OMEGA

We go back to the Christmas holiday of 1978. In Nijmegen, the Eastern Bloc Festival was held featuring groups like Nina Hagen, SBB, and Lokomotiv. Hilversum 3 broadcasted it. Around dinnertime, I recorded a concert by the Hungarian symphonic rock band Omega, which was unfamiliar to me. I found it fantastic with all that Moog chirping and those lyrical guitar outbursts.

For a year, I regularly visited every record store in Goes, searching for an album by the band. Each time, my quest proved futile until I saw three copies in an incredibly tacky store. I couldn't believe my eyes, but what ugly covers. I had the LPs reserved to buy them the next day.

Many years later, I managed to buy my LPs on CD from a Hungarian mail-order company for a pittance. The most remarkable one I'll discuss here is "Csillagok Űtjān" from 1978. Not entirely coincidentally, it was the album that was central during the concert in Nijmegen.

Omega is not just any band. The Hungarians boast a career that begins in 1962 and ends in 2021, with 19 studio albums, many live releases, and compilations later. Roughly three phases can be identified in the band's existence, with founders János Kóbor and László Benkő being the constant factors. In the early years, the band exclusively played covers, but over time more original songs in the Hungarian language were written. In 1968, "Omega Red Star: From Hungary" is released, their debut album featuring a lush mix of psychedelic music, folk, and a rock style reminiscent of The Doors. It makes the band famous in their own country and somewhat on the Western side of the Iron Curtain.

Over the years, there have been several lineup changes leading to the classic lineup consisting of singer Kóbor, keyboardist Benkő, guitarist György Molnár, bassist Tamás Mihály, and drummer Ferenc Debreceni. This lineup will stay together for 14 years, resulting in ten albums. On these works, particularly on "Idörabló" (1977) and "Csillagok Űtjān" (1978), the music is infused with progressive and spacey rock sounds in a way that we absolutely devour. All albums of this lineup were released both in Hungarian and English. Then, things start to decline, and in 1987, Omega calls it quits. Eight years later, the band makes an excellent comeback with the album "Transcendent," featuring unmistakable hard rock intentions. Over the years, a few more albums are released, but subsequently, László Benkő, Tamás Mihály, and János Kóbor pass away. That's the history in a nutshell.

We rewind to 1978, time for "Csillagok Űtjān." The first thing that catches your eye when you look at the cover is those monkey suits everyone is wearing. It brings to mind an acrobatic circus act until you put on the record. Opener Nyitány leaves no doubt: prog is played here with passion. Suddenly, those monkey suits make sense. Omega sounds tightly knit. After Beethoven's fifth sets the song in motion, a catchy keyboard figure takes over. Meanwhile, drummer Debreceni is pounding away, leaving room for guitar and keyboards to earn eternal fame. The beauty of this song is that it is repeated at the end of the album but in reverse order (first the band part, then the closing chords from Beethoven's masterpiece). The album is thus rounder than round.

Among these pieces are the other seven songs, three calm and four lively. Of the calm ones, especially Légy Erös is a bliss. The Pink Floyd vibes flourish, thanks to the beautiful, sometimes polyphonic guitar work and the electronic piano. Égi Vándor is also noteworthy, although the somewhat silky singing may not appeal to everyone, I fear. However, sometimes Kóbor's singing has the bite of Eros Ramazzotti, which is peculiar. With Bibor Hölgy, Omega delivers their most beautiful ballad of the album. György Molnár takes the opportunity to underline once again that he is a great guitarist.

Omega shines best in the lively songs. The atmospheric Léna is great because the harsh cold of the Russian winter is perfectly conveyed. Remarkable is the two-part Metamorfózis which adds a nice dose of energy to the album. In the first part, it's evident that symphonic hard rock suits the band best. Kóbor sounds unleashed, and keyboardist Benko also gives it his all. With the title track, it's more of the same as in the first part of Metamorfózis. With the second part of Metamorfózis, the band gains eternal fame in my opinion. The band is at its best here with blissful bass work and neo-prog-infused keyboard work. The song seamlessly transitions into the aforementioned closing piece of the album. The addition of wordless singing from three ladies enhances the atmosphere and turns Finálé into a real finale.

I'm glad I was exposed to Omega's albums at a young age. That's why I've been enjoying their music for half of my life. "Csillagok Űtjān" is therefore one of the most highly regarded classics in the famous lineup.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

It's a very unusual to listen a rock-group without understanding what they are singing about. But I don't speak Hungarian. Interesting language and very good music. However, the taste of 60s music is definitely there. In some places the band sounds like a mix Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Rolling Stones (Szeretnék visszamenni hozzád), something like Cream or Yardbirds (Azt mondta az anyukám), typical folk (Kállai kettõs, Ha én szél lehetnék). And Rózsafák is a confident imitation of the Beatles. Before recording Ismertem egy lányt, young musicians probably listened to Simon&Garfunkel - very similar.  There is nothing new or progressive here (or later either). But the musicians created an interesting eclecticism, a beautiful mix of different styles, and at the same time they sound very organic.  A wonderful debut and the beginning of a long career one of the best rock band from Hungary.

Omega, the most successful Hungarian treasure, released their best material in the 70s and Time Robber is hailed as the shining jewel among the swag of album releases. 1976 was a pinnacle year for prog rock and Omega hit the ground running with a mega epic on side 1 with Time Robber, a symphonic spacey 3 part suite that features the forceful vocals of Kobor and soaring synth work of Benko.  There are huge dollops of theremin and Moog interlaced with heavy lead guitar rhythmic signatures that keep the ear energized. The album captures the heavier sound of Omega and is replete with ambient atmospheres and ethereal melancholy passages.

Invitation has a dreamy feel and mesmerising melody. Don't keep me Waitin follows with memorable lead guitar passages. I love the melody 4 minutes in, the spacey keyboards form a musicscape to those guitar sounds. Its absolutely beautiful ear candy.

An Acountants Dream is next, with a faster tempo, crashing drums from Debreceni, a rocking rhythm and heavier vocals. A weird curio this one, a diversion with a hint of humour especially the guitar sounds that at one point sound like a duck quacking.

The closing track Late Night Show is a moderate tempo track with strong vocals and time sig switches allowing some keyboard wizardry from Benko.  The acoustic flourishes are peaceful and create a calm mood. It builds to a progressive musical outro with a female vocal and interlocking keyboards.

Overall Time Robber is a gem for Omega showcasing what made the band great and shows why they are hailed as Hungary's finest proggers.

3.5 stars. OMEGA deserve a lot of respect for the career they carved out for themselves over a 50 year period including over 30 studio albums. And they are from Hungary but they certainly made waves outside their own country. "Time Robber" from 1976 is my favourite from them but it sure has a strong ELOY flavour to it.

I find every song hit and miss except for the closer which of course is my favourite. "Late Night Show" is that song and it has some depth to it with that upfront bass and drumming but check out the wordless vocals late to end it. Again an ELOY vibe here but this is really good. Least favourite is the one before it "An Accountant's Dream" an uptempo rocker bringing classic rock to mind but thankfully this is the shortest piece.

"Don't Keep me Waiting" is spacey as the vocals arrive before 1 1/2 minutes bringing ELOY to mind as it plods along with bluesy, FLOYD-like guitar. "Invitation" opens with electronics as drums join in then vocals a minute in. Not big on this but the bass and sound during the instrumental section is really good. The opener is a two part affair reminding me of ELOY and we get either really high pitched synths or theremin led passages contrasted with the vocal led sections. This does go into more of a rock territory but theremin is back late.

Again much respect but just not consistent enough or my kind of music overall to give 4 stars. By the way I think it's cool that they used the same colour or hue on five album covers including this one. So '74, '76, '78, '86 and '96.

