The Plastic People Of The Universe ‎– "Leading Horses" (Boží Mlýn Productions ‎– BM 8301) 1983

As its thirty years today since the start of Czechoslavakias 'Velvet Revolution',here's the third installment of Velvet Underground inspired Czech Velvet Revolution underground prog heroes The Plastic People Of The Universe'.
They don't sound so much like a Mothers Of Invention tribute band playing VU's WhiteLight/White Heat no more. Its more of a dark prog opera in a proto-Rock in Oppostion stylee kick in the balls.
Its down dirty and doomy, almost as if they'd been in a communist era prison......hang on guv'nor, theys have.Poor sods.
That which challenges one serves to make one stronger.See prison as an opportunity rather than a punishment.Lots of free time,unless you're sentenced to hard labour like the plastics.The few plus points of the inevitable forced sodomizing are that you can develop an ability to switch off mentally during future episodes of severe trauma, commonly known as your "Arse-Rape Place".Never will you have to listen to your nagging wife again,because you now can escape to your 'Arse-Rape Place'......good eh?
The more dubious benefits of prison life, like being stabbed up by a Nonce, are clearly less beneficial....unless you've already been bummed silly by Mr Big in the shower block and developed your "Arse-Rape Place" in advance of being knifed and brutalised,then you're sorted.Just twelve months of this to go and then its back to band practice......but this time don't get banged up FFS!!!
If you can't play in time, don't do the crime!

Tracklist:

1 Co Znamená Vésti Koně 4:15
2 Slovo Má Buben 7:04
3 Samson 5:13
4 P.F. 4:57
5 Májová 6:24
6 Delirium 5:07
7 Fotopneumatická Paměť 7:31
8 Rozvaha Neuškodí Ani Kuřeti 6:10
9 Mše 3:45
10 Osip 11:14

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The Plastic People Of The Universe ‎– "Passion Play" (Boží Mlýn Productions ‎– BM 8001) 1980

Whats this all about then? Surely these Bohemian drop-outs weren't religious types were they?
Most disappointing if true.
Maybe they saw themselves as something akin to a bunch of hirsute Christ figures in the Czech Communist pop world. Crucified for their sins against the state?
This is the self-view that many a psychopath has of themselves.Some go on to kill,some head muti-national conglomerates,others play superior underground avant-rock.The christ delusion is usually the domain of a singular psychopath rather than a group of Christs as if audtioning for the role of leader in a loss-leading broadway musical....."Would the dancing Christs please wait in the wing!We are only seeing Singing Christs!"
Whoever the lead christ figure is or was at this time in the PPU's history is open for debate, but the musical intrepretation of the last week the son of god spent on Earth is typically Zappa-esque with a splash of White Light/White Heat production values.

Tracklist:

A1 Exodus 12
A2 Nebo Jití Jest Hospodinovo / For It Is The Lord's Passover
A3 Kázání Na Hoře / Sermon On The Mount
A4 Nepotřebujeme Krále / What Need Have We Of A King
A5 Čist Jsem Od Krve / I Am Innocent Of The Blood
A6 Zhřešil Jsem / I Have Sinned
B1 Reprise
B2 Otče, Otče / Father, Father
B3 Noc Temná / Dark Night

DOWNLOAD to forgive yourself for other plastic peoples sins sins HERE!

The Plastic People Of The Universe ‎– "Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned" (LTM ‎– LTM 1001, Boží Mlýn Productions) 1978

In comparison to the toytown rebellion of the Sex Pistols in the UK, The Plastic People Of The universe was the real deal.In 1976 the PPU were arrested and put on trial by the communist government to make an example of these smelly hippies.They were convicted of "organized disturbance of the peace",which i guess is correct(?), and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months.
I remember that promotional Julian 'I was privately educated' Temple's super-8 movie of the Pistols on Richard 'I was also privately educated' Bransons Boat on the Thames on the Queens Jubilee day.During which we see and hear a pre-addict Sid Vicious being a very shy and clearly well-spoken nice young man, with the obviously staged part of Malcolm Maclaren being 'arrested'...not....and Steve Jones' voice overdubbed after the fact, emphasing the point with a badly acted "They've arrested Malcolm,They've Arrested Malcolm!"....shock horror yawn!
Well the Czech police arrested everyone and anyone to do with the Czech underground music scene, and didn't let them go until they'd done some hard labour either! Like the Pistols, however, they were also banned from playing live,and had to do their concerts in secret. Nothing about their Zappa influenced compositions was particularly 'Political', and insisted that all they wanted to do was play their music;but their bohemian  lifestyles went directly against government philosophy,so they had to go.
This just forced the burgeoning Czech music scene very underground.....will "They" never learn?
In 1974, thousands of students traveled from Prague to the town of České Budějovice(you all know where that is of course?) for a PPU performance. Stopped by police, they were sent back to Prague in, alarming nazi-style, cattle trucks, and many were arrested. The band was forced underground until the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Unable to perform openly, an entire underground cultural movement formed around the band during the 1970s,and this album was eventually released in the west after being smuggled out to France in 1978.

The Music???

Well, if that actually matters, it sounds like a lo-fi Mothers Of Invention album of out-takes. Which ,I guess, is good.....?

Anyone who performs wearing a Toga is alright by me.....I include Capes in that bracket also by the way.

Tracklist:

1 Dvacet 1:53
2 Zácpa 7:58
3 Toxika 3:56
4 Magické Noci 6:13
5 M.G.M. 0:20
6 Okolo Okna 5:54
7 Elegie 1:16
8 Podivuhodný Mandarin 5:46
9 Nikdo 3:33
10 Jó - To Se Ti To Spí 3:28
11 Já A Mike 1:05
12 Ranní Ptáče 1:23
13 Francovka 3:01
14 Jednou Nohou 4:13
15 Spofa Blues 2:49
16 Apokalyptickej Pták 8:14
17 Píseň Brance 6:46

DOWNLOAD the very real people of Czechoslavakia HERE!