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ZARTONG – Zartong. O-Music OM 71088. German issue. FACTORY SEALED NEW CD. Originally issued in 1979. This remastered edition issued in 2015.

MEMBERS: Stephan Akian, Richard Tanelian, Lorys Tildian, and Franck Tildian.

TRACKS:

01) Dzamone (Part 1) (1:00)

02) Dzamone (Part 2) (2:34)

03) Parhélie (2:30)

04) I Verine (Part 1) (5:28)

05) Prosopopée (1:44)

06) I Verine (Part 2) (1:48)

07) Toy Narguiz (3:16)

08) Eveil (2:00)

09) Kélé Kélé (4:48)

10) Armenian Hore (Part 1) (1:30)

11) Delé Yaman (4:28)

12) Armenian Hore (Part 2) (1:20)

13) Hoy Nazan (3:00)

DESCRIPTION: Zartong were a quartet of Armenian musicians who moved to France and released a self-titled debut album before promptly vanishing in the late 70's, and a fascinating and unpredictable prog curio it turned out to be! A mostly instrumental work that jumps in all sorts of directions, prominent spacey synth-driven symphonic prog moments suddenly give way to plentiful folk interludes and Turkish flavored diversions, electronic ambience, Zeuhl weirdness, jazz-fusion fire and poppier vocal breaks (not to mention some dreaded (not a spoiler) yet unsurprising light disco elements due to the era it arrived in!). The album has a distinctive and very unique sound due to two of the musicians playing a santour (an Iranian instrument similar to a zither) and a kamancha, a type of oriental violin. Zartong is made up of thirteen different tracks, some little more than sketches of ideas or bridges to lengthier compositions. After opening with an atmospheric introduction on those above two mentioned obscure instruments, fuzzy heavy guitars and a funky dancing beat enter in the two-part Dzamone with a boisterous repeated vocal. The rest of the first side is comprised of Parhélie, Prosopoée, and the two-part I Verine that form a continuous piece, beginning as an ethereal ambient breeze that reveals desolate Middle Eastern dustiness, constant grumbling bass that takes on an almost swallowing distorted Zeuhl quality, sighing wordless harmonies and unceasing spacey synths. Those chiming violin and zither-like ripples dance through the spirited Turkish-flavored folky jigs Toy Narguiz and Kélé Kélé powered by grumbling Zeuhl bass, inviting group vocals and rattling drumming. The two-part call-to-dance jig Armenian Hore bookends the dreamy Delé Yaman, violin and santour glistening with fragility over restrained veils of floating synths and weary vocal pleading, and Hoy Nazan is a joyous instrumental rocker to close on. To be fair, the production is rough and inconsistent with occasionally noticeable distortion (not to a detrimental degree), and the constant direction and style changes will likely annoy and fascinate different listeners in equal measure, but there's instantly obvious great skill in the musicians, and there's definitely ideas present that Turkish group Asia Minor would perfect on their classic Between Spirit And Divine album a year later. But Zartong is a dignified, frequently joyful album full of atmosphere and wonderful playing, and it's a shame we were only left with this one teasing little 35 minute album from a talented group so full of potential. If you are an explorer who loves cultural diversity as part of your collection, like my self, you owe it to yourself to check out this band.

THIS ITEM IS NEW AND UNPLAYED. Used items will include condition details for inserts, disc, and jewel case/digi-pak/mini-jacket.

NOTE TO POTENTIAL BUYERS: If the tray card, bar code, jewel case, insert, or digi-pak is punched, marked, or cut in any manner, denoting a promotional/review copy, I will state that as part of the item description. Also if an issue is a "music club" edition, that will be noted in the item description. (The below information last updated 7/09/23)

If you have any questions or if you have additional information, especially corrections, to the description, please e-mail me. I particularly enjoy when an artist, band member, or someone who has personal background knowledge of a particular album/artist and offers their insight/information of that artist/recording, which I will include with the description for future listings of that release. As a collector of many years, part of the hobby side for me is to learn about the background of the artists and music that I collect. Hopefully, sharing some of this information is my descriptions will help educate and enlighten your listening experience.

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GENERAL INFORMATION:

All CDs come sealed in standard jewel cases and are US releases unless noted otherwise. Mini-Jackets, digi-paks, and variable packaging will also be noted. Any item that does not come sealed or include an outer sleeve will be placed inside of an outer sleeve at the time it is received by me. All items that do not come sealed in an outer packaging wrap are inspected by me prior to shipping. It is not unusual to find small/tiny imperfections on the play side of the CD disc, especially on European manufactured CDs; these small imperfections do not affect the playback of the disc. Also an unsealed jewel case may show light signs of warehouse/transit storage wear on the outer surface of the jewel case. If an unsealed jewel case is received by me broken, it will be replaced with a new jewel case before shipping; sealed CDs received with minor cracked/damaged jewel cases will be noted as such in the item’s description and will be shipped as received.

