VLADIMIR MISIK

If this is from 1980, then it's one of the best (or the best for me perhaps) albums. Since first track Nejlepsí zenská nasich dní ("The Best Woman of Our Days"), its distinct guitar style backed by solid bass work, violin that's hesitating as if to join or not to, only to finally come in big solo towards the end of this song, where guitar, flute and said violin joins into beautiful solo for each piece in quite complex way. Its beauty is very fine moment, even when judging by more or less objective standards. Ty II. is ballad about, well, I'm not sure I understand its second and third meanings (except obvious, literal ones).

This time, music is improved (and I thought it won't be possible after listening first album) and also lyrically, with (I think) three great Czech poets contributing + Vladimír Merta (front Czech Folk artist) and also some by Misik himself.

V hotelu Belveder je dnes tanec is song about, well nevermind, the same answer as before. It's beautiful song (mostly caused by extensive use of violin in many parts of this song, also in solos). Songs are usually melodic a lot, but they're far from being cheesy, as their originality is what strikes me most. So different from most of "western" Prog music, as it was brewed in unique conditions.

Jam Session - song about J.S.Bach who came to their pub, playing some blues and jazz, before returning to his era. Well, it's experimental song, not like previous ones, using a lot of drum'n'bass techniques (this description has bad meaning today, but remember what year it was). Taxuvku jsme chytli - song about party, where Misik's vocals shine in a Rock way. Of course, even if it's Rock, I call it like that because it's the best word how to describe it, as even these two (which I don't like that much as others) has little special things.

Sochy ("Statues"), pure beauty again (third time on this album), especially when you understand the lyrics (as there is big contrast of positively sounding music and pessimistic words, as usual complex lyrics, it's Poem adaptation by Josef Kainar - poet about whom we are taught as kids in elementary school). So beautiful melody (as I was told, it's Oboe + Violin, deadly combination threatening to break my heart)

Na okraji, song which is said to have "hit" potential (I've heard it somewhere) ? Not exactly, as it's again experimental song, even more interesting this time. Variace na renesanční téma, by the way number one Rock song of all time chosen by listeners of prominent Czech Rock station, the song where I always turn volume louder, the song with which I feel always good, yet haunted by its meaning, both which I get from words and from music itself, as music transcends music and has universal meaning.

If you're still interested in getting this album, try at least youtube this song, there are songs available and hear for yourselves (variation, ahem, of "see for yourself").

Sladké je zít is a blues song, nice one, but still blues, which brings it down from Prog point of view, but I like it anyway. It's not bad song, it's just different from likings of this site.Bonus track Sero v kavárně weird one, not so easy to describe, yet not exactly complex.

And because Variation on Renaissance Theme is so beautiful, here I crudely translated it for you (time taken for translation, 6 minutes): ("Love is like a evening star, floating through night's sky, close your door with a hasps, lit the flame of all candles and fortify your bodies ......... you, whose bodies turned to stone") --- ("Love is like a beautiful ship, which lost its captain, sailor's hands are shaking and they fear, what morning will bring. Love is like pain from awakening and hot hands of stars, which brings you through window to prison, flowers from honeymoon trip, which brings you through window to prison, flowers from honeymoon trip") --- ("Love is like a evening star, floating through night's sky, our life is burning like a candle and dead ones cannot love, our life is burning like a candle and dead ones cannot love")

This album was instant hit amongst young people. Misik & Etc ... did some touring, but as they grew on popularity, guess what "good" commies did ? They banned them for many years, so their next album could be released in 1987, not before.

5(-), you know.

So Vladimír Misík is finally here on ProgArchives, something that quite made my day. However, there is a problem that the thing very important for listeners here in Czech Republic, lyrics, can't be understood by other language speakers (there is English version - English lyrics - of this album though). Because beauty of these words is one of my most favourite among Czech Rock artists (Folk genre guys have even better, but they develop their music around words rather than other way around), usually using irony, little joking remarks and sometimes also social - political references (Stříhali dohola malého chlapečka - Cutting Little Boy's Hair is about coming of age and fear of this younger of it - which has very haunting meaning, uncompromising words that will leave you wondering - once you understand it ("One guy laughed out loud and it sounded like when piece of meat hits the ground"), while often about love, hapless love or strange and peculiar people (Lady Vamp)

Speaking about Folk, Misík's music is known to bend genres, using Rock (Bazarem proměn, pure Blues (U kiosku), Folk, Country (Jednohubky) or even more interesting Pop (in a way Supertramp did it - Proč ta růze uvadá with complex acoustic guitar playing, rather than shallow pop backing, tingled with Folk as well). There are also pure Prog gems (Biograf - with a little bit Middle Eastern rhythmic influences in it), almost symphonic (Syn Daidalův)

The good thing is that people on this album are often regarded as one of the best in the their "field", especially Jan Hrubý on violin and Anatoli Kohout on drums, but others as well. The same as Vladimir Misík is understood as legend of Rock music in Czech R.

4(+), better than I remembered it. From Prog point of view I mean. My personal rating would be 5/5, as this album provides me everything I need, I like, I want. But other people usually won't understand it, so it's main reason to give less.

I hope this magic will work for other people as well.

P.S - Of course, it's 1978, golden age of Czech Prog are shifted and even we had some great albums in early 70s, majority of Czech greatest Prog albums are from 78-83.