Transsylvania Phoenix
Encyclopedia
Transsylvania Phoenix is a Romanian
rock
band formed in 1962 in Timişoara
by guitarists Nicu Covaci
and Kamocsa Béla. Guitarist Claudiu Rotaru, vocalist Florin "Moni" Bordeianu and drummer Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici completed the early lineup. The group became famous in Romania
in the 1970s when it started fusing their 1960s rock and roll
sound with traditional folk music, thus pioneering the "ethno rock
" sub-genre.
After gaining popularity in Romania during the so-called British invasion
in the mid-60s, Phoenix were banned from performing and recording in 1970 when, on his last concert as a group member before emigrating
to the United States
, vocalist Florin "Moni" Bordeianu made derogatory remarks about Nicolae Ceauşescu
's regime
and its approach to western music
. The group would reach legend-status amongst Romanians
in 1977 when they illegally fled to West Germany
, exposing themselves to risks such as being arrested, deported or even executed by Ceauşescu
's Securitate
. They have been estimated to have sold over 9 million albums in Romania
.
in 1962 by a pair of schoolboys: Nicu Covaci
and Béla Kamocsa, under the name of Sfinţii (The Saints). In their first years, together with Florin "Moni" Bordeianu (born 1948), they performed in school contests and at local clubs, covering Western music hits from The Rolling Stones
, The Beatles
, The Who
, etc., and they quickly became very popular amongst the youth. In 1965 the Communist
authorities demanded that the band stop performing under the name The Saints, because of the religious innuendo that the name carried. Forced to comply, the band took the name Phoenix. Nicu Covaci also changed the composition of the band, around 1963, by adding Claudiu Rotaru, Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici (born 1946) and Günther "Spitzly" Reininger (born 1950) to the lineup.
In 1965 they had their first big concert in Bucharest
. Their performance brought a collaboration with Cornel Chiriac
to record some of their songs. The first songs they recorded were "Ştiu cǎ mǎ iubesti şi tu" ("I Know You Love Me Too"), "Dunăre, Dunăre" ("Danube, Danube") and "Bun e vinul ghiurghiuliu" ("Good is the Red Wine"). The same year also marked the beginning of their collaboration with Victor Cârcu, who went on to write many of their most famous songs, such as "Vremuri" ("Old Times"), "Şi totuşi ca voi sunt" ("And Yet I Am Like You"), "Nebunul cu ochii închişi" ("The Fool with Eyes Closed"), "Floarea stîncilor" ("Mountain Flower") and "Canarul" ("Canary").
In December 1967 Phoenix had their first major series of concerts in many western cities, capped off by two huge concerts in Timişoara. After winning a few prizes in national students' contests, held at Iaşi
the following year, in 1968 they recorded their first EP, Vremuri, containing two original songs, Vremuri and Canarul, and two covers (Lady Madonna
- The Beatles and Friday on My Mind
- The Easybeats). A second EP would follow one year later, named Floarea stîncilor (The Flower of the Rocks), with all four songs being original compositions. Both albums sport a sound reminiscent of the beat style popular in those days.
They then started working on a rock theater play "Omul 36/80" (The Man 36/80) which won several prizes for originality.
In 1969 Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici was replaced by Dorel "Baba" Vintilă Zaharia (born 1943). For the next year the band became more and more popular, frequently visiting Bucharest and being invited onto talk shows about music.
In 1970, Moni Bordeianu emigrated to the United States
, and, for a brief period of time the band suspended its activity, also due to total censorship that followed a protesting speech held by Bordeianu in his last concert. 1970 meant the blues period of the band. The formula used was Nicu Covaci - guitar, Günther "Spitzly" Reininger - piano and voice, Zoltán Kovács - bass guitar and Liviu Butoi - oboe and flute. Phoenix was born again the next year, with Covaci, Josef Kappl
, Mircea Baniciu
, Costin Petrescu
(replaced in 1974 by Ovidiu Lipan
, nicknamed "Ţăndărică") and Valeriu Sepi.
