Rachid Taha Made in Medina ARKCD1006 || £12.50  $ € ¥  + p+p +tax Click for big pic SORRY - CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE Stunning, huge; Rachid Taha with Steve Hillage Like they do, the record label have put a sticker on the front of this CD with best bits of reviews: "the biggest, beatest, dirtiest album in the entire history of world music... unlikely to bettered this year" - Mojo "thrilling... magnificently produced... the heaviest riffs you've heard since Zep's Kashmir" - Uncut "the rock, dance and world album by which the rest of the year can be judged. A seriously fantastic album" - Time Out All fine and well but... if you don't like North African rhythms, Led Zep, the 'Hillage' beat, the occasional Dub sensibility, unique off the wall dance ideas (dance music in total in fact), lyrics (mostly) in a foreign language (except if you're French, or Arabic of course then it's not foreign is it), Rachid's personal and political world-view (which is seems pretty right-on, heart-centred and empoweringly confrontational), Steve's guitar playing (now, not 3 decades ago) and his unique production in general... then you're going to absolutely hate this CD and should under no circumstances buy it. But for me the track 'Barra Barra' is one of the musical highlights of the year so far. Track Listing: Total Runtime 63.57 Barra Barra 5.48 (Taha/Hillage) Foqt Foqt 6.10 (Taha/Hillage) Medina Album Version 5.39 (Taha/Hillage) Ala Jalkoum 4.55 (Kuti/Hillage) Aie Aie Aie 6.30 (Taha/Hillage) Hey Anta 4.30 (Taha) Qalantiqa (Taha) En Retard 4.56 (Taha) Verite 6.06 (Taha) Ho Cherie Cherie 5.30 (Taha/Hillage) Garab 8.19 (Taha) Musicians: Rachid Taha: Vocals Steve Hillage: Programming, Guitar (also Producer & Arranger) Hossam Ramzy: Egyptian Percussion Stanton Moore: Live Drums Robert Mercurio: Bass Jeff Gaines: Guitar Rich Vogel: Keyboards Hassan Lachal: Mahgrebian Percussion Hakin Hamadduche: Mandolute, Backing Vocal Magid Serdur: Qanun B'Net Marrakesh: Female Vocals, Percussion Bob Loveday: Violin Geoff Richardson: Viola Helen Liebmann: Cello Mahmoud Serour: Violin Djilali Bendriss: Gasbar Jean-Max Mery: Additional Keyboards Abdel Abrit: Live Drums