Rodion G.A. - Behind the Curtain: The Lost Album (2014)

Formed in the mid-'70s in Romania, most of the work of Rodion G.A. remained unheard until 2013 when the adventurous Strut label released a compilation focusing on the long-lost avant rockers. Leader Rodion Rosca formed Rodion G.A. in 1975, the "G.A." referencing bandmembers Gicu Farcas and Adrian Capraru. Their music was experimental and futuristic, something that flew in the face of the sterile pop favored by the state-run record label Electrecord, the only record label allowed to operate during the Nicolae Ceausescu administration. Still, the group appeared on Romanian television celebrating New Year's Eve in 1980, and in 1981 Electrecord released two Rodion G.A. tracks on a compilation. Without the State's support, Rodion G.A. were unable to reach their audience over the coming years, and in 1987 they split up for good. Fascinated by this legendary group, Danish blogger, filmmaker, and designer Luca Sorin contacted Rodion Rosca, and in 2012 he posted footage from the group's New Year's Eve celebration along with some unheard Rodion G.A. music online. The Romanian music crew/historians Future Nuggets helped arrange some comeback gigs for the group, and in 2013 the Strut label gave the recordings an official release with the aptly titled set The Lost Tapes. A tour of Europe in support of the set followed, along with an announcement that Rosca was suffering from liver cancer. Now more mindful of his band's legacy, Rosca returned to the archives and retrieved a set of tapes that became 2014's The Lost Tapes, released by the BBE label.