Nololob
Long Live Wock 'n' Woll
Omega Official Website
Omega on Wikipedia
Omega is one of the most successful Hungarian rock bands.
Formed in Budapest, Hungary in September, 1962 by the winds player László Benkő on organ and János Kóbor as a singer and rhythm guitarist, they initially performed covers of British and American rock songs, with frequently changing the lineup of members. In 1967 Tamás Mihály came on bass, Gábor Presser joined on keyboards and began writing original music for the band (in 1968 György Molnár became a lead guitarist), releasing three LPs before leaving the band with József Laux, a drummer from 1962, to form Locomotív GT. These first albums were heavily influenced by the music of The Beatles, but they also looked forward to the band’s future more progressive, space-rock style. After Presser and Laux’s departure, the band found a new drummer (Ferenc Debreceni came from group Neoton) and pointed Benkő as the main keyboardsman, creating the current lineup, which has remained the same for over 30 years:
* János Kóbor (“Mecky”), lead vocals
* György Molnár (“Elefánt”), guitars
* László Benkő (“Laci”), keyboards, vocals
* Tamás Mihály (“Misi”), bass, vocals
* Ferenc Debreceni (“Ciki”), drums
This lineup of Omega released ten more albums from 1972 to 1987. Many of these were released both in Hungarian and in English, in the hopes of generating wider interest in their music. However, the contents of the English albums often differed from their Hungarian counterparts, sometimes assembling tracks from several different albums and nearly always changing the song order. Following a few years of inactivity, the band reunited in 1994, with former member Gábor Presser joining them at concerts and contributing several tracks to 1995’s Trans And Dance.
Albums:
(English Albums)
Omega Red Star From Hungary (1968)
Omega (1973)
200 Years After The Last War (1974)
Omega III (1974)
The Hall Of Floaters In The Sky (1975)
Time Robber (1976)
Skyrover (1978)
Gammapolis (1979)
Working (1981)
Transcendent (1996)
Omega has achieved modest international success through releases in multiple languages, and tours in England and Germany in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Their 1969 song “Gyöngyhajú lány” became an international hit, and was later covered by Scorpions on a 1995 live release, with new lyrics and the title “White Dove” (the Hungarian title officially was translated as “Pearls In Her Hair”).
MP edit: Video removed from youtube
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