Record Reviews

SHLOMO ARTZI ~ A PLACE HED ARZI 14931 ~ ISRAEL ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1982 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. It was followed up by the brilliant albums "WaysFind albums with this title" and "MidnightFind albums with this title", which were true giant steps in Artzi´s "Golden Age". This, his next album, is unusual in many respects, since it features 4 songs (out of 11) not composed by Artzi and returns to using poems as the song´s lyrics (again by Natan YonatanFind albums by this artist and Shaul TchernichovskyFind albums by this artist and a few others). As the album´s title suggest, the subject matter is the land of Israel, its vistas and people and their lives and feelings. The album is a transitional stage between the first phase of his successful career and the next one, which will be much more personal and intimate. Again brilliantly arranged and played by Israel´s best musicians, this is a delicate and wonderful album. 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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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!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend