Finderskeepers Rec. 
V.A. : Well Hung -20 Funk Rock Eruptions
From Beneath Communist Hungary - Volume 1 (HU,re.2008)****
From the Communist days in Hungary not much reached the ears of the rest of Europe, (communism tend to see the capitalist countries as the enemy, not even as someone to convince them of an alternative), and also now little traces of this reached our ears, like Omega who had reached German and English territory. How could many ex-communists revive to become part of the world’s processes, economically and culturally after all that happened? However in Hungary’s 70s there was made some comparable by the times-inspired alternative sub-culture, with groups and expressions that came into existence as a creative compensation to fill in the curiosity for American/English rock music. It started as an experiment and luckily was able to evolve a free expression within the limitations structuralized by the government, and with moments of disapproval, restrictions and forbidding to continue (first with the most popular band Illes who had to be an example of in an attempt to stop all this), especially through Russian command, until they formed a compromise that the music needed at least try to cope with their ideologies. This manipulation didn’t make the best examples, while the first serious attempts, the slightly subversive creative struggle, were especially interesting which this compilation surely proves.
The compilation works perfectly and evolves from one style to the next, starting with a terrific compact hard rock style mixed with a progressive flavour or at least a decent and attractive musical seriousness.
One of my favorite “hard rock” pieces on the album are the track from the female vocalist Kati Kovacs, with good backing vocals, and the incredible powerful progressive flute/hard rock cored track (with Hammond) of Corvina, showing very good progressive evolutions and some good instrumental guitar/organ duets.
The first 7 examples sound rather ‘70s styled. Tamlas Somlo & Omega sounds more like a late 60s example. Illes sound different in style too, with electronic keyboards and also reveals slightly post-60s influence, more advanced from the early compilation I once heard from them before.
Omega’s track (11) is, of course more “progressive”, improvised rock (organ/flute), including a slightly dated but well fitting drum solo.
From then on the tracks show a groovier edge, as something the sub-title of this compilation described as “funk-rock eruptions”.
Sarolta Zalatnay’s track still has hard rock in it, but is more funky and with sexy female singing. Also the next couple of tracks show a groovy funk-rock edge, also for the next Omega track, babbling-singing with the freaky mode of the music, while still including a calmer improvisation too. Also the last Illes track is in this funky, bluesrock style, performed with an almost black energy, while the last track, by Bergendy concludes the compilation perfectly while also introducing some brass arrangement in it, in a (progressive) rock way.
A recommended compilation, with extensive detailed backgrounds about the included tracks. I must say that I can’t see how language can be a barrier here. Not that volume two is already in the pipeline !
& rock music inn Communist countries by Sabrina Petra Ramet : "Notes"
