LOCOMOTIV GT

The first album by a Hungarian supergroup that came to be following a poll in a youth magazine. The talent represented here are a "Who is Who" in the (then) Hungarian rock scene. So, the guys left their previous bands and embarked on a new direction.

All musicians here are skillful, the tunes however reveal that this band was lacking in common ideas. A bit like the same cart is pulled by horses in opposing directions The end result is quite reasonable Rock-Blues tunes that represented a promising, fresh approach on the Hungarian music scene. Unfortunately, this line-up was unlikely to last long enough to mature and a split has duly occurred after the second album. FRENREISZ returning home after having studied music in the US, likely to have brought the first Fender bass with him, the rich sound of which provided instant appeal to the band. Apart from lead vocals, he also played saxes, often two at the same time - not unlike Dick Heckstall-Smith of Colosseum.

PRESSER on the other hand played credible keyboards and added vocals reminiscent of a neutered sausage on a "bad hair day" .... Brrrrr! His compositions nevertheless are thoughtful and the lyrics represent dark and meaningful poetry - if only written by the drummer's wife, Anna ADAMIS.

When permitted to shine, BARTA on the other hand played his guitars with almost unprecedented fluidity that could be likened to Holdsworth's ability on the instrument - albeit not in the same style.

LAUX on his Ludwig glass drums often sounding like John Bonham with the associated heaviness faithfully contributed to whatever the others dished out in compositions. To this day he retains a legendary reputation as one of the finest drummers of the time.

The first two albums of LGT were rather innovative, largely due to the influence of FRENREISZ and the general musicianship, but the band were never more than promising hope for quality Rock - Blues music and fell apart too soon. Later releases with PRESSER as the only original member left to carry the LGT name represent a rather mediocre output in comparison and have little to do with Prog.

(References to King Crimson, Gentle Giant tend to intrigue me as none of the musicians were even slightly inclined in such directions.)