The Baku Weeks, part 1 and only

Since Eurovision 2007 Eurocovers readers are used to the So And So weeks highlighting the Eurovision history of the organizing country through coverversions of their greatest hits and by their popular singers.

No such luck this year, as Azerbaijans Eurovision History is short and I haven't found any Azerbaijani Eurocovers artists except the one that was already featured in 2008 Muslim Magomaev (1942-2008), when Azerbaijan entered the Eurovision family.

Below is a re-hash of that 2008 article with a few alterations.

Also check out
The Finweeks
The Belgrade Weeks
The Moscow Weeks
The Oslo Weeks
The Düsseldorf Weeks - German Classics
The Baku Collection, all about the cds, versions, charts of Eurovision 2012.
All about the releases of Azerbaijans first 4 entries in a Baku Collection special

If you know any Eurocovers from Azerbaijan (excluding live clips and youtube amateurs) please let me know.


Here's the 2008 article about Azerbaijani/Soviet singer Muslim Magomaev, the only Azerbaijani artist I know that has recorded Eurovision songs.

2008: welcomes Azerbaijan to the Eurovision stage.

The list of countries for Eurovision 2008 counts 43 and there's again two newcomers on the Eurovision stage. San Marino and Azerbaijan. Austria opts out for 2008.
Eurocovers of course tries to find any excuse to present some songs here but so far I haven't been able to find any version sung in Azerbaijani (or Azeri-Turkish, check your wiki's).
If anyone knows any, just let me know….

But this is close, Muslim Magomaev (Müslüm Maqomayev, Муслим Магомаев, 1942-2008) is a classical singer (baritone) who was born in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, in 1942, USSR times.
He shares his name with his grandfather, legendary composer Muslim Magomaev (1885 - 1937), who was a pioneer of Azerbaijani music. His father was a painter and war hero, his mother an actress. Magomaev Jr. started as a classical singer but after a performance in Italy he also turned to popular music. Since he has recorded Italian and Russian versions of many Italian songs including several San Remo entries and (other) songs by Domenico Modugno. Later he was dubbed the Soviet Sinatra.

In 1966 and 1969 Muslim Magomaev performed in Paris Olympia with great success. The director of Olympia Bruno Coquatrix offered him a contract, and Muslim Magomaev was seriously considering an opportunity to pursue international career, but he didn't get the Ministry of Culture's permission, who claimed that it needed Muslim Magomaev to perform at governmental concerts. In 1969 he received MIDEM Gold Disc Award in Cannes for the album sales of over 4,5 million units. In 1973, at the very young age of 31, Muslim was awarded the Soviet Union's highest artistic title: People's Artist of the USSR. Muslim Magomaev is also known as a composer of songs, film soundtracks and music for theater performances. In addition, Magomaev played in films and acted as a host in television and radio broadcasts.

Muslim Magomaev has been living and working in Moscow since the early 1970s. In 1997, in recognition of Magomaev's professional successes, a Russian astronomical society named two planetoids of the solar system in honor of him and his wife, Tamara Sinyavskaya, a prominent Russian opera singer who was also awarded People's Artist of the USSR and worked as a soloist at the Bolshoi Theater. (source: Magomaev Website)
At his website (in English and Russian) you can read more and listen to a large selection of his songs: classical music, songs by Azerbaijani composers, western popular songs, film themes and many self composed works.

ADDED Muslim Magomaev, died on October 25, 2008 at the age of 66, nine months after the original article was compiled.

Magomaev Eurocovers.
So far I have found two Eurocovers by Muslim Magomaev. Both are entries from 1965, the year of his visit to Milan, Italy.

Se Piangi, Se Ridi (Italian)
- Italy 1965, originally by Bobby Solo
Voskovaya Kukla (Восковая кукла, Russian)
- Luxembourg 1965, France Galls Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son.

I don't have any details on the release of Se Piangi Se Ridi, but Poupée…. was issued on a Melodija 4 track EP (33ГД-0001045-2, picture) and a compilation LP of the same year, Vsem kto lyubit pesnyu (No3)  / Всем, Кто Любит, Песню (№ 3)

The third song featured is Non Pensare A Me, the 1967 SanRemo winner that was replaced at the rehearsing stages of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.*

♫ Poupée - Se Piangi - Non Pensare

* Non Pensare A Me was the 1967 San Remo winner by both Iva Zanicchi and Claudio Villa. Villa was supposed to sing it as the Italian Eurovision entry but the song had to be replaced just days before the contest because it broke the release rules (i.e. it was released to early). Instead, Claudia Villa represented Italy with Non Andare Piu Lontano, but Non Pensare A Me was the hit (mainly for Zannichi) and is covered by most artists that were in the business of covering popular Italian songs (Connie Francis, Andre Hazes, Yukari Ito, Agnaldo Timoteo, José Guardiola).
Of Non Andare Piu Lontano I only ever found one coverversion (by Los Catinos)