Record Reviews

DOUBLE SPACE ~ WINDINGS NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 8824655671086) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2005 Released: 2006 Excellent debut album by Israeli Prog group Double SpaceFind albums by this artist, which is probably the most significant piece of music recorded in this country in the last decade. Coming back to the sources if Israeli Prog (of the 1970’s) the group decided to create a musical project based on texts by prominent Israeli poets like Leah GoldbergFind albums by this artist, Natan AltermanFind albums by this artist, Hanoch LevinFind albums by this artist and others (unfortunately lost to non-Hebrew speaking audiences). The musical approach is remarkably similar to the early (and revolutionary) work of Shlomo GronichFind albums by this artist, with brilliant compositions including weird time signatures and unexpected twists and turns. The music is mostly acoustic, with occasional use of electric guitar. Extensive use of flute and saxophone adds touches of jazzy arrangements. The vocals (in Hebrew of course) are expressive and very sensitive to the complex lyrics. The maturity and the intellectual stamina of this project are truly astounding, especially in view of the young age of its participants. Considering the recent “wave” of excellent Israeli Prog releases, this is another most welcome addition to the local scene.

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ZOHAR LEVY ~ THE BATHTUB QUEEN EARSAY 086 (Barcode: 7290010420865) ~ ISRAEL ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2006 “The Bathtub Queen”, a play written by a young Israeli playwright Hanoch LevinFind albums by this artist and staged by the Kameri Theatre in early 1970 turned out to be a symbol of the Israeli intellectual revolution (see Side note). The stage play also included a number of songs, which were performed by the actors. Levin entrusted the task of composing the music for these songs into the capable hands of the young and talented musician Zohar LevyFind albums by this artist, who at the time was probably the most “progressive” musician on the local scene. Levy, who was also an imaginative drummer with strong jazz and blues influences, was totally open minded as to the musical developments of the era. His music was as revolutionary as Levin’s texts and was as hard to swallow by the Israeli public at the time. The theatre was forced by the outraged public and even more outraged Government to cancel the play after just a few performances, but luckily the songs were recorded in the studio, with the original actors singing and Levy’s quartet accompanying them. This was released on LP in a very limited edition of 500 copies only, soon to become one of the rarest Israeli collector’s items. Now, 36 years later this gem is available again, to the delight of many fans of Israeli music and serves as an incredibly important document of the local scene. Levy’s next musical adventure was his superb group ApocalypseFind albums by this artist, which recorded their eponymous album in 1972 (see on this site). Side Note: In 1970 the Israeli public was still living under the influence of the euphoria induced by Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Labor Government ruled the country using methods not far removed from the totalitarian Bolshevist model. Any kind of anti-government activity or social criticism was totally taboo and any symptoms of such activity were often brutally silenced, using both democratic / legal and undemocratic methods of intimidation. Hanoch Levin’s “The Bathtub Queen” created the biggest and most violent outrage the country has ever witnessed. In his play Levin slaughtered “Holy Cows” by the herd and made fun of everything, including the Israeli Military, which was considered untouchable and beyond reproach. He predicted that Israel’s victory will eventually lead only to yet another war, which in fact happened just 3 years later (Yom Kippur War). The Israeli Government and the Ministry of Defense in particular used every bit of their influence (including most of the Israeli Media) to force the Kameri Theatre to close the play. They eventually succeeded, but at the same time managed to bring the issues dealt with by the play into the center of the Israeli public discussion and social life, creating the split between the so called Israeli “left” and “right”, present to some extent to this very day. In time Levin became Israel’s most important playwright and his plays were translated into many languages and staged frequently around the globe. He is accepted worldwide as one of the greatest dramatist and precursors of the absurd theatre, continuing the work of his predecessors like Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco and Harold Pinter. In retrospect the “The Bathtub Queen” can be considered as the singularly most influential piece of modern Israeli literature, proving yet again that words can shake the world’s foundations.

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