Hungarian rock
Encyclopedia
Hungarian
rock has been a part of the popular music of Hungary
since the early 1960s. The first major bands were Illés
, Metró
and Omega
. At the time, rock was not approved of by the Hungarian Communist authorities. In the 1970s, the Communists cracked down on rock, and Illés was banned from recording. Some members of the other bands formed a supergroup
called Locomotiv GT
, while the band Omega became very popular in Germany.
In 1968, the New Economic Mechanism
was introduced, intending on revitalizing the Hungarian economy, while the band Illés won almost every prize at the prestigious Táncdalfesztivál
. In the 70s, however, the Russians cracked down on subversives in Hungary, and rock was a major target. The band Illés was banned from performing and recording, while Metró and Omega left. Some of the members of these bands formed a supergroup, Locomotiv GT
, that quickly became very famous. The remaining members of Omega, meanwhile, succeeded in achieving stardom in Germany, and remained very popular for a time.
Rock bands in the late 1970s had to conform to the Record Company's demands and ensure that all songs passed the inspection of the Song Committee, who scoured all songs looking for ideological disobedience. LGT was the most prominent band of a classic rock
style that was very popular, along with Illés, Bergendy and Zorán
, while there were other bands like The Sweet and Middle of the Road who catered to the desires of the Song Committee, producing rock-based pop music
without a hint of subversion. Meanwhile, the disco
style of electronic music
produced such performers as the officially-sanctioned Neoton Familia
, and Beatrice
and Szűcs Judit, while the more critically acclaimed progressive rock
scene produced bands like East, V73, Color and Panta Rhei
.
In the early 1980s, economic and cultural depression wracked Hungary, leading to a wave of disillusioned and alienated youth, exactly the people that rock, and the burgeoning worldwide field of punk rock
, spoke to the most. Major bands from this era included Beatrice, who had moved from disco to punk and folk-influenced rock and were known for their splashy, uncensored and theatrical performances, P. Mobil
, Bikini, Hobo Blues Band, a bluesy duo, A. E. Bizottság
, Európa Kiadó
, Sziámi and Edda művek
.
The 1980s saw the Record Production Company broken up because Hungary's authorities realized that restricting rock was not effective in reducing its effect; they instead tried to water it down by encouraging young musicians to sing about the principles of Communism and obedience. The early part of the decade saw the arrive of punk and New Wave music
in full force, and the authorities quickly incorporated those styles as well. The first major prison sentences for rock-related subversion were given out, with the members of the punk band CPg
sentenced to two years for political incitement.
By the end of the decade and into the 1990s, internal problems made it impossible for the Hungarian government to counter the activities of rock and other musical groups. After the collapse of the Communist government, the Hungarian scene become more and more like the styles played in the rest of Europe.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
rock has been a part of the popular music of Hungary
Music of Hungary
Hungary has made many contributions to the fields of folk, popular and classical music. Hungarian folk music is a prominent part of the national identity and continues to play a major part in Hungarian music...
since the early 1960s. The first major bands were Illés
Illés
Illés was a Hungarian rock/beat band , and was one of the biggest groups of the 1960s and early 1970s rock boom in Hungary...
, Metró
Metro (band)
Metro may refer to the following bands:* Metro * Metro...
and Omega
Omega (band)
Omega is one of the most successful Hungarian rock bands.-Biography:Formed in Budapest in September, 1962 by the winds player László Benkő on organ and János Kóbor as a singer and rhythm guitarist, they initially performed covers of British and American rock songs, frequently changing the lineup of...
. At the time, rock was not approved of by the Hungarian Communist authorities. In the 1970s, the Communists cracked down on rock, and Illés was banned from recording. Some members of the other bands formed a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
called Locomotiv GT
Locomotiv GT
Locomotiv GT is a Hungarian rock band formed in 1971. It has been one of the most influential rock bands in Hungarian rock music. GT in the name of the band refers to Gran Turismo, the long journey that the band was looking forward to when it was formed...
, while the band Omega became very popular in Germany.
In 1968, the New Economic Mechanism
New Economic Mechanism
The New Economic Mechanism was a major economic reform launched in the People's Republic of Hungary in 1968.- Reform :The period from 1956–1968 was one of reform in Eastern Europe...
was introduced, intending on revitalizing the Hungarian economy, while the band Illés won almost every prize at the prestigious Táncdalfesztivál
Táncdalfesztivál
Táncdalfesztivál was a Hungarian music competition and exhibition show, airing on the National Television from 1966 to 1994. It was the premier chance for young talents to show their skills and become well known in the socialist Hungary...