3.5 stars. Apologies to Hungarian fans out there but if I'm going to listen to music from this country it will be KADA, COLORSTAR or AFTER CRYING. Just my particular tastes in music and this album while good is pretty much forgettable when compared to the music I'm drawn to. But it needs to be stated that this is band who made some waves in Hungary and beyond. Forming in 1962 which is hard to imagine, they have changed their stripes many times musically to what was popular at the time over the years, they still exist!. I mean I still can't get past those two album covers from 1978 out of my head with them all dressed in white bringing disco to mind.

This particular album was released in 1974 and features a side long suite which is certainly the attraction as the other three tracks just don't do a lot for me. Happy to hear some mellotron on that suite and the title track. This is a five piece with the keyboardist being supremely important for composing the music. It's interesting that it's the bass player playing the mellotron on here. The keyboardist sticks to organ and moog pretty much. One is the singer. These guys can play! A 36 minute record with four tracks with the highlight again being the over 19 minute "Suite" which has it's moments and non- moments too. Not into those other three tunes but again to say this was a talented band is an understatement.

This is one of those albums where I get impressed and disappointed during every song so I just can't give this 4 stars, not in my musical world anyways.

OMEGA has been and remains the most successful Hungarian band in all of rock history having formed all the way back in 1962 in Budapest and still going strong. Sadly singer János Kóbor remained with the band since the beginning has passed away in 2021 and keyboardist/singer László Benkő who also co-founded the band only recently passed away in 2020 but officially this band is still together and will probably go the route of Gong and Yes without its core members. It cannot be understated how much of a cultural icon OMEGA has been for the Hungarian nation since the band flourished despite battling the social, economic and political forces that were stacked against rock music much less bands that were progressive.

The band floundered around in its early years mostly covering British rock songs but with the addition of organist / flautist / vocalist Gábor Presser in 1967, the band benefited greatly from his seasoned talent in the genres of rock, jazz and folk songwriting. It didn't take long at all for OMEGA's reputation as a live band to leak out of Hungary and in 1968 they were invited to England to record this debut album OMEGA RED STAR: FROM HUNGARY which was released in English on Decca Records. The band didn't abandon its Hungarian roots though and all throughout its career released albums in both English and Hungarian. Although more famous as a progressive rock band, in these early years OMEGA engaged in the typical psychedelic rock that was taking over the world although even at this early stage some proggy moments were developing such as the extended organ solo on "Holnap."

The typical vinyl album's running time of nearly 37 minutes, OMEGA RED STAR FROM HUNGARY could've been any old British psych band with its ability to adopt all the attributes of the Western musical paradigm. What OMEGA brought to the table was the occasional use of Hungarian folk music in the mix. At this stage OMEGA's sound was beyond the average psych rock band with not only the use of guitars, bass, drums and keyboards but also incorporated flutes, trumpet and the citera, a strange looking Hungarian stringed instrument. The band spent 1968 touring England and although the titles of the songs are in the band's native Hungarian, the lyrics were sung in English. This exotic edge was exactly what OMEGA needed to get them noticed in the sea of excellent British rock that was taking over the world in the 1960s.

Sounding something like a mix of The Beatles, The Doors and Traffic, early OMEGA ticked off all the British psych boxes with strong melodic and catchy pop hooks. Heavy use of dramatic organ sounds, a Kinks-like use of rhythm along with the psychedelic pop sensibilities of early Pink Floyd. The band stood out for its liberal use of flute (long before UK bands like Jethro Tull existed) and mix of Hungarian folk musical scales as well as what sounds like Communist Party propaganda musical form. Given the censorship and iron fist control of music behind the former Iron Curtain and its satellite affiliates, OMEGA was more subversive than a Western band in conveying its opposition to the system it found itself controlled by.

