Underground of House Of Freaks, the main common thread being great musical taste. Well, you may not be able to buy or download this CD but thankfully if you're in Athens you can still visit Closer for either afternoon coffee or after midnight drinks. I know that's what I will be doing every time I visit the old neighborhood.

***** for Transmission (Joy Division), Jism (Tindersticks), No Hard Shoulder To Cry On (Julian Cope), Straight To Hell (The Clash), Green Onions (Booker T & The MG’s), Time Waits For No One (Rolling Stones), Psycho (Beasts Of Bourbon), For Your Love (Yardbirds), Make It Right (Tim Buckley)

**** for Hands Away (Interpol), Blind Dumb Deaf (Cocteau Twins), The Book Lovers (Divine Comedy), Passenger Pigeons (Handsome Family), Just For Today (Brian Jonestown Massacre), World Of Tomorrow (House Of Freaks), Here Come The Munchies (Kid Loco), Get Closer To You (Terry Callier)

*** for B-Minor (Lanterna), Running Scared (Nick Cave)

Athens Record Shops Part 2, Omonoia to Exarchia

OK, this one is long overdue. Some of you may remember that on a recent visit to my (former) hometown of Athens, I made a survey of the surviving record shops for the sake of this blog, taking photos and checking merchandise and prices. I published the first part about the old town and flea market area quite some time ago. This, however, concerns my old neighborhood with which I have a special bond - I didn't want to just list shops and prices and be done with it. I've written about Exarchia before - probably Greece's most notorious neighborhood, for some people it's the center of the world while for others the very mention of its name instills antipathy and fear. You see, in popular myth Exarchia is a state within a state, an area of lawlessness threatening the nation's security. It's populated by violent anarchists and junkies, to enter it is to risk your head, if you park your car there you'll find it burned etc. In truth, it's more like an ungentrified Quartier Latin, a student neighborhood between the old Polytechnic School, Law School, Library and administrative University building. Most of the university functions have moved decades ago to the campus at Zografou but ever since the beginning of the previous century, Exarchia has established itself as the focus point for all bookshops and publishing houses, (anti-) cultural establishments, coffeehouses, music clubs etc. Despite the fact that I studied dentistry a few km away at Goudi, I, just like thousands of students from the Zografou campus, spent most of my time at the cafes there, discussing politics and drinking, starting from the end of the classes (sometimes only attending the obligatory ones) and often until the next morning. Despite the popular myth that the police never enters Exarchia square, we were often harassed by policemen. It's true they didn't dare to enter the square alone, they always came in groups to harass the longhairs and punks. They always asked for your ID and often questioned you on why you're there, where you live, what is your profession etc. In my case any trouble stopped there, maybe because of my manners, or because my parents' house was in an "elite" neighborhood or of some sort of respect towards the "high achievers" studying at the "good schools", whom people then saw as tomorrow's leaders. After all those were the PASOK days, many of the governing social-democrats bent on law and order had cut their political teeth at the same Exarchia cafes. But if you weren't carrying an ID or they didn't like your attitude, they'd take you to the station for a few hours. To be fair, some of the area's fame is justified: It is a home to (among others) violent anarchists and junkies, riots do sometimes erupt and, when they do, a few cars do go up in flames. Despite that fact, I never felt threatened there except when faced with gun-toting policemen. Which is why I chose to live there as a young professional and travel to my suburban practice watching the traffic jams on the other lane with relief, happy that I'm not moving towards the city center with all the suburbanite office workers. During the early 00's, city developers have tried to gentrify the area, but despite raising prices they couldn't get rid of the students and anarchists. Curiously, the police let the drug trade continue unconstrained. It was the anarchists that invariably drove drug dealers away, sometimes by administering a, -definitely not anarchistic- beating. You see, they have always been possessive of their neighborhood. trying to establish it as a place for political dissent, not a magnet for junkies. For example, together with residents (including us) they helped turn an abandoned parking lot into an inner city garden used sometimes as an open air theater/cinema. A year or so before I left, the cycle of rebellion and police repression escalated: a 15-year old was shot dead by a policeman trying to intimidate youths lingering around the square, an act followed by nation-wide riots. The aftermath was devastating for the neighborhood, as the old anarchists' generation which co-existed peacefully with the (largely left-wing intellectual) residents was replaced by a nihilistic and violent youth movement often crossing over to crime. I don't mean plain old vandalism either, as some of them were linked to muggings, extortion of shop owners, terrorism and bank robbing. Even hate crime - a gay club was attacked and customers beaten because their "consumer capitalism" values were unacceptable to them. On the other hand, police harassment of innocent customers and residents also escalated. Then, the financial crisis came and put a definitive end to any gentrification attempts. With other downtown areas turning into slums, at least Exarchia detains a fraction of its old charm: cultural events and rock concerts still take place, bookshops and record shops provide food for the soul and the cafes and restaurants tend to the rest. A visit to Athens is incomplete without Exarchia, and as for security worries despite what I've said earlier the situation isn't bad, it's actually better than most of Athens inner city areas: a degree of caution is required, just like in every big city, but otherwise visitors should feel free to walk around and enjoy themselves. Just don't forget to have some identification papers with you, as police checks are the one constant that hasn't changed since my student days...

