Hard Rock Line 1970-1985 - 2 CD

This two-CD collection is the eighth installment in a retro rock compilation series, bringing together 42 tracks from the 1970s and early 1980s, when hard rock in the Czech music scene faced considerable obstacles. After the Communist regime’s response to the 1968 crisis, long-haired musicians came under pressure: some emigrated, while others changed genre. The bravest continued to make as much electric noise as possible, often under unprovocative band names and with clipped hair. The selection features the harder sound of Synkopy 61, Jiří Schelinger with F. R. Čech’s band, the breakthrough trio Katapult, Petra Janů with Ota Petřina, Věra Špinarová, Jana Kratochvílová, Lešek Semelka with S.L.S., Turbo, Citron, hard-rock elements from Olympic and single releases by Projektil. The genre is not always completely pure, but the effort to create a powerful sound within the lyrical and decibel limits of the time is unmistakable. These pioneering musicians helped clear the way for the full arrival of metal in the second half of the 1980s, making this music an important part of Czech rock history. The tracklist includes songs such as “Where Is My Star,” “Zahrada za domem,” “Jenom láska ví kam,” “Xantipa,” “Bílý vrány,” “Formule,” “Metro, dobrý den,” “Báječní muži,” “Siréna,” “Půlnoční závodní dráha,” “Nechoď dál!,” “Každý den,” “Zrcadla,” “Muž ze železných hor,” “Divoký vítr,” “Koncert,” “Město rytmem duní,” “Měsíc” and “Tvá odvrácená tvář.”