Record Reviews
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  | POOPIK ARNON ~ EVERYONE
PHONOKOL 4190 (Barcode: 7296134419020) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1970 Released: 2004
Only album by Israeli singer / actor (Mordechai) Poopik ArnonFind albums by this artist, who was an important figure on the early Israeli Psychedelic Rock / Prog scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The album includes a set of songs, which include mostly lyrics written by Arnon with music composed by members of the ChurchillsFind albums by this artist, who also accompany him on the album, and Shlomo GronichFind albums by this artist, presenting his earliest compositions on record. By the mid-1970 Arnon slowly retuned to the orthodox Jewish religion and left the entertainment scene altogether. In time this album achieved a legendary status and is now considered a cult album for the connoisseurs if Israeli music.
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  | CHURCHILLS ~ 1968-1971 (EXPANDED EDITION)
HED ARZI 64360 (Barcode: 7293372436093) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1968 - 1971 Released: 2003
Newly reissued double album including the 1st ChurchillsFind albums by this artist album released in Israel and the 2nd album released in UK under the name Jerico JonesFind albums by this artist, with rare prevoiusly unreleased material. Churchills were the first Israeli Rock / Psychedelic group with strong Prog ties and this is as complete as possible. A real treat for collectors of Israeli material.
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  | ARIK EINSTEIN / SHALOM HANOCH ~ SHABLOOL (EXPANDED EDITION)
PHONOKOL 4193 ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
One of the most important Israeli albums in all times, this 1970 album by Arik EinsteinFind albums by this artist / Shalom HanochFind albums by this artist received a cult status in Israel. The songs (all written by Hanoch) are all evergreens and Israeli Pop anthems. The singers are accompanied by the members of the legendary ChurchillsFind albums by this artist and a few guest jazz musicians. The songs were used as a soundtrack to the cult TV series "Lool" and also incorporated into films directed by Uri ZoharFind albums by this artist. This stuff is the best Israeli Psychedelic Rock ever made and it aged wonderfully, as it is as pleasing today as it was then. An absolute must for every lover of Isreali early Rock!
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  | MIKI GAVRIELOV / SWING DE GITANES ~ MIKI GAVRIELOV / SWING DE GITANES
HIGH FIDELITY (Barcode: 7290013014375) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion
Recorded: 2010 Released: 2010
Veteran Israeli bassist / vocalist / songwriter Miki GavrielovFind albums by this artist, who belongs to the first generation of Israeli Rockers (he was the bass player of the legendary ChurchillsFind albums by this artist), remains a central figure on the local scene. With hundreds of songs to his credit and cooperation with the most famous and revered Israeli artists (like Arik EinsteinFind albums by this artist), Gavrielov earned a well deserved reputation of superb songwriter. In parallel he re-discovered his ethnic background and incorporated many World Music elements in his music over the years. This superb album brings him together with the Israeli Gypsy Jazz trio Swing De GitanesFind albums by this artist, which for several years developed a unique style of acoustic Jazz in the tradition of Django ReinhardtFind albums by this artist. The album presents new original music composed almost entirely by Gavrielov and performed by him with the trio and a few guest musicians. The cooperation works out splendidly and the result is a true little gem, which can be enjoyed by any music lover blessed by open ears and mind alike.
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  | JONATHAN GEFFEN / DANNY LITANI ~ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
NMC (ISRAEL) 70144 (Barcode: 7290003299102) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1976 Released: 1993
This album documents the second cooperation project between writer / poet / satirist Jonathan GeffenFind albums by this artist and singer / composer Danny LitaniFind albums by this artist, combining forces and presenting a live show, which included music, sketches, standup comedy and a lot of political satire, which also proved to be immensely successful with the Israeli public. This album presents a live recording of the show, with the leaders supported by excellent musicians and friends, including ex-ChurchillsFind albums by this artist bassist Miki GavrielovFind albums by this artist and guitarist Haim RomanoFind albums by this artist. Litani wrote all of the original music in the show except one song by Gavrielov and one by Leon RussellFind albums by this artist, with lyrics translated into Hebrew by Geffen, who wrote also all the original lyrics and spoken texts. This is a great document of the time and a great fun, with most of the satire being completely relevant today, so many years later.
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  | SHEM TOV LEVY ~ IN THE MOOD (EXPANDED EDITION)
PHONOKOL 4257 (Barcode: 7296134425724) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1976 Released: 2008
1st album by Israeli flautist / pianist / composer Shem Tov LevyFind albums by this artist – finally released on CD 32 years after it was originally recorded. Levy was of course one of Israel’s best and most talented musicians at the time and a bold innovator, pushing the boundaries of early Israeli Rock, mostly in the Prog direction. After this brilliant debut album, Levy was to join forces with Shlomo GronichFind albums by this artist and Shlomo YdovFind albums by this artist to form the legendary No NamesFind albums by this artist, and soon after another legendary ensemble SheshetFind albums by this artist. Levy composed and arranged all the music on this album, which includes 4 vocal tracks and 5 instrumentals. He also wrote the lyrics for two of the vocal tracks. On the two other vocal tracks Levy used poems written by famous Israeli poets Lea GoldbergFind albums by this artist and Dalia RabikovitchFind albums by this artist, as was quite customary in Israeli Prog on the 1970s. The brilliant melodies, which Levy composed, are perhaps the only truly “Israeli” music written at the time, full of Jazzy chord changes, polyrhythmic pulsation and clever incorporation of Middle Eastern motifs. The instrumental performances are brilliant, as he used the best players on the local scene at the time, like guitarist Yitzhak KlepterFind albums by this artist (ChurchillsFind albums by this artist, KaveretFind albums by this artist), bassist Ehud IngerFind albums by this artist, drummer / guitarist Haim RomanoFind albums by this artist, drummer Meir IsraelFind albums by this artist and many others. His flute playing is absolutely mind-blowing of course. He also arranged the music for the string ensemble, used on some of the tracks. In retrospect, this is an extraordinary debut album, full of exquisite music and endless timeless gems and definitely on of the best albums recorded in Israel in the 1970s. This new editions adds four bonus tracks, all great examples of Levy’s superb talent as composer and arranger, including an extra-rare live recording of a live No Names performance, singing a medley of Beatles songs with a typical humorous twist. An absolute classic!
