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| Dream Park |
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| Easter Weekend, 2001 |
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| voyage de Pâques, 13-17 Avril, 2001 |
| Starbucks Verdun, Beirut |
| Dream Park was inspired by a surreal weekend in and around Beirut, Lebanon over Easter weekend 2001. Our local friends and guides kept us busy visiting the sights, from beach to cedar-covered ski slopes with plenty of Roman temples, Maronite monestaries, Crusader castles and Ottoman palaces in between. We attended a beautiful midnight Easter mass sung entirely in Arabic, and most surprisingly were introduced to the Maronite Archbishop. The unexpected call to prayer from minarets, the common armed Syrian roadblocks, the fans constantly greeting our local TV-star guide, the (excellent) belly dancer at Easter brunch, the contrast between the rebuilt Place de l'Etoile and the few remaining damaged buildings, the boat trip through limestone caves, the presence of Starbucks, the sudden Israeli air raid on Syrian positions and of course the local music - all added to the surreal feeling. '"Dream Park'" is the name of a small children's amusement park where we accompanied our hosts as their nephew rode rides while we smoked hookahs. The name seemed to fit Lebanon as a whole - a place where so many dreams weave in and out of everyday life, and where despite history, refuse to die. |
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| The Cedars |
| Place de l'Etoile |
| Dream Park is one of the only WDR discs that doesn't have a song title list, mainly because most of writing on the music I purchased there is written (and of course sung) only in Arabic. The local appreciation of French culture is still strong, and "Mon Ami la Rose", a nice allegory for old Beirut, is sung in the original Françoise Hardy version followed by Natacha Atlas' French-Arabic mix. Rachid Taha is another non-Lebanese singer we heard on local radio featured here. No disc about Lebanon would be complete without Fairouz, who like many of the others sings of Habibi, the one true love. More recent songs, both Arabic and European mixes, were heard on the radio or in the beautiful and luxurious shopping areas, and round out the collection. |
| villages hanging between the ski slopes and the deep gorges that fall to the sea |
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| The back features contrasting images of Lebanon and Beirut: glitz and damage, luxury malls and Catholic basilicas, Easter belly dancing and Israeli air raids. The hookah was fruity, relaxing, and surprisingly easy to smoke. |
| The disc repeats the cover design. The flag is an abstract modification of a real photo. |
| The cover art is a mixture of the Lebansese flag and the Dream Park entrace sign and rules. That's WDR sitting in the cedar. |
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