Orientalism
- "the good, old days" - circa 1957 -
(click on images to see larger size)
The Swingin' Sultan of Baghdad (a.k.a. "Baghdaddy-O")
is trying not to think too hard about postcolonial analysis.
On the back of the album is a description of a fantasy Baghdad (all the more fantastic when one considers the rule of Saddam and conditions in post-invasion Iraq).
The columns of text have been scanned individually so that they can be read more easily. They are provided below for your reading enjoyment. (Click on them to increase size.)
Baghdad seems just the place for venal Orientals (and anyone else who is corruptible)
The text is so evocative it must've been written by a Madison Avenue advertising copywriter:
"Now you see a caravan, its heavily-laden camels or donkeys stretched out in a long chain, starting for the desert regions. You are at once reminded of the fact that in spite of the jet age, the city of Baghdad is today still dependent on these 'desert trains' which were the backbone of this fairy-tale city."
Some notable lines:
"Music threads through the life of the city, just as the caravan threads through the winding streets and narrow byways..." and "You want to go somewhere tonight? Girls?"
