Jewish Music (New CDs, hock, and opinions)

[ushdadude]

like the fact that they don't play the full interludes

This bothers me just because it sounds cutoff

 like by omitting the bolded "And we realized that no children were among us but those two."

Didn't bother me as much

[etech0]

There are quite a few places where the tune was altered a little bit.

Edit: watched the whole thing. It's beautiful but I can't listen to it...

[YitzyS]

Obviously - how else do you enjoy music?

I think that changing a lyric is almost never done in covers. It's usually akin to going off key.

There are rare instances where lyrics are changed on purpose, but only for a reason. Like when Lipa made it "lumir shteigen" instead of Maydad Tasa's Israeli "machen shteigen."

[aygart]

I think that changing a lyric is almost never done in covers. It's usually akin to going off key.

-1
Just listen to different recordings of MBD singing his own English songs.

[Euclid]

I think that changing a lyric is almost never done in covers. It's usually akin to going off key.

There are rare instances where lyrics are changed on purpose, but only for a reason. Like when Lipa made it "lumir shteigen" instead of Maydad Tasa's Israeli "machen shteigen."

(I was making a pun )

Lol Meydad's version never ceases to crack me up. Israeli yeshivish Yiddish is the best.

[YitzyS]

-1
Just listen to different recordings of MBD singing his own English songs.

This is a known phenomenon in the Jewish music world. MBD does not remember the lyrics to his own songs. I've heard this from more than one person.

[YitzyS]

Good lyrics should never be interchangeable. These are not camp songs. If you can be flippant about a lyric, it must not have been so rock solid to begin with, at least in your perception.

[Euclid]

Good lyrics should never be interchangeable. These are not camp songs. If you can be flippant about a lyric, it must not have been so rock solid to begin with, at least in your perception.

On that same album, Abie himself modified the lyrics to Dreams Come True, from the original version that Diaspora sang.

[Yehuda57]

Good lyrics should never be interchangeable. These are not camp songs. If you can be flippant about a lyric, it must not have been so rock solid to begin with, at least in your perception.

Look, I think Abie is untouchable as an English lyricist. But this is not Toras Moshe Misinai. You're coming off a tad strong. Skipping "he said" before saying "no simcha is a burden" is being flippant and not thinking a song's lyrics are rock solid? You know who would be laughing his tuchis off reading this (I'm guessing)? Abie. They're covering the song precisely because they think it is incredible. The subtle changes they and Kunstler make in the melody, lyrics, and arrangement make their cover unique.

This is a known phenomenon in the Jewish music world. MBD does not remember the lyrics to his own songs. I've heard this from more than one person.

He doesn't need to remember words to read them off a paper in studio recordings. FWIU, Happy Days was changed because of the way people were singing the original. "There were millions dying, in the camps of gas, while all the nations of the world just sat on their ...."

[YitzyS]

On that same album, Abie himself modified the lyrics to Dreams Come True, from the original version that Diaspora sang.

Abie is a master, and he did it deliberately, not because he didn't respect the original.

[Euclid]

FWIU, Happy Days was changed because of the way people were singing the original. "There were millions dying, in the camps of gas, while all the nations of the world just sat on their ...."

Omg is this true? That's hilarious.

[YitzyS]

Look, I think Abie is untouchable as an English lyricist. But this is not Toras Moshe Misinai. You're coming off a tad strong. Skipping "he said" before saying "no simcha is a burden" is being flippant and not thinking a song's lyrics are rock solid? You know who would be laughing his tuchis off reading this (I'm guessing)? Abie. They're covering the song precisely because they think it is incredible. The subtle changes they and Kunstler make in the melody, lyrics, and arrangement make their cover unique.

If there were big changes, I would not enjoy the cover. It irked me because there are subtle changes that don't have to be made, which implies they were made because the singers are not familiar enough with the original to know it. However, you pointed out that it's possible that they did it deliberately, which mollifies me significantly.

He doesn't need to remember words to read them off a paper in studio recordings. FWIU, Happy Days was changed because of the way people were singing the original. "There were millions dying, in the camps of gas, while all the nations of the world just sat on their ...."

Interesting. These things could both be true. I was referring to live events, in which MBD will never sing any of his famous lyrical songs without preparing or reading from a paper.

[Yehuda57]

Omg is this true? That's hilarious.

I'm not sure it's true, I'd love to find out. But I definitely heard the "profane" version before the English Collection version, and then lo and behold the new version changes the lyric entirely. Speaking of changes, the arrangement on the second version of Happy Days is

[YitzyS]

I'm not sure it's true, I'd love to find out. But I definitely heard the "profane" version before the English Collection version, and then lo and behold the new version changes the lyric entirely. Speaking of changes, the arrangement on the second version of Happy Days is

The entire English Collection from MBD warrants that sentiment, IMO.

[Euclid]

Aryeh Kunstler is a lyricist too. He wouldn't unintentionally change the lyrics out of unfamiliarity; I'm sure he was very familiar with the song.

If you watch the video carefully, it's pretty obvious that they're reading the lyrics off a screen (or something), which would support @Yehuda57 assertion that it was intentional.


(It says he produced the music - so I'm guessing he arranged it and the vocals as well.)

[aygart]

Good lyrics should never be interchangeable. These are not camp songs. If you can be flippant about a lyric, it must not have been so rock solid to begin with, at least in your perception.

Oh stop it. Once the tune gets modified the words sometimes need to be.

Look, I think Abie is untouchable as an English lyricist. But this is not Toras Moshe Misinai.

Like Ohr Chodosh in eileh barechev

[YitzyS]

Oh stop it. Once the tune gets modified the words sometimes need to be.

Only if it's done deliberately. Otherwise it ends up like "Ki Ata Hu?" off I'm So Sick of Racheim.

Like Ohr Chodosh in eileh barechev

Speaking of Ohr Chodosh and Abie, if you listen to MMM3, when Shnookey goes back to 1968 and finds Dr. Middos at a Chasunah, Shmelkie's Niggun is playing in the background at the wedding. Problem is that the album only came out in 1971 IINM.

[etech0]

Speaking of Ohr Chodosh and Abie, if you listen to MMM3, when Shnookey goes back to 1968 and finds Dr. Middos at a Chasunah, Shmelkie's Niggun is playing in the background at the wedding. Problem is that the album only came out in 1971 IINM.

Must have been a time machine involved

[Yehuda57]

Speaking of Ohr Chodosh and Abie, if you listen to MMM3, when Shnookey goes back to 1968 and finds Dr. Middos at a Chasunah, Shmelkie's Niggun is playing in the background at the wedding. Problem is that the album only came out in 1971 IINM.

https://twitter.com/Squilled/status/1471186164879089668

[Euclid]

[tweet]1471186164879089668[/tweet]

Also the aron in Vilna wasn't on the "Eastern wall" - it's directly North of Yerushalayim.