Flamengo
Kuře v Hodinkách

THE REVIEW

I have been living in Prague for fifteen years now, and from the beginning, I was immediately interested in getting to know the Czech music scene. I never imagined discovering so many treasures that could easily stand alongside the most renowned international works, considering the political situation that always sought to limit every expression—artistic in this case—that was not in line with the directives of the communist regime. “Il pollo nell’orologio” from 1972 is a legendary album of Czech bigbeat, where Flamengo created a record that marked a turning point in national rock music. “Kuře v hodinkách” is considered by many to be the best album in the history of Czech rock ever. Jazz rock blends with raw blues lines. Under the layer of this music, the presence of King Crimson and John Mayall hovers. The real highlight is the last piece with an unforgettable solo by a translucent flute. You truly get the impression of being immersed in the atmosphere of the time. I'm not going to say more: absolute mastery of the instruments, choruses, arrangements, brass, solos that give you chills, such devotion to music, finally. In the early '70s, they were able to record a timeless rock album, music full of energy, solid and colorful, but also intertwined with a dreamy internal harmony. A sagacious album that obliges us to a healthy revisionism because it's a litmus test compared to all that '70s music (and there’s a lot of it) deemed fundamentally adolescent, overrated, but then unmasked as music disguised as an original idea. So those who haven't listened to Flamengo: “Ten nikdy nežil, jenom spal, ten ať je mrtvý klidně dál.” (J. Kainar) - “Never lived, only slept; let him continue to be dead.” -

01 the chicken in the clock (introduction) 02 the frame of the next paintings 03 only love knows where 04 me and the smoke 05 moments of moments 06 some centuries 07 docks, trains, hunger, and shoes 08 ever forward 09 the chicken in the clock bonus tracks cd: 10 every moment 11 the week in the electric city 12 the chicken in the clock (single)