Ahmad Zahir

In seven short years (1972 to 1979), Ahmad Zahir lived the rock'n'roll lifestyle. An icon in his native country of Afghanistan, the "King of Afghan music" recorded over 20 LPs (in addition to ten unreleased "personal" albums) before succumbing to an assassin's bullet on his 33rd birthday. Germany's Guerssen Records brings the Zahir legacy to the Western world with Hip 70's Afghan Beats!, a collection of some of his most beloved and representative songs. At a mere nine tracks over 43 minutes, it remains puzzling (and a bit off-putting) as to why Guerssen decided to leave so much material absent from this retrospective. What is found on Hip '70s Beats is simply invigorating. There's no doubt that Zahir's music comes off as syrupy, but it was exactly this smooth delivery, combined with his good sense of European and North American rock, that gave Ahmad that ability to connect with the listener. Ahmad Zahir's music emotes such musical passion on Hip 70's Afghan Beats! that even if you don't understand a word he's singing, you understand what he's saying.