Performed by: The Final Formation:
Istvan Cziglan - guitars
Robert Erdesz - keyboards
Laszlo Gomor - drums
Tamas Pocs - bass
Attila Kollar - flute
And also featuring:
Csaba Bogdan - guitars
Gabor Kisszabo - bass
Vilmos Toth - drums
Ferenc Raus - drums
Solaris: Marsbeli Kronikak
Hungaroton-Gong (GONG HCD 17819)
Hungary 1983
Cziglan Istvan, guitar, synths;
Erdesz Robert, organ, synths;
Gomor Laszlo, drums, synths;
Kollar Attila, flute, synths;
Pocs Tamas, bass;
(liner notes in Hungarian - musicians info based on guesswork)
Tracklist:
1. Marsbeli kronikak I. - 3:34
2. Marsbeli kronikak II.-III. - 6:32
3. Marsbeli kronikak IV.-VI. - 13:15
4. M'ars poetica - 6:39
5. Ha felszall a kod - 3:58
6. Apokalipszis - 3:44
7. E-moll elхjatek - 0:29
8. Legyхzhetetlen - 2:46
9. Solaris - 4:53
10. Orchideak bolygoja - 3:17
11. A sarga kor - 4:54
total time 54:01
Jon Byrne:
Word of mouth is a wonderful thing, particularly for those artists whose work is not exactly embraced by the mainstream. The prog underground, of course, thrives on word of mouth, so much so that it's hard to miss the buzz about certain bands or albums. One such album is The Martian Chronicles by Solaris, which has garnered so much praise that it seems to be near the top of everyone's list of favorites. Well, I would like somebody to please let me in on the secret to worshiping this album.
Let me start out by saying that I don't dislike this disc. In fact, there's a lot of really nice playing, particularly the various interplay between synth, guitar, and flute. The music itself, however, seems fairly middle of the road post-golden age prog. Call it symphonic prog or neo-prog, Solaris's style lumps them in with the hundreds (thousands?) of other bands who strive to improve on the model left by the 70s giants. It's not bad, mind you, it just doesn't strike me as classic. In fact, the track that left the biggest positive impact is a percussion heavy bonus cut that wasn't even a part of the original release.
On top of that overall feeling about the album, there are some things here and there that do truly get on my nerves. While the album is mostly instrumental, there are some voices used occasionally. Some of them, perhaps meant to represent the Martians (I guess) sound like a Snoopy laugh from one of the "Peanuts" TV specials. It seems very out of place and annoying. In addition, the synth timbre is strictly early 80s digital and sounds fairly dated.
Those fairly tiny flaws, however, wouldn't drag down the album as a whole if it has something else to offer. Unfortunately for me, it doesn't. Don't let my luke warm reaction keep you from experiencing Solaris. Every good proghead, it seems to me, should have something from eastern Europe in their collection, after all. Just lower your expectations of this album a little bit and you might find a little more enjoyment.
Bob Eichler:
After reading Jon Byrne's review, I had to go back and check the name again to make sure I hadn't written it myself. My opinions on the album closely match his - from the ambivalent feeling that I don't really dislike the disc without liking it much either, to the annoyance with the "Martian" voices, to a preference for one of the CD bonus tracks over anything on the original album.
This disc falls pretty firmly in the neoprog camp to me. While I generally hate neoprog, Solaris put on a great set at the first NEARfest so I decided to give this album a try. I wish I could say the CD is as good as their live set, but it doesn't really come close.
If you're a big fan of 80s-style neoprog, or if you don't mind light symphonic prog with somewhat cheezy sounding production, give the album a try. Otherwise try to catch the band live, where they sound much better.
Steve Hegede:
The Martian Chronicles was released in 1983, and quickly became a hit in Hungary. But it wasn't until about 1995, after Solaris played Progfest '95, that the rest of the prog rock world got a chance to discover this Eastern European gem. The album starts off with a side-long epic entitled "The Martian Chronicles Parts 1-6" which mixes Klaus Schulze-like synth work, with very melodic interplay between piano, guitar, and flute. Nothing here gets too complex, but the interplay is very beautiful and the themes are very memorable. After the epic, things get a bit more aggressive with my favorite piece called "M'ars Poetica". In my opinion, this sounds like a more progressive, and instrumental, version of Iron Maiden with flutes, and Moogs. The album goes on to end with a few more shorters tracks that feature aggressive synth solos, melodic flute interludes, and metal-ish guitar riffing. A classic!
