Matti Caspi and Shlomo Gronich - Behind the Sounds (NMC 1984)

Matti Caspi and Shlomo Gronich.

Recorded by the BA during a show at the “Beit Hamore” hall.

Following the renewed collaboration in the early 80’s which produced Gronich’s album “Cotton Candy” (produced by Matti Caspi), Gronich and Caspi decided to relaunch the concert “Behind the Sounds”. The concert, which was recognitably successful this time, was recorded like the last one during a live show. Along the songs which appeared in the last album, this album which was released more than a year after the shows, included relatively new songs such as “A Fresh Love Song” or a song written by Gronich shortly before a show - “You Can Live in Tel Aviv”. This cynical song signaled the change in poet Meir Vizeltir regarding all of Gronich’s music - this time the song was written especially for Gronich.

Gronich and Caspi, who wanted to give the old songs a new color, decided to perform each other’s songs. And so, you could hear Gronich performing Caspi’s song “A Place for Care” and playing the known song in the piano with an exceptional arrangement, while Caspi plays the harmonica as a homage to Stevie Wonder, and performs Gronich’s song “A Fresh Love Song”. The desire to “invade“ each other’s musical territories produced one of the amusing parts of the album - Caspi’s improvisation in Gronich’s song “I Have Sympathy” where the influence of spiritualists is recognized.

On the cover of the album, Caspi and Gronich are seen dressed as king and queen respectively, as part of a skit which was included in the show, but not recorded in the album. However, the album which lacks the linking pieces (which make unexplained laughter and applause appear) does reflect much of the humor Caspi and Gronich incorporated in their show. In light of the tour and album’s success, which in a few months sold more copies than the original album did for more than a decade, Caspi and Gronich intended to release a second album (which wasn’t released eventually) including songs and skits from the show, which lasted more than two hours.