Kalemegdan Disk - ROCK FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Tracklist

1. A hazug lány (The Lying Girl)
2. A madár (The Bird)
3. Én elmegyek (I Am Leaving)
4. A jövendőmondó (The Fortune Teller)
5. Járt itt egy boldog ember (A Happy Man once Walked here)
6. Búcsúztató (Farewell)
Szvit (7.-12.) (Suite)
7. Ébredés (Awakening)
8. A malomban (At the Mill)
9. Hazafelé (On the Way Home
10. A hetedik napon (On the Seventh Day)
11. Délutáni szerelem (Afternoon Love)
12. Van, aki nyugtalan (Some Are Restless)
Bonus:
13. Holdbéli csónakos (Moonlight Boatman) – Recorded 1973
14. Helló Elefánt (live) (Hello Elephant (live)) – Recorded 1973?

Full album without bonuses at YouTube

Kalemegdan Disk Release Information

The album “Omega 5” was released in 1973 and was the last album with a luxurious fold out cover. The digital remastered CD version was released in 1998 titled “Szvit” (Suite). This eponymous suite had been stretched over the complete side B of the LP and has been a progressive rock composition with classical orchestra.

Side A of the record contained the more hammond organ borne ballad “Én elmegyek” (I Am Leaving) and a couple of rock tracks. Amongst them the rather aggressive sounding “A jövendőmondó” (The Fortune-Teller), evocative of Deep Purple through its guitar/organ interplay. The synthesizer in “Búcsúztató” (Farewell) foreshadowed the next change in style – away from guitar centered rock music towards space rock.

GrundRecords Release Information

Omega’s fifth studio album has been a true masterpiece. On this album, the band further developed the hard rock sound they had begun on “Élő Omega” (Live Omega), and it has been considered groundbreaking in Hungarian rock music in many respects.

Released in the summer of 1973, the album has marked the first use of a synthesizer (in the song “A madár” (The Bird), and the six-movement “Szvit” (Suite) composition has been the first Hungarian progressive rock recording created jointly by a rock band and a symphony orchestra. On this album, we hear a band playing at the peak of its powers and everyone delivers the best of his songwriting talent. The bewilderingly beautiful thoughtfulness and purity of Péter Sülyi’s lyrics certainly contributes to the album’s timelessness.

This rerelease has been rounded out by bonus material. One of these is the song “Helló Elefánt” (Hello Elephant), an early version of “A madár” (The Bird), and the other one is “Holdbéli csónakos” (Moonlight Boater), a musical adaptation of a poem by Sándor Weöres. The actor András Kozák sings on this recording.

Line-up:

János Kóbor: vocals
György Molnár: guitar
László Benkő: keyboards
Tamás Mihály: bass guitar, backing vocals
Ferenc Debreczeni: drums

Featuring:

A Magyar Állami Hangversenyzenekar (The Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra), conducted by Péter Wolf
Mihály Simon: backing vocals