Sean McFee:
This is one of the best releases of symphonic progressive rock from the 80s. Solaris is a Hungarian band that favours arrangements over individual instrumental virtuosity. Not that the musicians aren't good, it's just that there isn't a Yngwie Malmsteen, Rick Wakeman or Neil Peart in the bunch.
There are no vocals unless you count the "Martian sounds" near the beginning of this album, and the lead switches between guitar, synthesizer (mostly digital synth with what sounds like moog) and flute. The first twenty minutes or so make up the "Martian Chronicles" Parts 1-6, split into three tracks. Compositionally, it is the strongest part of the album. The remainder has some great stuff ("Undefeatable") and some less memorable stuff (the bonus tracks at the end), but no real moments of weakness.
The music sounds like Wish You Were Here-era Floyd or possibly Pulsar, but with a more "classical" approach at times. Rhythmically simple, the beat seldom leaves 4/4. That doesn't make the melodies and arrangements any less memorable, though. I'd compare it to a Tony Banks keyboard solo.. you know there are better keyboardists around but he has a way of getting the most out of the chops he has.
For RIO fans, this stuff might be too simplistic. Symphonic fans who suffered through the 80s will be scratching their heads wondering how they missed this one.
Brandon Wu:
If the 54 minutes of this CD (including 2 bonus tracks) were as good as the first 23 minutes, which consists of the three tracks of the title song, this would be an absolutely classic album. Solaris plays a highly electric symphonic-rock style which has been compared variously to Jethro Tull, mid-period Pink Floyd, and Camel (but they are harder-edged than the latter two at least). Unlike many progressive rock bands, Solaris puts almost no stock in instrumental soloing, instead focusing on group composition which for the most part works extremely well despite (because of?) the lack of shows of virtuosity. As mentioned, the 23-minute title track "Marsbeli Kronikak" is a truly great meshing of hard and symphonic rock, and manages to elicit a sense of alien wonder appropriate to its title (which means "The Martian Chronicles"). This track is virtually flawless, with lots of tasty flute and some good synth work (the electronic sound of the synths, which normally I dislike, only adds to the alien feel of the music here), as well as some pretty good guitar soloing and such. The rest of the album works along the same lines, to varying degrees of success, though none are quite as good as that first piece. Overall, highly recommended, and one of my favorite symphonic albums.
Solaris - Marsbeli Kronikak (1984)
Solaris' Martian Chronicles is considered one of the classic albums to have come out from behind the Iron Curtain, the band hailing from Hungary, and in hindsight is probably one of the very best progressive rock albums released in the 80s. Solaris plays a style of instrumental symphonic progressive that should be familiar to fans of groups like Camel or Novalis. Flowing, beautiful melodic themes juxtaposed against a definite ability to rock out, without sacrificing either. Each note on the album is pored over and meticulously crafted, creating exquisite melodic themes with little to no improvisation or needless instrumental masturbation. The album also bears significant characteristics indicative of its decade of origin, bordering on the fringe of neo-progressive at points. Rhythmically, the music here is straightforward and uncluttered, sometimes driving rock beats, sometimes more laid back, but nearly always in 4/4 or 3/4 as far as I could tell. The band is melodically impeccable, focusing on creating dramatic, grandiose passages with layered synths, flute and guitar parts. For Solaris, their distinguishing characteristic is their hard edged, "futuristic" feel. Somewhat in line with this theme, all the keyboards are digital, for better or for worse. In this case, I don't mind them. Despite having a neo-ish feel, the band simply kicks ass most of the time, as extraordinary synthesizer parts fuse with aggressive, metallic guitar riffs to great effect.
