Modrý Efekt -

Modrý Efekt was a Czech symphonic/hard-rock band that was active as a recording unit for 13 year, starting in 1968.

Members: Radim Hladík (guitar), Vladimír Mišík (vocals, flute, 1968-70), Miloš Svoboda (guitar, 1968-69), Jiří Kozel (bass, 1968-72), Vlado Čech (drums, 1968-81, 1984-85), Lešek Semelka (keyboards, vocals, 1970-75, 1977-81), Josef Kůstka (bass, electric violin, 1972-75), Fedor Frešo (bass, 1975-77), Oldřich Veselý (keyboards, vocals, 1975-79), Oldřich Kellner (guitar, vocals, 1981-90), Radek Křemenák (bass, 1982-85), Josef Havlíček (drums, 1982-84), Luboš Manda (keyboards, 1985-90), Luboš Pospíšil (vocals, 1988-90), David Koller (drums, 1988-90), Jan Křížek (guitar, 2004-16), Václav Zima (drums, 2004-16), Pavel Bohatý (keyboards, 2004-06), Vojtěch Říha (bass, 2004-06), Wojttech (bass, 2006-16)

Modrý Efekt started in 1968 when singer/guitarist Vladimír Mišík and guitarist Radim Hladík teamed with bassist Jiří Kozel, drummer Vlado Čech, and second guitarist Miloš Svoboda. Mišík and Hladík hailed from garage rockers The Matadors, which issued multiple 1966–68 singles and one album on Supraphon. Kozel played in The Colour Images, which issued two 1968 pop-psych singles behind singer Pavel Sedláček. Svoboda was in the beat group Donald.

At Mišík’s suggestion, they named their band The Special Blue Effect, a reference to the Modrá knížka (Blue book), a certificate obtained by most of the members for exemption from the Czech military draft. They soon shortened their name to The Blue Effect. In December 1968, they were named “Discovery of the Year” at the 2nd Czechoslovak Beat Festival at Palác Lucerna.

The Blue Effect scored a national hit in 1969 with their first single, “Slunečný Hrob” (b/w “I’ve Got My Mojo Working”), which sold 50k copies on Panton. Mišík wrote the a-side with non-performing lyricist Jiří Smetana, a frequent collaborator since the Matadors days. They mimed the song — a soulful ballad with bluesy guitar, shimmering mellotron, and a lucid soliloquy on the opening notes — on Czech television.

Later that year, The Blue Effect issued the four-song maxi-single Snakes, containing the group-written “I Like the World (Sun Is So Bright)” (with lyrics by Karel Kozel) and three Mišík/Smetana originals: “Sen Není Věčný,” “Blue Taxi,” and “Snakes.” On “Sen,” they throw some jazzy bridges and psych licks into their blues-based sound. Soon after this release, Svoboda jumped ship to the Orchestr Golden Kids, leaving The Blue Effect as a four-piece.

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