Various
Persian Underground
This compilation documents Iran's pre-revolution rock and psychedelic scene, when Tehran created sophisticated fusion of Western rock with Persian musical traditions. The music blends electric guitars and drums with traditional Persian instruments and scales, creating genuinely unique sound. Artists sing in Farsi, making familiar rock forms sound exotic to Western ears. The recordings capture lost cultural moment before 1979 revolution eliminated Western-influenced popular music. The musicianship is excellent throughout, demonstrating Iran's cosmopolitan music scene. Essential for psych rock fans and poignant document of cultural openness destroyed by political change, preserving sounds from Iran's brief rock era before religious conservatism ended such experimentation.
