Rockov maraton 1985/1986 – LP

After the repression at the beginning of the decade, conditions for non-mainstream modern music began to loosen somewhat. Perestroika unsettled the authorities, who sought to win young people over to moderate progress within the limits of the law, allowing less traditional musical genres to appear in clubs and at festivals. The Panton label opened its doors to new names, many of them making their vinyl debut. In 1985 and 1986, recordings were made at Smetana Theatres studio that were sometimes limited by the technology and by the approval process, yet far bolder than might have seemed possible a few years earlier. This compilation brings together a stylistically varied selection of tracks, featuring established guitar bands such as Odyssey, the already popular Combo F. H., Brnos Futurum, Pumpy from the south, and the Hanspaulka groups Yo Yo Band and Nahlas, alongside newcomers including Czech reggae group Babalet with Ale Drvota, Moped with Vilda ok, the computer-friendly Dr. Max and Natural, and the Slovak band Tublatanka, which was surprisingly starting out in Prague. These rock recordings offer both enjoyable listening and a valuable glimpse into their era, and this selection of highlights from two original vinyl albums is being released for the first time.