What was poland like in the late 60's

I asked Rock if his father ever thought about going to Katmandu. Did poland have any association with the hippies as the US did and the event s of that time?

In short. Yes.

They didn't take "free sex" from West and took amphetamine "tri" a lot, later heroine was in fashion "kompot". Allan Ginsberg poem was theirs though, they were supposedly read it once a day. Their most loved music group was Osjan. Nowadays Przystanek Woodstock gathers hippies offspring, which is their summer music festival.

I am pretty sure the soviets would have executed hippieswitha bullet in the back of the head.

OUch! and to the point. So much for freedom back then.

I don't know about the Soviets but the Czechs and Slovaks had enjoyed joining polish "alternative" groups specially on summer open air festivals. Even Jazz was forbidden in Czechoslovakia. Throughout seventies and eighties Poland subcultures were controlled by secret police but tolerated. They had not formulated political program and communist hardly could argue their anti Vietnam war stance. They were also seen as alternative to independent catholic church.

Interesting part of History KOW

A chap I work with (much older than myself) started work as an apprentice working with a Polish bloke who had settled in England after the war. He was a lorry fitter, and made journeys to Poland with his van that he had doctored so he could sneak clothes and stuff over the border to his family. At least that's the story anyway.

I have heard just a little bit of the music that is generally labelled as 'Polish Jazz'. Some of it is jazz, but a group called Novi Singers from the late '60s, through the '70s, sound like quite an interesting bunch, fusing various different styles - including bossa nova. (I've been looking for some Polish bossa nova for some time - I've just been hoping that some actually exists!) This goes against the commonly held belief that nothing culturally crossed th iron curtain. I'd be interested to find a few more interesting things in Polish music from those times. I imagine they weren't the only people doing something quite forward-looking.

But on the other hand, a Czech girl I used to know told me that her father only became a hippy in recent times because he wasn't allowed to back in the day. Whether that was because there weren't any back then or if it was just to do with the pressure to conform, I don't know. I do know that not all countries... over there... did things the same way.

That's enough from me - it's not as if I actually KNOW anything about it!

You may like Nasza Basia Kochana
One of their song "A dream found in forest", 1975 is here: wrzuta.pl/audio/4XJTGoVmub/nasza_basia_kochana_-_sen_znaleziony_w_lesie

Taduesz Nalepa (and Breakout) in blues and SBB (Jozef Skrzek) in progressive rock are both legendary in polish 70ties music.
Novi Singers like vocalist is Ewa Bem, her bossa nova record: chazzforjazz.com/servlet/the-761/Bemowe-Frazy-Ewa-Bem/Detail

Very!!! cool! KOWAL