But the Communist officials were not very comfortable with the Western-style music that they were singing, and kept creating them problems. So Phoenix abandoned beat turned to Romanian folklore, pagan
rituals, mystic animals and old traditions. In this same year, Phoenix started a collaboration with the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore and the Folklore section of Timişoara University on an ambitious project, a rock poem that combined traditional wooden instruments with modern sounds. During this project the band also started collaborating with Valeriu Sepi (born 1947), who eventually joined the band. The first outcome would be the 1972 LP Cei ce ne-au dat nume (Those Who Gave Us a Name) - the second LP to be recorded in Romania by a Romanian band. Two years later, Mugur de fluier (Flute Bud) followed. Both albums underwent severe censorship.
In 1973 Phoenix represented Romania at the "Golden harp" festival in Bratislava
(Slovakia
) and then in the "Disc festival
" in Sopot
(Poland
). Also, they wanted to record a new rock-opera, named "Meşterul Manole", but the communist officials censored it all, by "losing" the unique book with costume sketches and lyrics given to them for official approval. The result was only a EP with an extract from the opera, Meşterul Manole, uvertură (Meşterul Manole, uverture) and two older songs, Mamă, Mamă (Mother, Mother) and Te întreb pe tine, soare... (I'm asking you, sun...).
On Monday, 19 November 1973, Phoenix held a memorable concert in Bucharest, presenting their new hits "Andrii Popa", "Pavel Cneazul", "Mica Ţiganiadă" and "Strunga" which composed the new disc "Mugur de fluier". The new songs were still influenced by folklore
yet had a new style. This style was the result of the collaboration with new songwriter
s Andrei Ujică and Şerban Foarţă. Based on those new songs Nicu Covaci created a new show "Introducere la un concert despre muzica veche la români" ("Introduction to a concert about old Romanian music") in which he introduced violins, flutes, archaic percussion and other traditional instruments. The show was never finished due to a new collaboration with "Cenaclul Flacăra". This period is considered the peak for Phoenix. Their sound was considered original and powerful and full stadiums were common for their concerts.
Every winter the members of the band would retreat to Mount Semenic and plan their upcoming songs. That winter the show "Zoosophia", a title that would later change to "Cantafabule", was created. The show began by "calling" all mythic animals and continued by dedicating a song to each of them, finishing with the Phoenix
, the band's symbol. The year 1975 brought a newcomer to the band, Ovidiu Lipan "Ţăndărică" (born 1953). The "Cantafabule" show was first presented in Timişoara in February 1975. The disc was recorded in a very short time and was published the same year with a misspelling in the title: "Cantofabule." What followed were two years of almost continuous concerts but also the creation of the soundtrack for the movie "Nemuritorii".
By this time, the popularity of Phoenix had grown huge; people loved their songs not only for what they were, but also because they contained thinly-veiled allusions to the Communist regime. The band members, especially Nicu Covaci, found themselves increasingly harassed by the Securitate
. Covaci married a Dutch
woman and left the country in 1976. He returned in 1977, bringing in relief aid for those struck by the powerful earthquake
on March 4. After two grandiose concerts in Constanţa
and Tulcea
, Covaci surprisingly left the country again, this time with all the band members (except Baniciu) hidden inside their Marshall
speakers - a huge undertaking, since in Communist Romania it was extremely difficult to obtain approval to travel abroad, and illegal border crossing was punished with imprisonment.
, Phoenix disbanded. Kappl and a few others (Erlend Krauser, Ovidiu Lipan) formed a new band, Madhouse and released a not very successful album named From The East. In 1981, Covaci co-opted Neumann and Lipan and English bassist Tom Buggie, who had an amazing technical playing ability, under the name Transsylvania Phoenix (since a band named Phoenix already existed) and released an LP named Transsylvania, containing two old Phoenix songs translated into English to target the Western audience and five new ones. Covaci together with Kappl also released two EPs and one maxi single as Transsylvania-Phoenix.
that eventually led to the downfall of the Communist regime, their first post-1989 concert took place in Bucharest
, the capital of Romania
. Phoenix also stopped composing new music and just kept selling compilations of their old record for over a decade. Internal conflicts, especially between Covaci and Baniciu, were making headlines in the media.
A new album appeared in 2000, the first original album after their 1990 comeback attempt; with the exception of Covaci, the lineup comprised none of the members from the '70s.
In 2002, the 40th anniversary of the band brought together some of the former members.
