Donnerstag, 15. März 2007

Plastic People Of The Universe - Jak Bude Po Smrti

"The Plastic People of the Universe is the name of a most obscure Czech rock band and their incredible story ranks as one of the truest examples of artistic perseverance and art imitating life in the entire history of Rock and Roll. Formed in 1968 following the Soviet invasion of their beloved Czechoslovakia, the Plastic People of the Universe suffered immeasurably for their simple desire to make their own music.

In 1974, thousands of students traveled from Prague to the town of Ceske Budejovice to visit "the Plastics" performance. Stopped by police, they were sent back to Prague, and several students were arrested. The band was forced underground until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Unable to perform openly, an entire underground cultural movement formed around the band during the 1970s.

In 1976 "the Plastics" were arrested and put on trial by the Communist government to make an example. They were convicted of "organized disturbance of the peace" and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months. Paul Wilson was deported even though he had left the band in 1972. It was in protest of these arrests and prosecution that led playwright Vaclav Havel and others to write the Charter 77."

Please read their entire history in Joseph Yanosik's essay HERE !

Here is their 1979 album "Jak bude po smrti" (192 Kbps) - The title means something like "What it's like after Death".

Ps: I bought this reissue in late 2005 in Prague - for 2 euros !
It's a mad strange world... I posted the lyrics of their song "One Hundred Points" in the comments.

6 Kommentare:

R3000 hat gesagt…

One Hundred Points:

They fear the old for their memory They fear the young for their innocence They fear even the schoolchildren They fear the dead and their funerals They fear graves and the flowers people place on them They fear churches, priests and nuns They fear workers They fear party members They fear those outside the party They fear science They fear art They fear books and poems They fear plays and films They fear records and tapes They fear writers and poets They fear journalists They fear actors and sculptors They fear painters and singers They fear radio stations They fear television satellites They fear the free flow of information They fear foreign literature and newspapers They fear technological advancement They fear publications, printing presses and copiers They fear typewriters They fear telephotography and teletypewriters They fear the telex They fear letters They fear telephones They fear to let people out They fear to let people in They fear the left They fear the right They fear the departure of Soviet troops They fear changes in Moscow They fear the easing of tensions They fear disarmament They fear the agreements they signed They fear their signatures They fear their own police They fear narks They fear because of these narks They fear chess players They fear tennis players They fear hockey players They fear gymnasts They fear Saint Wenceslas They fear John Huss They fear all saints They fear Santa Glaus They fear Christmas They fear Lenins statue with a backpack They fear archives They fear historians They fear economists They fear sociologists They fear philosophers They fear physicists They fear doctors They fear political prisoners They fear families of prisoners They fear this evening They fear tomorrow morning They fear today and everyday They fear the future They fear the past They fear heart attacks and cirrhosis They fear the little conscience that they may have left They fear in the streets They fear in their castle ghettos They fear their families They fear their relatives They fear their former friends and comrades They fear their current friends and comrades They fear one another They fear what they said They fear what they wrote They fear for their position They fear water and fire They fear humidity and dry weather They fear snow They fear the wind They fear frost and hot weather They fear light and darkness They fear joy and sorrow They fear jokes They fear honesty They fear integrity They fear the educated They fear the talented They fear Marx They fear Lenin They fear all our dead presidents They fear the truth They fear freedom They fear democracy They fear Human Rights Accords They fear socialism

So why do we fear them?

Unknown hat gesagt…

top post again, thanks.
Similar story to Victor Jara, do you know him? He got it much worse, sadly.

Unknown hat gesagt…

wOw!! I had been looking for anything by Plastic People for years. I all but forgot them until your post. Thanks for posting their history too.

Counter Clock

R3000 hat gesagt…

Thank you both!

Theo: I just read about Mr. Jara - terrible story... I will check his music for sure...

Counter Clock: If you are for more of the Plastics, please check the Invisible Record Archive here:
http://invisiblerecordarchive.blogspot.com/2007/01/important-music.html

Anonym hat gesagt…

Hello r3000, many many thanks for this post. I am a fan of all aspects of the czech music scene, and have been looking for this album a while. However, in spite of their political importance, I must also say: From the songs I know of the Plastic People I feel they are just a copy of the Mothers of Invention, without too much individual merit. Sure, only referring to the music. So, I am looking forward to hearing this album and seeing, if my prejudices have to be abandoned or not.
Best wishes, Sermo

Anonym hat gesagt…

Wow. Angry, trippy, noisy. Great post,thanks.