The album opens up with the "Marsbeli Kronikak" suite. Actually, the worst part of the album comes in the first track, as the band uses cheesy "martian" voices over the otherwise cool instrumental part. After that initial misstep, the suite picks up gloriously with an array of utterly gorgeous synthesizer themes. Thankfully, the album does not let down afterwards, as the explosive and energetic "M'ars Poetica" is arguably the best cut on the album, followed by the beautiful flute melodies of "Ha Felszall a Kod" (If the Fog Ascends), which maintain the winning streak. Solaris is a band characterized by consistently extraordinary melodic sense and a powerful, dramatic approach, holding a high standard throughout the album proper. "Apokalipszis" (Apocalypse) and "Legyozhetetlen" (Undefeatable) are also overwhelmingly impressive. The two bonus tracks are nice additions, but don't overshadow any of the album work in my opinion. All in all, symphonic fans who would appreciate a harder, more metallic take on their favorite sub-genre would surely enjoy The Martian Chronicles. - Greg Northrup [July 2001]
Solaris Reviews
Website: www.solarismusic.com
Bookmarks: News ~ Solaris Archives
From: Greg Young rny@bbsnet.com
Solaris is an instrumental project band from Hungary which has existed since the early 80s. Their music has a strong melodic content, often laced with Eastern European themes, and is highlighted by the use of dynamics and extended thematic development. There is a great deal of interplay among the lead instruments of flute, guitar and keys which is used to good effect indeveloping their themes. The emphasis is not on providing solo spots for the various instruments, but rather in employing those instruments within the context of the development of the individual piece. 1990 is a 2 CD release which was compiled from various recoding sessions. At times, I find the overall sound to be a bit sterile due to the introduction of some digital synth tones along with somewhat electronic sounding drums. However, these are somewhat minor issues when compared to the overall quality of the release. On the positive side, the guitar has a nice mix of distortion in its tone which insures that it doesn't get lost in the sound yet isn't too overbearing within context. A definite highlight is the 23+ minute piece Los Angeles 2026, with its interlocking themes and gradual buildup. Even the shorter pieces, though, tend to embody the strengths of form mentioned before. In terms of overall output by Solaris, I generally tend to think of 1990 less favorably than their other releases. It doesn't have as much of the prevalent analog synth tones contained in the debut Martian Chronicles, nor anything quite as compelling as the six part title suite of that release. I personally think that the definitive Solaris recording is the Live in Los Angeles 2 CD set. Despite being a live recording, it has exemplary sound quality, and the performances given of their studio material seem to have an added dynamism and immediacy which breathes new life into them.
From: Mark Fonda amfonda@promail.com
Solaris is Hungarian and has been around since 1980 but have split and reformed several times. They are strongly keyboard-oriented with flute, guitar, bass and drums. Their first release 'Martian Chronicles' (1983) is a masterpiece. Their other releases are '1990' (2CD, 1990) and 'Live in Los Angeles' (2CD, 1996) which was performed at Progfest '95. It was a collection of tracks from their two studio albums and featured all their previous members, past and present - different configurations playing different tracks - plus one new studio track. They are all instrumental and sound like a blend of ELP, Camel, Eloy and even Jethro Tull, with lots of analog synthesizers and flute. I can't get much from the liner notes since they are all in Hungarian.
From: "Andrew J. Rozsa"
I was just listening to my national pride-and-joy-group's "Live in Los Angeles" album (what a brilliant album it is!), when on an impulse I gravitated to the Solaris Web site ....to my great sadness I read the following.... "CZIGI IS DEAD! We have a great bereavement. Istvan Cziglan left us on December 27, 1998. I cannot comment our feelings..." I must be getting old and maudlin, because, between the music coming at me right now and the news...tears are flowing down my cheeks. I just don't think that such young men should ever die. What a loss to us all! I am heart-broken.
From: "Jeff Marx"
I just listened to Martian Chronicles last night and was glorying in the great instrumental work that Czigi and company were putting forth. This is devastating news...long live Solaris!!
From: "Andrew J. Rozsa"
I wrote to Solaris and passed on our condolences and told them that their and Czigi's music will live forever...in our hearts, minds...and in those of the millions to come after us.... BTW, "Live in Los Angeles" is even better than 'Martian Chronicles,' IMO. OTOH, I do love live recordings, if they are of good quality. "Live" is superb.