OMEGA is primarily known for its 10 album run of progressive rock albums that started in 1971 when Presser left the band and took his folk and jazz style with him however it's well worth going back to these early years to explore the band's origins. While not some long lost masterpiece, it's fascinating to hear how a band from communist Hungary swam upstream against all odds to become an international sensation in these early years. OMEGA may not have been the next Beatles but the band was quite competent at crafting instantly catchy tunes that perfectly evoke the era of the tumultuous late 1960s from a part of the world most of the era were rather unaware of. While not an essential listening experience by any means, OMEGA RED HISTORY: FROM HUNGARY is a interesting slice of Eastern European history that propelled the band into the international stars they would soon become.

- First Review for This Album - I visited Budapest a couple of weeks ago. From the posters on the streets - announcing a concert in December - I saw that the legendary Hungarian rock band OMEGA, founded in the sixties, is still active. Naturally I searched for some interesting CD's there, and this compilation is one of my purchases. I knew that Omega is internationally the best known Hungarian prog classic; to get a better picture of their domestic fame, I asked a young couple about the band (showing this CD), and they confirmed that just about every Hungarian knows the band pretty well.

In 2015 the long history of Omega was compiled in a decade-by-decade approach. "The Beaty Sixties", "The Spacey Seventies", "The Progressive Eighties", "The Heavy Nineties". Which one to buy? Well, I vaguely was aware that in the 80's the band's artistic level declined, and yet the word 'Progressive' made me believe that maybe they made some progressive and more ambitious stuff among the commercial pop/rock at that time, and that this CD would skim the cream from many albums (the other factor on my decision was that I already had some 70's stuff by Omega). Not quite so. Frankly, this should be called "The Commercial Eighties", or "The Pop Eighties". There's no album source information in the release itself, but a research back home showed that this compilation contains the entire album Working = the English version of Az Arc (both 1981), which is clearly seen as one of the weak albums, like actually each one they made in the 80's. Tracks 17 and 19 come from Omega 12 (1986), tracks 15 and 18 from Babylon a.k.a. Omega 13 (1987), and for a couple of tracks I found no origins.

So, the first thing for a prog oriented listener to do is not minding the false title and simply taking the music as a pop product of its time. And I'll do my best to be open-minded on this review too. The opener 'Nasca' is a decent little synth-oriented instrumental. 'Love Games' is pure commercial early-80's hard rock. Noisy, sharp, chorus-heavy. 'Inside Outside' is even faster in tempo. Oh no, what have I bought!? 'Laughing on the Inside' is a so-called hard rock ballad, typical for the decade. 'Working' is another energetic, commercial hard-rocker. The band's sound is not bad really, the synth solo/backing has some impressive spaceyness left from the better days. But no, these songs are not 'progressive' in the least. 'Rocket': "Oh baby, I feel like a rocket tonight!" Need I say more? Happily the album Working contains several brief instrumentals ('Nasca, 'Intermezzo', 'Hostage 1'). They may not be excellent on a prog scale, but at least they serve as a refreshing pause from the noisy and commercial song style.

'I Can't Stop Thinking of You' is a hard rock ballad that FOREIGNER would have made better. There's some improvement for the rest of the 73-minute compilation. 'Russian Winter' features balalaika (?) and it manages to paint an inner picture of a winter in Russia. Though not being an instrumental, brief 'Hostage 2' is emotionally strong in its melancholic approach. The 7-minute 'Morning Lights' is perhaps the highlight on this compilation. Tempo is relatively slow, and the move from the latter- day Leonard Cohen -like deep voice to the uplifting chorus functions pretty well. 'Lady Moon' is another mid-tempo power ballad with lots of synths. The beat sounds like being programmed. Some sax added too. 'Child in Your Arms' also relies heavily on the chorus; the parts in between try too hard to sound doomy. A slight reminescence to CAMEL's 'West Berlin' on sound. 'Home Again' is a slow ballad, quite listenable. The last track 'Your All Night Man' is proudly exactly what the title suggests.

Can't give more than two stars. Avoid, unless you want to expand your Omega collection and have a gap for the eighties stuff.

