Record Reviews

SHLOMO ARTZI ~ WAYS HED ARZI 14751 (Barcode: 7293372475122) ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1979 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 the album "He Lost His Way…Find albums with this title" which established him as a major force on the local scene and his career took off from this point onward with a meteoric momentum. This album followed up in the footsteps of the breakthrough release and is therefore often referred to as the 2nd Shlomo Artzi album, which of course is true in some sense, but not factually accurate. Here Artzi offers 9 brilliant songs, all composed by him, with 7 of the songs also having his lyrics. Brilliantly arranged and performed, the album is the first true giant step in Artzi´s "Golden Age" and remains one of his strongest to date. It is a definite, serious artistic statement in every respect. Special mention should go to the brilliant guitar work by Mordy FerberFind albums by this artist. Of course every Artzi album is an absolute must for every lover of Israeli music in general and Israeli Rock in particular. A classic!

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