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Ota Petrina - Super Robot CD (album) cover

SUPER ROBOT

Ota Petrina

 

Symphonic Prog

3.92 | 41 ratings

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Marty McFly
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars When Ota Petřina, whose career so far was about writing pop songs for other artists (usual thing in 70's Czechoslovakia), picked Art Rock path, everyone who knew the situation was quite surprised. I like to thing about Mr. Petřina as something like Czech José Cid.

However, there is one big difference. I of course feel this album (and music) differently than for example someone from States. There is strong Czech flavor in this music, taste of melancholic 70s (that in this country were era where you wouldn't like to live at all). Sadness, done in gentle way.

Já nejsem já (I'm not myself) softly spokes the story (mostly in instrumental way) about longing for feeling better again, but it's uncertain (even with glimpses of hope). There is subtle chord process through this track that helps establish the atmosphere.

Album uses a lot of synths to describe various elements, like sound effects or background soundscapes.

For example.

Super-Robot, title track continues more or less as counterweight to the first track. Story revolves around then sinister threat of modernization (use of automatic, kinda thinking machines - Robots, in factories and thinking humanoid robots in sci-fi stories).

If you want to know how Czech Art Rock sounds, "Super Robot" is a choice for you. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how available it is outside Czech Republic. But most of all, this album is about sad things done beautifully. In general, topics in lyrics of this album are sad things (Lonely man, Life crisis, Bad mood etc). Czech Prog was heavier, Czech Prog was far more dark, more jazzy, but it got only little bit more beautiful, if it got at all.

5(-), album which I hope stands the test of time. It's strange to think about this album as something that can be compared to better foreign releases. It's quite satisfying to know that our little nation, outside of main musical events was able to produce records like this one.

CULTURAL NOTE: 1978 in Czechoslovakia = roughly 1974/5 in Western world (that a lot of you are used to consider as main rule, including me). But culture life was shifted back then, so this is why I feel this information so important)

Marty McFly | 5/5 |

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