Shlock Rock
Encyclopedia
Shlock Rock is an independent Jewish
rock band, put together in December 1985, and officially founded in 1986, and led by, singer Lenny Solomon, which parodies popular secular songs, substituting new, religious-themed lyrics for the music. To date they have released 32 albums. Shlock Rock continues to record albums and perform live as of 2010, and to date has sold more than 200,000 CD’s, tapes and DVDs in the contemporary Jewish Rock arena. Their music is a mix of pop-rock song parodies and original rock songs in English and Hebrew. The purpose of the band is to spread Jewish pride, identity and awareness throughout the Jewish community, for Jewish continuity. Solomon and Shlock Rock tour around the world, playing at concerts, schools, and Jewish events.
The original Shlock Rock band consisted of Lenny Solomon (keyboards, vocals), Yonah (guitar), Gary Wallin (drums), Mark Skier (bass), Mark Infield (saxophone, keyboards, percussion), and Danny Block (saxophone, violin). It has since gone on to include the "Jewish Rapper" Etan G, as well as bassist Ben Williams. On tour, the band uses local musicians, except for Solomon and Etan G.
In March 2009, Shlock Rock released their 31st album “No Limits” online. It was offered in a pay-what-you-want format at a minimum download price of $1 for the twelve-song album. Customers who paid the retail price ($15), or more, also received the CD upon its release on December 2009. The album was recorded in Haworth, New Jersey
. "I wrote twelve songs in four days from my house in Israel," Solomon stated, "I love these songs and want everyone to have them." The offer ran until March 28 (Passover
of that year). The band released its official video for "Another Door Opens" from the album in July.
In 2011, the band released Shabbat in Liverpool, "adapting Shabbat services to the tunes of Lennon and McCartney."
Hit songs include "We Have a Strong Desire" (sung to the tune of Billy Joel
's "We Didn't Start the Fire
"), "Abarbanel" (sung to the tune of The Beach Boys
' "Barbara Ann
"), "Achashverosh
" (sung to the tune of Falco
's "Rock Me Amadeus
"" (the Salieri Club Mix), and "My Bekeshe Needs Cleaning" (sung to the tune of The Mamas & the Papas
' "California Dreamin'").
Other songs by Shlock Rock include:
(The following songs are from the Showtune-based album "Almost on Broadway")
Jewish music
Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish People which have evolved over time throughout the long course of Jewish History. In some instances Jewish Music is of a religious nature, spiritual songs and refrains are common in Jewish Services throughout the world, while other times, it is...
rock band, put together in December 1985, and officially founded in 1986, and led by, singer Lenny Solomon, which parodies popular secular songs, substituting new, religious-themed lyrics for the music. To date they have released 32 albums. Shlock Rock continues to record albums and perform live as of 2010, and to date has sold more than 200,000 CD’s, tapes and DVDs in the contemporary Jewish Rock arena. Their music is a mix of pop-rock song parodies and original rock songs in English and Hebrew. The purpose of the band is to spread Jewish pride, identity and awareness throughout the Jewish community, for Jewish continuity. Solomon and Shlock Rock tour around the world, playing at concerts, schools, and Jewish events.
History
According to Soloman, in December 1985, Lenny and the band "rented the 39th Street Music studio in New York for two weeks from midnight to 8:00am as it was the only time slot they could afford." Their first album "Schlock Rock" - (Note: With a C) titled "Learning is Good" was released in January 1986.The original Shlock Rock band consisted of Lenny Solomon (keyboards, vocals), Yonah (guitar), Gary Wallin (drums), Mark Skier (bass), Mark Infield (saxophone, keyboards, percussion), and Danny Block (saxophone, violin). It has since gone on to include the "Jewish Rapper" Etan G, as well as bassist Ben Williams. On tour, the band uses local musicians, except for Solomon and Etan G.
In March 2009, Shlock Rock released their 31st album “No Limits” online. It was offered in a pay-what-you-want format at a minimum download price of $1 for the twelve-song album. Customers who paid the retail price ($15), or more, also received the CD upon its release on December 2009. The album was recorded in Haworth, New Jersey
Haworth, New Jersey
Haworth is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,382.Haworth was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 24, 1904, from portions of both Dumont and Harrington Townships.-Geography:Haworth is...
. "I wrote twelve songs in four days from my house in Israel," Solomon stated, "I love these songs and want everyone to have them." The offer ran until March 28 (Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
of that year). The band released its official video for "Another Door Opens" from the album in July.
In 2011, the band released Shabbat in Liverpool, "adapting Shabbat services to the tunes of Lennon and McCartney."
Musical Style and hit songs
Shlock Rock parodies popular secular songs, substituting new, Jewish religious-themed lyrics for the originals, and is "best known for songs that educate and entertain through parody."Hit songs include "We Have a Strong Desire" (sung to the tune of Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
's "We Didn't Start the Fire
We Didn't Start the Fire
"We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song by Billy Joel. Its lyrics are made up from rapid-fire brief allusions to over a hundred headline events between March 1949 and 1989, when the song was released on his album Storm Front...
"), "Abarbanel" (sung to the tune of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
' "Barbara Ann
Barbara Ann
"Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert and performed by The Regents in 1961. The recording reached a peak position of #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 record chart....
"), "Achashverosh
Ahasuerus
Ahasuerus is a name used several times in the Hebrew Bible, as well as related legends and Apocrypha. This name is applied in the Hebrew Scriptures to three rulers...
