TIME ROBBER

This was the first Omega LP to be simutaneously released in the Hungarian (as Idorablo) and English languages, the only difference being the overdubbed vocal tracks. This album features a much more spacey feel to it than previous Omega releases and the title track features extensive moog sythesizers and soundscapes in order to achieve this. Vocalist Janos Kobor's English doesn`t improve much and all the songs suffer to a certain extent as a result of this, combined with poorly written English texts. Nevertheless the title piece House of Cards and Late Night Show make it well worth checking out, the latter having a huge orchestral finale accompanied by the falsetto vocals and synth work of keyboard player Laszlo Benko. Accountant's Dream and Invitation are more upbeat songs while the slow tempo of Don't Keep Me Waitin' will almost put you to sleep. (This reviewer usually skips over this one.) This was a transitional album for the band as their music became increasingly dreamier both lyrically and musically on subsequent albums and it's release coincided with the band at it's commercial peak in the mid-1970's. Eloy fans who are looking for an alternative should check out Time Robber in either language.

Generally agreeable keyboard led Euro-Prog with some sections reminding me of Triumvirate, Museo Rosenbach and PFM. The opening synth passage sounds like a direct quote from Jon and Vangelis - Short Stories. But the melodies are not as memorable and the English singing was barely tolerable. This was my first Omega recording, and I'll be looking for others.

Time Robber A great track with a very majestic feel. The melody is perfectly crafted and the motif played by moog is great. Thesection that comes at around the seventh minute is weaker in all aspects, but it soon merges into a quieter and moodier part, which is essentially the same as the opening vocal melody. and the track concludes with the moog part. 5 stars

Invitation A straightforward rocker with some spacey keyboards. The melody is ok, even if not awesome. Still, the extended instrumental part is good. 4 stars

Don´t keep me waiting A moody track. Essentially a ballad in the style of Pink Floyd´s reflexive numbers. The mmelody is very good, and the atmosphere as well. The guitarplaying and the keyboards sound especially Floydesque, more so in the long instrumental outro, but it´s not a rip off per se, just stylistically alike. 5 stars

An accountant´s dream A faster rock track. Very conventional and formulaic,guitar dominated ,just the moog brings a different colour to the music. Nothing to rave about on this one. Still, it´s not that bad for what it is 3.5 stars

Late night show A moody song with a great melody and perfect, long keyboards passages. The singing is great as well on this one. 5 stars

Overall rating: should be 4 close to 5 stars, so I will give it a tad weaker 5 STARS

ESSENTIAL: A MASTERPIECE OF PROGRESSIVE MUSIC.

My first contact to Omega was on a sampler including an edited version of the title track of this LP and i was amazed about the music, the sound and off course that voice, so strong, so clear! So some weeks later, i bought the LP on my local record shop and what should i say, it plays on and on for weeks. All of the 5 tracks have their highlights, the title track, as Peto wrote before, sounds really majestic, Invitation is a real rocker with little chart success in Germany (just try to listen it with phones, especially the closing section!). Side 2 on the LP starts with Don't Keep Me Waitin, a smooth and dark ballade, An Accountant's Dream is another rocker, not as hard as Invitation, but it's okay. Finally that takes me to Late Night Show, next to Time Robber the absolute highlight on this album. The first 3+ minutes it's a hard and powerful ballade, but the best part of the song is the closing section, after a short brake with a beautiful guitar sequence (the ringtone on my cellular) the song ends with a very moody melody within a female voice and a lot of fascinating keyboards, really great!

If you'll get the chance to get that CD, just buy it! I read about rumors of a rerelease, but that was 2 years ago and up to now, i havn't seen it.

3.5 stars. OMEGA deserve a lot of respect for the career they carved out for themselves over a 50 year period including over 30 studio albums. And they are from Hungary but they certainly made waves outside their own country. "Time Robber" from 1976 is my favourite from them but it sure has a strong ELOY flavour to it.

I find every song hit and miss except for the closer which of course is my favourite. "Late Night Show" is that song and it has some depth to it with that upfront bass and drumming but check out the wordless vocals late to end it. Again an ELOY vibe here but this is really good. Least favourite is the one before it "An Accountant's Dream" an uptempo rocker bringing classic rock to mind but thankfully this is the shortest piece.

"Don't Keep me Waiting" is spacey as the vocals arrive before 1 1/2 minutes bringing ELOY to mind as it plods along with bluesy, FLOYD-like guitar. "Invitation" opens with electronics as drums join in then vocals a minute in. Not big on this but the bass and sound during the instrumental section is really good. The opener is a two part affair reminding me of ELOY and we get either really high pitched synths or theremin led passages contrasted with the vocal led sections. This does go into more of a rock territory but theremin is back late.

Again much respect but just not consistent enough or my kind of music overall to give 4 stars. By the way I think it's cool that they used the same colour or hue on five album covers including this one. So '74, '76, '78, '86 and '96.

Omega, the most successful Hungarian treasure, released their best material in the 70s and Time Robber is hailed as the shining jewel among the swag of album releases. 1976 was a pinnacle year for prog rock and Omega hit the ground running with a mega epic on side 1 with Time Robber, a symphonic spacey 3 part suite that features the forceful vocals of Kobor and soaring synth work of Benko.  There are huge dollops of theremin and Moog interlaced with heavy lead guitar rhythmic signatures that keep the ear energized. The album captures the heavier sound of Omega and is replete with ambient atmospheres and ethereal melancholy passages.

Invitation has a dreamy feel and mesmerising melody. Don't keep me Waitin follows with memorable lead guitar passages. I love the melody 4 minutes in, the spacey keyboards form a musicscape to those guitar sounds. Its absolutely beautiful ear candy.

An Acountants Dream is next, with a faster tempo, crashing drums from Debreceni, a rocking rhythm and heavier vocals. A weird curio this one, a diversion with a hint of humour especially the guitar sounds that at one point sound like a duck quacking.

The closing track Late Night Show is a moderate tempo track with strong vocals and time sig switches allowing some keyboard wizardry from Benko.  The acoustic flourishes are peaceful and create a calm mood. It builds to a progressive musical outro with a female vocal and interlocking keyboards.

Overall Time Robber is a gem for Omega showcasing what made the band great and shows why they are hailed as Hungary's finest proggers.