''Crowded in the Ear'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: צפוף באוזן, Tzafuf BaOzen) is the third and final studio album by

Israeli rock Israeli rock (, ''Rok Yisra'eli'') is rock music created by Israeli bands and singers. History 1960s Israel's initial attitude towards rock music was mixed, with the genre gaining popularity amongst the youth but receiving condemnation from th ...

band,

Kaveret Kaveret (, lit. "beehive"), also known as Poogy (, nickname of band drummer Meir Fenigstein chosen for their performances abroad), was an Israeli pop rock band, which operated originally from 1973 to 1976. Representing Israel in the 1974 Eurovisi ...

, released in 1975.

Background

After the huge success of the band's first two albums (

Poogy Tales ''Poogy Tales'' () is the debut album by Israeli rock band, Kaveret, released in 1973. It is considered one of the most important albums in the history of Israeli music. It is also amongst the best selling albums in Israel, with over 140 thousand ...

and

Poogy in a Pita ''Poogy in a Pita'' (Hebrew: פוגי בפיתה, Poogy BePita) is the second album by the Israeli rock band Kaveret, released in 1974. Songs About a year after forming the band and the release of the first album, '' Poogy Tales'', the band relea ...

), they decided to change musical direction. The first two albums were written by

Danny Sanderson Danny Sanderson (; born November 30, 1950) is an Israeli musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2005, Sanderson received a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Israeli music. Biography Sanderson was born in Kibbutz Kfar B ...

, while all the band members participated in writing this album. Each song was played through and the band decided whether to include it in the album. The band worked for six months on the album while living in a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...

. The band members pursued different musical directions and contributed new influences to the band's sound.

Yoni Rechter Yoni Rechter (; born 18 November 1951) is an Israeli musician, composer, pianist, arranger and singer. Biography Yonatan (Yoni) Rechter was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the son of Israeli architect Ya'akov Rechter and stepson of Israeli actr ...

turned to

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

and was a member of the progressive rock duo 14 Octaves (along with Avner Kener) at the time. Efrahim Shamir and Alon Olearthick turned to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. The result was the band's most diversified album, but this cost the band many fans and finally led to the band's break-up in 1976.

Songs

Only two songs were written entirely by Sanderson – "HaIsh Hakhi Mahir" (The Fastest Man) and "Inspector Piqeakh" (Clever Inspector) that reprised the band's original sound, characterized by melodic rock and

nonsense Nonsense is a form of communication, via speech, writing, or any other formal logic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. In ordinary usage, nonsense is sometimes synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous. Many poets, novelists and songwri ...

. The humor was still present in songs such as "Golyat" (Goliath) a parody about the biblical story, "Lu Lu" and "Tango Tzfardeim" (Frogs Tango) and more. The song "HaOlam Sameakh" (The World is Happy) was composed in the

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

, a musical style that was popular in Israel at the time. The song was played after a skit in the band's shows. The song "Shi'ur Moledet" (Country Lesson) was originally composed by Shamir in Polish, and the lyricist

Eli Mohar Eli Mohar (; 30 December 1948 – 30 November 2006) was an Israeli songwriter and columnist. Biography Eli Mohar was born in Tel Aviv. His father was Yechiel Mohar. He was a member of HaMahanot HaOlim youth movement and studied at A.D. Gordon S ...

wrote Hebrew lyrics for the album. This song, along with other quiet songs in the album such as "Hi Kol Kakh Yafa" (She's So Beautiful), didn't initially become a success with the fans who expected humor, but as time passed the songs became amongst the favorites from the album. The album's back cover was painted by Yossi Abulafia using images inspired by the album's songs in the style of

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...

's artworks for

Monty Python Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...

Reception

The third album sold 30,500 copies, fewer than the first two. The band's live shows also met with less success. Nonetheless, the band was the most successful band in Israel, winning "Band of the Year" for the third time in the

Army Radio Israeli Army Radio ( lit. IDF waves) or Galei Tzahal, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz (), is a nationwide state funded Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic reports and educa ...

and the "Song of the Year" with "Goliat."

Track listing

# Golyat –

Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...

(גוליית) – 3:24 # Shir Malakhim – Sailors Song (שיר מלחים) – 3:22 # Medina Qt'ana – Small State (מדינה קטנה) – 3:08 # Tango Tzfardeim – Frogs Tango (טנגו צפרדעים) – 3:50 # Inspector Piqeakh – Smart Inspector (אינספקטור פיקח) – 2:11 # Shi'ur Moledet – Country Lesson (שיעור מולדת) – 3:09 # HaOlam Sameakh – The World is Happy (העולם שמח) – 3:32 # HaYsh Hakkhi Mahir – The Fastest Man (האיש הכי מהיר) – 3:21 # Shir HaT'embel – The Idiot Song (שיר הטמבל) – 2:31) # Lekh Saper LeSavta – Go Tell to Grandma (לך ספר לסבתא) – 3:11 # He Kol Kakh Yafa – She's So Beautiful (היא כל כך יפה) – 3:14 # Lu Lu (לו לו) – 3:30 # Sof HaHatzaga HaLaila – End of the Show Tonight (סוף ההצגה הלילה) – 0:48 # Kakha Hi Baemtza – That's How She's in the Middle (ככה היא באמצע) – 4:47

Bonus tracks in the CD edition

# "Tzafuf BaOzen – Haqdama Tizmortit" – Crowded in the Ear – Orchestral Prologue (צפוף באוזן – הקדמה תזמורתית) – 5:27 # "Apchi" (אפצ'י) – 0:16 (a parody about Neomi Shemer's translation to

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Let It Be Let It Be most commonly refers to: * ''Let It Be'' (album), the Beatles' final studio album, released in 1970 * "Let It Be" (song), the title song from the album Let It Be may also refer to: Film and television * ''Let It Be'' (1970 film), ...

) # "Ma Ata Ro'e" – What Do You See (מה אתה רואה) – 0:42 (a parody on the song "MiDarom Tipatah T'ova" – "From the South Good will Come" by the Piqud HaDarom Band # "Tarzan (Yltur Khai)" – Tarzan (Live Improvisation) (טרזן – אילתור חי) – 1:51 # "Mekhaqim LeShula" – Waiting for Shula (מחכים לשולה) – 2:50

Band Members

– vocals, guitars, music, lyrics *

Gidi Gov Gideon "Gidi" Gov (; 4 August 1950) is an Israeli singer, TV host, entertainer, and actor. He was married to Anat Gov before her death in 2012 and they had three children. Biography Early life Gov was born in Rehovot to Daniel and Tzipora ...

– lead vocals, tambourine *Efraim Shamir – lead vocals, guitars, 12-string guitar, harmonica, bass guitar on track 5Kaveret Returns
Eran Russek, 14 June 2013, Ha-dibuk.blogspot.co.il *Alon Oleartchik – vocals, bass guitar, music, lyrics (except 5) * Yitzhak "Churchill" Klepter – vocals, electric guitar *

– vocals, piano,

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

*Meir "Poogy" Fenigstein – drums, percussion, spoken word and vocals as "Poogy"

References

{{Authority control 1975 albums Kaveret albums