#SHALOM HANOCH SONGS UPDATE#
#SHALOM HANOCH SONGS FULL#

#SHALOM HANOCH SONGS FULL#

Hanoch really was the most outstanding figure in the process of turning rock into something Israeli, and in the 35 years that have passed since вЂњWhite Wedding,вЂќ he has perpetuated and nurtured his image as a rocker in albums and performances alike.Д«ut while this portrait is based on reality, it seems to do the singer an injustice: ItвЂ™s far from reflecting the full picture of his oeuvre, it emphasizes his later, less beautiful incarnation at the expense of the brilliant early-middle era of his activity вЂ“ and in general it tailors a suit for Hanoch that, although regal, doesnвЂ™t necessarily flatter his overall body of work. ItвЂ™s understandable why this 'portrait' has been ingrained in our awareness. The hoarse voice, the noise, the incisive texts вЂ“ those are the elements immediately identified with him, even if not the only ones. Since that moment he has been categorized as the most important and influential rock musician in Israel. The first identifying label that's been automatically associated with Hanoch since he sat down with the wrinkled white suit, the electric guitar and the unshaven face in the hotel room where the cover of the album вЂњWhite WeddingвЂќ was photographed вЂ“ is вЂњrock.вЂќ That happened 35 years ago, when he was half his present age.

#SHALOM HANOCH SONGS UPDATE#

The other thing that occurred to me after the performance was related to a certain element that has always existed in Hanoch's songs, but that I never really noticed before: HanochвЂ™s image as a political and opinionated artist, who expresses in his songs incisive views about Israeli reality, is so much a part of our collective awareness that I never realized that in many of his songs he actually expresses an opposite message, an absence of any statement вЂ“ a message of silence, to the effect that words themselves are useless.ДЄlong these same lines, involving that underlying silent channel in HanochвЂ™s work, and in advance of his 70th birthday вЂ“ I would like to refine and update the image that's been identified with him in the past decades. Shalom Hanoch performing at the Israel Peace Festival in Neve Shalom, in 1985. Indeed, just the opposite is true: This inventory of songs is a unique cultural resource, a tremendous lifetime achievement. But there are moments вЂ“ for example, when celebrating the 70th birthday of this popular singer, which takes place on Thursday вЂ“ when you want to stop and say: No, it really shouldnвЂ™t be taken for granted. ThereвЂ™s nothing surprising in easily recalling HanochвЂ™s huge inventory of songs. And one could think of another 20 wonderful songs that werenвЂ™t suited to an event of this type, and were not performed. One could think of approximately 30 great hits that would have suited the playlist that night, at what had been intimate acoustic show featuring only Hanoch and Levy, who has been performing with Hanoch and producing his albums for over 30 years. When I left Zappa, I thought mainly about the huge number of wonderful songs that Hanoch hadnвЂ™t performed. The guy in the audience had tried to drag Hanoch into a patriotic celebration in which all of us, not only one athlete, вЂњbroughtвЂќ a medal вЂ“ and the singer responded to him, unwittingly, with a song that presents the opposite worldview and claims that long before there is вЂњall of us,вЂќ there is вЂњIвЂќ and вЂњyou.вЂќ A man lives within himself, and only afterward within his people.

It was a totally random choice, but so fitting. It wasnвЂ™t a brilliant impromptu response to what had happened a moment earlier, for the simple reason that Hanoch didnвЂ™t understand what had actually happened. вЂњOkay, letвЂ™s go on,вЂќ the singer said, and then quite amazingly began to sing вЂњDonвЂ™t Call me a NationвЂќ: вЂњNeed nothing from you, need nothing from them / A person is a person / DonвЂ™t call me a nation.вЂќ

There were another two or three attempts to explain to Hanoch what the shouter meant, but apparently he wasnвЂ™t into the Olympics at all. вЂњYou want me to sing a song called вЂGaliaвЂ™? There is no such song.вЂќ It wasnвЂ™t clear whether Shalom was addressing the person shouting or his long-time keyboard-playing partner, Moshe Levy. Even now Hanoch didnвЂ™t hear him correctly. вЂњWhat? What did you say?вЂќ he asked the man, confused. Would he exploit the comic potential of the moment? Absolutely. A shout from the sports arena in the midst of an artistic event, addressing Hanoch like an old friend as вЂњShalom,вЂќ and the use of the rather belligerent вЂњbroughtвЂќ instead of the more refined вЂњwon.вЂќ Only five words, but what comic potential they provided to the space in Zappa.

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