I don't have a whole lot of Omega albums in my collection, probably due to my local record stores don't stock them too often. I often wonder if it's just lack of any Hungarians or Americans of Hungarian descent living in Oregon that has a lot to do with it. Probably. I could just as easily go online and buy them. I did find a copy of 200 Years After the Last War at a Eugene record store, a German copy on Bacillus, naturally, and it's by far the best album I have ever heard from them. Two songs are English language remakes of stuff from Omega 5: Szvit, that is "Suite" and "You Don't Know". "Suite" is a side-length suite, hence the name, and while the original is still great, they improved by the presences of Mellotron instead of real strings. So it ends up sounding a bit like the Moody Blues meets Uriah Heep. The more calm moments remind me of the Moody Blues, the more heavy moments, with Laszo Benko giving some heavily fuzzed organ (in the Jon Lord and Ken Hensley tradition) gives the Heep reminder. Then you have the original "Nem Tudom a Neved" called "Help to Find Me" (the Hungarian language version later appeared in 1975 on Omega 6: Nem Tudom a Neved). This is another great song, particularly dig the extended creative synth solo. The title track is English language version of a song from an album they were doing around 1972 that was never released at the time (opinion being that the communist censors rejected it, the other was due to Gabor Presser's departure for Locomotiv GT). name escaped me. This album was their second Western recording, and I have to say this is great stuff, and a great place to start if you don't know Omega.

Wow! Look at the cover art! What kind of drugs was the artist on? I picked this up at some kind of flea market in West Germany in 1977 or 1978. To be quite honest I think that everyone was on weird drugs that I didn't want to know about.

The album is a compilation of Hungarian language songs prior to their first English language on the Bellaphon label in early 1973. it may appear strange to non-Hungarian speakers but if you are into 60s psychedelia go for this diamond in the rough. Not sure if it is available on CD but if you are a vinyl junkie get this one. You might love it or hate it but give it a few listens and find out what was rocking and rolling behind the iron Curtain when guys like Jean Le Carre and Len Deighton were writing cold war spy novels.

Worth seeking out.

Entering 1975 Omega would get back on track with their regular releases for the Hungarian market, which were released via the Pepita label.Following an extremely prolific period the next album to come was ''Omega 6-Nem tudom a neved''.This was again a collection of tracks, which were also displayed in a number of English albums with slightly different titles, this time though they would make up for a work sung entirely in Hungarian.

Mid-70's was definitely the band's most incosistent period, the collection of different sounds resulted an uneven album, where apparently there was no particular direction.Seeing this one as a collections of pieces, ''Nem tudom a neved'' is a pretty decent album with Benko now focusing on the sound of synthesizer for his keyboard parts.It becomes clearly that the very short tracks follow a Hard Rock vein with straight riffing, some bluesy influences and even some 60's Psych/Pop leftovers in the vocal parts, while the lengthy cuts have much more to offer.For example the title track is still grounded in a Hard Rock enviroment, but the sharp sound of synth flashing and the occasional entries on spacious moods adds some sort of diversity to this piece, while ''A buvesz'' has a certain Teutonic vibe akin to ELOY with its slow guitar moves.The 3-min. ''Az egben lebegok csarnoka'' is a welcome suprise, a laid-back smooth delivery with symphonic keyboards and harsichord in the process in a romantic climate, supported by excellent vocals.''Mozgo vilag'' is beautiful, a melancholic approach on Teutonic Prog akin to NOVALIS and GUILDENSTERN with big time orchestral keyboards and strings and heavy yet crying guitars.Same goes for ''Huszadik szazadi varoslako'', which is less symphonic but equally progressive with the soft guitar lines, the odd synth lines and the harsichord meeting the poetic vocals and an emotional atmosphere.

As close as it gets to the German scene, an amalgam of Teutonic-like sounds with spacious keyboards, hard guitars and underground symphonic overtones, held down by a few forgettable Hard Rock tunes.The progressive tracks though are pretty enganging and the album is easily recommended.