From: Robert LaDuca
I spoke with Solaris' manager Gergely Borszomenyi this morning. He said Istvan Cziglan's death, after a long illness, does not change future plans for the band, as he had left Solaris as a musician a couple of years ago. While they are deeply saddened by the loss of their dear friend, the musicians of Solaris will definitely carry on. The new release "The Book of Prophecies" will be delayed until February. Solaris is under heavy consideration for a performance slot at the inaugural North East Art Rock Festival in late June in Bethlehem PA. ;)
From: "Dr. Robert L. La Duca"
I just received this press release from Solaris mgmt. Don't forget to see them at their second ever USA gig at: the North East Art Rock Festival (NEARfest) on June 27!
SOLARIS : BOOK OF PROPHECIES / NOSTRADAMUS /
Brand new studio album from one of the best instrumental progressive band ever. After the 1995 reunion at the ProgFest Los Angeles and 1996 Rio Art Rock
Festival the band is back again. NOSTRADAMUS is a new concept album. Rich symphonic instrumentation, with a great choir and of course lots of flute, guitar and synth. Let's go back to the 16th century and look into the future (with the past). "We have been interested for long in the 'legend of Nostradamus'. Of course, not necessarily in the way of believing in it. Moreover in such a way as a mystical variation to an important question : how far are we linked to the flow of time ? Indeed, are we separated from time by a wall which cannot be crossed over. This question makes us think because there is no reply." Tracklisting:
1. Foreword - Dedication to Ceasar Nostradamus in the year 1555 of the Lord.
2. Book of Prophecies - Birth of Visions
3. -At the Gate of Eternity
4. The First Completed Prophecy - The Duel (Henri II)
5. The Lion's Realm - Elisabeth Of England
6. Wings Of The Phoenix - Hisler
7. 1999 - Ship Of Darkness
8. Wargames - The Third Antichrist
9. The Minute Of The Truth
10. The Last Verse
RELEASE DATE : 22-02-1999
From: "upnsm0ke"
> Speaking of...I recently bought their Martian Chronicles and was very impressed by it. Tell me, how does Solaris 1990 stack up to MC???
1990 has some stunners on it. The opening cut, "A Viking Visszater," was the track (on a sampler tape from Doug Larson) that hooked me on to Solaris. 1990 has been reissued since with all four sides of the 2LP set intact on 2 CDs. Plus, there's Live In Los Angeles, also 2 CDs----a great 11min. track appends the live material on there.
From: Mike De Lang
After listening to the new Solaris CD every day for about a week now, I need to ask myself...Would I be going out on a limb if I was to say, Best album of 1999? Simply a Masterpiece!!
From: Mike De Lang
What little vocals there are on this CD, are in Latin. Besides their regular line up of guitar, keyboards, flute, drums, and two bass players; there are four guest vocalists. One from the Budapest Operetta and two, a tenor and bass vocalist from the Hungarian Opera. Also two guest guitarists and sax player. The vocals remind me a little of that Gregorian style, scary church music that they played on the movie "The Omen". It fits the music very well being that this is a concept album about Nostradamus. That "Gregorian" feel is throughout the whole album. The first song "Book of Prophecies" just blows me away. It's a little over 20 minutes and starts with these Latin vocals, then some nice acoustic guitar, then the crescendo starts to build with some opera style harmonizing along with some killer flute and guitar solos. The crescendo just keeps building and building and when the synthesizers kick in; WOWIEEE!!! The rest of album is just as intense and the production is excellent. IMHO, A Must Have.
From: Jeff Marx
Life is good when Solaris gets into the recording studio and serves up some of their magic, which they do on "Nostradamus--Book of Prophecies." After 4 or 5 spins I agree with Greg Walker who called it unbelievable! The keys/flute/guitar interaction is as potent as it was way back on Marsbeli Kronikak...add in some "haunting" (see Eli, I'm learning!) operatic and chant elements, and a great concept to wrap the music around, and you get an early album of the year contender. And there are a few lucky one's hereabout that get to see them play right before Spock's Beard at NearFest on day two, that ought to smoke big time! ("Nostradamus--BoP" Hungary, 1999 Periferic Records).
