Fifty years ago, the musical life was alive and well. Nothing proves this better than the fact that the newspapers of the time had plenty of articles about the star bands of the time. Reading the old reports, it also becomes clear that this musical culture still lives with us and in us. But what was the news about? – II. section
Omega and Szabados Quintet were, among others, the most important performers of 1972 in the Ifjúsági Magazin
The Youth Magazine In December 1972, the renewed Omega and the free jazz quintet of György Szabados both achieved international success. Among them, the former still managed to gain a permanent foothold abroad.
“The OMEGA group has had a busy, successful year behind them: it is Living Omega gold record, the anniversary concert, foreign tours, etc. They are already working on their new compositions in January.”
The Omega at that time he was well past the first peak of his career (1970), and when their number one songwriter, Gábor Presser, and their manager-drummer, József Laux, founded Locomotiv GT in the spring of 1971, many wrote them off. The Hungarian Record Company also distrusted their ideas regarding the planned new studio album (200 years after the last war, which was only released in 1998 with songs considered problematic), the label – according to some – saw more fantasy in LGT’s debut album.
They changed their image and style
The band then compiled it from new songs recorded at their concerts Living Omega his disc material, which was already accepted after neglecting a few tracks, but citing a lack of paper, the publication was still delayed. If there is no paper, aluminum will also be good – the members of the band thought – so the concert album was first published in Hungary, in an aluminum case, with red and later blue inscriptions (of which many versions were then made).
Omega succeeded in its international breakthrough – mainly in the German-speaking world – where in April 1973 it signed a three-year contract with the record company Bellaphon. During this time, the band grew into the most successful and profitable group of the West German company, and as “Eastern Europe’s number one rock band”, they entered the bloodstream of show business. In these years, the band only came home to visit, giving concerts only in the Ifipark and the Kisstadion.
All of this was done partly out of necessity: by the mid-seventies, due to their concert programs based on spectacle, not only the clubs, but also the open-air entertainment venues had outgrown. At that time, they were already visiting Europe’s big festivals with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Free, Golden Earring, Uriah Heep, Supertramp, and not always as a support band! It is no wonder that Bellaphon renewed their contract for another five years in 1975.
The secure future promised new opportunities for Omega: it changed its image and musical style. After the hard rock, more experimental era between 1972 and 1975, they moved towards space rock, characterized by the name of Pink Floyd. (See the band’s entire career at popkulturalis.hu)
Unlike Omega, he did not succeed in making an international breakthrough in a completely different field Free Quintetto. As it is Youth Magazine In its December 1972 issue, it is written: “DR. The quintet of GYORGY SZABADOS is one of the best bands of Hungarian free-jazz. They have performed at numerous foreign festivals with great success. At home, few people appreciate their music – no one is a prophet in his own country! – but the camp of jazz fans is growing.”