At the end of 2005 the band released a new album, named Baba Novak, in its classic gold lineup.
As of 2010, the band still performs at live events.
In Germany (under the name Transsylvania Phoenix):
In Romania (after 1989):
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
rock
Romanian rock
Romanian rock is a genre of popular music in Romania. It was influenced by changes in Romanian politics to such an extreme, that both the themes and styles of musicians, and the tastes and interests of listeners, changed dramatically with every major event in Romania's internal politics.As a...
band formed in 1962 in Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
by guitarists Nicu Covaci
Nicu Covaci
Nicolae Covaci is a Romanian painter, music composer, best known as the leader of Romanian Rock and cult band Phoenix, for which he is vocalist and guitar player, with more than 40 years of activity.-Biography:...
and Kamocsa Béla. Guitarist Claudiu Rotaru, vocalist Florin "Moni" Bordeianu and drummer Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici completed the early lineup. The group became famous in 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...
in the 1970s when it started fusing their 1960s rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
sound with traditional folk music, thus pioneering the "ethno rock
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
" sub-genre.
After gaining popularity in Romania during the so-called British invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
in the mid-60s, Phoenix were banned from performing and recording in 1970 when, on his last concert as a group member before emigrating
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, vocalist Florin "Moni" Bordeianu made derogatory remarks about Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
's regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
and its approach to western music
Western music
Western music may refer to:* Classical music, a genre of art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music from the 10th century onward...
. The group would reach legend-status amongst Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
in 1977 when they illegally fled to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, exposing themselves to risks such as being arrested, deported or even executed by Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
's Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
. They have been estimated to have sold over 9 million albums in 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...
.
The beginning
Phoenix was launched in the cosmopolitan city of TimişoaraTimisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
in 1962 by a pair of schoolboys: Nicu Covaci
Nicu Covaci
Nicolae Covaci is a Romanian painter, music composer, best known as the leader of Romanian Rock and cult band Phoenix, for which he is vocalist and guitar player, with more than 40 years of activity.-Biography:...
and Béla Kamocsa, under the name of Sfinţii (The Saints). In their first years, together with Florin "Moni" Bordeianu (born 1948), they performed in school contests and at local clubs, covering Western music hits from The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, 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...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, etc., and they quickly became very popular amongst the youth. In 1965 the Communist
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...
authorities demanded that the band stop performing under the name The Saints, because of the religious innuendo that the name carried. Forced to comply, the band took the name Phoenix. Nicu Covaci also changed the composition of the band, around 1963, by adding Claudiu Rotaru, Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici (born 1946) and Günther "Spitzly" Reininger (born 1950) to the lineup.
In 1965 they had their first big concert in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. Their performance brought a collaboration with Cornel Chiriac
Cornel Chiriac
Cornel Chiriac was a Romanian journalist, radio producer, record producer, journalist and jazz drummer.-Early life:...
to record some of their songs. The first songs they recorded were "Ştiu cǎ mǎ iubesti şi tu" ("I Know You Love Me Too"), "Dunăre, Dunăre" ("Danube, Danube") and "Bun e vinul ghiurghiuliu" ("Good is the Red Wine"). The same year also marked the beginning of their collaboration with Victor Cârcu, who went on to write many of their most famous songs, such as "Vremuri" ("Old Times"), "Şi totuşi ca voi sunt" ("And Yet I Am Like You"), "Nebunul cu ochii închişi" ("The Fool with Eyes Closed"), "Floarea stîncilor" ("Mountain Flower") and "Canarul" ("Canary").
In December 1967 Phoenix had their first major series of concerts in many western cities, capped off by two huge concerts in Timişoara. After winning a few prizes in national students' contests, held at Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
the following year, in 1968 they recorded their first EP, Vremuri, containing two original songs, Vremuri and Canarul, and two covers (Lady Madonna
Lady Madonna
"Lady Madonna" is a song by The Beatles, primarily written by Paul McCartney . In March 1968, it was released as a single, backed with "The Inner Light." The song was recorded on 3 and 6 February 1968 before the Beatles left for India...
