Omega (band)

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omega
Omega logo hall of floaters in the sky re-drawn.png
Omega (2010)
Omega (2010)
General information
Genre (s) Rock , Progressive Rock , New Wave
founding 1962
Website www.omega.hu
Founding members
Lászlo Benkő
singing
 János Kóbor
József Laux
Current occupation
singing
 János Kóbor
Trumpet, flute, vocals
 Lászlo Benkő
Katy Zee
Drums
 Ferenc Debreceni (Debreczeni)
Tamás Szekeres
former members
Keyboard, vocals
 Gábor Presser
guitar
 György Molnár
bass
 Tamás Mihály

Omega is a rock band from Hungary that was formed in 1962. Three of the five musicians in the current line-up have been playing together since 1971. The band's musical spectrum ranges from beat to hard rock and progressive rock to new wave .

Surname

Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet . The great omega became the symbol of the band.

history

In 1962 the band Omega emerged from two school bands from different schools in Budapest and made their first official appearance. The organizer gave them the name "Omega". After several line-up changes, the band released their first single in 1966 - a cover version of Paint It Black . More singles followed, all with pieces from western countries.

In 1968 the band reached their regular line-up for the first three to four LPs :

The texts were written by the student and József Laux's future wife Anna Adamis. The compositions came mainly from Gábor Presser.

In the same year the manager of another band discovered Omega during a concert. He helped them to a tour of England and a record deal with the London label Decca Records , which gave them the name "Omega Red Star". After three days of recording in London, Kóbor had to return to Budapest and the album was released with the lead vocals of Mihály under the title Omega Red Star From Hungary . Although there was still material for a second album, the band had to return home for political reasons.

After the success in England, the first LP was released on the Hungaroton label - Trombitás Frédi és a rescue emberek (German: trumpeter Fredi and the terrible people). The album reached 100,000 copies. His pieces are in the tradition of the Rolling Stones , Beatles and Kinks , which show the influences of Hungarian folk music and are diversely orchestrated (strings, flute, sitar , trumpet).

The album 10.000 lépés (10.000 steps) followed in 1969 , which was a great success and had an elaborately designed cover. The title track was a threatening six-minute number with brass parts and an unleashed soloing, distorted guitar (as Gun had used the year before). There are already signs of musical developments that will take place on the following records. Other artists later used the album's second oversized number, the ballad Gyöngyhajú lány (German for pearls in hair ) for cover versions - including Frank Schöbel , the Scorpions for White Dove and Kanye West for New Slaves . A psychedelic , purely instrumental piece, Kérgeskezű favágók, is over eight minutes long and contained an extended drum solo .

In 1969 the band played for the first time in the Budapest Kisstadion. In most of the following years the band also gave concerts there. In 1970 Omega toured across Europe, including Finland, France, Yugoslavia and Spain, where she won prizes at the “Barbarella Festival” with Gyöngyhajú lány .

The third album, Éjszakai országút (German: Nocturnal Landstrasse), was also released that year and again featured a graphically appealing flap cover. The record increased the degree of musical hardness, especially through the aggressively played electric guitar, although in addition to trumpets ( Ahol a boldogságot osztották! ) Even harps ( Oh, jöjj! ), Harmonica ( Vészkijárat ) and cellos ( Maradj velem ) could be heard. Utcán, a téren became a hit with the riff he played on the piano instead of the electric guitar , in the GDR as a German version ( she calls every day ). This album also contains a (faded out) ballad in six-minute format ( Utazás a szürke folyón ).

The following year Gábor Presser and József Laux left the band and founded Locomotiv GT . Anna Adamis also wrote for the new band from now on. After losing the main composer and the lyricist, Omega seemed to be on the verge of extinction, but in a kind of defiant reaction all members of the band were now writing new pieces. Was found with Péter Sülyi a new lyricist and drummer Ferenc Debreceni came through that one in Neoton had recruited and later Debreczeni called to the to the 2010s existing occupation, which was supplemented by a few musicians:

  • János Mecky Kóbor - vocals
  • Tamás Misi Mihály - bass, guitar, vocals
  • Ferenc Ciki Debreceni - drums
  • György Elefánt Molnár - guitar
  • László Laci Benkő - keyboard, vocals

The new label Pepita was set up at Hungaroton in order to differentiate itself from the classically oriented Qualiton label with rock and pop music . Omega also produced under Pepita.

In 1972 Omega recorded the album 200 évvel az utolsó háború után (German: 200 years after the last war), but it was censored shortly afterwards - on the one hand, because the album title of the Hungarian government did not fit into the concept, and on the other hand, because it fits Hungaroton producer of the song Szex apó (German: Sex-Onkelchen) felt offended. It was not until 1998 that a digitally revised version of the album appeared in the form as it was originally planned.

Nevertheless, an album was released in 1972, namely Élő Omega (German: Omega Live or Omega am Leben), packed in an aluminum case, a unique item among the Eastern European releases of that time. Elő Omega was a pseudo-live album that was recorded with simple means during a tour and mixed with applause afterwards. In addition, Omega wanted to show that despite the loss of Presser and Laux, they did not give up - hence the term "life". In the piece Hűtlen barátok they dealt with the loss of the two band members (German: "Unfaithful friends").

This year there were numerous appearances abroad, including in the GDR, where an LP compilation Omega with songs from the first and third album was released on the Amiga record label . In the following year, the West German producer Peter Hauke ​​discovered the band and got them a contract with his Bacillus Bellaphon label for three years and three albums.

The Omega 5 album was released in 1973, and it was the last album on the flap cover. This album was also released digitally remastered in 1998 under the title Szvit (German: Suite). The eponymous suite fills an entire LP page and is a progressive rock piece with a classical orchestra. Page 2 of the record offers another ballad carried by the Hammond organ ( Én elmegyek ) alongside rock numbers. In addition to an aggressive piece that is reminiscent of Deep Purple with its guitar-organ unison ( A Jövendőmondó ), there are also the first signs of the next stylistic change, away from guitar- centered rock to space rock , when the synthesizer takes over in Búcsúztató .

Due to the English-language releases during the 1970s, Omega became one of the most popular Eastern bands in the West. Three more English-language albums followed up to and including 1975 - 200 Years After the Last War , Omega III and The Hall of Floaters in the Sky . These publications are not simply English versions of the Hungarian originals, but have been compiled anew and in some cases newly recorded. 200 Years After the Last War, for example, contains only two pieces by Elö Omega , plus an English version of Nem tudom a neved and a completely rearranged and re-recorded version of the suite - without the orchestra, whose parts were taken over by Mellotron and Synthesizer.

The sixth Hungarian-language LP was released under the title Nem tudom a neved - Omega 6 (German: I don't know your name) and offers a bonus track on the CD version. The record is much more keyboard-oriented and musically continues the path that Búcsúztató had indicated. The 1998 digitally remastered version is called Tűzvihar - Stormy Fire (German: Feuersturm) and contains English-language bonus tracks. The title piece was already heard in an earlier version (with trumpets instead of synthesizers) for 10,000 lépés .

In 1976 Bellaphon renewed the contract, and the band now had the opportunity to use more technically advanced equipment for the album Time Robber in another studio . This LP is the first 1: 1 version of a Hungarian-language album, namely Időrabló - Omega 7 (German: Zeiträuber). Time Robber even appeared before the original was released. Időrabló is carried by the massive carpets of sound from Benkő's arsenal of synthesizers, especially in the title track, which lasts almost fifteen minutes and is divided into three movements.

In the following two years the albums Skyrover and Gammapolis were released , which again brought the Hungarian originals with them - Csillagok útján - Omega 8 (Sternenweg, 1978) and Gammapolis - Omega 9 (1979). In 1979 the first real live double LP was released - Élő Omega - Kisstadion '79 , in parallel with the Bellaphon version with mostly English vocals added later. In 1980 Omega undertook an extensive tour of Hungary with Beatrice and Locomotiv GT (LGT). The highlight of the concerts was Gyöngyhajú lány - played by Omega and LGT together.

The Bellaphon contract expired, and the German music producer Frank Farian gave the band a contract with the WEA label for the album Working , which was also released in 1981, but with new recordings, almost identical to Az arc - Omega X (German: The Face) appeared in Hungary. The producer Peter Hauke ​​tried to bring the band to more synthetic sounds. But since Omega couldn't identify with it, the following albums were no longer released in English.

For the 20th anniversary of the band there was a double live album Jubileumi Koncert (German: Jubiläumskonzert) in 1983 . By 1987 three more albums had been released - Omega XI (1982), A Föld árnyékos oldalán - Omega 12 (German: Auf der Schattseite der Erde, 1986) and Babylon (1987), which, despite leaving Bellaphon, were primarily synthesizer and no longer are so guitar oriented. In 1987, two anniversary concerts took place in the Kisstadion, this time on the occasion of the 25th anniversary. Gábor Presser and József Laux were also there. The concerts were followed by a video - Jubileumi Concert , not to be confused with the double LP. In 1989 the guitarist Tamás Szekeres joined the band.

In 1992 the entire Hungarian back catalog , i.e. the 13 studio albums, was re-released on CD. In 1994 a concert took place in the Népstadion (Volksstadion) in pouring rain in front of 70,000 spectators. This time, guest musicians from the old line-up as well as Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker from the Scorpions took part. The concert was pre-financed by Omega and only covered its costs by marketing the videos and CDs of the concert (later also released on DVD).

In 1995 the first studio album after Babylon was released with the title Trans and Dance . A selection of the songs from this album appeared on the Transcendent album a year later with English language vocals . In 1997 the German label Barbarossa released the German album with all German-language recordings from the early phase, although Omega was neither asked for permission nor shared in the revenues (the recordings came from the GDR radio). Thereupon the production was stopped (and the CD became a collector's item). In 1998 the album Egy életre szól - Omega XV (German: This is for a life) was released and in the same year all Omega musicians were awarded the Hungarian National Prize for the musical work of the band .

In 1999 the group went public as "Omega Rt. " With 20,000,000 forints (around 80,000 US dollars). Another concert in the Népstadion was planned for May, but postponed to September due to the war in Kosovo . The 20-minute piece Szvit from 1973 was played live for the first time here - even with a symphony orchestra. A voucher for one share was included with each admission ticket . In addition, double CD, double video and DVD of this concert were released. Omega also opened the small regional television station Omega TV .

In 2000 Omega, Metro and Illés played in the Népstadion, in the end all three bands together. The income was reserved for the reconstruction of the sports hall. In 2004 the band went to several concerts in Hungary again. In 2005 there was an open-air concert in Landsberg near Halle during the 2005 European tour. In 2006, another European tour followed with concerts in Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Switzerland. In 2006 the album Égi jel - Omega XVI was released, which was released on DVD. In August 2007, Omega performed their anniversary show at the Dresden Film Nights on the banks of the Elbe . Katy Zee has been alternating with Tamás Mihály since 2010 or is on stage with him. In the end Mihály did not appear at all, as did Molnár, whose guitar parts Tamás Szekeres took over. Molnàr, however, appeared again with Omega on the debut of the Tüzivàr tour in Szeged (February 9, 2019).

In preparation for the band's 50th anniversary in 2012, the band planned to release a CD trilogy. As a prelude, the album Omega Rhapsody was released in October 2010 . According to singer János Kóbor, the oldest piece on the newly recorded CD is almost 40 years old. All songs were arranged with a large symphony orchestra, so that, according to Kóbor, one cannot distinguish between the different times of origin. The material was not selected based on hit successes and mainly combines pieces from the band's space rock phase.

Keyboard players Albert Földi or Zsolt Gömörü occasionally appear as guest musicians.

Discography

Studio albums

Hungarian-language studio albums

  • 1968: Trombitás Frédi és a saltenetes emberek
  • 1969: 10,000 lépés
  • 1970: Éjszakai országút
  • 1972: Élő Omega
  • 1973: Omega 5
  • 1975: Nem tudom a neved - Omega 6
  • 1977: Időrabló - Omega 7
  • 1978: Csillagok útján - Omega 8
  • 1979: Gammapolis - Omega 9
  • 1981: Az arc - Omega X
  • 1982: Omega XI
  • 1986: A Föld árnyékos oldalán - Omega 12
  • 1987: Babylon
  • 1995: Trans And Dance
  • 1998: Egy életre szól - Omega XV
  • 2006: Égi jel - Omega XVI (HU: goldgold)
  • 2010: Omega Rhapsody
  • 2012: Omega Szimfonia es Rapszodia (HU:goldgold)
  • 2013: Oratórium
  • 2017: Volt Egyszer Egy Vadkelet

English language albums from the 1970s

  • 1973: Omega
  • 1974: 200 Years After the Last War
  • 1974: Omega III
  • 1975: The Hall of Floaters In the Sky
  • 1976: Time Robber
  • 1978: Skyrover
  • 1979: Gammapolis

Live albums

  • 1979: Elő Omega - Kisstadion '79
  • 1983: Jubileumi Concert 1983
  • 1994: Népstadion 1994 Omega Concert No. 1. Vizesblokk and Népstadion 1994 Omega Concert No. 2. Szárazblokk
  • 1995: Az Omega összes koncertfelvétele 1 and Az Omega összes koncertfelvétele 2 (3 CDs each)
  • 1999: Népstadion 1999 (2 CDs)
  • 2004: Napot Hoztam, Csillagot
  • 2012: Greatest Performances (Live in the 1990s and 2000s, CD / DVD, HU:goldgold)
  • 2014: Oratórium - Adventi Koncertek (CD / DVD)

Compilations (incomplete)

  • 1977: On Tour

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Torsten Hampel: Rock music is 80 percent freedom . Der Tagesspiegel , September 24, 2017.
  2. ↑ Awards for music sales: HU