OMEGA RED STAR: TROMBITÁS FRÉDI ÉS A RETTENETES EMBEREK [Ω I]

Formed in 1962 Omega began releasing singles in 1966 which featured covers of The Rolling Stones, The Hollies and Herman`s Hermits as well as their own original material which reflected these and other western influences. By 1968 they had briefly toured England and released an album on the UK Decca label under the title Omega Red Star From Hungary which included some of these singles as well as other tracks which were to appear on Trombidas Fredi es rettenetes emberek, their first Hungarian release on the government owned label Hungaroton.

The themes and messages in the songs were typically sixties about love & peace and had various appraoches to the contemporary sixties rock composition some sounding like Peter, Paul & Mary ( If I Were The Wind ) others like early Rolling Stones ( A Girl Hasn`t Gone Home) with trippy guitars and the title track even having a ragtime feel with a honky tonk sounding piano and a horn section. For the most part though, the album is drenched in psychedelia and has little interest for the fan ofprogressive rock but interestingly employs horns, strings and a recorder on in some freaky ways which are of passing interest.

Not the progressive rock Omega of the seventies with whirling synths and mellotrons, but for those who are curious about what developments were taking place in popular music in Eastern Europe behind the veil of the Iron Curtain in the mid sixties, Trombidas Fredi es a rettenettes emberek should provide a good insight into this music scene . The 1992 remastering is a remarkable improvement over the now scarce original Qualiton vinyl edition.