- The Beatles and Friday on My Mind
Friday on My Mind
"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
- The Easybeats). A second EP would follow one year later, named Floarea stîncilor (The Flower of the Rocks), with all four songs being original compositions. Both albums sport a sound reminiscent of the beat style popular in those days.
They then started working on a rock theater play "Omul 36/80" (The Man 36/80) which won several prizes for originality.
In 1969 Ioan "Pilu" Ştefanovici was replaced by Dorel "Baba" Vintilă Zaharia (born 1943). For the next year the band became more and more popular, frequently visiting Bucharest and being invited onto talk shows about music.
In 1970, Moni Bordeianu emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and, for a brief period of time the band suspended its activity, also due to total censorship that followed a protesting speech held by Bordeianu in his last concert. 1970 meant the blues period of the band. The formula used was Nicu Covaci - guitar, Günther "Spitzly" Reininger - piano and voice, Zoltán Kovács - bass guitar and Liviu Butoi - oboe and flute. Phoenix was born again the next year, with Covaci, Josef Kappl
Josef Kappl
Josef Kappl is a former bass player of the Romanian rock band Phoenix. He was born in Petrila. He graduated from the Music Conservatory in Timişoara. He also played the violin and the flute with Phoenix . He is also a former member of the German rock band Lake.-External links:...
, Mircea Baniciu
Mircea Baniciu
Mircea Baniciu is a Romanian musician. He plays with the bands Transsylvania Phoenix and Pasărea Colibri. While playing with Phoenix, he also earned a BA in architecture.Mircea Baniciu is now married and has two children.- Discography :...
, Costin Petrescu
Costin Petrescu
Costin Petrescu is a Romanian musician , born in Bucharest in 1949. He played with two Romanian rock bands of the 60s and 70s': Olimpic '64 and Phoenix . He is a graduate of the Architecture Institute and he works today as an architect in Paris...
(replaced in 1974 by Ovidiu Lipan
Ovidiu Lipan
Ovidiu Lipan 'Ţăndărică' is a Romanian drummer.He played between 1966 and 1975 with the Romanian rock band Roşu şi Negru. In 1975 he joined Transsylvania Phoenix. In 1977 he settled in Germany, but after 1990 he moved back to Romania. Now he has solo projects and also plays with Phoenix...
, nicknamed "Ţăndărică") and Valeriu Sepi.
But the Communist officials were not very comfortable with the Western-style music that they were singing, and kept creating them problems. So Phoenix abandoned beat turned to Romanian folklore, pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
rituals, mystic animals and old traditions. In this same year, Phoenix started a collaboration with the Institute of Ethnography and Folklore and the Folklore section of Timişoara University on an ambitious project, a rock poem that combined traditional wooden instruments with modern sounds. During this project the band also started collaborating with Valeriu Sepi (born 1947), who eventually joined the band. The first outcome would be the 1972 LP Cei ce ne-au dat nume (Those Who Gave Us a Name) - the second LP to be recorded in Romania by a Romanian band. Two years later, Mugur de fluier (Flute Bud) followed. Both albums underwent severe censorship.
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
(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...
) and then in the "Disc festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
" in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....
(Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). Also, they wanted to record a new rock-opera, named "Meşterul Manole", but the communist officials censored it all, by "losing" the unique book with costume sketches and lyrics given to them for official approval. The result was only a EP with an extract from the opera, Meşterul Manole, uvertură (Meşterul Manole, uverture) and two older songs, Mamă, Mamă (Mother, Mother) and Te întreb pe tine, soare... (I'm asking you, sun...).
On Monday, 19 November 1973, Phoenix held a memorable concert in Bucharest, presenting their new hits "Andrii Popa", "Pavel Cneazul", "Mica Ţiganiadă" and "Strunga" which composed the new disc "Mugur de fluier". The new songs were still influenced by folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
yet had a new style. This style was the result of the collaboration with new songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s Andrei Ujică and Şerban Foarţă. Based on those new songs Nicu Covaci created a new show "Introducere la un concert despre muzica veche la români" ("Introduction to a concert about old Romanian music") in which he introduced violins, flutes, archaic percussion and other traditional instruments. The show was never finished due to a new collaboration with "Cenaclul Flacăra". This period is considered the peak for Phoenix. Their sound was considered original and powerful and full stadiums were common for their concerts.
Every winter the members of the band would retreat to Mount Semenic and plan their upcoming songs. That winter the show "Zoosophia", a title that would later change to "Cantafabule", was created. The show began by "calling" all mythic animals and continued by dedicating a song to each of them, finishing with the Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, the band's symbol. The year 1975 brought a newcomer to the band, Ovidiu Lipan "Ţăndărică" (born 1953). The "Cantafabule" show was first presented in Timişoara in February 1975. The disc was recorded in a very short time and was published the same year with a misspelling in the title: "Cantofabule." What followed were two years of almost continuous concerts but also the creation of the soundtrack for the movie "Nemuritorii".
By this time, the popularity of Phoenix had grown huge; people loved their songs not only for what they were, but also because they contained thinly-veiled allusions to the Communist regime. The band members, especially Nicu Covaci, found themselves increasingly harassed by the Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
. Covaci married a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
woman and left the country in 1976. He returned in 1977, bringing in relief aid for those struck by the powerful earthquake
1977 Bucharest Earthquake
The 1977 Vrancea Earthquake occurred on Friday, 4 March 1977, 21:20 local time and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.2 with an epicenter in Vrancea at a depth of ....
on March 4. After two grandiose concerts in Constanţa
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
and Tulcea
Tulcea
Tulcea is a city in Dobrogea, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea county, and has a population of 92,379 as of 2007. One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city.- History :...
, Covaci surprisingly left the country again, this time with all the band members (except Baniciu) hidden inside their Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
speakers - a huge undertaking, since in Communist Romania it was extremely difficult to obtain approval to travel abroad, and illegal border crossing was punished with imprisonment.
The 1980s
After arriving in GermanyGermany
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...
, Phoenix disbanded. Kappl and a few others (Erlend Krauser, Ovidiu Lipan) formed a new band, Madhouse and released a not very successful album named From The East. In 1981, Covaci co-opted Neumann and Lipan and English bassist Tom Buggie, who had an amazing technical playing ability, under the name Transsylvania Phoenix (since a band named Phoenix already existed) and released an LP named Transsylvania, containing two old Phoenix songs translated into English to target the Western audience and five new ones. Covaci together with Kappl also released two EPs and one maxi single as Transsylvania-Phoenix.
Comeback
In 1990 Phoenix made a modest comeback to Romania. Despite the fact that they were expected to sing their first song in their hometown Timişoara, the city that sparked the Romanian Revolution of 1989Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
that eventually led to the downfall of the Communist regime, their first post-1989 concert took place in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, the capital of 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...
. Phoenix also stopped composing new music and just kept selling compilations of their old record for over a decade. Internal conflicts, especially between Covaci and Baniciu, were making headlines in the media.
A new album appeared in 2000, the first original album after their 1990 comeback attempt; with the exception of Covaci, the lineup comprised none of the members from the '70s.
In 2002, the 40th anniversary of the band brought together some of the former members.
At the end of 2005 the band released a new album, named Baba Novak, in its classic gold lineup.
As of 2010, the band still performs at live events.
Members
- Nicolae (Nicu) CovaciNicu CovaciNicolae Covaci is a Romanian painter, music composer, best known as the leader of Romanian Rock and cult band Phoenix, for which he is vocalist and guitar player, with more than 40 years of activity.-Biography:...
- (1962-) Guitar, vocals, composer, founder and leader of the band. - Bogdan Bradu - (2003–2004, 2007-) Vocals.
- Ovidiu Lipan (Ţăndărică)Ovidiu LipanOvidiu Lipan 'Ţăndărică' is a Romanian drummer.He played between 1966 and 1975 with the Romanian rock band Roşu şi Negru. In 1975 he joined Transsylvania Phoenix. In 1977 he settled in Germany, but after 1990 he moved back to Romania. Now he has solo projects and also plays with Phoenix...
- (1975–1978, 1980–1981, 1989–1998, 2002-) Drums. - Cristi Gram - (2004-) Electric guitar, vocals.
