Various  ‎– Czech Up! Vol. 1: Chain Of Fools 

Label: Vampi Soul ‎– VAMPI 167 Series: Czech Up! – Vol. 1 Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Remastered

Country:  Spain  Released:  Jan 2016 

Genre: Jazz, Rock, Funk / Soul, Pop Style: Soul, Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock, Garage Rock, Vocal, Jazz-Rock, Disco

 Welcome to "Czech Up! Vol 1: Chain Of Fools", the first installment of random gems from the Supraphon vaults. It's a compilation concept we've had in mind ever since we began our collaboration with Supraphon several years ago, but which wasn't initially possible to accomplish due to - luckily temporary - licensing restrictions. For that reason, at first we focused on retrospective albums by Czech artists such as Marta Kubišová, Emil Viklicky, The Matadors and Olympic. However, in the meantime, just as Supraphon is steadily progressing with revalidating their immense back catalogue, we can now finally move along with them, picking up their cherries as they keep popping up on the notional surface.

The Supraphon label was established in the former Czechoslovakia and has continuously been active since the early 1950s. While it has always been highly esteemed by music connoisseurs for its excellent classical music releases, Supraphon's pop, rock and jazz music catalogue is internationally less known, although it's in fact even larger, comprising around 60,000 unique tracks. Today it also incorporates the complete back catalogue of Panton, also a Czechoslovak label launched in 1967 that existed independently until the late 1990s.

"Czech Up! Vol 1" highlights a collection of tracks that were originally released in Czechoslovakia between 1966 and 1978 on the Supraphon and Panton labels. Several psychedelic freakbeat favourites were chosen by Vampisoul's Iñigo Munster, whereas the regular associate and expert on Czechoslovak music, Lukáš Machata of the "Funky Czech-in" website at blog.loukash.com, has selected a variety of grooving soul, jazz and pop nuggets. Lukáš Machata - a longtime sound engineer and graphic designer - is also responsible for the carefully processed digital remasters and for the retro-style cover artwork.

And so the compilation's huge range goes from the never reissued fuzz-soul of Komety and the lush downtempo disco by Bezinky, to the Afro-influenced pop hit of Eva Pilarová and the fierce Jazz Cellula funk, over to Gondolán Brothers' Gypsy beat introducing Jitka Zelenková, to the frantic garage rock with Blue Effect, Flamengo and George & Beatovens, through to schlager music star Karel Gott's atypical R&B outing and to Mahagon's hypnotic fusion jazz-funk, up to the arousing 'Barbarella' interpretation by the incomparable idol Waldemar Matuška. We're commemorating well known classics by the Golden Kids supergroup comprising Václav Neckár, Marta Kubišová and Helena Vondrácková, by the accomplished vocal acrobat Karel Cernoch with his Stevie Wonder cover version, or by Michal Prokop's confidently soulful Framus Five combo. We've dug out undeservedly neglected bijoux by the graceful Helena Blehárová with the Gustav Brom Orchestra, the almost avant-gardist Petr & Jan Spáleny? from Apollobeat, the ex-Matadors shouter Viktor Sodoma, the sympathetic Pavel Novák & his Vox group, the trumpet virtuoso Václav Ty?fa with Josef Vobruba's all-star jazz-rock ensemble Konstelace, the studio group Discobolos, the extravagant Josef Laufer & Their Majesties, by the enigmatic Bluesmen, and by jazzman Karel Ružicka with the Ferdinand Havlík Orchestra. Last but not least, we're also presenting teaser tracks from our upcoming retrospective albums by the funky Flamingo group featuring Petr Nemec with "lady soul" Marie Rottrová, and by the psychedelic pop band Atlantis fronted by the siblings Hana & Petr Ulrych.

We have grooves you can dance to, songs you can chill to, breaks you can rap to, or simply 25 tracks you should listen to. So… czech up, and get down!

Tracklist
A1     –Komety (2)     Chain Of Fools     2:59
A2     –Pavel Novák & Vox (13)     Kočičí Král Felix     3:00
A3     –Flamingo (6)     Zlom Vaz     3:47
A4     –Discobolos     Kyvadlo     2:56
A5     –Golden Kids     Nestůj A Pojď (U Nás Máme Mejdan)     3:09
A6     –Helena Blehárová     Závrať     3:27
B1     –Karel Černoch     Už Tu Nesmím Zůstat (Uptight, Everything's Alright)     2:14
B2     –Bezinky     Jedeme Dál     3:27
B3     –Petr Spálený     Lesní Víla     2:59
B4     –Flamengo     Poprava Blond Holky     4:33
B5     –Blue Effect*     Blue Taxi     2:37
B6     –Václav Týfa     Loutna Česká: Domácí Vojna Mezi Tělem A Duší     3:37
C1     –Atlantis (21)     Nikdy Nebudu Tvá     2:10
C2     –Eva Pilarová     Léto, Léto     2:08
C3     –Viktor Sodoma     Vysoká Hra     3:21
C4     –Jazz Cellula*     Polobotka     4:46
C5     –Josef Laufer & Their Majesties     Útěk Z Hladomorny     2:28
C6     –Framus Five     Around And Around     2:45
C7     –Jitka Zelenková & The Gondolán Brothers*     Já Nechci Mít     2:06
D1     –George & Beatovens     Lež Bláznivého Básníka     2:36
D2     –The Bluesmen     Story O Velké Lásce     3:25
D3     –Karel Gott     I've Never Been So Young     3:15
D4     –Ferdinand Havlík Orchestra     Beat     3:11
D5     –Mahagon     Ve Světle Petrolejky     3:32
D6     –Waldemar Matuška     Barbarella (An Angel Is Love)     3:32

Companies, etc.

