1967 – 50th Segment: “Turtle”

In this series we present 100 songs which have gone down in the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. On Czech Radio’s web pages you can find a poll, in which you can vote for the best hit from the past century. We look forward to your vote! We continue with the year 1967.

1967

The Czechoslovak pavilion was hugely successful at EXPO 67 in Montreal, Canada. The most interesting feature was the so-called kinoautomat - the world's first interactive movie.

A new press law came into force which officially allowed pre-censorship. The Central Publication Administration was created, which subsequently implemented the government's interventions into the freedom of the press.

On September 8th, the foundation stone of the first section of the D1 motorway from Prague to Mirošovice was ceremoniously laid down.

Yasser Arafat founded the Fatah Palestinian national political organization.

The hippie movement was announced in San Francisco.

Photo: Supraphon

1967 marks the first segment of the show focusing on rock music, also known as big beat, which is famous for its harsh vocals and shouting tones. Big beat groups started with simple, almost primitive melodies. Bands were usually composed of three electric guitars, an obligatory percussion player and later a solo tenor sax, keyboard or even a harmonica. This mix offered a breakthrough in colorful sound, and after the appropriate amplification, the smallest number of musicians could dominate the biggest music hall. This was a great advantage for organizers looking to save a few bucks!

Today we will listen to the most popular song released by the oldest and most famous Czech rock band, Olympic. The group’s guitarist Petr Janda, played a special role in the making of the song “Turtle,” as did another band member and lyricist, Pavel Chrastina.

Vote for the best song of the century!