Record Reviews

ARP LIFE ~ JUMBO JET GAD 020 (Barcode: 5901549197259) ~ POLAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1975 - 1978 Released: 2014 This album is a reissue of the recordings made by Polish ensemble Arp LifeFind albums by this artist, which was co-led by three composers / arrangers: Mateusz SwiecickiFind albums by this artist, Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist and Maciej SniegockiFind albums by this artist. The group never had a "real" lineup and was essentially a studio outfit, hiring musicians on the ad-hoc basis to record their music. Over time some of Poland´s famous instrumentalists took part in these recordings but paradoxically the ARP Synthesizers, which gave the ensemble its name, were never used by them, as they preferred the Minimoog. The ensemble also cooperated with Poland´s most famous female vocal group AlibabkiFind albums by this artist, which sings the occasional vocal parts. This reissue comprises of two albums released by the ensemble, one of which was released only in cassette format, and a few singles which are included here as bonus tracks. The music is a typical late 1970s Pop / Disco monstrosity, which can’t be saved by the clever arrangements and occasional interesting instrumental parts. This kind of music paved the road for the dreaded Disco Polo, taking the Art away from music or whatever was left of music in time. But not all is lost, as this album is a perfect example of what should be avoided at all costs while playing music! And of course listening to this stuff today can be a funny and even a hilarious experience, a couple of bottles of vodka later on. Basically this kind of stuff should be left forgotten in the garbage bins of history, but apparently bad taste never dies and this music has a lot of demand today. Oh well, what do I know?

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ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ AKADEMIA PANA KLEKSA (SOUNDTRACK) GAD 051 (Barcode: 5901549197662) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1983 Released: 2016 This is an archival album presenting the soundtrack of the cult children movie "Akademia Pana Kleksa". Although a soundtrack LP was released at the time of the movie´s release (1984), this new edition presents the actual instrumental music used in the movie and a plethora of previously unreleased pieces or alternate takes of those pieces which were included on the soundtrack LP. The music was composed by the great Polish composer / arranger Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist, who composed many soundtracks of Polish movies, including the "W Pustyni I W PuszczyFind albums with this title" soundtrack released earlier by the GADFind albums on this label Records label. The album presents twenty five mostly short pieces, all beautifully performed by an orchestra and an instrumental ensemble conducted by Korzynski. Although soundtracks usually don´t work well as stand alone music without the visual substance, especially instrumental soundtracks, the music by Korzynski easily overcomes any such difficulties and this soundtrack is a great example of instrumental music, which makes complete sense on its own and is a pleasurable listening experience. Diverse and fascinating this music is timeless and sounds as fresh today as it did at the time of its making. The listeners not familiar with the original movie this music was meant for can easily plot their own scenarios while listening to it. This music definitely deserves to be remembered and preserved, and this release will hopefully bring it to many music lovers who did not have the opportunity to see the original movie. This music definitely deserves to be discovered and might surprise many connoisseurs of soundtracks, Prog and electronic / ambient music. Definitely worth investigation!

Updated: 29/01/2019Posted: 20/03/2017

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ MOWA PTAKOW (EXPANDED EDITION) GAD 106 (Barcode: 5903068120473) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1967 - 2019 Released: 2019 This is the soundtrack of the "Mowa PtakowFind albums with this title" movie composed by the prolific Polish cinematic composer Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist. It includes seven different versions of the main theme and the rest of the eighteen tracks originate form Korzynski´s extensive archives. Apart from the instrumental work (piano and synthesizers) by Korzynski, following people also contribute: vocalists Zaneta PalicaFind albums by this artist and Eryk Kulm Jr.Find albums by this artist, violinist Filip SiejkaFind albums by this artist and pianist Rafal KulczynskiFind albums by this artist. This expanded edition adds an entire second CD of music by Andrzej Korzynski, which reflects the long cooperation between the composer and the director / writer Andrzej ZulawskiFind albums by this artist, who wrote the script for the "Mowa Ptakow" movie, and who was the father of Xawery ZulawskiFind albums by this artist who directed the movie. It includes music written for the films Andrzej Zulawski wrote and directed over the years, like "Na Srebrnym Globie", "Pavoncello", "Progresja", "Wiernosc" and others, composed between 1967 and 2000, and the entire score for his last film as director "Kosmos" from 2015, which was the final project they shared, and which appears here on an album for the first time. The album presents synthesizer soaked instrumental music, which as usual in the case of Korzynski is excellent and easily stands alone as a valid listening experience without the visual contents. Apart from the role as a collection of soundtracks, this album serves as an excellent opportunity to be exposed to the seemingly endless creative power of Korzynski, whose inventiveness and superb compositional talents are truly astounding, and as usual absolutely worth investigating. He is probably one of the very few musicians who manage to turn synthesizer based music into a fully aesthetic musical experience. Warmly recommended and an absolute must for Electronic / Ambient must!