    Licensed From – Supraphon a.s.
    Phonographic Copyright (p) – Distrolux SL
    Copyright (c) – Distrolux SL
    Pressed By – GZ Media – 139449E
    Recorded At – Studio Dejvice
    Recorded At – Studio Břevnov
    Recorded At – Studio Strahov
    Recorded At – Studio ZVČR
    Recorded At – Smecky Music Studios
    Recorded At – Studio A
    Recorded At – Čs. Rozhlas Praha
    Recorded At – Čs. Rozhlas Ostrava
    Recorded At – Studio Dukla
    Recorded At – Mozarteum

Credits

    Compiled By [Selected By] – Iñigo Munster
    Compiled By [Selected By], Research, Compiled By, Liner Notes, Design [Cover], Remastered By – Lukáš Machata
    Photography By – Alois Valenta

Notes
Czechoslovak freak-beat • fuzz-soul • female-pop • disco-fancy • jazz-funk • 1966–1978
stereo
*mono [A1, A3, D4]

Liner notes and cover design © 2016 […], archive facsimiles and photos courtesy of Supraphon and Popmuseum Prague.
Remastered […] from 24-bit transfers of original analogue master tapes, transferred at Studio ADK-Prague.
“A Loudness Peace Master”
Licensed from Supraphon a.s.
This compilation ℗ & © 2016 Distrolux, SL
www.munster-records.com

A1 Recording finalized 24.06.1968 at Czechoslovak Radio Prague. ℗ 1968 Supraphon, SP 0430547, EP 1330434
A2 Recorded April 1970 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1970 Supraphon, LP 1130827 “Cesty”, SP 0431051
A3 Recording finalized 05.11.1971 at Czechoslovak Radio Ostrava. ℗ 1971 Supraphon, SP 0431258
A4 Recording finalized 20.02.1978 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1978 Supraphon, LP 1132348 “Discobolos”
A5 Recording finalized 17.12.1968 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1969 Supraphon, SP 0430649, LP 0130665 “Micro-Magic-Circus”
A6 Recording finalized 22.12.1970 at studio Dukla, Brno. ℗ 1972 Supraphon, LP 1131058 “Chvilka pro písničku” (Gustav Brom Orchestra & Various Artists)
B1 Recording finalized 30.12.1972 at studio Břevnov, Prague. ℗ 1973 Panton, LP 110337 “Popelky”
B2 Recording finalized 02.01.1978 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1978 Supraphon, LP 1132328 “Píseň mládí (Muchachito)” (Various Artists)
B3 Recording finalized 15.06.1969 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1971 Supraphon, LP 1130918 “Zvon šílencův”
B4 Recording finalized 05.06.1967 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1967 Supraphon, SP 0430362
B5 Recorded February 1969 at Czechoslovak Radio Prague. ℗ 1969 Panton, EP 030203 “Edice mikrofóra”
B6 Recording finalized 12.06.1974 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1974 Supraphon, LP 1131599 “Václav Týfa”
C1 Recording finalized 17.01.1970 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1970 Supraphon, SP 0430927
C2 Recording finalized 17.04.1972 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1972 Supraphon, SP 0431373, LP 1131303 “My Czech Favourites”
C3 Recording finalized 11.09.1969 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1969 Supraphon, SP 0430858
C4 Recording finalized 11.04.1976 at Czechoslovak Radio studio A, Prague-Karlín. ℗ 1976 Panton, LP 110638 “Oheň až požár”
C5 Recorded 1969. ℗ 1969 Panton, LP 110220 “V roce 1969”
C6 Recording finalized 09.10.1968 at studio ZVČR, Prague. ℗ 1969 Supraphon, LP 1130578 “Framus Five” a.k.a. “Blues In Soul”
C7 Recording finalized 06.11.1968 at studio Mozarteum, Prague. ℗ 1969 Supraphon, SP 0430818 “Čekej a neplakej”
D1 Recording finalized 18.09.1968 at studio Smečky, Prague. ℗ 1969 Panton, SP 040129 “Pokoj č. 26”
D2 Recording finalized 18.09.1968 at studio Smečky, Prague. ℗ 1968 Panton, EP 030123 “Edice mikrofóra”
D3 Recording finalized 25.05.1967 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1967 Supraphon, LP 0130209 “Hlas můj nech tu znít”
D4 Recording finalized 14.03.1966 at studio Strahov, Prague. ℗ 1969 Supraphon, LP 1130560 “Night Club 68” (Various Artists)
D5 Recording finalized 17.05.1976 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1976 Supraphon, SP 1432041
D6 Recording finalized 03.06.1970 at studio Dejvice, Prague. ℗ 1970 Supraphon, SP 0431076

———
Gatefold sleeve.
Contains a 12×12 inch insert advertising other contemporary releases from the catalog of Munster Records, Vampi Soul, ViNiLiSSSiMO and Electro Harmonix.

Track durations are partially incorrectly printed:
2:55, 3:10, 3:45, 3:01, 3:10, 3:29, 2:14, 3:25, 3:00, 4:35, 2:37, 3:39, 2:15, 2:15, 3:21, 4:45, 2:30, 2:44, 2:10, 2:34, 3:27, 3:20, 3:10, 3:35, 3:30
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode (Scanned): 8435008863050
    Barcode (Printed): 8 435008 863050
    Matrix / Runout (Runout A): 139449E1/A
    Matrix / Runout (Runout B): 139449E2/A
    Matrix / Runout (Runout C): 139449E3/B
    Matrix / Runout (Runout D): 139449E4/A