Music Corner,
Panepistimiou str.

As I'm for the first time methodically mapping out the record and CD market in different cities, I've come to realise that the city I grew up in actually offers some of the best choices in Europe. Vinyl prices have gone up during the last ten years, but not as much as in the UK. On the other hand, CD prices have plunged - but the biggest draw is the sheer variety of stuff available and deep music knowledge of both the city's collectors and shop clerks. On this second part of the presentation of the city's record shops, we'll start from the city's very center, Omonoia Square. Some of the streets starting here end up in rather seedy places, where prostitution, drug deals and the exchange of bootleg goods are always going on. Athinas street will lead you to Monastiraki and the flea market, but this time we'll take Panepistimou str which leads to the 19th century university building. It was supposed to be turned into a pedestrian shopping street long ago, but it's still busy with slow moving traffic. I guess the plan isn't going forward due to lack of funding. Anyway, here on your left hand (No.56) you'll find Music Corner. It's been around forever, but I rarely shop there. Somehow I don't find it browser-friendly. It does have a good selection of Greek and Jazz music, as well as rock. Some nice price CD's for less than €10, but mostly €15-20. (New) LP's cost €20+ as usual. Across the street on No.54 you'll find Reload. It stands on the original site of Athens' most historic record shop, Metropolis. I watched Metropolis grow from a single store to a chain of more than a dozen shops, including a huge multi-storied one, only for the owner to file for bankruptcy during the beginning of the crisis. I guess the time of giant record stores is over - after all, decline also hit Amsterdam's Fame and London's Virgin Megastore - and those countries weren't hit by the crisis, or at least not as hard as Greece. UPDATE 2019: Reload moved to a parallel street, Akadimias 81. Reload only sells new CD's (€9-20) DVD's and LP's(€15-30). Greek music, jazz, rock and metal (CD/vinyl ratio=50/50). Right next to it, there's a specialized Metal record store called No Remorse. Plenty of space, and everything a metalhead will ever need (CD/vinyl=50/50, mostly new). Some 2nd hand LP's (all genres) €7-20. 

The area between Panepistimiou Str and Lycabetus hill is full of old buildings related to the university and other educational institutes like the Greek-American Union, Goethe institute and French institute on Sinas street. Just below the latter, halfway between Exarchia and the old Athens aristocratic neighborhood of Kolonaki, you'll find Rock 'n Roll Circus. Lots of LP's (€8-20) and CD's starting from €3. The owner and clerks are very knowledgeable about music and host a big sale (not to be missed) at the end of every March. A couple of blocks away, you'll find my favorite record store in Athens - but only if you're well informed as it's otherwise impossible to detect. I always refer to it as Solonos & Massalias from its previous location, but most people call it To Ypogeio i.e. "The Basement". To find it, you'll have to take Skoufa street and turn right (if you're ascending) on the small pedestrian street Staikou, then turn the corner to Kaplanon street. On number 14, there's a door that gives no indication that you're before a shop. When it's open, you're faced with a staircase leading to this (literally) underground place. Here you'll find a treasure trove of vinyl and CD's in very good prices. LP's typically sell for €3-15 and CD's €2-10, with most of them costing between €4,50-7,90.  