From: "Richard Zywotkiewicz"
I'm really getting into Hungarian prog rock. I've always been into Omega, but yes, these new talents blow them away. I think the best of the lot is Solaris who's Nostradamus cd is a milestone in prog rock. 60 brilliant minutes without let up - a lot of flute, synth keys and fantastic guitar interplay - a hard and soft feel simultaneously. Kind of like Tull's Thick as a Brick meets Grobschnitt's Solar Music. Mostly instrumental as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
From: "Britton Brewer"
Greetings! I was interested to learn in the NEARFest program that the members of Solaris played in a pop band called Napoleon Boulevard in the years between THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES and 1990. Have any of you heard the Napoleon Boulevard albums and, if so, are they worth tracking down?
From: "Alan J. Mallery"
Regarding Solaris and the bass players. They have had 3 bass players in their history. The original was Attila Seres. Next was Gabor Kissabo (who played first in their set) from about 1982-83. Next was Tomas Pocs (who played 2nd) who was on the Martian Chronicles album. When the band reunited for the 1990 album both Kissabo and Pocs are part of the group, so they switch off. At Progfest 95 original guitarist Istvan Ciglan played about half the tracks as well.
From: "Mark Fonda" Just in from Solaris [solaris@solarismusic.com]: 1980-2000: the Solaris is twenty years old! A memorial series will be launched from the bootleg recordings of the orchestra Please visit for details our completely reconstructed site: http://www.solarismusic.com News: May 17, 2000 It's not a dream, it is REALITY !!! The first part of the SOLARIS archives is on the market !!! You can listen to the very first songs from the SOLARIS on a brand new CD: SOLARIS archive 1. - Back to the Roots. The first period of the band's life between February and September from 1980 - interesting live versions of some legendary SOLARIS themes and some unpublished compositions. A citation from the cover text: "Even just to put it down is frightening: we were formed twenty years ago! There are four class reunions (held every five year), five football world championships, five Olympics, a transition to a new political system behind us; we're after Gorbachev and Reagan, we still remember the Radio Free Europe, the broadcast breaks on Mondays, the 2.80-forint sausages, the tram on Lajos Kossuth street, Tцrхcsik (a football player), who almost spat in the judge's face at the match against the Argentines; a time when Western LP's could only be bought at the flea market or on Museum Boulevard, when Lбszlу Cseke and Gyцrgy Komjбthy represented two separate worlds yet and when we were convinced that Bйla Bartуk would stay with us forever on the thousand-forint banknote - and so on, an endless flow of things, hopelessly impalpable for our children . The Solaris has almost become an item on the above list - a memory in the head of those who are fond of keeping old things. As it has become the fate of most Hungarian progressive bands. It did not happen so, due to our good luck. Good luck and to several fanatics who have helped a lot to the Solaris to meet the audience. We would like to celebrate this 20-year anniversary with them and with everybody who has ever been touched by our music. We have searched and found recordings never published before, or early, unpublished versions of music recorded in a different way in the old days." On the next archive issues you can follow the SOLARIS-sound transformation step by step:concert for concert: These recordings technically are not ideal but you can feel the fresh power of these songs which undetectable in the studio recordings (much more feeling, much more noise:) !
From: Andrew Rozsa Solaris has a new official web page. Other news... they decided to dig up their old archives and publish them as official bootlegs. Started with their 1980 stuff.."Solaris Archive 1. Back to the Roots." There seems to be another album "Rockhullam" ("Rockwaves"), also from 1980, that I haven't seen before. Several mp3 files are available for download, including complete tracks from these "new" archives stuff. Check it out, if you like them. http://www.solarismusic.com/ Viszontlбtбsra йs minden jуt,
From: Carsten Busch A message I got from Periferic. If you're near Budapest: GO!
