Record Reviews

ROMUALD I ROMAN ~ Z ARCHIWUM POLSKIEGO RADIA VOL.05 POLSKIE RADIO 1039-1040 (Barcode: 5907812240394) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1968 - 1976 Released: 2007 This album compiles archive material by the Polish Rock group Romuald I RomanFind albums by this artist recorded by the Polish Radio over a period of several years, covering the group´s history from its formative years to its ultimate demise. The fact that these recordings exist at all are a miracle and since the group never managed to record an album they are the only source of material that tells their story. In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s Polish Rock suffered from extreme limitations enforced upon the music and the artists by the Socialist regime, which considered long-haired and bell-bottom jeans wearing musicians as enemies of the state. Therefore many Polish Rock groups never managed to record even one album on the state-owned record label, especially if their songs were different from the Pop material considered safe by Government censorship. Luckily enough, the regime was also extremely bureaucratic and regionally partitioned, which allowed for some local sovereignty of some institutions, which was explored to the max by the Polish Radio, which had many regional studios and was able to record artists without asking too many questions. Thanks to the brave man and woman working at the Polish Radio all over the country many Polish Rock recordings survived the unsympathetic times against all odds. The band was formed sometime during the troubled days of early 1968, when Poland was shaken up by political unrest, demonstration and strikes, brutally quenched by the Socialist regime. The group´s founders: guitarist / vocalist / songwriter Romuald PiaseckiFind albums by this artist and guitarist / vocalist / songwriter Roman RunowiczFind albums by this artist, both students at the time, met during a student strike and quickly merged their musical forces to create one of the early legends of early Polish Rock. They added a rhythm section (bass and drums) and quickly established a growing following performing many gigs around the country. Runowicz left the group by late 1971 and Piasecki continued to lead it under the same moniker until it finally disbanded in late 1976. These recording present the musical history of the group, which went through several phases like Psychedelic Pop, Hard Rock, Progressive Rock and eventually even Jazz-Rock Fusion. Their material was very ambitious and involved a significant element of live improvisation, which of course was most evident during their live performances. Although the sonic quality of some of these recordings is not perfect, the music is excellent from start to finish and provides a wonderful glimpse into the past, serving as a fascinating document of Polish Rock history. Definitely a must to all Polish Rock fans both in Poland and anywhere in the world. Highly recommended!

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