Supraphon Release InformationThere are compilations, and then there are Compilations, and this compilation indisputably ranks among those with a capital “C”! Vladimír Mišík himself selected for it songs that can be branded as ballads, working with texts, or rather poems, whose settings are his major contributions to Czech rock music.The graphic artist Karel Haloun, Mišík’s most frequent partner when it comes to putting music into comely sleeves, turned the DVD pack into a real book in terms of layout and format. The complete lyrics, also furnished with Jan Novák’s English translations, are accompanied by a set of prints originally created directly for Mišík’s songs.The collection includes settings of poetry by František Gellner, Václav Hrabě, Josef Kainar, as well as Jiří Suchý and Jiří Dědeček. Mišík’s greatest solo hits (Proč ta růže uvadá, Stříhali dohola malého chlapečka, Variace na renesanční téma, Já a dým) are supplemented by songs that complete the well-considered whole (Balada, titulní Královský večer, Romeo se kácí, Kdybych už měl umřít, Sochy, Co jsem si vzal, Sadem, lesem, parkem).Although you may know the songs, Mišík’s “copyright” for their specific choice, a new remastering and combination with the splendid illustrations make it much more than a run-of-the-mill Best of. The album serves as a document of the time, the people, the music; it is a treat to listen to, read and simply behold, and not only for those who grew up on the artist’s popular singles or major albums. The splendidly packaged compilation comes with a 52-page booklet, which also contains Ondřej Bezr’s interviews with Vladimír Mišík and Karel Haloun.Mišík’s finest ballads in an exquisite package!