ABBREVIATIONS:

SS or SLD: Still Sealed or Sealed. Short abbreviation that will appear in the title line of my listings. This item is new and unplayed. Also appears in the listing description as Sealed CD or Factory Sealed CD.

NEW CD: This item is new and unplayed, but was received from a supplier without being shrink wrapped or cellophane wrapped; more common on imports but also many of the smaller independent US labels do not seal their CDs; some have it both ways (for which I have no prior knowledge of or choice when placing my orders). Other companies use resealable clear outer sleeves which are used on some import and domestic releases. If I receive an item this way it will be shipped as I received it and not opened up. Items received unwrapped are placed inside of a resealable clear outer mylar sleeve at the time they are received.

GFC or GF: Gate fold cover, refers to a style of mini-jacket CDs.

S/T: Self-Titled

2/1: This denotes that 2 albums are on 1 single CD.

RE: Reissue. Variations from the original pressing will be noted when known.

REMAST: Remastered. More specific sourcing will follow within the item’s description when available.

OOP: Out Of Print.

MIX: This sometimes appears in my title line and refers to a group's/artist's music having a mix of styles such a rock track with jazz then followed by a straight rock track followed by a psych rock track, etc., as opposed to a blues album with the album's tracks having predominantly one style.

XT, XTKS, or #XTKS: Usually in lower case type as part of the title line, denotes bonus tracks on this release (extra track, extra tracks, or the number of extra tracks).

ULC, LRC, etc.: Upper Left Corner, Lower Right Corner, etc. used in referencing the area of a defect or blemish to the jewel case or packaging.

MULTIPLE ITEM PURCHASERS:

A shipping discount will be applied to all multiple item purchases. My automatically generated invoices do not apply discounted shipping (I’m kinda old school). Shipping discounts are automatically applied by two methods:

1) Complete your purchase via the shopping cart and request an invoice total,

The shipping amount will reflect the discount price for you to make your payment. This method seems to pose some difficulty in navigating to the request invoice link

2) Purchase and pay the full individual shipping amount and I will automatically refund the shipping discount to you once processed for shipping. (This seems to be the preferred method of my customers)

US customers whose purchase includes CD(s) along with LP(s) will be shipped in a single package via media mail. Purchases of 3 or more CDs or a box-set will ship via media mail.

INTERNATIONAL customers whose purchase includes CD(s) along with LP(s) will be shipped in a single package at the current rate by weight and measurement.

A shipping discount only applies if all items purchased ship in a single package.

Please e-mail me with any questions you may have.

TERMS OF AUCTION:

Buyer pays for POSTAGE & HANDLING:

US and INTERNATIONAL shipping information is as of July 9, 2023. Any subsequent changes in shipping will take precedence over the below information.

U.S. Shipping:

$4.95 via USPS Ground Advantage. NOTE: This replaces USPS First Class Mail Package Service. Package weight totaling 1 lb. and over will be shipped via USPS Media Mail.

Shipping of additional or irregular size items will be determined by weight.

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Items are shipped in professional corrugated mailers.

If there are any other needs of your purchase please e-mail me before you make your purchase and I will do my best to accommodate them.

INTERNATIONAL Shipping:

I ship worldwide via eBay’s International Shipping Service for all purchases.

Items are shipped in professional corrugated mailers.

Older listed items may still list First Class Package International Service as the shipping method. As eBay’s International Shipping Service is implemented it will take precedents

Multiple item purchases will be shipped at the current rate based on weight.

Tracking is included check and monitor tracking via your purchases folder (not USPS).

If you are planning on purchasing multiple items you may request a shipping total estimate prior to making your purchase.

CURRENT INTERNATIONAL RATES are set by Ebay's International Shipping Service based on the weight and size of your package. I ship world wide:

*ALL CUSTOMERS*

HANDLING TIME:

Packages are usually shipped with in 24-hours, excepting weekends and holidays. NOTE: This is not the same thing as delivery time, which begins once a package is turned over to the post office; averaging 3-7 business days for US delivery and 5 days to 3 weeks for international delivery. As for eBay’s International Shipping Service, I have been using it selectively and increasingly over the past three years and with its improvements in security, delivery times, convenience, and price make it an easy choice.

RETURN POLICY:

If returning an item(s) to me you may request a prepaid shipping label for your return.

Refunds are issued once the item has been received.

I appreciate a brief comment as to the reason for your return.

NON-ARRIVAL OF PACKAGES:

US Customers: Please wait at least two weeks from the confirmed shipping date before contacting me about the non-arrival of your package. All packages are shipped with confirmation/tracking via eBay’s shipping program. Check your purchases folder to track.

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ALL CUSTOMERS: If there is a problem with your purchase please e-mail me first with details before filing a resolution.