Izhar Cohen & the "Alpha-Beta"

Artist: Izhar Cohen & the "Alpha-Beta"

LP: 7" single

Song: "A-Ba-Ni-Bi"

[ listen ]

As many of you probably already know, the Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, awards a country in or around the European continent a prize each year for submitting the pop song that gets stuck in the largest number of heads for the longest amount of time. Israel won the award in 1978 for Izhar Cohen's catchy "A-Ba-Ni-Bi," which was stuck in more than 783,400 peoples' heads for 77 consecutive hours. Israel has taken the top prize only twice since Cohen's victory in '78—with Gali Atari & Milk and Honey's "Hallelujah" in 1979, and again in 1998 with "Diva" by Dana International. You can find a full list of Eurovision Song Contest winners here and go here to read a bit about singer/actor Izhar Cohen and his Alpha-Beta.

Ron & Nama

Artist: Ron & Nama

LP: Donkey Debka! Young Israel Sings

Song: "Yafim Haleilot Bikna'an"

[ listen ]

Israeli folk music isn't really my bag, but I picked this record up anyway because the cover features such a nice photo of handsome Ron with his guitar and sexy hairy chest, and lovely Nama with her cute little ass. Liner notes, pictures and info from the "Ron & Nama Debka Donkey" LP insert booklet are included below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gevatron

Artist: The Gevatron

LP: Gvanim

Song: "Shir El R'ei"

[ listen ]

The Israeli kibbutz folk singers known as The Gevatron got their start back in 1948 when they performed at the dedication of a new kibbutz basketball court. To be honest, I had no idea what a "kibbutz" was until I looked here, where I also learned that any particular member of a kibbutz is called a "kibbutznik"—or a "קִבּוּצְנִיק" in Hebrew. You can learn all about the history of The Gevatron on their English-language website here. I'd initially figured it was the bright and cheerful colors on the group's 1978 Gvanim LP that drew me to it. But when I got home and examined the record more closely, I found that the cover also features half of a statue of a reclining naked man with a "come hither" look upon his face.

If I'd been the kibbutznik in charge of photographing The Gevatron for their LP covers, you can bet I'd have found a way to coax the group into posing on top of him.

The Israeli Strings

Artist: The Israeli Strings

LP: Jewish Rhapsodies For Those In Love
Song: "The Exodus Song"
[ listen ]

To create the atmosphere of seduction and romance necessary to lure a handsome young Jewish man into an evening of coy kissing and heavy petting, I find nothing works quite so well as "The Exodus Song."

The interpretations of Jewish melodies into contemporary
popular music has been magnificently achieved by The Israeli
Strings and the fine arrangements of Pete King. A mood of
romance prevails for all lovers, everywhere.

Traditionally, Jewish music is highly melodic but often the
melody is lost through interpretation. You will find that
within the twelve bands of this album, the songs presented
have lost none of their warmth, rather, they have been
elevated into a new dimension which can be accepted
by everyone with an appreciation for romantic music.
LOVERS EVERYWHERE, LISTEN...ENJOY!

The Diaspora Yeshiva Band

Artist: The Diaspora Yeshiva Band

LP: The Diaspora Yeshiva Band
Song: "Esah Eynai"
[ listen ]

Someone dumped their collection of '70s Jewish/Yiddish/Israeli records at Golden Oldies... and now they're mine! You can learn the history, methods and goals of the Diaspora Yeshiva here, read about The Diaspora Yeshiva Band here and for a short bio of group founder Avraham Rosenblum (aka. "the father of Jewish Rock"), go here. These notes come from the back of this 1976 LP:

ESAH EYNAI—Psalm 121: often recited to ask for Hashem's
protection over mother and child during and after childbirth.
This melody came and was sung at the birth of the author's
son, Yehuda Chiya; that the newborn infant hear, at birth,
his first words of Torah and Bracha.

* * * * * * *

In 1967, Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Goldstein founded the Diaspora
Yeshiva on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, with the help of Rabbi Dr.
S.Z. Kahana. Since then, the Yeshiva has grown to become
a vibrant center for spiritual growth; an educational institute
known throughout Israel and the Diaspora.

Rabbi Goldstein, the Rosh HaYeshiva and Dean, uses modern
methods to transmit the Masoretic traditions and the eternal
Oral Law, together with a close student-teacher relationship.
This methodology encourages honesty, truth, justice, morality
and piety, while developing the student's potential to become
a Jewish spiritual leader capable of actualizing genuine
Torah values in today's world.

