Now, here's the first Hungarian beat LP what released in 1968, but not in Hungary, but in the UK. It was the funny story: when the Spencer Davis Group played in Hungary, the band manager discovered the Omega , and invited the band to the UK. The band went to London in 1968, and played lot of beat clubs, like in Marquee, Speakeasy, and the band performed in BBC Late night show. In the UK, the Omega (later about the band history) recorded some songs in english in DECCA studio, these songs were the Omega Red Star From Hungary LP.
After the recordings, the band had to go back to Hungary, so they couldn't became the "Red Stars" on the another side of the Iron Curtain, but.... At that time, the State Record Company (MHV) didn't want to released real Hungarian beat LP with Hungarian lyrics and songs, because they thought: the beat just the idiotic western fashion, which have no future in Hungary... Therefore the MHV allowed just EPs and 7"s with english cover songs. So when the Decca released the english Omega LP, MHV bureaucracy was frightened! The imperialists release one of hungarian beat LP faster than us? So when the band came back to Budapest, they got a straight way to the MHV studo, that they recording their english LP with Hungarian lyrics. But it will be the another upload...
What my opinion about this LP? Omega is not my favorite band, and i think, their early beat period was absolutely shit, but i don't know... they played in lot of actually music styles from the 60s to the 80s. (e.g. their new wave/synth (!!!) period was cool). But this LP is not so good, these early songs are better in english lyrics than in hungarian, i think. The music is cool, some songs are heavy, and similar to the early progressive rock. Interest: the original singer, János Kóbor didn't sing in this LP, because he had to stay in Hungary, so the insted of his, singing the bass guitarist (Tamas Mihály), the organist (Laszló Benkő), and the composer ( Gábor Presser).
This record is very rare in LP format, but the Universal released in CD it, in 2007.
Tracklist:
01. Wake Up!
02. Mamma Said
03. If I Were The Wind
04. Rose Trees
05. Tomorrow
06. There is Nothing I Can Do
07. Once I Knew A Girl
08. Clown
09. Hungarian Folk Song
10. Trumpeter Charlie
11. Dead are the Flowers
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