Various Artists
Ajmal Al Munawa'at Al Arabiyya (The Most Beautiful Arabic Variety)
SIDE A
- Ghassan Saliba - Khatar Al Bal (Crossed My Mind)
- Ghassan Saliba - Wajeh Al Saad (Happy Face)
- Medhat Saleh - Al Sahra Tehla (The Night Becomes More Beautiful)
- Mayez El Bayaa - Mabrouk (Congratulations)
- Nadia Moustafa - Salamat (Greetings)
- Hal Zenat (These Beautiful Girls)
SIDE B
- Hal Zenat (These Beautiful Girls)
- Ragheb Alama - Wadaana (Took Us Away)
- Al Leila Al Leila (Tonight, Tonight)
- Alaa Abd El Khaleq - Mersal (The Messenger)
- Nohad Tarabay - Ahla Jaouz Ouyoun (The Most Beautiful Pair of Eyes)
- Al-Dana Kuwaiti Band - Waqef ala Babkom (Standing at Your Door)
Label
Al Manara (Light House) Discotheque
Location Issued
Aleppo, Syria
Artist Origin
Egypt
Kuwait
Lebanon
More Info
This compilation tape captures the simultaneously strange and intriguing mood of 1980s Arab pop music, where influences from the classical tarab era intermingled with Western disco, producing songs that were both soulful and danceable, light and musically progressive. The tape focuses chiefly on Egyptian and Lebanese pop, with songs by Nadia Mustafa, Ragheb Alama, and Melhem Barakat among others. The compilation was produced in the 1980s by Al Manara Discotheque, based in Aleppo, and offers a glimpse into how Syrian companies at the time curated 'cocktail' compilations of local and regional music. These tapes were typically assembled from vinyl records, reel‑to‑reel recordings, or other cassette releases, and organized by theme, region, or song popularity. A popular service at the time was preparing custom‑made compilations for customers who wanted to gift a personal tape to someone special. Special thanks to Alina Brennamen for generously donating this cassette to SCA – salvaged from a pile of discarded tapes in a garbage bin on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles.