Odyssea

This album is a true Holy Grail not only of Czechoslovak psychedelic rock, but indeed of East European psychedelic rock as a whole. This extraordinarily ambitious 1969 concept album, whose lyrics draw on Homer’s Odyssey, failed to find favour with the censors of the time, who ordered all the master tapes to be destroyed. One of them, however, was miraculously saved by the producer of the LP, allowing us to experience this exceptional material today. The music on the album resembles a poetic sonic mystery play, forming a fascinating blend of psychedelia, rock, light avant-garde, theatre, folk, and elements of both traditional and classical music. The overall mood is predominantly dreamy and reflective, leaning towards acoustic sounds, though there is no shortage of stronger and more avant-garde moments. Running throughout the album are a mysterious, fairy-tale atmosphere, sharper big-band-style brass passages, soaring psychedelic soundscapes, spoken-word sections, backgrounds recalling a fusion of contemporary classical music and free jazz, as well as more traditional acoustic and rock song motifs. During the recording sessions, the band was supported by the Gustav Brom Orchestra, which in certain passages — especially in the interludes linking selected compositions — brings in an atmosphere strongly evocative of Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues. We have supplemented the original LP with nine additional recordings by Petr and Hana Ulrych, recorded — with one exception — with the group Atlantis. These tracks come from singles released between 1968 and 1971. They have been compiled so as to present the artists’ rock side as fully as possible: here you will hear touches of baroque pop and Hammond-driven soul, as well as harder-edged psychedelia, topped off by a highly competent cover of Cream’s Strange Brew. Thanks to the latest mastering techniques, five tracks previously available only in mono can now be heard for the first time in full, vivid stereo. This edition comes in a classic jewel case with a 16-page colour booklet, featuring, among other things, an essay on the group and its music in both Polish and English. The entire material has been remastered directly from the original Supraphon master tapes. A superb release that deserves a place in every collection devoted to music from the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. We encourage you to listen to the audio samples. AND HERE IS A SHORT VIDEO PRESENTING THE RELEASE: