CZESŁAW NIEMEN - "DZIWNY JEST TEN ŚWIAT" + "NIEMEN & AKWARELE" (1967)

After some years spent releasing singles and EPs, Niemen finally recorded his debut album, soon imposing himself as the most popular Polish singer. It sold 160.000 copies in one year, while the title-track and "Wspomnienie" dominated radio and TV airplay. Today they are both regarded as absolute classics.

The album starts with "Gdzie to jest", a fuzzy beat song, but it quickly shows Niemen's versatility with "Nigdy się nie dowiesz", a mix of blues and Renaissance music. "Wspomnienie" is a delicate jazz-pop song, inspired by a poem written by Julian Tuwim in 1921, while the title-track is a surprisingly powerful soul-rock with bombastic arrangements, and the tragic "Chciałbym cofnąć czas" kinda reminds of the Walker Brothers vocal performances. Very popular at the time, but slightly forgotten today, "Pamiętam ten dzień" will earn your appreciation with a Spanish-sounding brass section. 

Tracks 1-12: the original album, released in 1967. 
Tracks 13-15: released in that same year as part of the "Niemen & Akwarele" EP.
(Both the album and the EP featured the band Akwarele on instruments. A special mention for Marian Zimiński, keyboardist, and Tomasz Butowtt, drummer).

DOWNLOAD (kbps: 320)

A few records I have re-uploaded on request:

Elektricni orgazam, BG (Akvarium).