If this were all at the level of the stunning Άμε χελιδονάκι (up above), what a titan of a greek folk record it would have been. Sadly, the rest of this album almost makes it sound like that showstopper doesn't even belong here, as Lida & Spyros mostly prefer to dabble in watered-down folk-rock, diluting everything that could make this thing special with generic vocal harmonies and guitars, international style - it even opens with an harmonica, for Zeus' sake; you know, that staple of the Olympus sound.
Anyway, it's not all bad: Ειναι Κατι Καραβια Στο Λιμανι (below) is another fine song, breathing in the wind of ancient evenings (although, I am a sucker for the santouri and the swash of the sea, so you could probably even slather that on some limp bizkit and I'd eat it up); Έλα να δεις τον τόπο μου, the epic A-side of a 1974 single that resurfaced as a bonus track on a cd reissue of the album is also a must-hear; and about half of the remaining tunes are passable enough. Even so, there's no getting past the fact that, when you put something like Άμε χελιδονάκι on a record, you really need to be prepared to back it up all the way. To put it in terms this platter would understand, it's just like what happened when they would serve the ambrosia up there on the pantheon: you best be sure all them deities are gonna ask for more, and they'll get darn tootin' mad if you don't deliver.
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