Updated: 12/03/2020Posted: 12/03/2020

CD 2 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ MOWA PTAKOW (SOUNDTRACK) GAD 104 (Barcode: 5903068120435) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the soundtrack of the "Mowa Ptakow" movie composed by the prolific Polish cinematic composer Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist. It includes seven different versions of the main theme and the rest of the eighteen tracks originate form Korzynski´s extensive archives. Apart from the instrumental work (piano and synthesizers) by Korzynski, following people also contribute: vocalists Zaneta PalicaFind albums by this artist and Eryk Kulm Jr.Find albums by this artist, violinist Filip SiejkaFind albums by this artist and pianist Rafal KulczynskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents synthesizer soaked instrumental music (except for the two vocal versions of the main theme), which as usual in the case of Korzynski is excellent and easily stands alone as a valid listening experience without the visual contents. Apart from the role as soundtrack, this album serves as an excellent opportunity to be exposed to the seemingly endless creative power of Korzynski, whose inventiveness and superb compositional talents are truly astounding, and as usual absolutely worth investigating. He is probably one of the very few musicians who manage to turn synthesizer based music into a fully aesthetic musical experience. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 10/03/2020Posted: 10/03/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ ORWO YEARS: MUSIC FROM MOVIES BY CELINO BLEIWEISS (SOUNDTRACKS) GAD 090 (Barcode: 5903068120220) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1975 - 1982 Released: 2019 This is the first ever release of the soundtracks of the East German TV movies directed by German / Jewish director Celino BleiweissFind albums by this artist, who was born in Poland and survived the Holocaust as a child. The soundtracks were composed by Polish cinematic music composer Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist. The music was recorded by an East German orchestra conducted by Manfred RosenbergFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirty one short tracks, which were incorporated into the soundtracks of four movies. Shortly after the last of these four films were made Bleiweiss and his family escaped from East Germany to West Germany, where he continued his work as a film director. The music, as usual in the case of Korzynski, is full of atmosphere and tension, wonderfully arranged for orchestra and synthesizers, and sound completely contemporary and untouched by the passing time. It is a wonderful example of cinematic / incidental music that has a complete and full "life" by itself and is fascinating without the initially intended role as soundtrack. Korzynski is a masterful composer, who wrote many soundtracks for TV and cinema over the years but also composed popular music As usual GADFind albums on this label Records bring this music to our attention, saving it from oblivion, which is truly commendable. This album is the fourth album with soundtrack music composed by Korzynski released by GAD over the years.

Updated: 25/06/2019Posted: 25/06/2019

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ W PUSTYNI I W PUSZCZY (SOUNDTRACK) GAD 028 (Barcode: 5901549197365) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1973 Released: 2015 Polish cinematic composer and pianist Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist is one of the most prolific and respected representatives of his trade in his country. The list of films he scored the music for is long and impressive, and emphasizes the fact that he worked with the top Polish film directors over the years. This album presents the music Korzynski composed in 1973 for the soundtrack of the epic film "W Pustyni I W Puszczy" ("In Desert And Wilderness"), based on the novel by the Polish Nobel Laureate novelist Henryk SienkiewiczFind albums by this artist. The film was split into two parts, each an hour and a half long and therefore the amount of music needed was bigger than usual. The forty tracks on this album present the entire soundtrack in its complete form, as opposed to the actual music present in the movie, which was often cut according to need. The problem with instrumental soundtracks, like this one, is of course the fact that on their own, without the visual context, they lose most of their relevancy and are not suitable for listening as such. Even in the cases when a movie musical theme becomes popular and successful, the rest of the music is quickly forgotten. Although the music here is very diverse, rich in moods and emotionally engaging, it is pretty difficult to see it as a coherent musical statement on its own. Therefore, even if each of the short incidental pieces is beautifully crafted, they lack a continuity and sense of direction when listened to without the visual layer. Overall this is a great soundtrack, which is well worth being remembered, but which should be enjoyed while watching the film rather than on its own. Of course this album has its merits as a historical document of Korzynski´s career as a cinematic composer and Polish Cinema in general, in addition to a nostalgic value of its own. Definitely worth investigation for soundtrack hunters!

