This article refers to a musical group called Omega. For other uses see the Omega

Omega (disambiguation)

Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. See that article for more uses of the upper case or lower case letter as a symbol.Omega may also refer to:- Automobiles :* Opel Omega, a car model by Opel/Vauxhall...

 disambiguation page.

Omega is one of the most successful Hungarian

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

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 bands.

Biography

Formed in Budapest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

 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

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and American rock songs, frequently changing the lineup of members. In 1967 Tamás Mihály came on bass, Gábor Presser joined on keyboards and began writing original music for the band (in 1968 György Molnár became a lead guitarist), contributing to the release of three LPs before leaving the band with József Laux, a drummer from 1962, to form 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...

 in spring 1971. These first albums were heavily influenced by the music of The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 and psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...

, but they also looked forward to the band's future more hard rock

Hard rock

Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

, then progressive

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...

 and space-rock styles. After Presser and Laux's departure, the band found a new drummer (Ferenc Debreceni (later as Debreczeni) came from group Neoton) and appointed Benkő as the main keyboardsman, in August 1971 creating the current lineup, which has remained the same for over 30 years:

• János Kóbor ("Mecky"), lead vocals
• György Molnár ("Elefánt"), guitars
• László Benkő ("Laci"), keyboards, vocals
• Tamás Mihály ("Misi"), bass, vocals
• Ferenc Debreceni ("Ciki"), drums

This lineup of Omega released ten more albums from 1972 to 1987. Many of these were released both in Hungarian

Hungarian language

Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....

 and in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, in the hopes of generating wider interest in their music. However, the contents of the English albums often differed from their Hungarian counterparts, sometimes assembling tracks from several different albums and nearly always changing the song order. Following a few years of inactivity, the band reunited in 1994, with former member Gábor Presser joining them at concerts and contributing several tracks to 1995's Trans And Dance.

Omega has achieved great international success through releases in multiple languages, and tours in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Their 1969 song "Gyöngyhajú lány

Gyöngyhajú lány

Gyöngyhajú lány was the song by Hungarian Omega band, recorded in 1969 and released on album 10 000 lépés...

" became an international hit, and was later covered by Griva

Griva

Griva was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Novi Sad.-1982—1992:The band was formed in 1982 by former Ibn Tup members, Zlatko Karavla and Josip Sabo . The first lineup also featured Zoran Gogić , Laslo Novak , and Đorđe Jovanović...

 on a 1987 self-titled album, with the title "Devojka biserne kose", and by Scorpions

Scorpions (band)

Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...

 on a 1995 live release, with new lyrics and the title "White Dove" (the Hungarian title officially was translated as "Pearls In Her Hair").

Omega’s 16th. Hungarian studio release is 2006’s Égi jel: Omega ("Divine Sign: Omega"), and their latest English release is 1996’s Transcendent. In spring and summer of 2006, they performed their "EurOmega 2006" tour, including concerts in Hungary, 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...

, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

, Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 and Basel

Basel

Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

.

As the first part of a trilogy the band released in autumn 2010 Omega Rhapsody.

Discography

In Hungary, Omega have sold millions of albums, their most popular album being Gammapolis, which sold around 650,000 copies - it was the biggest selling album ever in Hungary. Omega performed by far the most concerts abroad of any Hungarian band; all in the age of communism

Communism

Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

/socialism

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

. They were also the first Hungarian band to release an album on CD. Omega were well known for producing exciting live concerts with an accent on light shows and quality sound. They are by far the longest-running Hungarian rock band.

Studio albums

Hungarian language albums

• Trombitás Frédi és a rettenetes emberek (1968), due to marketing schemes the band's name was changed to Omega Red Star on the album cover
• 10 000 lépés (1969)
• Éjszakai országút
  Éjszakai országút
  Éjszakai országút is the third album of the Hungarian rockband Omega, released in 1970. It was the last band album with the keyboardist/vocalist Gábor Presser and drummer József Laux, which later created Locomotiv GT, more jazz-oriented band....
  
  (1970)
• 200 évvel az utolsó háború után (recorded in 1972, but not released until 1998 due to government censorship
  Censorship
  thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
  
  ; Élő Omega, a fake "live" recording of the original studio material was released instead)
• Omega 5 (1973) later remixed, remastered and released as Szvit
• Omega 6: Nem tudom a neved (1975); later remixed, remastered and released as Tűzvihar - Stormy Fire
• Omega 7: Időrabló (1977); later remixed, remastered and with its English language version released as Időrabló - Time Robber
• Omega 8: Csillagok útján (1978); later remixed, remastered and with its English language version released as Csillagok útján - Skyrover
• Gammapolis (1979); later remixed, remastered and with its English language version released as Gammapolisz - Gammapolis
• Omega X: Az arc (1981)
• Omega XI (1982)
• Omega 12: A föld árnyékos oldalán (1986)
• Omega XIII: Babylon (1987)
• Trans And Dance (1995); later remixed, remastered and released as Transcendent - Hungarian version
• Omega XV: Egy életre szól (1998)
• Omega XVI: Égi jel: Omega (2006)
• Omega Rhapsody (2010)

English language albums

• Omega Red Star From Hungary (1968) extremely rare vinyl recording, since October 2007 available on CD. Vocals by Mihály Tamás
• Omega (1973)
• 200 Years After The Last War (1974)
• Omega III (1974)
• The Hall Of Floaters In The Sky (1975)
• Time Robber (1976)
• Sky Rover (1978)
• Gammapolis (1979)
• Working (1981)
• Transcendent (1996)

Also, one German studio album was released:

• Das Deutsche Album (1973)

Live albums

• Élő Omega (1972, released instead of their 4th studio album, first LP with Debreceni on drums; on official band's site is included on the Studio Albums list)
• Élő Omega Kisstadion 79 (1979; a 2-LP set)
• Live At The Kisstadion 79 (1979; a 2-LP set, including some tracks dubbed with English vocals)
• Kisstadion '80 (1981; 5 titles by Omega, and rest of the album by 2 other performers of joint show, 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...
  
   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...
  
  )
• Jubileumi Koncert (1983)
• Népstadion 1994 Omegakoncert No. 1: Vizesblokk (1994)
• Népstadion 1994 Omegakoncert No. 2: Szárazblokk (1994)
• Az Omega összes koncertfelvétele 1. (1995, a 3-CD set of live recordings from the 60s and 70s, including the Kisstadion 1979 concert)
• Az Omega összes koncertfelvétele 2. (1995, a 3-CD set of live recordings from the 80s and 90s)
• Népstadion 1999 (1999, released as a 2-CD set and as a DVD)
• Napot hoztam, csillagot (2004 limited edition CD; a DVD of this title was also released, with a different tracklist)

External links

• Official Omega Homepage (in Hungarian)
• The English-language version of one of their most popular songs, Léna (aka "Russian Winter")
• Fan Club site (multilanguage)
• German Fan Club site (in German)