OLYMPIC - Zelva +11 - CZE Supraphon Remastered Expanded Edition - LISTEN

"During the same, October session the band recorded several quite modern-sounding recordings which, alongside the tracks captured on tape in early spring, ended up on the debut album Želva, released as early as 1968 - at the same time the first Czech longplay of rock music in history! On this record, released in mono and in stereo and at the same time excellently produced, the band offered a very attractive and non-trivial mixture, composed for the most part by the duo Janda/Chrastina, of mid-60s British freakbeat close to The Beatles and The Yardbirds; white rhythm'n'blues in the style of The Rolling Stones and Them; and the then increasingly popular and practically unheard-of in the Eastern Bloc countries early psychedelia of the The Byrds, The Doors and The Who kind. The 35-minute album opened with Želva, previously released on a single - a lively number with harmonica, based on a strong, slightly broken rhythm, decidedly drawing on early Them - Van Morrison. A classic! Second came Vzpomínka Plíživá, based on the interplay of guitars and organ - a piece created during the October session, harking back a little to the psychedelic The Byrds, but still evoking echoes of early The Animals. The bawdy Línej Skaut that followed, which sounded as if it had come out of a good drinking session, brought to mind the mood of 'The Good Soldier Švejk', but I confess that I could live without this, in sum Dylan-like number, recorded with the help of an accordion, a trombone and simple strokes of a bass drum... Then the band offered two charming rock ballads: the decidedly Beatles-like Dám Zejtra Zas Flám, sounding almost like an outtake from the album Help! and Modravé Mámení, strongly resembling The Byrds (and I Got You Babe by the duo Sonny & Cher) and garnished with nice drumming by the evidently gifted Jan 'Sorry' Pacák and the pleasant sound of a ringing guitar, nicely overdriven during the solo. The first side was closed by the decent Nikdo Neotvírá - a cheerful piece, though contributing little to the whole, inspired by I Feel Fine by The Beatles. The second part opened with the decidedly Stones-like Nebezpečná Postava, played at an unusually fast rhythm, though too light for me, after which came the very successful, balladic Snad Jsem To Zavinil Já, released earlier on the A-side of a single - a catchy guitar piece sung by Janda in a delicate voice, at moments recalling The House Of The Rising Sun by The Animals and right at the end also evoking For Your Love by The Yardbirds. There is nothing to be ashamed of in good role models! Dědečkův Duch, recorded in February 1967 and sung with great ease, was a much-needed dose of dynamic and catchy pop-rock garnished with neat entries of sharp guitar. By contrast, the slightly swaying, excellent Jen Bůh Ví, sung in a sleepy voice by the bassist Pavel Chrastina, was a pleasant but at the same time majestic, almost psychedelic ballad, and right after it appeared the under-2-minute Telefon - a rhythm'n'blues number played at a very fast tempo, with harmonica and a nice part for twangy guitar. The record was closed in great style by the 6-minute-20-second, genuinely legendary Psychiatrický Prášek - a superb, decidedly psychedelic rock track that is a peculiar blend of She's Not There by The Zombies, I'm Going Home by The Rolling Stones and The End by The Doors - and what is more garnished with haunted vocals straight from the titular psychiatric ward! It is only a pity that the band did not play for 2-3 minutes longer... It must be admitted that the LP Želva can be listened to almost in one breath and I am really full of admiration that our southern neighbours were able to produce such an innovative, invigorating and at the same time melody-rich (though sometimes borrowed) record! At that time the rest of Eastern European rock was still gazing solely at The Beatles, The Animals or, worse still, at soul music... It is worth knowing that only about 5000 copies appeared in the artistic cover with the titular tortoise (by the drummer), and since the lead times at the monopoly printing house were long and booked up, subsequent pressings of the record appeared either in hastily made, unattractive sleeves, or in covers with a large Supraphon logo on the front and with the track titles and an editorial note on the back. After 1970, however, the album was no longer reissued at all and today it is a great rarity, though practically never seen in great condition. Records in 'EX/EX' condition are worth over 150 euros, while 'Near Mint' copies in the tortoise cover can easily fetch prices of 250-300 euros! I confess that I never had trouble getting hold of the band's albums, since quite by chance the first three Olympic titles (in almost perfect condition) were brought to my shop in the mid-90s by a Czech tourist (crammed into a huge backpack), who exchanged them with undisguised joy for CDs that interested him..." A REVIEW BY JACEK LEŚNIEWSKI FROM A BOOK ON ROCK IN THE FORMER EASTERN BLOC, BEGUN BUT ABANDONED AFTER HALF A YEAR (2021). A remastered reissue in a digipak, extended by 11 tracks, from 2019.