- Volker Vaessen (1992–1993, 1999–2000, 2002–2005, 2008-) - bass guitar
- Dzidek Marcinkiewicz (1983, sporadically between 1985–1999, 2008-) - keyboards, vocals
Past members
- Mircea BaniciuMircea BaniciuMircea Baniciu is a Romanian musician. He plays with the bands Transsylvania Phoenix and Pasărea Colibri. While playing with Phoenix, he also earned a BA in architecture.Mircea Baniciu is now married and has two children.- Discography :...
- Vocals, guitar, composer. 2001-2007, previously between 1970–1976 and 1990–1992, also sporadically during the later 90's. - Josef (Joschi) KapplJosef KapplJosef Kappl is a former bass player of the Romanian rock band Phoenix. He was born in Petrila. He graduated from the Music Conservatory in Timişoara. He also played the violin and the flute with Phoenix . He is also a former member of the German rock band Lake.-External links:...
- 1971-2008 (with short interruptions). Bass guitar, vocals, violin, flute, composer. - Manfred (Mani) Neumann - 1978-1981, 1989-2008. Violin, flute, vocals. Active member of the "Farfarello" band (violin, flute).
- Florin "Moni" Bordeianu (1962–1970, 1977–1978, 2008–present) - vocals, composer
- Kamocsa Béla (1962–1970) - drums, bass guitar
- Günther ReiningerGünther ReiningerGünther Reininger is a German keyboardist and a former member of the Romanian rock groups Amicii, and Phoenix.He is an Honorary Citizen of Timişoara.He currently resides in Germany.-Footnotes:...
(1966–1971, 1974–1976) - piano, keyboards, vocals - Costin PetrescuCostin PetrescuCostin Petrescu is a Romanian musician , born in Bucharest in 1949. He played with two Romanian rock bands of the 60s and 70s': Olimpic '64 and Phoenix . He is a graduate of the Architecture Institute and he works today as an architect in Paris...
(1972–1975, 1990, 2002) - drums - Valeriu Sepi (1971–1974) - percussion
- Erlend Krauser (1976–1978) - violin, guitar
- Ulli Heidelberg (1978–1980) - violin, guitar, vocals
- Christoph Bank (1978) - bass
- Meinolf Bauschulte (1979–1980)- drums, vocals
- Tom Buggie (1980–1981) - bass guitar
- Adi Pavlovici (1962–1963) - guitar, vocals
- Liviu Butoi (1970–1972) - oboe, flute
- Eugen GondiEugen GondiEugen Gondi is a Romanian-born jazz drummer.He graduated from the Arts Middle School in his hometown.He started his musical career by playing with the "Paul Weiner Free Jazz" trio....
(1975) - drums - Ionut Contraş - (1998–2010) Backing vocals, percussion.
Discography
In Romania:- Vremuri (Old Times), 1968, EP
- Floarea stîncilor (The Flower of the Rocks), 1969, EP
- Cei ce ne-au dat nume (Those Who Gave Us a Name), 1972, LP (re-edited on CD in 1999)
- Meşterul Manole, 1973, EP
- Mugur de fluier (Flute Bud), 1974, LP (re-edited on CD in 1999)
- Cantofabule (Cantafables), 1975, 2LP
In Germany (under the name Transsylvania Phoenix):
- Transsylvania, 1981, LP
- Ballade For You/The Lark, 1987, single
- Tuareg/Mr. GMikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
's Promises, 1988, single - Tuareg, 1988, maxi-single
In Romania (after 1989):
- Ciocîrlia/Perestroika (The Lark/PerestroikaPerestroikaPerestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
), 1990, single - Remember Phoenix, 1991, LP
- SymPhoenix/Timişoara, 1992, CD/MC/2LP
- Evergreens, 1993, CD/MC
- Cantafabule - Bestiar, 1996, CD
- Anniversare 35 (35th Anniversary), 1997, CD/MC
- Vremuri, anii '60... (Old Times, The 60s), 1998, CD/MC
- Ora-Hora, 1999, Promo Maxi-CD
- În umbra marelui urs (In the Shadow of the Big Bear), 2000, CD/MC, re-edited in 2003 as În umbra marelui URSS (In the Shadow of the Big USSR)
- Baba Novak, 2005
External links
- Phoenix's official website
- Old Phoenix's official website
- Phoenix discography - English language reviews
- Nicu Covaci's personal website
- Farfarello homepage