" (sung to the tune of Falco
Falco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
's "Rock Me Amadeus
Rock Me Amadeus
"Rock Me Amadeus" is a 1985 song by Austrian pop musician Falco from his album Falco 3. It topped the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic. It was Falco's only number one hit in either the United States or the United Kingdom, despite his popularity in Germany, his native Austria, and much...
"" (the Salieri Club Mix), and "My Bekeshe Needs Cleaning" (sung to the tune of The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
' "California Dreamin'").
Other songs by Shlock Rock include:
- "Old Time Torah Scroll" to the tune of "Old Time Rock & Roll" by Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
- "RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
" to the tune of "WindyWindy"Windy" is a pop music song written by Ruthann Friedman and recorded by The Association. Released in 1967, the song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of that year. Later in 1967, an instrumental version by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery became his biggest Hot 100 hit when it peaked at...
" by The AssociationThe AssociationThe Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival... - "Under the Chupah" to the tune of "Under the Boardwalk" by The DriftersThe DriftersThe Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
- "Sweet Aroma of the Challah" to the tune of "Sweet Home AlabamaSweet Home Alabama (song)"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
" by Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird... - "Tshuvah" to the tune of "Good Lovin'" by The RascalsThe RascalsThe Rascals were an American blue-eyed soul group initially active during the years 1965–72. The band released numerous top ten singles in North America during the mid- and late-1960s, including the U.S. #1 hits "Good Lovin'" , "Groovin'" , and "People Got to Be Free"...
- "All Shook Up" to the tune of "All Shook UpAll Shook Up"All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and composed by Otis Blackwell. Elvis Presley's single topped the U.S. Pop chart on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to...
" by Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".... - "Hanukah Night's Alright for Lighting" to the tune of "Saturday Night's Alright for FightingSaturday Night's Alright For Fighting"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is a rock song performed by musician Elton John and covered by W.A.S.P., Flotsam and Jetsam, Nickelback , Queen and The Who...
" by Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor... - "All Night Long" to the tune of "All Night Long (All Night)All Night Long (All Night)"All Night Long " is a hit single for Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down, it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This new, more dance approach proved popular, as the single reached number one on three Billboard charts...
" by Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records... - "Learning Is Good" to the tune of "Johnny B. GoodeJohnny B. Goode"Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock and roll song written and originally performed by American musician Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song is one of Chuck Berry's...
" by Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B... - "Havdalah" to the tune of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-DaOb-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles on their 1968 album The Beatles...
" by The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr... - "My Menorah" to the tune "La BambaLa Bamba (song)"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs...
" by Ritchie ValensRitchie ValensRitchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
(The following songs are from the Showtune-based album "Almost on Broadway")
- "Soup and Challah" to the tune of "SupercalifragilisticexpialidociousSupercalifragilisticexpialidociousSupercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
" from Mary PoppinsMary Poppins (film)Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by... - "Tekiah" to the tune of "MariaMaria (1956 song)"Maria" is a song from the Broadway musical West Side Story, sung by the lead character Tony. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The song was published in 1956....
" from West Side StoryWest Side StoryWest Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins... - "Succot Nights" the tune of "Summer Nights" from GreaseGrease (soundtrack album)Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture is the original motion picture soundtrack for the 1978 film Grease released by Polydor Records. The song "You're the One That I Want" was a US and UK #1 for stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John...
- "Come Round He's Makin' a Boat" to the tune of "Sit Down Your Rockin' the Boat" from Guys and DollsGuys and DollsGuys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
- "Gabbai of the Shul" to the tune of "Master of the House" from Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
- "Do You Know Your Hebrew NameHebrew nameHebrew names are names that have a Hebrew language origin, classically from the Hebrew Bible. They are mostly used by people living in Jewish or Christian parts of the world, but some are also adapted to the Islamic world, particularly if a Hebrew name is mentioned in the Qur'an. When...
" to the tune of "There Is Nothing Like a DameThere Is Nothing Like a Dame"There is Nothing Like a Dame" is one of the songs from the musical South Pacific. The song was written by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is widely popular in the musical arts, often sung by men's choirs....
" from South MusicalSouth Pacific (musical)South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its... - "Bavel" to the tune of "Belle" from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (1991 film)Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
- "To Ma'ariv" to the tune of "Tomorrow" from AnnieAnnie (musical)Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
- "Passed the Test" to the tune of "SOS (ABBA song)SOS (ABBA song)Agnetha Fältskog's version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus . It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself....
" from Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia!Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not... - "Get Me to the Shul on Time" to the tune of "Get Me to the Church on Time" from My Fair LadyMy Fair LadyMy Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
- "Hello Mohel, Hello Kvater" to the tune of "Hello Muddah, Hello FaddahHello Muddah, Hello FaddahHello Muddah, Hello Faddah! is the name of both a musical review and a children's book based on a similarly named Allan Sherman song that received the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance.-Hello Muddah, Hello Fuddah! :...
" by Allan ShermanAllan ShermanAllan Sherman was an American comedy writer and television producer who became famous as a song parodist in the early 1960s. His first album, My Son, the Folk Singer , became the fastest-selling record album up to that time... - "Learning to Dance the Hora" to the tune of "Livin' la Vida LocaLivin' la Vida Loca"Livin' la Vida Loca" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on March 23, 1999 from Martin's self-titled debut English album. The song was composed by Desmond Child and Draco Rosa and topped the charts during 1999...
" by Ricky MartinRicky MartinEnrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...