Toskaliq 8711
Tue, 2nd June 2009, 20:18:03
In the period before 1972 Albanians, largely intellectual youths living in the cities, developed more and more a taste for the western music revolution that was going on in America and Europe at the time and distancing itself from the more traditional folkloric music that was considered the taste of "ignorant peasants" in the countryside. This period in the 50s and 60s was marked by a quasi-liberal period marked by a youth interest in the rock-n-roll form of music. These were performed in various festivals, principally the annual competitive Festivali i Muzikes (Music Festival). The music broke free of traditional folk and opted for the more flashy western type. All this, however, ended in 1972, which saw a strong crackdown on such music and those who performed it. After the final 11th Music Festival, many who took part in such forms of music were jailed and in some cases even killed. My dad, at the time a youngman, had a developing interest in bands like the Beatles and other later rock-n-roll groups was forced to listen to them secretly in his bedroom through western radio since being caught listening to it could mean years in prison.
Thankfully today all of this music has once again become legal in Albania. It may not seem very unique today, but for Albania it was something big. Most in my family were tired of the nationalist party endorsed music and this was a strong sign of how much Albanians wanted to be a part of western culture and how hard the Communists kicked that down.
Vace Zela - Lemza (one of the songs that really characterizes this period, you can see pictures of Vace dressed in a contemporary western style then)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHpTHb1Ag_U
Vace Zela and Lindita Theodhori
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJq_9dszq4
(Vace's song was cut in half because it became too "suggestive" while Theodhori's song was edited extensively to remove to "sexual" aspects of it)
Erdh Pranvera (Spring arrived)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP9IKcdmm0M
Vajzat e Fshatit tim (The Girls from my village)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqX_2sk_vzU
Njerzit e Agimeve (People of the Sunrise)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utBVMgDey3s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFUqslOUWC0
Thankfully today all of this music has once again become legal in Albania. It may not seem very unique today, but for Albania it was something big. Most in my family were tired of the nationalist party endorsed music and this was a strong sign of how much Albanians wanted to be a part of western culture and how hard the Communists kicked that down.
Vace Zela - Lemza (one of the songs that really characterizes this period, you can see pictures of Vace dressed in a contemporary western style then)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHpTHb1Ag_U
Vace Zela and Lindita Theodhori
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmJq_9dszq4
(Vace's song was cut in half because it became too "suggestive" while Theodhori's song was edited extensively to remove to "sexual" aspects of it)
Erdh Pranvera (Spring arrived)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP9IKcdmm0M
Vajzat e Fshatit tim (The Girls from my village)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqX_2sk_vzU
Njerzit e Agimeve (People of the Sunrise)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utBVMgDey3s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFUqslOUWC0