A1The Seven-Game (Ring Of Smile - Reversed) (7:01)
A2Toy Planet (9:21)
A3Two Dolphins Go Dancing (3:26)
B1Yom Tov (3:24)
B2Springlight Rite (4:41)
B3Rapido De Noir (Last Train To Eternity) (6:55)
B4When The Waters Came To Life (4:46)
Irmin Schmidt (born 29 May 1937 in Berlin) is a German keyboard player and composer, probably best known as a founding member of the band Can.
Bruno Alexander Spoerri (born 16 august 1935) is a Swiss jazz and electronics musician.
Born in Zurich, he studied applied psychology in Basel and Zurich. He played the saxophone as a student, and toured with the Modern Jazz Group Freiburg in Germany and Switzerland. In the early 1960s, he worked as a psychologist and career counsellor. He experimented with electrified saxophone and published the album Voice of Taurus in 1978.
Best known as the keyboard wizard of the venerable Hungarian rock band OMEGA, the solo work of László BENKÖ ( b.12.6.43 Szombatheley, Hungary ) is by comparison virtually unknown beyond the confines of Eastern Europe. A curious offering of keyboard based electronic music, it can be likened at times to some of TANGERINE DREAM`s mid-seventies material such as Rubycon or Ricochet albeit with a more light-hearted, zany touch much more along the lines of KRAFTWERK minus the vocals or even some of VANGELIS` seventies work. Prefering shorter formats rather than longer multi-dimensional compositions favoured by many progressive electronic artists, it is worth a brief glimpse into his musical contributions and developments within OMEGA in order to better introduce his solo work.
Without question OMEGA was (and is) the biggest rock act to emerge from Eastern Europe and can trace it`s origins back as far as 1959. After the amalgamation of two student bands from a technical high school in Budapest Omega was formed in September 1962 with László Benkö being the band`s original keyboard player. Throughout the early sixties they played cover versions from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Herman`s Hermits and the Beatles eventually composing their own psychedelic pop songs. During this period Benkö switched to flute and trumpet (he had training in jazz ) and two LPs as well as a number of singles had been released by the band by 1971 at which time two players including keyboard player Presser Gabor had departed to form another renowned Hungarian band, LOCOMOTIV GT. Benkö re-assumed his keyboard position in the band and it was then that his keyboard brilliance was brought into the fore as the band acquired a more progressive sound distantly comparable to that of early KING CRIMSON, The STRAWBS and The MOODY BLUES. In 1973 the band had come to the attention of German record producer Peter Hawke and the band was signed to a three record deal on Bellaphon Records and recorded three English language albums. During these recording sessions in Cologne,FDR they were given access to superior equipment and recording techniques than what were available in the Eastern Bloc at the time and an upbeat synthesizer led ballad entitled Help To Find Me (Nem tudom a neved in Hungarian with a slightly different lyrical meaning) became their signature piece which even elicited a remark from an American critic, " For everyone who wants to grow up to be a synthesizer ". However it was meant, such were the contributions from Benkö that would colour OMEGA`s music throughout the seventies on such albums as the synth heavy Hall Of Floaters In The Sky, the dreamy Time Robber and the spacey Gammapolis. Gammapolis was arguably Benkö`s finest hour with OMEGA where, in a less bombastic manner than western counterparts such as Rick WAKEMAN or Keith EMERSON, he made full use of a massive keyboard array to create spacey layerings which set various moods for this quasi-concept album about a Utopia beyond the skies. In the early eighties in keeping with the times the music of OMEGA took a techno-pop slant and their 11th studio album was full of Benkö`s rhythmic synth treatments which would establish a formula for a solo project which would extend over two studio albums released between 1982 and 1984.
While OMEGA took a sabbatical from recording between `82 and `86 ( playing only live shows) Benkö recorded two highly experimental electronic concept albums Lexikon I and Lexicon II which drew musical influences from numerous sources which is now available as a one CD presentation simplly entitled Lexikon A-Z. Centered around an alphabetical theme based on the Greek Book Of Words (or the Greek Dictionary), the rationalized Lexikon A-Z released in 1989 contained 23 minimulistic compositions which utilized a suprising array of keyboards, drum computers and sequenced effects achieve an impressive and varied end product. The well tempered keyboards deviated considerably from the OMEGA sound and offered a wide variety of melodies and effects not adhering to one specific musical style, from computer generated calypso ethno beats , quirky sounds which would one would associate with a travelling carnival to more modern techno-pop experiments. The high tech possibilities of new computer technology afforded by OMEGA in the early `80s gave Benkö creative carte blanche and he used it to it`s best advantage. Two further OMEGA studio albums in 1986 and 1987 also made good use of these computer simulations and enhancements.
A 10 year recording hiatus between `87 and `95 during which time OMEGA only played live shows yielded three more idiosyncratic recordings from László Benkö. The legend of Icarus, the Greek mythological figure who fell to Earth while attempting to escape from the island of Crete became the framework for a 1990 album simply entitled Ikarosz and is by far Benko`s most orchestral of his solo repetiore. Still adhering to the more expedient shorter compositional format, it concluded with the extended two part Aphrodite gyemekei (Aphrodite`s children) which also included live vocalists and was performed live in Budapest in December 1990 with a guitarist, saxophonist and string quartet.
The following year Benko collaborated with OMEGA frontman János Kóbor (as engineer and guitar player) using his keyboard virtuosity to create a resplendent tribute to the music of OMEGA on an album entitled Omegamix. The result was a two part suite which pieced together 30 OMEGA compositions from every era of the band, from the psychedelic sixties to the techno influenced eighties, once again using a vast array of keyboards and computer wizardry. The songs were not arranged in any specific chronological order and reflected the sublime exhilaration, melancholy and romance of OMEGA`s music over 20 years. Another solo effort appeared in 1994 which coincided with OMEGA`s comeback with a massive live concert in Budapest`s Nepstadion and the re-mastering of much of their back catologue on to CD. As the name of the work would suggest Impressario was an abberant collection of musical ideas which once again followed shorter compositional structures making extensive use of state-of-the-art KORG products in addition to other ubiquitous computer effects.
Other László Benkö undertakings outside the realm of the supergroup OMEGA have included film work, sitting on copyright boards and participating as a catalyst in other musical endeavours and more recently participating in a keyboard extravaganza in Sept 2008 in the Budapest Sports Arena billed as Billentyüsók Éjszakája (the night of the keyboardists). Parchance, the solo ventures of László Benkö have been overshadowed by the ongoing success of OMEGA and due to the fact that his recordings have only been released in his native Hungary, this is not to say that his innovative music does not belong in the same caste as that of other more prolific progressive-electronic artists. All of his work is available through www.rockdiszkont.hu for those who want to discover the uncany immaginativeness of this oft overlooked Hungarian keyboard maestro.
1Crockett's Theme
2Theresa
3Colombia
4Rum Cay
5The Trial And The Search
6Tubbs And Valerie
7Forever Tonight
8Last Flight
9Rico's Blues
10Before The Storm
11Night Talk
12Miami Vice Theme
13Forever Tonight (Extended CD Mix)
Hammer (born 17 April 1948, in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, today the Czech Republic) is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He is probably best known for playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 70s, as well as his "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s US television program, Miami Vice.
Hammer has collaborated with some of the era's most influential jazz and rock musicians such as Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke, Neal Schon, Steve Lukather, and Elvin Jones among many others. He has composed and produced at least 14 original motion picture soundtracks, the music for 90 episodes of Miami Vice and 20 episodes of the popular British television series Chancer.
His compositions have won him several Grammy awards.
Jan Hammer's mother was a well-known Czech singer named Vlasta Průchová, and his father was a doctor who worked his way through school playing vibes and bass. Hammer began playing the piano at the age of four and his formal instruction started two years later. He aspired to follow his father into medicine until a family friend convinced him to develop his musical talents instead. Hammer formed a jazz trio in high school, performing and recording throughout Eastern Europe at the age of fourteen. Upon entrance to the Prague Academy of Musical Arts, he completed many compulsory classes including harmony, counterpoint, music history, and classical composition.
When the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, Hammer's studies at the Academy were cut short, and he moved to the United States and resolved to become a citizen after receiving a scholarship at Berkley College of Music in Boston.
Upon completion of his studies, Hammer spent a year touring with Sarah Vaughan, recorded with Elvin Jones and Jeremy Steig, then moved to Lower Manhattan and joined the original lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist Jerry Goodman, bassist Rick Laird, and drummer Billy Cobham in 1971. A successful jazz fusion band, they performed some 530 shows before their farewell concert on December 30, 1973. Hammer was one of the early pioneers who played the Mini Moog synthesizer in a touring group.
The Jan Hammer Group was formed in 1976 and supported The First Seven Days on tour, receiving good reviews from both jazz and rock critics. The group turned out three LPs the following year: their own Oh, Yeah? and, with Jeff Beck, the RIAA platinum Wired (with Jan's "Blue Wind"), and Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live, a chronicle of their 100-show tour together, certified gold. One final album by the group followed in 1977, Melodies.
Hammer composed music for Czech fairy-tale Šíleně smutná princezna (The Incredibly Sad Princess).
His greatest challenge came in the fall of 1984, when the producers of Miami Vice enlisted him to commence the rigorous weekly schedule of scoring the series.
The popular success of his music on the series was evident after just one season when, on November 2, 1985, the Miami Vice Soundtrack hit number one on the Billboard Top Pop album charts. The album achieved quadruple-platinum status with U.S. sales of more than four million copies.
At the Grammy awards in February 1986, "Miami Vice Theme" earned Hammer two awards; one for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" and one for "Best Instrumental Composition". He also earned Emmy award nominations in 1985 and 1986, for "Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition". At the end of 1986, Hammer won Keyboard Magazine's poll as "Best Studio Synthesist" for a second consecutive year. He had previously won the "Best Lead Synthesist" honor for seven years, at which time he was inducted into the Keyboard Hall of Fame.
01 The End (Disco) (5:08)
02 Unheimliche Schattenlichter (3:58)
03 Das Ding (4:15)
04 The Fog (3:33)
05 Christine (2:50)
06 Halloween I (3:22)
07 The End (Sound) (3:58)
08 Halloween II (3:27)
09 Die Klapperschlange (3:17)
Bonus :
10 Starman (Dance Mix)
11 Big trouble in little China (Dub Disco Version)
12 The End (Disco Mix)
The German group, Splash Band, pay homage to director and composer, John Carpenter. This set of tracks, basically the main titles to most of Carpenter's early film work (Dark Star, Assault On Precinct 13, Halloween, The Fog ec) is given the electronic treatment and turns the themes into catchy dance mixes. Quite an interesting idea. There are some very unique interpretations here, some quite good, such as tracks taken from Dark Star and The Thing for example. This CD was originally an LP that came out in the mid 1980s. You can tell because Christine is the latest film of Carpenter's on the album (no Starman or Big Trouble In Little China or Prince Of Darkness or They Live).
