War, Drug Dens, and Rock n' Roll

Sometime in the mid-1960s, young aspiring musicians (many whom were middle-to-lower-middle-class mizrahi (a jew of middle eastern origin) men who lived in areas surrounding Tel Aviv) became enchanted by the aesthetic of Anglo-American rock of the period. The songs they played were imitations of American bands like Byrds and Beach Boys and British bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Kinks.

These bands were known as le'haqot ha'qetzev (beat groups in English). They would perform at clubs in areas like Bat Yam and Ramle and drew in thousands of youths. Not many of these beat bands had any opportunity to record a single, an EP, or a full album. This was mostly due to Israeli record companies rejecting local rock as a genre. However, some bands persisted such as Ha'kokhavim Ha'kuhulim (The Blue Stars), the Goldfingers, and Ha'shmenim Ve'ha'razim (The Fat & The Thin). Included is one of Ha'shmenim Ve'ha'razim's popular songs I'm A Travelin Man. Given to the fact that the music that dominated Israel's airwaves at the time came mostly from a popular music festival the mentality of the le'haqot ha'qetzev had two main points. An obligatory rejection of the dominant nationalistic music culture and a yearn for participation in, what was seen as, a new and universal music culture.

While le'haqot ha'qetzev was largely ignored by the government-controlled media, it was not actually oppressed, persecuted, or prohibited by state agencies at all. While Israeli authorities of the time wanted to be perceived as a "Western democracy" with openness to changes and a global culture as keystones, some leaders were wary of anything that could harm what was seen as the "conventional" or "correct" manner in which youths should behave. Records by most, if not all, popular musicians and bands from Europe (specifically Britain) and the United States were readily available in stores. Radio stations also played present-day hits. Thus, Rock music was easily accessible. However, the education system denounced and stigmatized pop and rock fans as inappropriate and vulgar. Israeli youth in the mid-1960s were largely divided into two sections. Those who followed the "proper" sabra (a jew born in Israel) stereotype and those who were part of the salon (Hebrew word for living room) cultural phenomena. The salon phenomena were referred to as such due to private dance parties held in living rooms.

Although rock music was readily available the government of Israel found ways to limit the genre's exposure to youth. In 1962, a bureaucratic committee whose responsibilities included the allocation of funds to concert planners intending to bring international bands to Israel approved the funds to bring Cliff Richard and his band the Shadows to perform. The concert "drew thousands of fans and several members of le'haqot ha'qetzev later recalled that this event, and especially the playing of Hank Marvin, lead guitarist of the Shadows, was what caused them to take up the electric guitar" (Regev, 140). However, three years later when planners sought to bring the Beatles to Israel they were denied the funds and the permit on the grounds that "[the Beatles] did not possess a sufficiently high cultural level" (Regev, 140).

In reality, the le'haqot ha'qetzev had little chance to legitimize rock into an Israeli genre. They were seen mostly as Chach-Chachim (while there is not direct translation of chach-chach it can roughly be be described as low lives, degenerate, brute, or trailer park trash) and really had no hopes of being recognized as serious musicians by Israeli society. Furthermore, since a majority of their songs were covers there was no hope for their songs to be recognized as authentic to Israel.

Below is a portion of Uzi & The Styles song Morning Train. Morning Train was a fairly defining song for Israeli rock music of the time. When Uzi Fux appeared on Israeli Soundtrack Kutner called the album "the Sargent Pepper of Bat Yam."

It wasn't until the end of 1971 that songs were being written and performed in Hebrew. Below is an example of a popular song written and performed in Hebrew by The Lions of Judah, a band that rose to popularity by playing in clubs like Hakarish and Calypso.

Israeli rock bands initially performed in English because their only hope for some commercial success was to appeal to a European audience, and for many bands, that plan succeeded. Bands such as The Churchills, The Lions of Judah, and Uzi & The Stripes went on tours of Europe. Some even got record deals.

You have nothing to worry about / I am careful, I even wear a sweater / You have nothing to worry about / That's unnecessary, it's all ok / You have nothing to worry about here it's all good / Bombers are fair / Really nothing is missing.

You have nothing to worry about / Here it's summer camp, and they keep us happy / Yesterday there was even the leisure to shower / You don't have to worry, I am sleeping / And dreaming of you / When I return home, we will marry.

Send me underwear and undershirts / Here everyone is like animals / Fighting like lions / Really high moral / And those in my unit / Ask for some rest / Sweetheart, don't send me any cake.

You have nothing to worry about / I am here, in a safe spot / In between bombardment and bombardment / There's time to rest / You have nothing to worry about / Sweet Shell / Patience girl / There's really no need to worry

En Lach Sibah L'dag was written as a response to the Yom Kippur War. It's a sarcastic letter written from a soldier to their significant other, and it touches on many of the hardships soldiers faced.

The soldier asks for underwear and undershirts because of how unprepared they were for the war. They didn't have any clothing prepared and were suffering. In an interview with Roni Bennevat, who was twelve and living in Israel at the time, she remembers that part of her time after school was spent knitting and sewing clothing for soldiers. The soldier also asks the home front not to send him any cakes. This is because when the war initially began the home front would make and send only baked goods to the soldiers.

