Crowded in the Ear


Crowded in the Ear is the third and final studio album by Israeli rock band, Kaveret, released in 1975.

Background

After the huge success of the band's first two albums, they decided to change musical direction. The first two albums were written by Danny Sanderson, 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.
The band members pursued different musical directions and contributed new influences to the band's sound. Yoni Rechter turned to progressive rock and was a member of the progressive rock duo 14 Octaves at the time. Efrahim Shamir and Alon Olearthick turned to jazz. 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" and "Inspector Piqeakh" that reprised the band's original sound, characterized by melodic rock and nonsense. The humor was still present in songs such as "Golyat" a parody about the biblical story, "Lu Lu" and "Tango Tzfardeim" and more.
The song "HaOlam Sameakh" was composed in the samba, 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" was originally composed by Shamir in Polish, and the lyricist Eli Mohar wrote Hebrew lyrics for the album. This song, along with other quiet songs in the album such as "Hi Kol Kakh Yafa", 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's artworks for Monty Python.

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

Track listing

  1. Golyat – Goliath – 3:24
  2. Shir Malakhim – Sailors Song – 3:22
  3. Medina Qt'ana – Small State – 3:08
  4. Tango Tzfardeim – Frogs Tango – 3:50
  5. Inspector Piqeakh – Smart Inspector – 2:11
  6. Shi'ur Moledet – Country Lesson – 3:09
  7. HaOlam Sameakh – The World is Happy – 3:32
  8. HaYsh Hakkhi Mahir – The Fastest Man – 3:21
  9. Shir HaT'embel – The Idiot Song
  10. Lekh Saper LeSavta – Go Tell to Grandma – 3:11
  11. He Kol Kakh Yafa – She's So Beautiful – 3:14
  12. Lu Lu – 3:30
  13. Sof HaHatzaga HaLaila – End of the Show Tonight – 0:48
  14. Kakha Hi Baemtza – That's How She's in the Middle – 4:47

Bonus tracks in the CD edition

  1. "Tzafuf BaOzen – Haqdama Tizmortit" – Crowded in the Ear – Orchestral Prologue – 5:27
  2. "Apchi" – 0:16
  3. "Ma Ata Ro'e" – What Do You See – 0:42 " – Tarzan – 1:51
  4. "Mekhaqim LeShula" – Waiting for Shula – 2:50

Band Members