Shmulik Kraus

2024 stock. A lost slab of rock/psych improvisation from 1970. A well-known singer in Israel recorded many of Israel's classic popular songs, beginning with the Ofarim Trio and later High Windows (in 1967), Israel's best-know folk-rock band, who released Israel's first pop record. Krause also spent several years in an asylum. His “Cape of the Big Hope” was released in 1969, with musicians who appear on Danny Ben Israel's Bullshit 3 1/4; in 1970, some problems with the law landed Kraus in jail. He managed to get his guitar, and composed the songs for “A Criminal Record” on a 48-hour furlough, during which Kraus sped to record these tunes with session musicians; this hurried recording session gives the album a 'live' feel, and increases the feeling of mayhem. It has become the most sought-after album ever made in Israel, an unavailable gem for collectors all over the world, as only 300 copies were ever sold. No bonus tracks were recorded, and no pictures of the sessions exist. Kraus continues to write and record.