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1980    1981    1982    1983    1984    1985   1986   1987   1988   1989  

1980

Kdyz zabloudis, tak zavolej - the single

The record company Supraphon released the single "Kdyz zabloudis, tak zavolej" at the beginning of the year 1980 with the notice that the song had participated in the festival in Tokyo.

Muzy - the album

Helena's 1980 studio album was called "Muzy". Ten of totally eleven songs on the LP had been written especially for the singer and they were arranged in the popular by that time disco style.  At the beginning of 1980 it was decided that even an international version of the album would be released. The second hit from the album was the title track. A video featured Helena in a disco performing the song with people dancing in the background.

Leto je leto (Sun of Jamaica)/Múzy - the single

The first single from the album "Múzy" featuring the international hit "Sun of Jamaica" sung in Czech and the title song from the LP. The funny thing was that the single cover was exactly the same as the 1979 cover of the single "Oh Harold" (see above). The single was released even with other sleeves. See the gallery below.

TV promotion

Czechoslovakian TV recorded a show featuring songs from the album "Muzy". Helena performed her new songs as well as "The Beatles Medley" together with two her colleagues: Vera Spinarova and Jitka Zelenkova. Helena appeared in almost the same outfit as Agnetha Fältskog on the cover of the ABBA album "Gracias Por La Musica".

The rainy session

Music - the album

In April 1980 Helena was in the studio re-recording her latest album in English. The result the album "Music" would be released later during the year. The English version of the album "Muzy" had almost the same cover and information about the singer in English.

The very best of Helena - TV series

Czechoslovakian TV recorded show series entitled "Krucifix" featuring Helena's different images. She acted not only herself but even Marlene Dietrich and Josefin Baker.

The "physical" session

This is not Olivia Newton-John's Physical but Helena more than 1 year earlier...

1981

The Winner Takes It All - Helena's cover

The ABBA hit "The Winner Takes It All" written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson did not brought only ABBA to the top on the charts all over the world but even made Helena very successful on the Czechoslovakian and Polish hit lists. The single with Czech version of the song entitled "A ty se ptas, co ja" (And you are asking how I am) was released at the beginning of 1981. There were several different cover editions.

Rest Your Love On Me - the second single

The second single promoting the forthcoming new album featured the duets with Jiri Korn. On the side A there was a Czech cover of the well-known hit of Andy Gibb "Rest Your Love On Me" and on the side B the song "Halo, halo taxi". Both songs were recorded by Helena and Jiri in December 1980.

Sblizeni (Advances) - the album

The recording sessions for the new album were held between January and March 1981. Two songs which would be included on the new album had been recorded already in October and December 1980. Helena made her own versions of two smash world hits: "The Winner Takes It All" (ABBA) and "Woman in Love" (Barbra Streisand). Totally the album contained 12 songs.

The photo sessions

Helena singt Billy Joel - the album

Helena's album with Billy Joel's songs recorded and released in 1979 in West Germany had its Czechoslovakian release in 1981. This version of the album was entitled "Helena singt Billy Joel".

In 1980 Helena re-started a musical cooperation with Czech top singer Jiri Korn. They made several TV shows together featuring lots of dance and song. They toured East Europe together and recorded some songs. One of them was released on the album "Sblizeni". All their recordings were released on CD in 1995.

Helena was in the recording studio several times in 1981. At the beginning of July she recorded a new song "Hej ty tam" (Hi, you there) for a Czech movie picture. In September there was one more recording session - this time Helena recorded her own version of Alla Pugacheva's hit "Byl jdnou jeden houslista".

1982

Shaddap You Face - the single with Jiri

The first single release in 1982 featured Helena & Jiri Korn hit "Ja na brachu - blues" (Shaddap Your Face) backed by "Je mi lito, adieu" sung by Helena.

Zrychleny dech - the album

The new year 1982 meant for Helena a new album and a new image. She started recording sessions in the beginning of the year with a new producer Vitezslav Hadl. The new image created for Helena was more up-to-date, more 1980s. New photo sessions were taken. The album "Zrychleny dech" (Accelerated breath)with 12 songs was released in the late spring of 82.

In 1982 Helena participate in the song festival "Bratislavska lira" in the capital of Slovakia. Her performance of the hit "Sblizeni" was awarded with second prize - the Silver Lira.

