CEI CE NE-AU DAT NUME

Formed in Timisoara,Romania in 1962,PHOENIX started as a psychedelic/beat rock band covering famous songs of ''The Who'' and ''The Beatles'',but by late 60's they abandoned that style,as the communistic movement of the goverment was beyond their wills.However,PHOENIX were already popular in their country and people followed them,even they turned to as more folkish rock style.After two EP's the band released their debut ''Cei ce ne-au dat nume'' in 1972.A good example of early-70's East-European proto-progressive rock,PHOENIX mix their love for psych and hard rock with ethnic overtones and Romanian folk music.Notable is the absolutely great bass lines of Iosif Kappl,the nice instrumental passages with a hard'n'blues sound and the typical yet sometimes improvisated vocal arrangements.Of course,all this rockin' parts are often blended with flutes,violins,acoustic guitars and extensive percussion parts to create a full-ethnic atmosphere.Among the ground-breaking albums of early-70's East-Europe,PHOENIX definitely deserve a few listens.