* * * * * * *

PERSONNEL:

Avraham Rosenblum — acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals
Moshe Shur — mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocals

Ben Zion Solomon — fiddle, banjo, guitar, trumpet, vocals
Simcha Abramson — clarinet, vocalsShimmie Green — twelve string guitar, vocalsDavid Saracik — acoustic guitar, vocalsZvi Miller — vocalsAvraham Goodfriend — hand drums
Yochanan Lederman — drumsYoel Goldstein — snare drum
Beryl Glaser — piano, organYossi Cornfeld — banjo, trumpet, fiddleAmram Hakohen — trumpet, vocalsTed Glaser — vocalsS. Ziman — violin

Ilan & Ilanit

Artist: Ilan & Ilanit

LP: Shuv Itchem
Song: "Shuv Itchem"
[ listen ]

Song: "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"
[ listen ]

This record has no release date listed, but I'm guessing it's from the early '70s. Go here to discover what Israeli singing sensation Ilanit sees when she looks back and also to find out Ilan's real name. The many pictures plastered all over the record sleeve are included below. As my mother always used to say, "Gadzooks! There's even hippies in Israel!"

Hanna Ahroni

Artist: Hanna Ahroni

LP: Songs of Israel
Song: "Artza Alinu"
"...We have ploughed, sowed, but not yet reaped."
[ listen ]
Song: "Tzel-Tzel"
"...At the village square near the well, the shepherds dance as they
water the sheep. The reed flute and the drum loudly sound and ring
as the well gurgles. Tzel-tzel, the sheep."
[ listen ]

Yesterday after work I finally went to see Waltz With Bashir, the Israeli animated movie nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars. It's a fascinating, thought-provoking film about Israel's invasion of Lebanon in the early 1980s, in which a soldier tries to piece together memories of his own involvement in the war. What troubles him most is the part he may have (unwittingly?) played in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, in which hundreds or perhaps thousands of Palestinian refugees were slaughtered. Though the film left important questions unanswered (it wasn't the fim's aim to answer all questions on the issue, of course), I was impressed to see an Israeli film playing on American screens that dealt with these issues. Afterwards, I decided to post something from Israel that's a bit on the lighter side. You can find a career timeline for "petite songstress" Hanna Ahroni here and these are the notes from the back of this 1959 record:

Hanna Ahroni was just a baby when her Yemenite father and
Eritrean mother brought her to Israel. The family first settled
in the hills surrounding the Holy City of Jerusalem, then moved
to the banks of Lake Kinnereth in the Galilee. There, young
Hanna tended her parents' sheep, singing traditional Biblical
songs as she worked, in a voice that was one day to draw the
most glowing plaudits of audiences and critics the world over.

She was discovered by M. Wallin while singing her songs in
the fields of the Galilee. Wallin, the famous Israeli impressario,
brought the girl to Tal Aviv, where she was tutored in all
phases of music and drama, and where she mastered
the eight languages in which she can sing fluently. Her
remarkable four-octave voice was developed with delicate
care, preserving the natural qualities with which nature
and her heritage had endowed her.

At fourteen, Hanna made her concert debut, and later
became the singing star of Wallin's Revue Theatre and
Music Hall. She then appeared on radio, made a number
of recordings, and before long Israel's foremost composers
were writing especially for her unusual voice.

Miss Ahroni has appeared in two motion pictures: "Song of
Israel" and "Tel Aviv." On a recent world tour, the petite
songstress enchanted vast audiences in Paris, Monte Carlo,
Cannes, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Mexico City, Capetown,
Johannesburg, San Juan and Caracas.

In this album, Hanna Ahroni sings a collection of traditional
Biblical songs as they were sung thousands of years ago. you
will also hear songs of modern Israel, exciting new legends in
the making. She sings them all with a deep sentiment and
warmth, a dramatic virtuosity, drawing freely from her
remarkable vocal resources, the end product of which
is a thrilling listening experience.

Sam Grossman, conductor and arranger for the album, possesses
a wide range of musical experience that runs the gamut from
his radio and motion picture work with the late opera star
Grace Moore, to fifteen years with the famous "Hit Parade."

Background photo for cover courtesy of the Israel Government Tourist Office.

[ Hanna Ahroni ]

Uzi Fuchs

Artist: Uzi Fuchs

LP: EL AL: Hava Nagila Festival - Volume 2
Song: "Keshet Be'anan (Rainbow)"
[ listen ]

This is just one of several great tracks from this 1974 "selection of Israeli songs from EL AL Israel Airlines Inflight Entertainment Program." As you can see, the back of the album features a collage of some of the wonderful things you can find during your visit to the country of Israel:

I've created a slideshow so you can take a closer look:

breathtaking vistas:

unusual marine life:

outdoor concerts:


active nightlife:


exotic regional modes of dress:


children lying on the grass in a star formation: