Record Reviews
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  | SHLOMO ARTZI ~ HE LOST HIS WAY…
HED ARZI 14718 ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock
Recorded: 1977 Released: 1991
Israeli singer / songwriter Shlomo ArtziFind albums by this artist has been the most iconic figure on the local music scene since the late 1970s. His songs have become the soundtrack of Israeli life, both in the moments of joy and those of profound sadness, overwhelmingly accepted as the epitome of the collective Israeliness, shared by all those living in Israel. In retrospect this phenomenon is quite surprising, as Artzi´s music is definitely non-trivial and often quite complex and his lyrics are usually cryptic, convoluted and associative, rather than narrative. And yet hundreds of thousands of Israelis are able to sing his songs, quoting every phrase and chanting each note. His live performances, which are legendary in scope and intensity, transcend well beyond cultural events and for many of the participants turn into emotional experiences of truly epic proportions. Although Artzi started his musical life at an early age, the initial period of his career and his early recordings are considered less significant, although some indications of his abilities were already present these. It was the release of this album, which established him as a major force on the local scene and his career took off from this point onward with a meteoric momentum. After several years of flirting with commercial music, Artzi decided to record an album, which was "truly him", with 7 of the 8 songs composed by him and 4 of the 8 lyrics written by him (the other being by Israeli poets Natan YonatanFind albums by this artist and Shaul TchernichovskyFind albums by this artist). He also enlisted some of the best Israeli musicians to accompany him on this album, including the excellent guitarist Gary EcksteinFind albums by this artist. The resulting album was a milestone of Israeli Rock and was met both with critical and popular acclaim. It is therefore often referred as the 1st Shlomo Artzi album, which of course is true in some sense, but not factually accurate. Of course every Artzi album from this point onward is an absolute must for every lover of Israeli music in general and Israeli Rock in particular. A classic!
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  | GARY ECKSTEIN ~ FATA MORGANA
HED ARZI 14845 (Barcode: 7293372148453) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock
Recorded: 1981 Released: 1991
This is the 4th album by Israeli singer / guitarist / composer Gary EcksteinFind albums by this artist, one of the most important Israeli Rock and Progressive Rock pioneers and a very talented musician. His early albums are superb examples of the Israeli music scene at the time, which was extremely creative and sophisticated. Eckstein was definitely one of the most talented Israeli guitarists in all times and his unique feel sounds absolutely incredible today as well. He also wrote some of the best melodies, which remain fresh and sizzling after all these years. On this excellent album he is accompanied by some of the best players active at the time, like keyboardist Moshe LevyFind albums by this artist, bassists Miki ShavivFind albums by this artist and Alon NadelFind albums by this artist and drummer Meir IsraelFind albums by this artist. The album is quite different from his other releases, as it features modern arrangements and interpretation of early Israel songs, which are associated with the era when the State of Israel was founded. This is a great document of the Israeli scene at the time and is warmly recommended!
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