To Ypogeio (left) and Rock'n'Roll Circus (right)

There's some new stuff (mostly reissues of classic rarities), but most of it is 2nd hand. The two brothers that own it are always friendly and eager to help when you talk to them - if you don't, they'll just let you browse uninterrupted for as long as you like. Nearby there's Didotou str, with Music Machine one of the most stylish record stores of the city. A nice place for collectible vinyl as well as vintage posters and stereo equipment, worth a visit if only for its atmosphere. Opposite to it is another small vinyl shop called Spindle UPDATE 2020: Spindle is closed, but thankfully there's another record store in its place, called Dirty Noise.

A deep selection of alternative/punk/goth with a dash of 60's garage/psych (90%Vinyl, €20-30). Still in the neighborhood and inside the gallery (H.Trikoupi 24, opposite the site of the old Happening record store; phantoms of old record shops haunt this entry, what can I do?) there's discobole records. All genres, with a good selection of psychedelia/stoner music. CD's €5-15, used vinyl mostly €5-15, new €20+. Two streets above (Ippokratous str) on. 132 there's Vinyl City. In the past (I'm talking about 15-20 years ago, when we still had drachmas instead of euros) I remember it being rather pricey but this time I found it very inexpensive.

Music Machine

Either my purse has grown bigger or the crisis has obliged the owner to drop the prices a lot. Half the stock is on offer for €1-3, the rest €4-20. Most of the records are US imports, sturdy original American vinyl - though one must be careful to check its state, we're talking about used items 30 or 40 years old. A good source for classic rock, country, soul and soundtracks. 

Action Records

Art Rat

If, instead of taking Ippokratous, you choose to descend towards Exarchia square do so via Arahovis. It's not a commercial street, but it houses two excellent record shops that will have you salivating if you're a fan of garage and psychedelia. Action Records, [new address (2019): Mavromichali 51] is specialized in garage/psych vinyl reissues and also acts as a record label. I own some of their albums - collectors items pressed in quality vinyl and issued in a limited number. Art Nouveau, like its owner Nick Kontogouris, used to be the epicenter of the Greek neo-psychedelic scene since the 80's. Nick is a veritable encyclopedia of psychedelic music (I still have his Anthology of psychedelic poetry) and has used his shop to promote local groups, even issuing records, including the legendary (and now ultra-rare) Last Drive 7' debut from 1985. The shop recently moved from Solomou str to Arahovis 42 and sells lots of great psychedelia, prog, alternative and classic rock. Used LP's cost €2-10, new ones around €20. CD's between €4-10 (used) and €15 (new). UPDATE 2020: Unfortunately the physical shop is closed - I had been a client for 32 years. The merchandise is still available on discogs. Another shop in the area that specializes in garage/psych/classic rock is Purple Haze Records (Andrea Metaxa 4, near the square). 

It's very small, but worth browsing not only for the rare original LP's and CD's but also for vintage books and posters. On the minus side, it keeps irregular opening hours, and the owner isn't the most sociable person. On Zoodohou Pigis 46, near the square you'll find Art Rat. It's a tiny place selling highly collectible psych and new wave vinyl. Prices are upwards of €30, which marks it as a collectors-only affair. On the same street, there's Plan 59. A good shop for 2nd hand oldies, jazz, rock and Greek music, with some cult 70's/80's records €9-15. UPDATE 2019: Right next to it, there's another used vinyl shop called Old School Records. Very good at 80's-90's indie, about 80% vinyl, mostly 2nd hand. Also jazz, blues, rock. Not great for bargains, but honest prices (€10-30, typically around €15, a few offers, CD's €7-15).

One street below on Emmanouel Benaki 74 you'll find Rhythm Records. It's a really nice shop focusing on underground bands playing Ska, garage, punk, stoner, psychobilly etc. New LP's cost €18-25 and used around €15. CD's go mostly for €15, with some special offers for €8-9. A good place to look for Greek Alternative scene records. UPDATE 2020: Still in the neighbourhood (Valtetsiou 31) is A Strange Attractor. A rather sophisticated collection of jazz, prog, psych, industrial and generally weird records, mostly €10-20, plus some interesting books. Sound Effect Records on Spiridonos Trikoupi and Kallidromiou (sometimes listed in its old address in Zaimi) is a bit further from the square but makes up for it with its ample space which makes browsing a comfortable experience. Some CD's €6-15, a big variety of LP's (usually €6-20, offers €3-6, rarities €20+). I especially liked the racks of psychedelic rarities from around the world, which were arranged geographically.

