Category Archives: Melodi

Birsen Armağan with the Yurdaer Doğulu Orchestra

Birsen Armağan with the Yurdaer Doğulu Orchestra Melodi 45 Helvaci

Birsen Armağan with the Yurdaer Doğulu Orchestra Melodi 45 Gul Ayse

First notice I can find of Birsen, from 1964
First notice I can find of Birsen, from 1964
Ad for Birsen Armağan's first Melodi single in Hafta Sonu Ilavesi (Weekend Edtion), February 1967. Yurdaer Doğulu is listed as "guitarist with the National Orchestra".
Ad for Birsen Armağan’s first Melodi single in Hafta Sonu Ilavesi (Weekend Edtion), February 1967. Yurdaer Doğulu is listed as “guitarist with the National Orchestra”.

Here’s a neat single from female vocalist Birsen Armağan with the Yurdaer Doğulu Orchestra, one of a dozen singles from Turkey I found while on vacation in the Florida Keys earlier this month. “Helvaci” has an interesting guitar and bass opening, but I prefer “Gül Ayşe”, with it’s unusual rhythm and long guitar intro.

This 45 dates to early 1967, and though the instrumentation is mainly western (electric guitar and bass, organ, drums) the songs are very much in a Turkish style.

Her 1968 single on Melodi, “Gel Gel Gel” (“Come Come Come”) / “Ah! Yalancilik” (“Cinderella Rockafella” – a song by Mason Williams and Nancy Ames popularized by the Israeli duo Ester and Abi Ofarim) is much different, as “Gel Gel Gel” is straight-up ye ye style pop.

I don’t know much about Birsen. She may have done some film work as well, but her singing career seems to have quieted in the early ’70s. I don’t know of any other records by Birsen though I wouldn’t be surprised to learn of more.

All the news clippings shown here come from the Milliyet newspaper and its weekend edition, Hafta Sonu Ilavesi.

Thanks to Max “King Boogalouie” for the second Melodi 45 scan and transfers.

Birsen Armağan Melodi 45 Gel Gel Gel

Concert ad, February 1967
Concert ad, February 1967
Ad for a concert engagement in 1971
Ad for a concert engagement in 1971
December 1968
December 1968
Solo artist, 1969
Solo artist, 1969