Was the Iron Curtain in place to keep out Western forces, or was it to keep groovy music like this in? Secret underground grooves that explode with the power of a thousand ICBMs! This is a rollicking tour through the old Eastern Bloc; groups hailing from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and the former Czechoslovakia hell bent on proving that, despite their incarceration, they had perfected the decidedly British and American sound that makes up this rare and unique mix of psych/rock. The album slows down only twice; two ballads, both released in the former Czechoslovakia, are sung in English. Both are beautiful. For the rest, there's heavy bass lines, consonant clusters, occasional horn support and searing fuzz guitar punctuation. From an early Illes (Hungary) with added crowd noises and a Mersey-esque take on R&B, to a later Illes with flute and closely-miked slide guitar and wall of strings, this collection rocks. Unavailable for years on LP and never on CD, public demand has prompted Past & Present to give this soundtrack/compilation the release it deserves. As with all our titles, extra value is provided with detailed notes on each band in the accompanying booklet.