“The same sound again”: on the tenth anniversary of the death of Shmulik Kraus, Dodi Fatimer embarked on a journey into the complex and controversial character of the artist who, on the one hand, behaved violently, wildly and experienced psychotic attacks, and on the other hand, is considered one of the most talented, beloved and pioneering musicians in Israeli rock, combining rare archival materials Unheard of – exclusive to the 103fm website and widget
Shmulik Kraus was a talented composer and creator, whose songs redefined Israeli rock and contributed to culture. He was also a man who got into trouble with the law, behaved severely violently towards those around him, was hospitalized in psychiatric institutions and led a wild lifestyle. He had two sides: the good and the bad, the strong and the weak, the wild and the calm, the nervous and the smiling. This duality also affected his work, which ranges between joy and sadness, between humor and depression and between pain and healing.
In his extensive career, he was an integral part of the Israeli music revolution, starting with “The High Windows”, through the compositions he created for “Kif Ha Tikva Tova Havva”, for Eric Einstein and Eric Lavi, the joint work with his partner at the time, the singer Josie Katz, to the masterful solo albums that provided quite a few Classics: “After 20 years”, “If”, “As the Wheel Turns”, “You See Far, You See Transparent”, “Wooden Horse”, “Again”, “Sad Singer” (I heard my voice), “You Can’t”, “The Love The First”, “Beit Arava”, “The Guitar”, “How do you make a record?”, “Blackboard and Chalk”, “The Golden Doll”, “Horoscope”, “Ballad for Leaving a Kibbutz”, “Days of Cinema”, “Dungeon Cruise”, “It happens” and many other good ones who designed the local soundtrack.
On the tenth anniversary of Kraus’s death, Dodi Fatimer returned to his complex story, his controversial character with its good and bad sides, and the stories behind the great songs, combined with rare archive pieces (some of them stored away) from Israel and abroad that have not been played before that shed new light on one of the most colorful artists in culture the Israeli one.
The song list
1. Shmulik Kraus – After 20 years (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1988
2. The Ofarim Duo – The Fisherman (Words: Uri Sharon, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1960
3. Shmulik Kraus – Evening of Roses (Words: Moshe Dor, Music: Yosef Hadar) – 1965
4. The High Windows – Horoscope (Words: Haim Hefer, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1967
5. Yona Atari – Can You Hear My Voice (Words: David Poulsen, Music: Shmulik Krauss) – 1971
6. Smoky Circles – Leaving Your Dreams Behind (Words: Ralph Murphy, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1970
7. John Walker – Who Are We (Words: Ralph Murphy, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1969
8. Shmulik Kraus and the High Ones – Blackboard and Chalk (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1971
9. Shmulik Kraus – Shishi Hot (words and music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1971
10. Shmulik Kraus – Trouble in the Family (Words: Shmulik Kraus, Music: Sir Lancelot) – 1972
11. Eli Magen – It Happens (Words and Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1973
12. Shmulik Kraus and Josie Katz – Shub (Words: Dafna Eber Hadani, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1976
13. Arik Einstein – Sus Etz (Lyrics: Yankel’h Rutblit, Composer: Shmulik Kraus) – 1978
14. Shmulik Kraus – How do you make a record? (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1982
15. Shmulik Kraus – See far, see clearly (Lyrics: Yankel’h Rutblit, Composer: Shmulik Kraus) – 1983
16. Shmulik Kraus – Mother (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1988
17. Shmulik Kraus – Environmentally Friendly (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1994
18. Shmulik Kraus – Yom Rodef Yom (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 2003
19. Shmulik Kraus – How the Wheel Turns (Words: Yankel’a Rotblit, Music: Shmulik Kraus) – 1982