Record Reviews
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  | BLACKFIELD ~ NYC: BLACKFIELD LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY
K-SCOPE 055 (Barcode: 636551505574) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2007
1st DVD release by BlackfieldFind albums by this artist, the cooperation band of Israeli singer / composer Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist and Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist’s leader Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist. Following the release of their 2 first albums (2003 & 2006) the band achieved wide international acclaim and became one of the most successful performing acts in Europe and the US. Geffen’s unique talent as a composer of deeply lyrical songs and Wilson’s skills as guitarist and arranger turned their music into a highly sophisticated Rock with strong ties to Prog and Alternative Rock. As good as their studio work is, Blackfield’s true forte is the power the band displays on stage, as documented here. The early lineup of the live Blackfield included sometimes Porcupine Tree’s players, but in time a steady all Israeli (except Wilson of course) lineup emerged, which is featured here. As Israel is truly blessed with a whole new generation of extremely talented musicians, this is hardly surprising. Just watch the excellent work by keyboards player Eran MitelmanFind albums by this artist, bassist Seffy EfratiFind albums by this artist and drummer Tomer ZFind albums by this artist to confirm this. The music includes mostly a selection of material from the two albums, with Alanis MorisetteFind albums by this artist’s “Thank You” being the only non-Blackfield song included. The performance is overall electrifying and extremely well done, so both hardcore Blackfield fans and all newcomers to the band’s music should enjoy this DVD immensely. Bonus material includes the wonderful 3 clips filmed for the 3 singles from the debut album, directed by Lasse HoileFind albums by this artist. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and DTS, 107 minutes. NTSC
| | | DVD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ HOLLOWED
HED ARZI 15942 (Barcode: 7293372594229) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1998 Released: 1998
6th album. Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (son of Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leading to their common BlackfieldFind albums by this artist project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ III
HED ARZI 15637 ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
3rd album from 1994. Aviv Geffen (son of Jonathan Geffen, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven Wilson, leading to their common Blackfield project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ IT`S CLOUDY NOW
HED ARZI 15569 (Barcode: 7290003372171) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1993 Released: 1993
2nd album. Aviv Geffen (son of Jonathan Geffen, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven Wilson, leading to their common Blackfield project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ IT`S ONLY THE MOONLIGHT
HED ARZI 15586 ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
1st album from 1992. Aviv Geffen (son of Jonathan Geffen, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven Wilson, leading to their common Blackfield project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ JOURNEY
HELICON 8184 (Barcode: 7293627818421) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2000 Released: 2000
8th album. Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (son of Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leading to their common BlackfieldFind albums by this artist project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ LIVE
HELICON 8287 (Barcode: 7293627828727) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008
11th album by Israeli Rock legend Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (13th if one counts the two BlackfieldFind albums by this artist albums), and his first edition of live material, which in many respects serves as a summary of his 15 years on the scene. Geffen, much as his father Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist before him, was always at the epicenter of both the Israeli musical and political scenes. His early-days rebel behavior, anti-establishment protest and mannerisms created a huge public debate in Israeli in the early 1990s, but his popularity with the Israeli teens was sky-high. The peak of Geffen’s political involvement was reached when he publicly reconciled with Israeli Priminister Itzhak RabinFind albums by this artist, following Rabin’s dramatic peace efforts, which unfortunately happened shortly before Rabin was assassinated. In time Geffen withdrew from political involvement and public life (other than concerts) and in parallel also became more introvert as musician and lyricist. The themes of his songs changed from protest and rebellion to soul-searching and metaphysical journeys. Since 2003 Geffen lives mostly in London, where he met and befriended Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist (Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist), which led to the creation of their group Blackfield, and where he tries to develop his international career free from the restrictions imposed by the local Israeli scene. This Box Set includes two CDs recorded live during the summer of 2007. The songs – all written and composed by Geffen – span his entire career, with the older material appropriately rearranged and updated musically. Accompanied by a great band, which includes some of Israel’s best rockers, Geffen delivers his songs with passion and great stage presence. Although not a refined singer (some might even say a poor singer), his charisma and musicality transcend his limitations, as it does in many other cases in Rock music. Overall the delivery is very effective and these two disks summarize Geffen’s career to date perfectly. A couple of new songs, previously unrecorded, are also featured. The enclosed DVD is a great treat to Geffen fans, as it includes 21 video clips and live performances filmed between 1992 and 2008, none of which were previously commercially available. A beautiful booklet with the lyrics of all the songs (in Hebrew) and some nice photographs is also included. I can hardly imagine a better tribute to an artist’s career than this Box Set, which should delight all his numerous fans in Israel as well as abroad.
| | Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: | 2CD+DVD 3 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ MEMENTO MORI
HELICON 8213 (Barcode: 7293627821322) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2001 Released: 2002
9th album. Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (son of Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leading to their common BlackfieldFind albums by this artist project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ NOWHERE
HED ARZI 15722 ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
4th album from 1995. Aviv Geffen (son of Jonathan Geffen, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven Wilson, leading to their common Blackfield project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ THE LETTER
HED ARZI 15793 ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
5th album from 1996. Aviv Geffen (son of Jonathan Geffen, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven Wilson, leading to their common Blackfield project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ WHITE NIGHTS
HED ARZI 64034 (Barcode: 7293372403408) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999
7th album. Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (son of Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well) is the Israeli `rebel` poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not aschew any controversy, slaughtering `holy cows` by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. As of 2002 Aviv lives part time in London, where he met Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist, leading to their common BlackfieldFind albums by this artist project.
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | AVIV GEFFEN ~ WITH THE TIME (SPECIAL EDITION)
HELICON 8266 (Barcode: 7293627826624) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 2005 Released: 2006
10th album by Aviv GeffenFind albums by this artist (son of Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist, who is a prominent figure in Israeli music as well), the Israeli “rebel” poet, songwriter and singer. His lyrics are provocative and sharp like a knife and he does not eschew any controversy, slaughtering “holy cows” by the herd. He is a gifted composer, able to write both rocky songs and beautiful lyrical ballads. He became an instant star with the Israeli teenagers, but as the years passed by his message sank deeply in the Israeli society, mainly due to the many political issues he touches upon. The music becomes much more refined over the years. Since 2003 Aviv co-leads with Steven WilsonFind albums by this artist (Porcupine TreeFind albums by this artist) the group BlackfieldFind albums by this artist, which managed to achieve huge international success, following the release of their debut album in 2004. Over four years since his last solo album Aviv finally unveils his new material, which is a direct continuation of his previous work Memento MoriFind albums with this title. Deeply lyrical and rather somber, but with excellent melody lines and a well developed artistic approach. Wilson provides some backing vocals and a strong cast of musicians supports the singer. The Special Edition includes a 10-songs bonus CD assembled especially for this project.
Limited Edition
| | | CD 2 Slipcase Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
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