An instrumental progressive rock outfit.
SPLIT ALBUM WITH PRO MUSICA:
| 1 | ROCK VOL. 9 | 1985 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02918 |
This outfit played competent heavy progressive rock, more indicative of the seventies than the mid-eighties. In recent years they have veered towards heavy metal.
| A1 | ROCK VOL. 8 | 1985 | ELECTRECORD STM-ECE 02782 |
| 1 | CELELALTE CUVINTE | 1988 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 03137 |
| 2 | CELELANTE CUVINTE II | 1988 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 03712 |
Rock with some progressive tendencies. They made more albums than those listed, but the others were pop oriented.
| 1 | ROCK VOL. 6 | 1982 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02145 |
| 2 | FATA DIN VIS | 1985 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02781 |
| 3 | CiNTEC PENTRU PRIETENI | 1988 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 03501 |
FFN played archetypical 70's melodic heavy rock with powerful guitar riffs and some vigorous flute, recalling early Jethro Tall, Gravy Train and even Prudence. Their albums (the first in particular) were good but never excelled.
| 1 | ZECE PASTI | 1975 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01184 |
| 2 | ZI CU Zl | 1977 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01377 |
| 3 | UN JOC | 1981 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01893 |
A rock combo whose music had some progressive elements. They gradually turned towards bland pop.
| 1 | HOLOGRAF I. | 1984 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02379 |
| 2 | II. | 1986 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 03080 |
| 3 | III. | 1988 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 03442 |
| 4 | IV.(MAXI SINGLE) | 1989 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 03730 |
A hard rock band. The second album had lyrics in Hungarian
| 1 | ROCK EXPRESS | 1983 | ELECTRECORD STM-EOE 02378 |
| 2 | JÓ FIÚ LESZEK | 1985 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02860 |
Metrock's sound was centered around blues and hard rock with some progressive elements. They were unrelated to a Romanian heavy metal band of the same name in the 90s.
| 1 | CASTELUL DE NISIP | 1982 | ELECTRECORD STM-EOE 02077 |
Metropol's first album had lyrics in Hungarian (a minority of more than 2 million Hungarians live in Romania). Their early albums contained well executed hard rock with some progressive elements.
| 1 | ÉGIG ÉRHETNE AZ ÉNEK | 1978 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01401 |
| 2 | VOUC | 1979 | ELECTRECORD STM-EOE 01586 |
| 3 | METROPOL 3 | 1981 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01839 |
| 4 | DIN NOU ÎMPREUHA | 1986 | ELECTRECORD STM-EOE 03004 |
Mondial recorded excellent beat-psychedelia, according to those who have heard their rare album.
| 1 | MONDIAL I | 1971 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 0544 |
Phoenix was formed in Timisoara by Nicolae Covaci. A couple of years later they scored a hit with the Beatles-influenced ballad "I Know That You Love Me Too". Throughout the sixties their vinyl output only consisted of 2 EPs, but Phoenix recorded additional material for national Romanian radio and music for the movie "The Canary And The Blizzard". By the time of their first LP (selections from a rock opera named "Those Who Gave Us A Name"), Phoenix had adopted a strong heavy progressive sound with significant folk influences that were unrivalled in most of Eastern Europe. The instrumental parts were superb, full of strong lead guitars (recalling Martin Barre on early Jethro Tull albums), occasional gipsy violin, jazzy fuzz-bass breaks and complex rhythms. In addition, Phoenix used carefully constructed multi-voice vocal arrangements. The predominant folky mood is also supplemented with more heavy and psychedelic moments. Side one contained a long suite of songs dealing with the cycle of the seasons. Side two contained "Negru Vodă", one of their best known songs, opening in a concise and powerful manner but ending up in a long jam. The last track "Pseudo Morgana" had slight oriental influences. This is a classic album among the best ever from the Eastern bloc, conjuring up images from the Transylvanian middle ages.
Mugur De Fluier (1974) was another strong album building on the elements of the first side of the previous album. It was a continuous suite of haunting songs glued together by the recurring theme "Lasă Lasă".