. In the 70s, however, the Russians cracked down on subversives in Hungary, and rock was a major target. The band Illés was banned from performing and recording, while Metró and Omega left. Some of the members of these bands formed a supergroup, Locomotiv GT
Locomotiv GT
Locomotiv GT is a Hungarian rock band formed in 1971. It has been one of the most influential rock bands in Hungarian rock music. GT in the name of the band refers to Gran Turismo, the long journey that the band was looking forward to when it was formed...
, that quickly became very famous. The remaining members of Omega, meanwhile, succeeded in achieving stardom in Germany, and remained very popular for a time.
Rock bands in the late 1970s had to conform to the Record Company's demands and ensure that all songs passed the inspection of the Song Committee, who scoured all songs looking for ideological disobedience. LGT was the most prominent band of a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
style that was very popular, along with Illés, Bergendy and Zorán
Zorán Sztevanovity
Zorán Sztevanovity , born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 4 March 1942) is a Hungarian musician , singer and composer of a Serbian origin. He has two children, Zoltán and Sandra.-Life and career:...
, while there were other bands like The Sweet and Middle of the Road who catered to the desires of the Song Committee, producing rock-based pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
without a hint of subversion. Meanwhile, the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
style of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
produced such performers as the officially-sanctioned Neoton Familia
Neoton Família
Neoton Família was one of the most successful Hungarian pop-bands, spanning several decades, with changes in members and line-up. Most active from 1977 to 1989, they released albums and toured in several foreign countries, also producing many of the most known hit songs in the country.- Band...
, and Beatrice
Beatrice (band)
Beatrice is a Hungarian rock band.-Biography:Beatrice was originally formed in 1969 as a female rock band covering popular songs like "House of the Rising Sun" from The Animals...
and Szűcs Judit, while the more critically acclaimed progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
scene produced bands like East, V73, Color and Panta Rhei
Panta Rhei (band)
Panta Rhei were a Hungarian rock band, known for their progressive rock recordings and adaptations of classical music, for which they created synthesizers, such as the Muzix81 system...
.
In the early 1980s, economic and cultural depression wracked Hungary, leading to a wave of disillusioned and alienated youth, exactly the people that rock, and the burgeoning worldwide field of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, spoke to the most. Major bands from this era included Beatrice, who had moved from disco to punk and folk-influenced rock and were known for their splashy, uncensored and theatrical performances, P. Mobil
P. Mobil
P. Mobil is one of the most popular Hungarian hard rock bands.-Vocals:*Györgyi Huszár 1973-1974*Miklós Serényi 1973-1974*Gyula Vikidál 1973-1976, 1976–1979*Gábor Szegváry 1976*Péter Tunyogi 1979-1997*Joe Rudán 1997-2007*László Baranyi from 2008...
, Bikini, Hobo Blues Band, a bluesy duo, A. E. Bizottság
A. E. Bizottság
A. E. Bizottság was a Hungarian underground band formed by a group of visual and multimedia artists and amateur musicians in the early 1980s. Their name translates as 'Albert Einstein Committee'...
, Európa Kiadó
Európa Kiadó
Európa Kiadó is a Hungarian underground rock band formed in 1981 in Budapest from the members of the then freshly disbanded URH: Llaszlo Kiss, Andras Salamon and lyricist-composer-guitarist-singer Jenő Menyhárt, joined by Jozsef Denes and Andras Gero. Soon keyboardist Gero and drummer Salamon...
, Sziámi and Edda művek
Edda muvek
Edda Művek is a highly successful Hungarian rock band formed in 1974 under the name "Griff". The word "művek" symbolizes the band originally starting off its career in Miskolc, a typical Central European industrial city also dubbed as "Steel City"...
.
The 1980s saw the Record Production Company broken up because Hungary's authorities realized that restricting rock was not effective in reducing its effect; they instead tried to water it down by encouraging young musicians to sing about the principles of Communism and obedience. The early part of the decade saw the arrive of punk and New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
in full force, and the authorities quickly incorporated those styles as well. The first major prison sentences for rock-related subversion were given out, with the members of the punk band CPg
CPG
CPg is a controversial underground punk rock group formed by guitarist Zoltán Benkő and drummer Zoltán Nagy in Szeged, Hungary in 1979. Vocalist Béla Haska and bassist Zoltán Varga joined in 1981...
sentenced to two years for political incitement.
By the end of the decade and into the 1990s, internal problems made it impossible for the Hungarian government to counter the activities of rock and other musical groups. After the collapse of the Communist government, the Hungarian scene become more and more like the styles played in the rest of Europe.