NOWHERE

In 1995, Aviv Geffen released his 4th album, "Nowhere" (which is the first CD i ever bought...). The album, like it's previous have managed to reach gold in a short time. (in that case, a week) The productions in this album were at Aviv's hands, with a help of the engineer Reuven Shapira, and an orchestration by Moshe Levi. And as usual Geffen have wrote all of the lyrics and the composings in the album. The album stays in the agenda of "Aviv Geffen III" and deals with the same subjects: Unhappy teenagers, unrequited love, drugs & alcohol, public violence, unstable family relationships, car accidents, and infinite amounts of pain, loneliness, despair, sadness & depression.

One of the most remarkable songs on the album is the title track & the finale of the album - "Nowhere" - which nearly attacks everything that moves - the peace process, the country that sends and kills her soldiers in the on-going war, deep educational failure, forbidden sexual relations and abuse of animals. The line that got most of the attention was "..Who Is There, Walking Drunk/It's The Prime Minister..." - that many people have considered an attack at the prime minister at that time, Yitzhak Rabin - that was attacked by the right wing at the israeli politics, and considered as being an alcoholic. However, Aviv have denied any connection to Rabin, and said that song was writed in 1992 - and attacked the former prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir - and even if so, he rathered a drunk prime minister that brings peace that sober prime minister that raise wars. Another song, which is in my opinion a classic, is "I Loved You", that his debut performance was at a talk show (hosted by Gidi Gov). The song pictures a love story that Aviv have made, as a teenager. Aviv said: "It is a story i had with a grown woman.... We were together almost a month and then she wrote to me a letter in a very complicated language, and i was a little boy and didn't understood the meaning... Then, between the lines i've understood that she was tryin to tell me that she was with someone else.. This letter have changed my life around. I realized that i will never see her again, it was repressed by me, and it came back only now.. the song was written with a lot of tears..."

In those hard years, politicians from both political sides have used the "Aviv Geffen" icon to prove their statements. His performances (including radio time) was cancelled because of Aviv's opinions, and even his own political party - the left wingers, had a hard time to prove his sayings (for example, against the army). But one man who believed in Aviv was prime minister Rabin. He understood Geffen's means and his power to influence the nature. And so it happened that Aviv was invited to perform at the peace rally in November 4th, 1995, sang the finale of the rally ("Cry For You" - which originally wrote for Arik Einstein), and was Aviv was the last man who hugged Rabin, before was traghically murdered later that night.

To finish - "Nowhere" is definitely one of the great masterpieces by Aviv, where you can find 60's and 70's influences, when even the cover of the album was like Pink Floyd ("Atom Heart Mother"), but also in the production - with a special spot for the hammond, and the musical production that were for the first time in Aviv's hands. "Nowhere" is without a doubt that Aviv is steppin a big step forward as an important artist, great composer and a brilliant songwriter. 4.5 Stars.