En Lach Sibah L'dag became the perfect example of what Israeli Rock was developing into. A genre for artists to react to a harsh, war-ridden world through satire and rock-sounding instrumentals.

Israeli musicians in the 1970s began to "Israelize" rock music. Meaning to localize it and make the music fit into Israeli culture, specifically into the Israeli field of popular music.

However, Israeli culture of the 1970s and 1980s didn't align with many of the connotations typically associated with the term "rock". Rock music became less about rage, anger, sexuality, and indulgence and more of an aesthetic form with creative practices and artistic consciousness. This put an emphasis on the musicians to be more than just musicians. Rock in Israel began to create full rounded performers who were authors, actors, and comedians; all while playing music. Hebrew lyrics began focusing more on personal issues and occasionally critiqued Israeli social reality and ideology.

As Motti Regev and Edwin Seroussi wrote in Popular Music and National Culture in Israel "rock music was successfully 'Israelized' and therefore 'born' or 'invented' during the 1970s by a specific group of musicians, all men, who created a network of musical collaboration" (138). Some of the core members of this network, known now as some of the most influential musicians in Israeli history, are: Arik Einstein, Shalom Hanoch, members of Kaveret and lyricists like Yonatan Geffen, Yaakov Rthblit, and Meir Ariel. Many of the lyricists were inspired by figures such as Bob Dylan and John Lennon.

Initially, rock music was really only popular for soldiers. Even with Shalom Hanoch and Arik Einstein popularizing it, a majority of its listeners were soldiers.

When Hakochavim performed in the Beit Hayahal (soldiers home, like a hostel for soldiers) in Tel Aviv, youths broke down the doors to the entrance and cops had to come shut it down.

It wasn't until Kaveret that rock music became popular for all of Israel's audiences.

At the end of the 1970s and start of the 1980s the press in Israel expanded. New magazines and newspapers were established (both regional and local), and the Reseht Gimmel (an all-popular-music radio station) opened in 1976. All this created a massive demand for new writers and more material to be produced on popular music in general, causing a massive increase in the volume of discourse on popular music in Israeli media. However, by this time writing about music meant writing about rock, and only rock.

Kaveret was an Israeli rock band which operated from 1973 - 1976. Their first album "Poogy Tales" is often considered one of the most important albums to Israeli music.

Kaveret took rock and popularized it the rest of Israel, not just the soldiers. Their lyrics pertained to specific instances in Israeli culture and are full of jokes, double meanings, and wittiness.

"I lived in the time that Kaveret was popular. They were my favorite band. My mother even bought me a record of theirs as a surprise. Everyone that was in the army was very much supporting whatever was the culture of the day. They were imitating everything from Europe. All the songs were about the 'good soldier', the 'beautiful girl', and the loss of friendship due to death. When Kaveret got out of the military they did 'silly for the sake of silly', think Doctor Suess. Their performances were like skits. They would be political or humorous. Kaveret was unique in that. They had multiple talents" (From a personal interview with Roni Bennevat).

As Motti Regev writes in Israeli rock, or a study in the politics of 'local authenticity' , Kaveret was "a self-contained creative unit. The seven members of this group wrote their own songs (music and words), play all the (electric) instruments and even produced their records... Catchy tunes, Beatles-like harmonies, word-play and nonsense humor, led the critics to refer to their music as 'clever pop'" (5). Kaveret made their music very local, and it succeeded.

However, Kaveret's appeal did not only come from their song writing ability and humor. They also managed to blend electric-rock sounds with more "traditional" local instruments as well as instruments one would not normally find within a rock band. Kaveret would also have extended periods of instrumentals, highlighting the individual skill of each member.

In this performance Kaveret had around a minute half of just instrumental, some of which is done by the Bongos (2:08 - 3:25).

In their live performance of Hamakolet (the market) Kaveret does two things uniquely Kaveret. First, the performance opens with a four-minute-and-fifteen-second comedic monologue (0:00 - 4:15) and later in the performance highlight the keys (6:42 - 7:03).

Ultimately, rock music in Israel became popular because of the lyrics.

It became common place for artists to write satirical songs that could only really be understood by an Israeli audience.

By the end of the 1980s, Israeli rock had became ingrained in the culture of Israel. With artists still producing Israeli rock sounds inspired by Kaveret, Arik Einstein, Shalom Hanoch, and even the le'haqot ha'qetezv.

The la'haqot ha'qetezv, while not very commercially successful brought rock to Israel, and individuals took it upon themselves to "Israelize" the genre. The tunes, beats, and instruments sparked something within the artists that they couldn't seem to ignore. When their music got genuine, the public followed. In Israel, it's very hard to have something be "uniquely local." If something is popular in Tel Aviv then it's popular in Bat Yam, Ramle, Haifa, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva, and all over. What was unique about rock was how it was able to change and adapt the fit the needs of Israeli society at the time.