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  | SHLOMO MIZRACHI ~ FENDERICA ONE
NOT ON LABEL ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Although Shlomo MizrachiFind albums by this artist is undoubtedly the greatest Israeli rock guitarist, he remains relatively unknown due to unfortunate turns in his career. The two groups he headed in the 1970`s - Electric StageFind albums by this artist and The Cape Of Good HopeFind albums by this artist - never properly recorded or released albums. Some of his extraordinary guitar playing can be heard on the two Danny Ben-IsraelFind albums by this artist albums, but that is about it. Therefore Shlomo`s decision to unearth various sessions he recorded over the years and release them on CD is a most welcome and festive occasion. The first album in this series ("Fenderica" is the name of his guitar - not difficult to guess the manufacturer) compiles his recordings made between 1975 and 1982, mostly in Europe with European musicians. The music and his guitar work are absolutely stunning and this is an incredible piece of history of Israeli rock. An absolute must for any fan of Israeli music, especially people who like the ChurchillsFind albums by this artist.
Individually numbered Limited Edition of 300
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  | UZI AND THE STYLES ~ UZI AND THE STYLES (EXPANDED EDITION)
HED ARZI 64752 (Barcode: 7293372475290) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1969 - 1970 Released: 2007
Uzi FuxFind albums by this artist and his band The StylesFind albums by this artist were one of a plethora of Israeli rock bands (The ChurchillsFind albums by this artist, The Blue StarsFind albums by this artist, The New StarsFind albums by this artist, The Fats & ThinsFind albums by this artist, The GeneralsFind albums by this artist, The MonksFind albums by this artist, The SpidersFind albums by this artist and many others) active on the local scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The main difference between The Styles and other bands was the fact that they performed mainly self-written material and in English as opposed to the other bands, which did mostly covers and original songs in Hebrew. The band included two British musicians: Abe OrchoverFind albums by this artist (organ) Tony PriceFind albums by this artist (songwriter), who were responsible for the band’s advanced sound and production. They were influenced by The BeatlesFind albums by this artist and Manfred MannFind albums by this artist, but managed quickly to form their unique character, placing the group as one of the most important early Israeli rock outfits. Their only album was recorded in 1970, presenting all (but one) original songs written by Orchover and Price and including their biggest hit “Friends”. This expanded edition includes their single and EP releases (the EP was released in UK, USA, Spain, Germany and Belgium and met with quite a success at the time), collecting all the recorded legacy of the band.
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  | VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ BEAT MUSIC FESTIVAL (EXPANDED EDITION)
HED ARZI 520575 (Barcode: 7293372205750) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1968 Released: 2003
This album is perhaps the most important historical document from the early days of Israeli Rock. Recorded live in Tel-Aviv, it documents the first ever Israeli Rock festival, organized in 1968 by the left-wing radical "HaOlam HaZeh" ("This World" in Hebrew) weekly newspaper, owned and edited by Uri Avnery. Avnery, always a visionary, was among the first Israeli figures to recognize the culture of the new Israeli generation, including the new Israeli Rock, which was in its infancy at the time. The many Pop / Rock groups active at the time were completely ignored by the "cultural" establishment and operated in complete "underground", playing small clubs in the southern (poor and neglected) suburbs of Tel Aviv, as well as in the cities of Lod and Ramleh (also poor and neglected). The entire "club" scene was vibrant and immensely creative, but had little chance to reach wider audiences as the groups never got opportunity to record and their songs were not played on the radio. Therefore the Beat Music Festival was a first of its kind presentation of this new music to a wider audience and the album, capturing some of the evening´s performances, was the first recording done by the participating groups. Although only a very few of these groups managed to record full length LPs (The ChurchillsFind albums by this artist, who do not appear here, were a rare exception, recording their debut album in 1968 and Uzi And The StylesFind albums by this artist, who do appear, recorded their debut album only in 1970), the album´s bonus tracks bring a selection of singles recorded by the participating groups shortly after the festival, such as the Fats & ThinsFind albums by this artist, the Blue StarsFind albums by this artist, the StylesFind albums by this artist, Uzi And The StylesFind albums by this artist, and the New Blue StarsFind albums by this artist (their tracks are fantastic examples of early Psychedelic / proto-Prog efforts). Although some of the music sounds a bit dated, others are absolutely brilliant. The overall sound quality is not perfect, nevertheless as a document of the era this album has no competition and therefore stands out as a beacon and a rare window to Israel´s musical past, way beyond simple nostalgia. A blast from the past!
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