THE HALL OF FLOATERS IN THE SKY

First of all, check out the really cool artwork on the cover of Omega`s fourth album recorded in the English language at Chipping Norton studios in the UK in 1975 just as the band was gaining international popularity with an anthology also being released on Passport Records in Canada that same year.

Four of the six tracks were previously released in Hungarian on the Nem tudom a neved (Omega 6) album. One Man's Land is a reworked track which appeared under the title Unfaithful Friends in Hungarian on the controversial Omega live LP in 1971, entitled Elo.The real treat here, though is Never Feel Shame, the only track the band did not do in Hungarian with some very trippy moog and vocal at the midway point. Get ready for some really heavy synths mellotrons and organ. String arrangements added later give the album even more depth and work beautifully with the keyboard parts. Although the guitar remains for the most part supportive the bass is given some nice treatments and has a nice warm fat sound to it which will be noticed from the opening track. The only drawback on the album is the almost impossible to understand vocals a problem on many of Omega`s English recordings. Nevertheless, the album is moody and passionate. Not really a concept album but the songs seem to fit together in a way not only musically but with environmental issues and survival in a 20th Century world themes being explored. Lyric sheets would have been welcomed with Omega`s English albums of the `70s!

Arguably their proggiest album with all the ingredients of early `70s progressive rock. Although not as complex as contemporary Gentle Giant, Focus or Jethro Tull recordings the album should definitely find a certain amount of appeal for these audiences.