Updated: 20/03/2017Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI ~ WIELKI SZU (SOUNDTRACK) GAD 061 (Barcode: 5901549197815) ~ POLAND ~ Soundtracks Recorded: 1982 - 1983 Released: 2017 This is an archival release of the previously unreleased soundtrack to the cult Polish movie "Wielki Szu", scored by one of the most prolific Polish cinematic composers Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist. This is the third album on the excellent Polish GADFind albums on this label Records label, which presents a soundtrack scored by Korzynski. This expanded edition includes the eighteen pieces that were included in the movie and three bonus tracks, one of which is an outtake and two are taken from another movie filmed at the same period, called "Dzien Kolibra", also scored by Korzynski. The music is performed by an ensemble which features some of the top instrumentalists of the time, including guitarist Winicjusz ChrostFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Henryk MajewskiFind albums by this artist, bassist Arkadiusz ZakFind albums by this artist, drummer Adam LewandowskiFind albums by this artist and others. The music is an amalgam of synthesizer based instrumental music, which originates from Korzynski´s studio ensemble Arp LifeFind albums by this artist days and a more up to date groove, disco, blues, funk and what have you, which somehow work together even in this stand-alone version outside of the movie´s framework. In retrospect the Polish Funk of the 1980s, which is now a thought after commodity and a source of many compilations, is well represented here. The instrumental work, although limited by the time restrictions of soundtrack music, is really interesting, especially so the bluesy guitar parts by Chrost and superb drumming by Lewandowski. The sound quality, intelligent liner notes, photographs, graphic design and the meticulous attention to details, which characterize all GAD releases, is an example of how reissues are supposed to look like and what they are all about. Preservation of Polish National Cultural Heritage is a work of love and dedication, and happens even without the support of the Polish Ministry, which is supposed to support it. Well done, as always!

Updated: 29/01/2019Posted: 26/01/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ SONDA 2 GAD 023 (Barcode: 5901549197297) ~ POLAND ~ Electronic & Ambient Recorded: 1977 - 1986 Released: 2014 This is the second album which presents a collection of music, which was utilized as background music by the epic / cult Polish TV popular science series called "SondaFind albums with this title", which was extremely popular and run for twelve years between 1977 and 1989. The program was innovative and extremely well done and also excelled in the careful choice of its background music. This collection uses again several tracks selected from the German Sonoton music library vaults, but also includes some original Polish tracks recorded especially by Polish Radio and TV by such pioneering artists as Mikolaj HertelFind albums by this artist, Andrzej KorzynskiFind albums by this artist, Krzysztof DudaFind albums by this artist, Wladyslaw KomendarekFind albums by this artist and even the legendary Polish group SBBFind albums by this artist. The music was all composed and performed between 1976 and 1986, which of course means that it is heavily filled with synthesizer sounds, which at the time were highly fashionable. However, in contrast to most popular synthesizer soaked 1980s music, which is simply unlistenable today (and wasn´t that good to start with), the music here withstood the tides of time quite well and sounds pretty excellent today, especially as part of the nostalgia wave that surrounds past decades. The creators of this music were all top notch composers / musicians, which is plainly obvious to anyone listening to this album. Although this album is primarily a tribute to the legendary TV series, it is also a great trip revisiting some great and mostly forgotten synthesizer music from the 1970s and 1980s, which was previously unreleased and which is still relevant and worthy of being listened to. The album was again beautifully put together by GADFind albums on this label Records and its owner Michal WilczynskiFind albums by this artist, who is setting a standard with his work for all reissue labels to follow.

Updated: 25/02/2016Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend