I've owned this album in continuous fashion for over 30 years, and it's been categorized in just about every genre I collect. Is it prog? psych? jazz fusion? X-wave? The answer is yes.
There were a lot of unique bands operating in the Czech Republic prior to - and after - the fall of Communism. By the late 80s the Authorities had pretty much given up, and then the Velvet Revolution finished them off. And this unusual sociological blend lead to a music scene that had no peer before or since. Other groups such as The MCH Band, Prazsky Vyber, Dunaj, Aku Aku, and Uz Jsme Doma were trailblazing a path that defies typecasting. I'm not sure how one can copy music like this. It's its own thing as they say. Of these, Stromboli's sprawling double album may be the best representative, even though the competition is fierce. There are heavy psych guitar solos juxtaposed against female New Wave styled vocals. Complex proggy structures sits inside jazz fusion numbers. Vocals are in Czech, and I wouldn't want it any other way. This is the next generation of the greats like Flamengo and Jazz Q. Curious? Listen for yourself. You'll be surprised at how fast the hour and a half goes by.
Ownership: CD: 1995 Bonton. 2xCD with photos and notes in Czech. It's a straight reissue as all of these features were part of the LP. I'm glad they stuck with a double CD rather than try to trim off 10 minutes here and there. As noted above, the first copy I owned was sent to me in 1990 - along with many other Eastern European albums - by a long time friend in Florida who I still keep up with on occasion. As I will often state, albums from that part of the world were meant to be on CD. No matter what version you would like, the album remains easily obtainable in both formats, as it was repressed many times.
12//14; 8/19/22 (new entry)
Ownership: CD: 1995 Bonton. 2xCD with photos and notes in Czech. It's a straight reissue as all of these features were part of the LP. I'm glad they stuck with a double CD rather than try to trim off 10 minutes here and there. As noted above, the first copy I owned was sent to me in 1990 - along with many other Eastern European albums - by a long time friend in Florida who I still keep up with on occasion. As I will often state, albums from that part of the world were meant to be on CD. No matter what version you would like, the album remains easily obtainable in both formats, as it was repressed many times.
12//14; 8/19/22 (new entry)
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