Banket (band)
Encyclopedia
Banket was a Slovak pop band active between 1984–1991. Its lead singer was Richard Müller
. Banket were among the pioneers of electronic pop music in Slovakia
and Czechoslovakia
in the 1980s. In this regard, they can be considered Slovakia
's answer to Depeche Mode
.
Banket made their first performance in 1984 at the Bratislava Lyre pop festival with the song Nespoznaný (Unknown). Some of Banket's best-known and typically "electronic" hits originated between 1984 and 1985, but they were not included on the band's debut album Bioelektrovízia (Bioelectrovision, 1986) that was more conventional in nature. These early hits were (although not all of them) for the first time issued on a CD on the 1994 greatest hits album Banket ’84–’91.
Richard Müller (singer)
Richard Müller is a Slovak singer, songwriter, composer and occasional actor. He is one of the most successful singers in Slovakia.- Biography :He started as a music journalist...
. Banket were among the pioneers of electronic pop music in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in the 1980s. In this regard, they can be considered Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
's answer to Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
.
Banket made their first performance in 1984 at the Bratislava Lyre pop festival with the song Nespoznaný (Unknown). Some of Banket's best-known and typically "electronic" hits originated between 1984 and 1985, but they were not included on the band's debut album Bioelektrovízia (Bioelectrovision, 1986) that was more conventional in nature. These early hits were (although not all of them) for the first time issued on a CD on the 1994 greatest hits album Banket ’84–’91.
Albums
| Year | Title | Translation of title | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Bioelektrovízia | Bioelectrovision | debut album |
| 1988 | Up the Stairs | — | English version of debut album |
| 1988 | Druhá doba?! | Second Era?! | second studio album |
| 1990 | Vpred? | Forwards? | third and final studio album |
| 1998 | Banket ’84–’91 | — | best-of double-album; first album release of many of the band's earliest hits |
| 2005 | Gold | — | greatest hits selection (however, lacking many of Banket's greatest hits) |
Hits
A chronological selection of Banket's greatest hits:- Nespoznaný (Unknown, 1984) – a ballad, not in the typical electronic style; the band's first single
- Prečo vy, ľudia 20. storočia, máte vždy zachmúrené obočia? (Why Do You, People of the 20th Century, Keep Frowning All the Time?, 1985) – the band's first smash hit, considered legendary today; the song's lyrics are a sly parody of the cheerful lyrics required of pop bands by the Communist regime prevalent in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
at the time; this was the band's second single release - Štrbina možnej lásky v grafikone nesmelého muža (A Crack of Possible Love Affair in the Schedule of a Shy Man, 1985) – another hit featuring Banket's trademark electronic sound and an impossibly long title; released as the B side of the preceding song
- Praveký manekýn (Primaeval Mannequin, 1985) – probably the closest Banket ever came to sounding like Depeche ModeDepeche ModeDepeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
- Dva metre v hubertuse (Two Meters in a Duffel Coat, 1985)
- Basketbal alebo ja (Basketball Or Me, 1985) – the band's third single release
- Po schodoch (Up the Stairs, 1986) – the band's greatest ever hit, but more conventional than the electronic pop preceding it
- Tlaková níž (The Pressure Is Low, 1986) – an electronic ballad and another huge hit for Banket
- Bioelektrovízia (Bioelectrovision, 1986) – Banket's trademark electronic sound; title song of debut album
- Salieri (1986) – inspired by Miloš FormanMiloš FormanJan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
's blockbuster movie AmadeusAmadeus (film)Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the... - Slon v porceláne (Elephants Are Crazy, 1986) – a ballad
- Nezavadzaj (Get Out of My Way, 1986)
- Plesový marš (Ball March, 1988) – an ingenious re-working of Johann Strauss Sr.'s Radetzky MarchRadetzky MarchRadetzky March, Op. 228, is a march composed by Johann Strauss Sr. in 1848. It was dedicated to the Austrian Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, and became quite a popular march among soldiers....
, employing the sound of screeching guitars - Slovenské tango (Slovak Tango, 1988)
- Bytové jadro problému (Apartment Core of the Matter, 1988) – a nonsense, tongue-in-cheek sequel to Up the Stairs
- Nález na svedomí (Finding of Conscience, 1988) – electronic ballad
- Slaďák (Ballad, 1988) – a fast-paced song, despite the title
- Slúžiť ti chcem (I Want to Serve You, 1990) – a ballad
- Aj ty! (You Too!, 1990)
See also
- Richard MüllerRichard Müller (singer)Richard Müller is a Slovak singer, songwriter, composer and occasional actor. He is one of the most successful singers in Slovakia.- Biography :He started as a music journalist...
- Slovak music
- The 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All TimeThe 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All TimeThe 100 Greatest Slovak Albums of All Time is a list of the best album releases issued by Slovak recording artists. As the first such list presented in Slovakia, it was published by Nový čas daily on September 22, 2007....