Also on Kallidromiou street, you can find Mikros Erotikos, a very beautiful shop specialized in Greek retro vinyl also selling all kinds of vintage nostalgia items (i.e. toys, magazines, posters etc). UPDATE 2020: Another shop on Spiridonos Trikoupi is Eat Metal Records. As you can probably guess this one specializes in Metal. Small variety in the store (maybe they have more online) bur good prices (most CDs less than €15, LP's less than €20). Going full circle towards Omonoia, one can find Zulu Records (on the pedestrian Koletti street, electronic music) and Bowel of Noise on Themistokleous 23, a paradise for dark metal/doom/goth fans (or should I say hell? maybe paradise is a dirty word for black metal fans). CD's mostly €8-18. New LP's €20+. Very close (Nikitara 14) another specialized metal shop is Sirens. Back on Themistokleous street, you'll find Le Disque Noir, with a specialty in Goth, New Wave, Metal etc. New LP's (€20-30) are on the ground floor, used vinyl (all genres, €7-20) and CD's (€10-20, many offers in metal €5-10) in the basement.

A record store I passed by but was closed throughout my whole visit is Poison Door. I don't even know if it's in business anymore but I'm mentioning it because of the cool Ramones graffiti on its front (see:photo). UPDATE 2019: In my last visit, I noticed a new record store at Themistokleous Str. that doubles as a cafe/bar. It's called vinylio and has a small but attractive collection of vinyl (Greek & International) €15-25(new) €3-20(used). 2025: It's moved a few blocks away and has almost no records for sale. Still plays good music and makes decent coffee, though. Phew, that was an extra long post and I didn't get to share travel tips with you as I originally intended. Never mind, I promise to do it on another occasion, maybe add it on a slightly relevant post for a Greek band or something. Till then...

Flaming Stars "Bring Me the Rest of Alfredo Garcia Singles 1995-1996" 1997(comp)****

I saw the Flaming Stars for the first time at the AN Club in 1998, immediately after the release of this (exquisitely named and presented) compilation. For those not familiar with it, AN is the oldest live music establishment still standing in Athens. It was founded in 1987, the same year with Rodon, which stood less than a kilometre away at Victoria Square. AN is at the notorious Exarchia area, Athens' student neighborhood with a rich history of counterculture, art, anarchism, defiance and violence - naturally, my chosen place of residence until I left Greece. But it's never been the same for me since December 2008, when a policeman shot a 15-year old kid a few blocks from my home for no other reason than that someone in his company swore at him. It was a disaster waiting to happen: Successive Ministers of Public Order had vowed to clean up the neighborhood from the lawless anarchists and junkies, while big-time property developers bought de-valuated real estate in anticipation of the next boom that would transform this very centrally located place into the next commercial/entertainment theme park - if only the annoying students, leftist inhabitants and small shop owners could be swept away to make room for the offices and big chain stores. For the months preceding the shooting, teams of armed-to-the-teeth cops performed police crackdowns, basically consisting of harassing pub customers and passersby - leading to confrontations and the occasional molotov cocktail thrown at the SWAT team guarding the PASOK party headquarters situated at the borders of the neighborhood. After the shooting all hell broke loose: I'm telling you I've seen clips of riots in Palestine and assorted war zones and it really was no different than that. When the dust settled, we were left with a hardened, violent group of youngsters consumed by hate for the establishment, which included everyone who worked for a living or had any kind of ideology that didn't include blowing everyone up. On the other side, we lived under permanent siege with submachine gun-toting policemen guarding the entrances of the neighborhood and harassing everyone. While the government was drowning in scandal and corruption, they demonized the youth movement and anyone opposing their schemes. I knew then that I had to leave the country. Only months later, the debt crisis exploded, plunging Greece into chaos. The oligarchs and intertwined business/political interests who had been profiting from the loans promptly withdrew their money from the Greek banks and sailed for safer havens while the EU instigated a crushing austerity program in return for an economic bailout. This led to unprecedented recession, the social results of which are evident everywhere - nowhere more so than the center of Athens, with rows of closed shops and homeless people searching the trash bins for food. Exarchia has likewise fallen in a state of decadence, all plans of gentrification abandoned due to the crisis. At least, thanks to the graffiti artists and musicians, it's still decadent in an artistic and interesting way. And, beyond all expectations, AN Club still stands, although more celebrated entertainment venues have succumbed to the crisis.

Back in happier times, the promoters of the Flaming Stars concert had for some reason advertised it as a "Rockabilly Orgy", using a suitably 50's-oriented poster. As a result it had attracted a small band of tough-looking rockabilly types. Now, in Greece as elsewhere, rockabilly fans were a closed circle with a gang mentality (probably similar to English teddy boys). By '98 they had ostensibly softened and attracted more attention for their pretty stylish girlfriends than for the violent outbursts of the past, but still they weren't the kind you'd want to mess with. AN is a small underground club with a low ceiling so there's not much separation between bands and audience. If you're not tall (as I am) it's difficult to even see the stage. Not to mention that the place is a fire hazard (or would be, if not for the fact that when it's packed there's not enough oxygen to start a fire). Anyway the band starts playing and, three songs in, they still haven't played a single note of rockabilly. The guys in the front rows are starting to get agitated and move toward the "stage". You can see the sentiment isn't friendly when one of them shouts "You promised us a rockabilly orgy, so when the fuck are you going to play some rockabilly?" to which the singer coolly replies "Why don't you start with the orgying and we'll provide the rockabilly". For a moment it seems like there's going to be a fight, but the rockabillies finally choose not to get insulted, they relax and have a nice time while the band plays their music which includes traces of garage rock, jazz, indie pop, surf, country, spaghetti-western and -yes- 50's rock'n'roll. Stylistically and lyrically they draw inspiration from 50's pulp literature and film-noir. It's not coincidental that singer (and former Gallon Drunk drummer) Max Décharné is foremost a writer of short stories and journalist. And while his music is retro, his relaxed singing style owes more to acts like Nick Cave or the Tindersticks. This compilation brings together all the early singles and EP's and makes for a great introduction to the band. It starts off with "Bring Me the Rest of Alfredo Garcia" a cool reference to the Sam Pekinpah western "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", with lazy vocals, surfing beat and floating 60's organ. The same elements dominate "Money to Burn" while  "Bury My Heart at Pier 13" and "3AM on the Bar Room Floor" are jazz noir, set to a slow calypso beat. "Like Trash" justifies the rockabilly tag with its frenzied Jerry Lee-style piano and the instrumental theme from "Get Carter" provides another cult movie reference. "New Shade of Black" is an atmospheric country-ish ballad while "Ten Feet Tall", "A Hell of a Woman" "The Face On The Bar Room Floor" sound like early Lou Reed backed by a 60's garage/psych band. "Bandit Country" is a spaghetti western-style instrumental and "Downhill Without Brakes" a rolling garage/surf rocker. Love the drums in this one! "Revenge" is a country ballad with great harmonica and "Broken Heart" a garage/rockabilly dynamite while "Davy Jones' Locker" and "Spaghetti Junction" are cinematic instrumentals. "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" sounds like a combination of Velvet Underground and the Tindersticks and "Eat Your Heart Out" and "Burnt Out Wreck of a Man" like Bob Dylan covered by new-wavers Suicide. All in all an exciting idiosyncratic mix of musical genres, impeccable style and inspired writing. Play loud!

***** for Bring Me the Rest of Alfredo Garcia, Broken Heart, Downhill Without Brakes

**** for Money to Burn, Like Trash, The Face on the Bar Room Floor, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, Burnt Out Wreck of a Man

*** for Bury My Heart at Pier 13, Get Carter, New Shade of Black, Ten Feet Tall, A Hell of a Woman, Bandit Country, Revenge

** for Davy Jones' Locker, 3AM on the Bar Room Floor, Eat Your Heart Out, Spaghetti Junction