Born in 1945, Egyptian artist Omar Khorshid was, it would seem, a man of many talents. In addition to his capacity as one of his country's most accomplished guitarists, Khorshid acted in—and composed the soundtracks for—numerous Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian films; all in the relatively brief period in which he was active prior to his untimely death in 1981.
His filmic ambitions seem to have played a keen role in his evidently-prolific work as a composer—at least if 1974's uniquely beguiling Giant + Guitar is anything to go by. Issued under at least three names and with at least three different covers, the album—which has now been reissued by wewantsounds—was sold in both Egypt and Lebanon during the mid '70s and has, in the intervening decades, become a considerable collector's piece.
Upon spinning this new reissue, it isn't hard to see why; composed with the wide-screen ambition of a true cinephile, Khorshid's work has a certain moody heft about it—a trait which steers this entirely instrumental set into highly arresting territory throughout its admittedly brief runtime. Performed with the consummate ease of a well-toured musician and arranged with a keen ear for dynamic impact, Giant + Guitar is the kind of idiosyncratic, beguiling listen that collectors have always longed for.
Pressed to a midweight slab of black wax, wewantsounds' reissue of Giant + Guitar has been manufactured to the label's usual high standards. Boasting lustrous surfaces free of the scuffing that can, at times, appear even on new records, the LP sounds as good as it looks; we did hear a few minor crackles here and there, but nothing we found intrusive upon the overall listening experience—and, indeed, coupled with a low noise floor and impactful sonics, this reissue makes for a great way to hear this long sought-after rarity.
Khorshid's guitar boasts a particularly commanding presence throughout the album—not only by virtue of his sheer agility as an instrumentalist but also in the rich timbre this reissue has lent his performances. His guitar isn't the only thing that sounds good here, either; the synthesisers which underpin a handful of Giant + Guitar's compositions boast all the ominous oomph you could ask of them and the percussion is likewise punchy.
Faithfully reproducing the cover art of (one of the three different) original pressings of the album, wewantsounds' rerelease of Giant + Guitar comes packaged in a standard-width, non-gatefold sleeve presumably akin to the original issue; it looks great and, although the cardstock isn't the heaviest, it still feels sturdy in-hand. The labels are likewise impressive, appearing to replicate those of the original issue. Better yet is a new insert featuring informative liner notes in both English and French, ably contextualising Khorshid's work and this album in particular. Another intriguing reissue from one of the best active archival labels, Giant + Guitar comes recommend to all those with a taste for strikingly atmospheric instrumental music.