Hi Carsten, I ask you to put the news into your mag.about our festival (PERIFERIC MUSIC FESTIVAL) on Aug.12. Three bands to play : After Crying, Attila Kollбr (Solaris flutist) with other Solaris members and guest musicians performing Musical Witchcraft and the biggest surprise is ex-EAST guitarist Jбnos Varga with two other ex-EAST musicians play the instrumental progressive music of early EAST of the seventies. This material was never released and we are going to put out a CD of this music in autumn. Venue : Park Theatre at Buda (Budapest) Doors open : 5:30 pm Showtime : 6:30 pm Tickets : 25,- DEM Just on the weekend when the FORMULA 1 race will take place in Budapest at Hungaroring. Cheap hotel rooms are available.
From: "Andrew J. Rуzsa"
Date: Sat Mar 23, 2002 6:12 pm
Subject: Re: [e-Prog] quidam & solaris/erdesz robert
>Nothing has been posted on the Solaris site for a year. Anyone know what's happening with the band?
I am following the Hungarian forum on Solaris: http://forum.index.hu/forum.cgi?a=t&t=9004095&uq=80
and everybody is waiting for NOAB, the second volume of the Solaris archives. The digital remaster of "Los Angeles Live" is identical to the original, with the addition of a bonus track "Rio Concert" (5:00). That's about it.
BTW, did y'all know that Kollar Atilla is a physician (radiologist)?
Erdйsz Rуbert (Robi)'s "Meeting Point" is both a pleasure and a disappointment.
Reviews:
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Rob La Duca 3-April-2001 biography
Solaris was founded in 1980 by university friends Istvan Cziglan (guitar), Attila Kollar (flute), Attila Seres (bass), Vilmos Toth (drums) and Robert Erdesz (keyboards). Their name is taken from a novel of the same name by science fiction author Stanislaw Lem. The original members were united by their love of science fiction and progressive/electronic music. Ray Bradbury's famous novel served as the inspiration for their full-length recording Marsbeli Kronikak (Martian Chronicles), released in 1984, with Laszlo Gomor on drums and Tamas Pocs on bass. This album is considered a defining moment in 80s progressive rock with its intricate and classical influenced flute/synth/guitar compositions. Keyboard-based symphonic rock rarely gets better than on tracks such as "M'ars Poetica" and "Undefeatable".
Even though Martian Chronicles sold close to 40,000 copies, the state-owned record company refused to release a second Solaris effort. After all members took part in the highly successful Hungarian pop outfit Napoleon Boulevard, Solaris released the double LP 1990, featuring superb symphonic compositions from throughout the band's history. In 1995 Solaris was invited to perform their first ever show in North America at Progfest in Los Angeles. They later released the 2-CD set Live in Los Angeles from tapes of that rousing performance, along with a new studio cut. In 1998 Solaris headlined the Rio Art Rock Festival in Brazil, but without Istvan Cziglan who was terminally ill. In December 1998 Cziglan passed on, but his bandmates decide to continue his musical legacy.
1999 was a busy year for Solaris with the release of Attila Kollar's solo album Musical Witchcraft (featuring all Solaris members) and the third studio album for the band, entitled Nostradamus, Book of Prophecies. This CD is based loosely on the cryptic quatrains of the famous French mystic and weaves ethnic flavorings, Latin vocals, and an edgier guitar presence into the classic symphonic Solaris sound.
Solaris returned to the United States in June 1999 to perform at the inaugural NEARfest in Pennsylvania, and earned multiple standing ovations for their pulsating and fiery performance. In a moment that lives in modern prog lore, they refused to cede the stage even after the NEARfest organizers walked on the stage saying that the band's time was up. Kollar rallied the audience to fever pitch, who demanded that the band be allowed to continue.
The latter half of 1999 saw members of the band return to the studio to complete Cziglan's solo album, which remained unfinished at the time of his death. The posthumously released Seven Gates of Alhambra combines symphonic progressive rock with world music stylings. Solaris is now in the process of releasing a set of three CDs of live material and works in progress. The first installment Solaris: The Early Years was released in early 2000 and features a live concert from 1980 before the band had purchased any synthesizers. Always a favorite on the festival circuit, Solaris returned to North America in 2001 to play at the highly regarded Mexican festival BajaProg.
(originally published in the NEARFest 1999 Program Guide, edited for Gnosis 3/27/01)
