This is an extraordinary album given the time and place. Flamengo's music is similar to some early 70's UK underground bands such as Raw Material, Tonton Macoute, Web's I Spider, and especially Diabolus. It would be hard to imagine that Flamengo would know any of these albums, and thus came to a similar musical conclusion through a completely different lens. Sax, flute, guitar and organ are the primary solo instruments. Incredible songwriting with memorable melodies, that does remind the listener of the early 70s Italian scene (PFM, Celeste, QVL). Passionately sung in Czech, and I wouldn't want to hear it any other way. Also worth noting is the awesome production, which sounds like it was recorded in Germany or England. Too bad the oppressive governments of Eastern Europe didn't allow more artistic freedom in the early 70s. Flamengo's sole album gives us perhaps the best example of what could have been.
Ownership: CD: 2012 Supraphon; Of all their reissues, this CD trumps them all. What a magnificent package. It comes in a tri-fold digipak (with original album cover art) that fits comfortably into a cardboard sleeve. This version features 3 bonus tracks and all the Czech lyrics. The sound of the album itself is even better than the 1990 disc. I cannot stress enough how great the original production was for this album. It is truly up to Western European standards.
LP: 1972 Supraphon. Recent online acquisition (2019), and comes in a flimsy single sleeve. It's simply a trophy for me. The CD remains the primary.
6/3/12 (review / new entry); 4/7/14 (update);
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