I Am As I Am - the single

Another 1982 single featured "Jsem, jaka jsem" (I am as I am) and "Zaplatis vic, nez mas" (You'll pay more than you have)

The last performance in 1982 was in the New Year's show "Silvestr 1982". Helena performed a medley of her 10 greatest hits. The medley was called "Rytmus" and it was officially released on Helena's CD "Platinova Helena" in November 2002.

1983

Getting married

Year 1983 was very important for Helena and it was about the singer's private life. On April 28 she married German rock musician Helmut Sickel. The wedding was held in the palace in Straznice in southern part of Mähren.

After the honeymoon it was time to get back to work. There were no plans for a new album in 1983 because of many reasons. Helena toured in Sovjet Union and East Germany. In Berlin she performed in the TV show "Ein Kessel Buntes" in the summer of 1983. The only LP release was a double greatest hits compilation called "Prelety".

Prelety - 2 LP

The album was called "Prelety" (Flyovers) and it contained even extras as a big poster and a booklet with pictures and full discography.

Sladke mameni - Sweet nuthins

One of the most successful Helena hits "Sladke mameni" (Sweet nuthins) was released as a single together with the song "True Love" (S laskou) performed together with Karel Gott. "Sladke mameni" was featured in the Czech movie "I enjoy the world only with you" (S tebou me bavi svet) which was a very successful comedy in 1983. Helena re-recorded the song in 2001 and added as a bonus song on their album "Helena 2002".

The photo session

The photo session arranged by the photographer Alan Pajer in 1983 would appear on several single covers in the future.

Slunce (The Sun) - the single

Even the collaboration with Jiri Korn brought two new songs: "Slunce" (The Sun) and "Ja se neptam" (I don't ask) which were released as a single at the end of the year. The single was released with 4 different covers.

1984

The time is against us - the single

This year was really good in Helena's musical life. It brought one of the best albums she recorded in the 1980s and a great hit written by her husband Helmut Sickel "Cas je proti nam" (The time is against us). The song was released on the single together with "Nahodny znamy" (She Works Hard for the Money).

From me to you - the album

In March 1984 a brand new album was completed - "Ode mne k tobe" (From me to you). The album contained 12 songs and among them covers of Agnetha Fältskog's "The Heat is On", Donna Summer's "She works hard for the money" and Gazebo's "I Like Chopin". The other songs were new and written especially for this album.

Ode mne k tobe - the photo sessions

The second single

The second single from the album "From Me To You" featured a disco number "Bajecny flam" (Wonderful party) and "Nahravam" (I am recording). Funny that the cover of the single featured the same photo as the first single released earlier the same year.

1985

In February 1985 Helena and Jiri Korn arrived in London. They met an English choreographer Douggie Sqquirese who helped them with new ideas for their dance performances. After the stay in London both singers went to Baden-Baden in West Germany where they appeared on TV.

Moments with songs - the show

Helena and Jiri Korn participated in the show "Moments with songs" recorded in the Prague Concert Hall "Lucerna" where they performed "I Like Chopin" - an international hit which Helena recorded for her album "From me to you" in 1984.

The musical cooperation with Jiri Korn continued during next two months. Vondrackova and Korn toured in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Sovjet Union, France, Holland and Italy. The last performance took place at Friedrichstadtpalast in Berlin. Later the same year Helena and other Czech singers went to Havana (Cuba) and performed on The Czechoslovakian Days on Cuba.

Marta in Ritka

Helena did not forget her old friend from Golden Kids - Marta Kubisova who became forbidden as a singer by communists. Marta was in Ritka one summer day in 1985 when these photos were taken.

Sprint - the album

The first album release in 1985 was "Sprint". The LP contained 12 new-written songs. The recording sessions were completed on May 31, 1985. The album was released shortly before Christmas the same year. Helena's husband Helmut participated on the album both as a songwriter and musician.

Three singles were released from the album. The first one promoting LP was  "Jeste svetu sanci dej" (Give the world one more chance), one of the best songs Helena ever recorded. The title track was chosen for the second single and finally quite average track "Proto dam vodu svym kvetinam" (That's why I will give my flowers some water).

I am Your Song - the album

One more album was released in 1985. The LP entitled "I Am Your Song" featured 12 hits recorded by Helena in English. The songs were chosen from Helena's latest albums. Even a rare English version of Agnetha Fältskog's "The Heat Is On" was included. Her big hit "Cas je proti namn" (The time is against us) had been re-recorded as "Time is not on our side". The album was recorded in October and November 1984. The Polish release of the album (with completely different cover) had wait until 1990.

The photo session

The Tour 1985

Helena started her 1985 tour called "Velka neonova laska" on May 15th, 1985. The final concert took place at Lucerna concert hall in Prague on September 16th, 1985. She performed both old hits and several songs from the new album "Sprint". The last Prague concert was filmed by Czechoslovakian TV.

1986

At the beginning of the year the third single from the album "Sprint" was released (Proto dam vodu svym kvetinam). The first musical project was the recording of two songs written by famous Czech composer Karel Svoboda. These songs were released on MC containing the film music written by Svoboda.

Solo pro tve oci - the album

Helena worked hard in the recording studio in 1986. Two album releases were planned for 1986 - the first of them was a new pop album "Solo pro tve oci" (A solo for your eyes). The album contained 12 modern arranged songs written by Helmut Sickel (7), Helena's brother Jiri Vondracek (3) and other composers.

Helena sings Jezek - the album

The second LP released in 1986 was a project of totally different kind. Helena decided to do a whole album with her own versions of songs written by a Czech composer Jaroslav Jezek (1906-1942). The LP "Helena zpiva Jezka" (Helena sings Jezek) with 14 songs was released at the end of 1986.

1987

Year 1987 did not bring any new album release. In fact there is not so much written and said about this year in Helena's biographies. She remembers a tragic beginning of the year when she received information that her sister Zdena's son Tomas died on January 1st, 1987.

In June Helena and Helmut started working with songs for a new album. Almost all material for the forthcoming album was written by Helena's husband Helmut Sickel. The recording sessions continued during all three summer months at the studio H Sestrih in Prague.  Even if the album was completed in August the release would wait until next year.

The first song from summer recording sessions was a cover of one of the biggest world hits of 1987 "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" originally sung by Whitney Houston. Helena presented it for the first time in the New Year's Eve TV show on Czechoslovakian TV.

1988

I Wanna Dance with Somebody...

The first Helena release was the single "Mam novy vuz" (I Wanna Dance With Somebody) at the beginning of the year.

The second single promoting the upcoming new album was an LP track "Krizaly, housle a pulmesic".

Elvis Presley show

Helena and Jiri Korn performed in a TV show devoted to Elvis Presley. They performed the song "A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You" which was not available on any record until 2007 when it was included on Helena's and Jiri's compilation album "Tech par dnu" in 2007.

Skandal - the album

Finally the new album "Skandal" (Scandal) was released - almost one year after the recording. Among 11 released songs 9 of them were written by Hellmut Sickel and one by Helena's brother Jiri Vondracek. Hellmut arranged 6 songs on the album and played on several instruments. The album "Skandal" would be Helena's last studio album in the 1980s. The album was promoted by the traditional christening.

The photo session

1989

The year of The Revolution meant the big comeback of Helena's old friend Marta Kubisova. After 19 years the legend of Czech music was back. Marta and Helena sang together in the pop group Golden Kids at the beginning of their careers. Because of political opinions and fight against communism Marta became  forbidden in 1970 and Helena started working as a solo artist.

I got still my friends with me... - the single release

Helena worked as usual even if there was an absolute stagnation in the cultural life in Czechoslovakia - theatres were closed, no concerts were played. Helena released only two singles in 1989. One of them contained a very good song "Svou partu pratel jeste nastesti mam" (Thanks God I got my friends with me) and the cover of Giorgio Moroder's hit "Hand in Hand" performed together with old friend Karel Cernoch. The cover of the single featured an old photo of Helena taken in 1983.

Abeceda (Alphabet)

The biggest project with Helena's participation was a TV show "Abeceda". Helena hosted the show and performed several songs. Among the guests there was Dagmar Vserknova (today married to Vaclav Havel - former president of Czechoslovakia) and the Polish group VOX.

Helena with Jitka Nemcova who directed the show

Shortly before the Revolution in Czechoslovakia Helena appeared on Polish TV where she was interviewed about... the political situation in her country. She gave several concerts. The tour was called "Helena 90".

Golden Kids on stage

On December 26 and 27, 1989 Helena, Marta and Vasek stood on stage together again. Golden Kids performed at the Karlin theatre in Prague. It was their first performance since 1969.