PAVOL HAMMEL & MARIÁN VARGA: ‎ZELENÁ POSTA

Although being biased by being Slovak person myself, I simply have to confess that I am amazed by this wonderful music. Although Varga is most often referred to as the one who made long tracks of classical-music-inspired prog, I believe that the song form of this album's compositions suited him the best.

Varga's exceptionally gifted musicianship, supernatural inspiration and virtuosity is combined here with some best rock lyrics ever written in Slovak language, like existentionalist lyrics for "Smutna ranna elektricka (Sad morning tram)" by poet Miroslav Valek. The result is a gentle intellectual beauty which one can almost doubt that it emerged in the spiritually dull era of Brezhnev-type communism.

I am afraid that the qualities of this masterpiece are had to be fully appreciated without understanding Slovak.

Regarding some tracks:

1. Domáca Úloha (Homework) - A real homework made by 15-years old Varga as a student of classical composition

2. Z D'Atelín (From the grass) - I wish I could express my love to a woman using these words !!!

4. Smutná Ranná Elektricka (Sad morning tram) - A poem about terrible sufferings of love.

5. Krajina Bielych Dievcat (Country of the white girls) - Completelly crazy lyrical song about a dream trip to a country of the white girls. They would greet us with white flowers, and we fly with them in the baloon.

"Zelena Posta" was not truly a Collegium Musicum album but rather a collaborative album between Varga, Hammel and Hladik, although Hladik only played on a handful of tracks. The rhythm section was Collegium's one though, and both Vacho and Hammel had already made appearances on "Collegium Musicum" and "Konvergencie" so this can easily qualify as a honorary Collegium Musicum album. However the music is much more focused than on most CM albums, as it is a collection of compact songs, rather than a collection of lengthy jams with frequent quotations from classics.

"Domaca uloha" is a short orchestral piece written by Varga when he was just 15 years old, already showing great inclination towards ironic composition. "Z datelin" is an understated and gorgeous ballad. "Smutna ranna electricka" is a gloomy swinging number in 6/8 with memorable melodies. On the merrier side of things we have "Tenis" and "Krajina bielych dievcat", both with a joyful major-key feel, similar to Caravan's "In a Land of Grey and Pink". And then we have the demented "Cesty blaznou", with a frantic theme in 9/8 and a very rough guitar solo.

"Zelena posta" remains a very well balanced album, and should not be overlooked in favor of the more bombastic works like "Konvergencie", because it is just as good, and shows a different side of Collegium Musicum.

Eclectic Prog meets Symphonic Prog.

It is my understanding that this album is very untypical for Collegium Musicum. Normally; they are a symphonic prog band in vein of ELP. But they are cooperating with someone else here (for the record; Hammel and Hladik) and the result is this album.

The album varies between some bouncy songs with similarities to ELP's more funny songs and more poetic, ballad like songs. Some of the ballads are verging on being the type of horror ballads we get in this ghastly Eurovision contest. But the band manages to pull it off. There are still some strong ELP elements here. VDGG has been mentioned and they certainly put their VDGG influences to good use. There are actually a lot of references to the Italian Symphonic Prog scene on this album and I think fans of this scene cannot go wrong with this album. Add some jazz and folk rock to the mix and this is the album you get with Zelená Posta.

The main instruments are keyboards and guitars, this being a cooperation between a keyboardist and two guitarists. The guitars are mostly distorted, although with normal melodic solos. The keyboards are in the Keith Emerson style. The rhythm-sections is excellent. The same can be said about the vocals.

The quality of this album is very high and I never ever loose interest in the music. I have some reservations towards their other albums, but this one has charmed me into submission.

4 stars

''Zelena posta'' is the greatest album in a small series of works created by two mythical figures of ex-Czechoslovakian Rock scene: keyboardist Marián Varga of Collegium Musicum and guitarist Pavol Hammel.Radim Hladik of The Blue Effect fame also participates in the album.It was originally released in 1972 on Opus and many regard it as a lost Collegium Musicum release, as credits also go to bassist Fedor Freso, drummer Dusan Hajek and guitarist Rastislav Vacho, all members of Collegium Musicum.

Musically ''Zelena posta'' sounds as a refined version of COLLEGIUM MUSICUM'S ''Konvergencie'' album, being less raw and psychedelic and much more of a structured affair.The tracks are tightly connected to each other and the album works as a multi-part long symphonic suite full of excellent piano and organ parts in the vein of E.L.P., this means there are plenty of jamming keyboard fanfares delivered in ''Zelena posta'' with a strong sense of virtuosity.However this release offers also plenty of dramatic, lyrical moments, led by Hammel's vocals, which sound quite tasteful with a nice musical background.Hammel's also shines with his guitar work in a mix of underground psych lines and more bluesy/melodic passages.Apparently there are plenty of Classical-inspired interludes among the typical organ textures with a fantastic, bombastic approach, another proof of Varga's unique talent as a composer.Overall ''Zelena posta'' competes as a nice Classical/Symphonic/Psych Rock work full of inventive ideas, innovative performances as well as great vocal arrangements.

For the most of its part, this is a trully beautiful release, coming as a more well-executed version of ''Konvergencie'', with both bombastic and romantic moments.Essential for all fans of rich Symphonic Rock of the 70's...3.5 stars.

Zelena posta is a strong offering by already experienced leaders of progressive rock era in Czechoslovakia: Radim Hladik, Marian Varga + pop singer Pavol Hammel. This is a loose collaboration featuring melodic pop tracks with progressive rock arrangements. While Varga's array of keyboard instruments can be heard on each track, Hladik's guitar is mostly out of spotlight, maybe apart from the track "Slnecnice" and "Cesty blaznov" with a complex middle instrumental section reminding free jazz. Hladik's presence certainly helps get a more progressive feel to the tracks. The last track is the closest in its form to a progressive rock composition a la suite, it consists of several compositionally different parts ending with a reference to "Zvonte zvonky" from 1968.

This album is not essential but still worth acquiring because documents a collaboration by Who's Who in the Czechoslovak progressive music.