Trains are
probably the most charming means of transportation, and as a result
they have found their place in several songs, most of the times in a
symbolic form. Let's see what I have for you today.
1. To traino (The train) – Trypes
(George Karras-Giannis Aggelakas)
We start with the most significant domestic rock band and a song from the album Ennia pliromena tragoudia (Nine hired songs,1993). It is one of the band's most popuular songs and has a beutiful guitar riff and a lot of electricity. “What happened to that train that watched the others trains go by?”
2. Traino fantasma (Ghost train) – Xylina Spathia
(Pavlos Pavlidis)
Here are the basic rivals of Trypes who also wrote many chapters of greek rock history, with Pavlos Pavlidis as frontman. This really swinging song comes from the album Xessaloniki (1993).
3. Slow Train – Bob Dylan
(Bob Dylan)
In 1978 Dylan, after an occult "vision" turned to Christianity, to the great surprise of his numerous fans. The next year out came the album Slow Train Coming that included songs like this one...
4. Traino stin korifogrammi (Train on the crest) – Foivos Delivorias
(Bob Dylan-Foivos Delivorias)
...which was masterly covered in Greek by Foivos Delivorias and was included in his brilliant album O kathreftis (The mirror, 2003).
5. Mystery Train – Elvis Presley
(Junior Parker-Sam Phillips)
The second side of the single I Forgot To Remember To Forget, released in 1955. It is one of the best songs of the first period in the King of rock’n’roll's career.
6. Blue Train – John Coltrane
(John Coltrane)
Blue Train, 1957 is considered the essential solo debut of Coltrane and is an iconic album for hard bop and jazz in general. The homonym song is probably the most well-known of the ones included and is of course delightful.
7. Last Of The Steam Powered Trains – The Kinks(Ray Davies)
The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society is the 6th studio album of the North Londoners and was released in 1968. Although back then it received very good reviews, id did not go equally well comercially. But todayit is considered a classic, as many would envy songs like this.
8. Ti simainei ena traino (What does a train mean?) - Manolis Famellos
(Manolis Famellos)
The most recent album by Manolis Famellos was released in 2009 and was entitled I stigmi pou krataei gia panta (The moment that lasts forever). Of course it stands up to the creator's high standards, as this brilliant song witnesses.
9. Train In Vain – The Clash
(Joe Strummer-Mick Jones)
Here we have the last track from the emblematic London Calling in 1979. In the original album edition, this song was not mentioned in the tracklist, as it was added at the mast minute, when the packaging was already out for printing. Of course this fact did not stop it from becoming one of the british band's most popular songs.
10. To traino (The train) – Ypogeia Reymata
(Marios Tsagaris)
The opening song of the album Nea Mera (New Day, 2007) is one of the best moments by Ypogeia Reymata, as well as of greek rock in general. And that's final.
* Photos from http://www.model-train-help.com/images/vniner-military-train-medsmallblur.jpg and www.wikipedia.org.
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