M. Efekt Svet Hledacu

Anniversary reissue of the legendary art-rock album

This year is a multi-significant year for the commemoration of this album, originally released in 1979. In addition to the milestone anniversaries of the singer, keyboardist and composer Lesek Semelka’s seventy-fifth birthday and the same, but unfortunately untimely, anniversary of guitarist, composer and bandleader Radim Hladik, there are also variously rounded reminders of the passing of the drummer Vlado cech and the lyricist Pavel Vrba. All of them – as well as another singer and keyboardist Oldrich Vesely, artist Petr Sis and photographer Alan Pajer – have a major contribution to the album, then released under the forced title M. Efekt.

The extensive compositions, poetic lyrics (all of which can be found in the booklet) and musicianship were perfectly suited to the sound of, for example, the English Yes, but with undoubted domestic specialties. The five compositions bring at least two even in a completely different line-up of the band later often played, namely “Hledam sve vlastni ja” (Looking for My Own Self) and Rajky.

A fundamental challenge for anyone with a taste for arranged, listener-demanding rock that never lacks strong melodies, suitably fanciful lyrics, appealing instrumental performances and extraordinary singing.