Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)

[YitzyS]

I have a method by which I evaluate CDs. I may have posted it here before, but I can't find it, so I'll post it again.

I put a value on each song - how much would I be willing to pay to buy the song. Then I can add up the values and see if the CD is worth the $10-$15 that it costs. (Most albums that I enjoy have a handful of $5 songs, and a bunch of fillers that I would pay either nothing or $0.50 for...) The value is how much I would be willing to pay to hear and own the song, assuming I would not be able to listen to the song without paying for it. (Naturally, the market has put a cap value on music, so most of us would be hesitant to spend more than $15 for an album. But let's assume that such prices were normal.)

When I think about Journeys albums, each of them is worth to me hundreds of dollars. Take for example the song Memories. It's a masterpiece, that I can listen to it hundreds of times over the years and enjoy it each time. If I was given the option to have the song or not (meaning never having a chance to hear it), I think I would pay $40 of $50 for the song. Wouldn't you? For Neshomaleh, I think I would pay a similar price. Would I not get more enjoyment out of the song Neshomaleh over the years than out of 10 slices of cheese cake, or 5 run-of-the-mill music albums?

If you sit down and make a real accounting of how much the songs on Journeys are worth, each album is clearly worth a hundred dollars, if not much more. So yes, Journeys 4 is perhaps not worth as much as its predecessors, but there are at least a few songs on there that are worth $20 or $30 each. Is A Man from Vilna not worth paying $40 for? Is Mama Rochel not worth $20? Is Dreamers - even though it was recorded previously - not worth $25?

Taste in music is objective, and I'm sure everyone will end up with a different value system. But I still think that everyone will be willing to pay more for Journeys 4 than almost every other album of this millennium.

[Yo ssi]

I may have posted it here before, but I can't find it, so I'll post it again.

This?

[YitzyS]

This?

Maybe that is what I was thinking of, but it's not really  the same concept.

[Yehuda57]

Taste in music is objective, and I'm sure everyone will end up with a different value system

So you have this whole long post, and all I'm gonna care about is this typo

[Euclid]

So you have this whole point post, and all I'm gonna care about is this typo

I object to this abject objectification.

[YitzyS]

So you have this whole point post, and all I'm gonna care about is this typo

As [insert name of famous quote maker, like Churchill, Roosevelt, etc.] said, I don't care what they say about me, as long as they are talking about me.

I don't care what you take away from my post. As long as you read the whole thing. And based on the fact that your comment was on the last line, I am satisfied.

Okay Totty, I'll do my homework now.

[AsherO]

I have a method by which I evaluate CDs. I may have posted it here before, but I can't find it, so I'll post it again.

I put a value on each song - how much would I be willing to pay to buy the song. Then I can add up the values and see if the CD is worth the $10-$15 that it costs. (Most albums that I enjoy have a handful of $5 songs, and a bunch of fillers that I would pay either nothing or $0.50 for...) The value is how much I would be willing to pay to hear and own the song, assuming I would not be able to listen to the song without paying for it. (Naturally, the market has put a cap value on music, so most of us would be hesitant to spend more than $15 for an album. But let's assume that such prices were normal.)

When I think about Journeys albums, each of them is worth to me hundreds of dollars. Take for example the song Memories. It's a masterpiece, that I can listen to it hundreds of times over the years and enjoy it each time. If I was given the option to have the song or not (meaning never having a chance to hear it), I think I would pay $40 of $50 for the song. Wouldn't you? For Neshomaleh, I think I would pay a similar price. Would I not get more enjoyment out of the song Neshomaleh over the years than out of 10 slices of cheese cake, or 5 run-of-the-mill music albums?

If you sit down and make a real accounting of how much the songs on Journeys are worth, each album is clearly worth a hundred dollars, if not much more. So yes, Journeys 4 is perhaps not worth as much as its predecessors, but there are at least a few songs on there that are worth $20 or $30 each. Is A Man from Vilna not worth paying $40 for? Is Mama Rochel not worth $20? Is Dreamers - even though it was recorded previously - not worth $25?

Taste in music is objective, and I'm sure everyone will end up with a different value system. But I still think that everyone will be willing to pay more for Journeys 4 than almost every other album of this millennium.

But

A. There are places I can listen legally for free
B. Just because the song is enjoyable, doesn’t mean I’d shell out the $$.
Or to say it differently
C. My valuation on songs is likely less than 1% of your valuation

[Yehuda57]

But

A. There are places I can listen legally for free
B. Just because the song is enjoyable, doesn’t mean I’d shell out the $$.
Or to say it differently
C. My valuation on songs is likely less than 1% of your valuation

A) So?
B) That's exactly his point. He would pay to hear Neshomeleh, you wouldn't. That's why he's buying the album and you're not.
Or to say it differently
C) If you don't value your favorite album (say 10 $50 tracks in YitzyS money) at even the 9.99 it costs, clearly this conversation isn't in your world of interest.

[YitzyS]

But

A. There are places I can listen legally for free
B. Just because the song is enjoyable, doesn’t mean I’d shell out the $$.
Or to say it differently
C. My valuation on songs is likely less than 1% of your valuation

A) So?
B) That's exactly his point. He would pay to hear Neshomeleh, you wouldn't. That's why he's buying the album and you're not.
Or to say it differently
C) If you don't value your favorite album (say 10 $50 tracks in YitzyS money) at even the 9.99 it costs, clearly this conversation isn't in your world of interest.

Who needs to think up of thoughtful answers when you can have Yehuda57 come along and say it better than I ever could.

[YitzyS]

Someone I know composed and sings this song. IMO, it's really nice, especially considering he's a novice.

https://www.thelakewoodscoop.com/news/2021/05/audio-the-music-of-a-covid-shavuos.html

[YitzyS]

For some reason, I missed this album when it came out, even though I'm a big fan of Motty Ilowitz. This music video came out last week, and I love the song. Really cute and funny words.

For those not fluent in Yiddish, the basic premise of the song is listing the type of taavos a Yid has, and he includes many funny ones. For example:

Taking the talis off your head after a long kedusha
Throwing a candy at the chosson after everyone else stops throwing
Holding the Kiddush becher in your hand and having a long shmuess
Poking the Biur Chometz fire with a broomstick
Bentching Gomel at the biggest minyan so everyone should ask where you went
Asking at a Hatzolah call "What happened?"
Finding a blettel on your friend's esrog
and many other great lines

[Yehudaa]

For some reason, I missed this album when it came out, even though I'm a big fan of Motty Ilowitz. This music video came out last week, and I love the song. Really cute and funny words.


For those not fluent in Yiddish, the basic premise of the song is listing the type of taavos a Yid has, and he includes many funny ones. For example:

Taking the talis off your head after a long kedusha
Throwing a candy at the chosson after everyone else stops throwing
Holding the Kiddush becher in your hand and having a long shmuess
Poking the Biur Chometz fire with a broomstick
Bentching Gomel at the biggest minyan so everyone should ask where you went
Asking at a Hatzolah call "What happened?"
Finding a blettel on your friend's esrog
and many other great lines

Just heard Motti Ilowitz's Yiddishe Taavos for the first time. Although my yiddish isn't great I think this song is a gold mine for the humor guys on twitter (or it all came from there).

[eli1571]

anyone heard michoel shnitzlers new cd ?
Whats the overall rating ? and what style is it, like the old neshama flam or like his later ones ?

[Euclid]

Don't know if this is old news, but Michoel Schnitzler moved to Jackson, NJ.

[YitzyS]

anyone heard michoel shnitzlers new cd ?
Whats the overall rating ? and what style is it, like the old neshama flam or like his later ones ?

Just giving it my first listen now. Can't comment on the toichen until I hear it a few times, but it seems to have the same format as the previous few albums.

[YitzyS]

anyone heard michoel shnitzlers new cd ?
Whats the overall rating ? and what style is it, like the old neshama flam or like his later ones ?

I only heard the album once, and I definitely cannot comment on the music aspects yet, because it usually takes a few times to appreciate, but I can offer my first impressions on the lyrics.

Some of the stories are really beautiful, though some are quite famous by now. The first track, IINM, is the famous story of the Dancing Bear. The second story is a variation of The Man from Vilna. The sixth track credits the story to Yoel Gold, and although I never saw this clip before, I assume many have:

Tracks 4 and 10 are really nice chizuk songs, with 10 being a favorite of mine so far. It's a Motty Ilowitz song in which he proposes a new meaning to the words "Atzas Hashem Le'olam Taamod." He portrays a person struggling, falling spiritually but having trouble getting up. But "Atzas Hashem Le'olam," the eitza that Hashem gives is always: "Taamod" - Stand up! Keep going. An interesting twist, but an overall nice song.

Many of the other songs sound promising, but there was one song that really struck me, and I'll end my impromptu review with my thoughts on it. Track 8 really draw me in as a beautiful song with a moving story. For those who don't know Yiddish, I'll share it in short:

Someone witnesses an old, choshuv lady walking with a cart, and she stops every few few to pick up stones from the ground. He's perplexed by the strange phenomenon, and fearing for her wellbeing, he contacts her sister and tells her to make sure everything is okay.

The sister comes over and inquires about the strange behavior. She admits that she was indeed picking up stones, and she explains.

"Remember the saintly man that used to live next door, who was niftar last year with no children?"

"Yes, of course I remember him."

"Well, tomorrow is his first yahrzeit. His almana, who has nothing else in the world, will surely travel to the bais hakvaros to visit his kever. Imagine the feeling she will have when she arrives and sees all the kevorim around him with piles of stones, each one symbolizing a visitor who cared enough to come - and her husband's kever will be bare? I decided to collect stones and to go to the kever before her, so that she can find a nice pile of stones when she comes."

[Euclid]

Shmuel Borger

[Essen est zich]

https://youtu.be/wSjUVlZfeoc

This is great.

[Yehuda57]

https://youtu.be/wSjUVlZfeoc

This is great.

There has never been a concert in Lakewood.

[dasmo801]

https://youtu.be/wSjUVlZfeoc

This is great.

I may be slow but I don't get the punchline.