Cantofabule (1975) was a highly ambitious and experimental double album on which their musical range had broadened even more. "Invocaţie" and "Zoomahia" even had pulsating synthesizer parts by the new keyboard player Günther Reininger. Other tracks ("Cintic-Lu A Cucuveauă-Lliei") veered in the direction of psychedelic folk-rock. The album also had a very nice sleeve design, picturing various animals in a dream-like scene. These three albums are indispensable for any true Euro-rock collector. Soon after Cantofabule, most of the members fled to Germany and The Netherlands and seem to have left the business. In 1991 they were reunited for some concerts in Romania.
| 1 | CEI CE NE-AU DAT NUME | 1972 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 0754 |
| 2 | MUGUR DE FLUIER | 1974 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 0968 |
| 3 | CANTOFABULE (2LP) | 1975 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 1115-6 |
| S1 | REMEMBER PHOENIX | 1991 | ELECTRECORD STU-EDE 04077 |
| S2 | ANII 60... VREMURI | 1998 | ELECTRECORD EDC 257 |
| . | EVERGREENS | 1993 | ELECTRECORD EDC 167 |
Strong power trio playing, subtle vocal harmonics and cascading flute flourishes characterize the first LP of Progresiv TM, definitely one of Romania's most ear-catching bands from the seventies. The typical Romanian qualities of expert musicianship and excellent vocal parts are omnipresent, but still most of this LP is hard rock with a strong penchant for soaring melodies and always interesting flute interceptions. The production is extremely simple, almost no studio effects are used, rendering the album a bit "dry" in sound, but the knack for unexpected melody (check the marvellous "Clepsidra", a truly progressive marvel) makes up for this in full. There's a heartbreaking ballad too, "Nimeni Nu E Singur".
Four years later the sound had developed into a more sophisticated blend with even some strings and piano thrown in, but basically all the earlier qualities remained. The combination of piano with these kind of melodies makes the sound at times almost Italian. Production values have improved greatly, making this more varied and less a pure "hard-rock with flute" album. The long opening track, "Oameni Si Fapte / Legamint" would bo obligatory for any "best of the east" compilation with its lush harmonies, great diversity and arching themes. Side two has more emphasis on dexterous guitar playing and tends to get quite poetic, the title of the record ("The Power Of Music") rings completely true. Absolutely top-notch by any standard.
Marcel Koopman
| 1 | DREPTUL DE A VISA | 1975 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01183 |
| 2 | PUTEREA MUZICII | 1979 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01538 |
Folky rock with some progressive developments. Personnel is uncertain for their third album (apart from Iuliu Merca). They re-united in 1991, but were now more pop-oricntcd.
| 1 | CÎHTECE TRANSILVANENE | 1981 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01948 |
| 2 | TRENUL CURSA DE PERSOANE APAHIDA-CLUJ NAPOCA | 1979 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01638 |
| 3 | PLANETA VISURILOR NOASTRE | 1982 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02146 |
The first ten inch album contained versions of international beat and pop songs. The twelve inch album contained nine Sincron tracks with Romanian folk tunes arranged to an excellent beat/psych sound, as well as two Mondial tracks and one Orchestra Electrecord track (Genre: easy listening).
| 1 | SINCRON (10**) | 1970? | ELECTRECORD EDD 1199 |
| 2 | ROUMANIAN POP MUSIC II | 1971 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 0542 |
In the 70's, Dan Andrei Aldea was in charge of Sfinx, a group which has rightfully gained a deal of attention from international collectors. Lume Alba (1975) was essentially a quality pop-rock album with a folky touch (gipsy violin). Quite good songs and multi-voice arrangements make it enjoyable throughout.
Zalmoxe (1978) was their best album by far. On this they succeeded in producing their own sound, based on the complex symphonic rock explored by Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd. Compared with other continental European rock, I would put them in the same class as Sahara (Germany), Solaris (Hungary) and Iceberg (Spain - at the time of their first album). The album had nine tracks, which all were strong. Along with the three Phoenix albums, this is the very best from Romania.
However beware of the later album by a revamped version of the band, which is very weak!
| 1 | LUME ALBA | 1975 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01114 |
| 2 | ZALMOXE | 1978 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01537 |
| 3 | SFINX | 1984 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 02513 |
I MENTION ONLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ALBUMS, CONTAINING EXCLUSIVE PROG-ROCK MATERIAL NOT AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE.
| . | ROUMANIAN POP MUSIC II | 1971 | ELECTRECORD STM-EPE 0542 |
| . | FORMATII DE MUZICA POP 1 | 1975 | ELECTRECORD EDE 01071 |
| . | FORMATII DE MUZICA POP 2 | 1976 | ELECTRECORD EDE 01229 |
| . | FORMATII DE MUZICA POP III | 1979 | ELECTRECORD EDE 01637 |
| . | FORMATII ROCK VOLUMUL IV | 1980 | ELECTRECORD EDE 01723 |
| . | FORMATII ROCK 5 | 1981 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01898 |
| . | CLUB A | 1981 | ELECTRECORD STM-EDE 01912 |