Kalemegdan Disk - ROCK FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Supraphon Release Information

Legendary album in CD format, audio congratulations on the 80th birthday

Jan Spálený has made and continues to make beautiful music, but this album is somewhat unique in his discography. Conducted as his solo one, i.e. without ASPM, performed by great studio musicians. Besides the vocally and instrumentally omnipotent Spálený, there are Petr Kalandra (harmonica, vocals), Michal Pavlíček (guitars), Jiří Veselý (bass guitar, accordion) and Jiří Hrubeš (drums, percussion).

Provided with a “warning” about not using synthesizers, this is a pure joy of listening to a coherent sounding repertoire for excellent musicians and a distinctive voice. This time only two cover versions, the rest from a hearty JS source, with texts by Pavel Vrba, Petr Kalandra, Zdeněk Rytíř and the composer himself. It’s slightly wistful, pleasantly ironic, seemingly resignedly sung from the course of life, but at the same time full of hidden energy, unique sentiment and believable in every note and word. By the mid-eighties it was beginning to dawn and this is a record that usefully reminds us of that time. New remastering, pressed on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl. A reconstructed cover by the original creators – graphic designer Karel Haloun and photographer Jaroslav Prokop – for the first time as it was intended to look in 1985. That is, with a photograph of the emigrated drummer Hrubeš, originally disowned by his comrades.

The CD version adds another eight songs to the original twelve, partly from the Supraphon archive, but mainly from three albums recorded by Jan Spálený for Lotos. Honza chose them himself, so the musical continuity is preserved until 2007. Altogether, more than seventy-five minutes of listening this December to an eighty-year-old solitaire whose contribution to Czechoslovak music, as author, performer, producer and human being, has been truly rich since the mid-1960s.

Tracklist

1. Myslím teď na tebe, moje milovaná 4:08
2. Už zrezly bezy 3:30
3. Stoupá dým 4:19
4. Aceton blues 2:18
5. Asi v tom bude nějakej háček 3:38
6. Bojler blues 2:13
7. Špitál u sv. Jakuba (Saint James Infirmary Blues) 3:57
8. Hádej 2:39
9. Tak jo 4:01
10. Mý lásky pouťový 3:13
11. Mezi břehy 3:41
12. Blues Nádržní ulice (Basin Street Blues) 2:50
Bonus:
13. Ještě jednou si vrznout – ℗ 1993 4:45
14. Sekáčová Lady – ℗ 2002 4:04
15. Krok-sun-krok – ℗ 1993 4:44
16. Zlatý zuby zebou – ℗ 1999 3:12
17. Tonda B III. – ℗ 2007 4:40
18. Hospoda U černýho světa – ℗ 1993 4:17
19. Blues o lásce a rumu – ℗ 1999 3:21
20. Quasimodo – ℗ 2002 4:29