Record Reviews
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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.
| | CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
  | 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This album is perhaps the most important historical document from the early days of Israeli Rock.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!
| | CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend |
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