Record Reviews

HIGH WINDOWS ~ HIGH WINDOWS (EXPANDED EDITION) HED ARZI 64748 (Barcode: 7293372474897) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1967 - 1968 Released: 2007 Only album by the Israeli vocal trio, which included Arik EinsteinFind albums by this artist, Shmulik KrausFind albums by this artist and Josie KatzFind albums by this artist, and which is considered as the first original Israeli Pop album ever recorded. Strongly influenced by the BeatlesFind albums by this artist and other (then) contemporary Pop and Rock groups, the High WindowsFind albums by this artist recorded a superb set of songs in Hebrew (all written by Kraus), using vocal harmonies and instrumental arrangements, which were completely revolutionary at the time. Israeli music up to that point was based mainly on East-European melodies and folksy approach and this was the first attempt to create a local scene modeled after Western Pop. The musical “establishment” at the time received this music with harsh criticism (The Beatles were not allowed to play in Israel to avoid the “bad” influence on local youth) and some of the songs were banned by the censor from being played on the radio. But the public loved the songs and the album soon became one of the most popular Israeli albums of all times. It had a crucial influence on the local scene and soon after an entire new generation of local musicians would start to create original Israeli Pop and Rock, including Progressive Rock. It is interesting to notice that the instrumental work and arrangements on this album were done by a brilliant piano player Ziggy SkarbnikFind albums by this artist, a legendary figure of the early days of both Israeli Rock and Jazz, who unfortunately died of cancer at an incredibly young age. The drummer was no other than Zohar LevyFind albums by this artist, another legendary figure. Listening to this album 40 years after it was recorded can be quite revealing and the realization of how brilliant this stuff was and still is becomes inevitable. A must! This expanded edition (marking the albums 40th anniversary) adds a whole second CD of bonus material, which is insanely rare and most of it never saw the light of day. These include live material recorded at the Paris Olympia hall, French and UK singles (in French and English) released in Europe, in short some of the rarest Israeli archival material.

CD 2 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

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.

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend