The Plastic People Of The Universe - Magical Nights (2010)

Have you ever wondered what the definition of underground music is? Look no further. The PLASTIC PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE /PPU/ were exactly that. While the western "underground" bands of the 60s and 70s might have looked a bit freaky, or were simply stoned enough to slightly shock the establishment, the PPU were jailed by the Czechoslovak communist regime solely because they dared to play their music for a bunch of long-haired fans. Nothing more, nothing less, but indirectly causing an immense political effect for the years to come. Due to all the hurdles, the PPU remained in the underground until 1988. Our collection brings together their best tracks from nearly two decades, presented in genuine fidelity underground quality.

THE PLASTIC PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE /PPU/ is a phenomenon. Formed in autumn 1968 in Prague by two enthusiastic teenagers and former schoolmates, the bass guitarist Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa /1951-2001/ and guitarist Jiri "Premek" Stevich /1951/, eventually they became possibly the most influential Czechoslovak music group of the 20th century, albeit quite difflerently than anyone would have ever expected.

Hlavsa's and Stevich's concept was a psychedelic group in the vein of The Velvet Underground, but with outrageous costumes and a pyrotechnical show. They teamed up with vocalist and clarinetist Michal Jemek /1947-1997/ and drummer Pavel "Eman" Zeman /1948/. Jemek suggested the band's name, inspired by a Mothers Of Invention song. The PPU debuted on stage in February 1969 with songs by the likes of The Velvet Underground, The Doors, The Fugs or Frank Zappa, and with a couple of their own compositions. A few months later, their increasing popularity attracted attention from Ivan Martin Jirous /1944, later known as "Magor" - meaning "Loony"/, an art historian and until then the artistic mastermind of the legendary Primitives Group. A music manager secured them a professional license and equipment from a state-owned agency. Eventually, another ex-Primitives, Josef Janicek, /1947/ joined on guitar /later he switched to keyboards/, while Jirous's role was comparable to the Initial role of Andy Warhol within the VU.

Since the invasion of the Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968, the Czechoslovak communist regime was continuously tightening the reins on most segments of the society, and particularly on the West-influenced youth culture. By 1970, the PPU had lost their agency support, including the state-owned instruments. Jernek and Stevich quitted, replaced by guitarist and violinist Jiri Kabes /1946/ and the Canadian vocalist Paul Wilson /1941/. At first, they still continued to perform legally /albeit more sporadically/ usually as a "party" band in small village pubs outside Prague.

Since 1972 the group - and particularly Jirous - had been increasingly facing conflicts with the authorities. Although Jirous usually did not take part In PPU's music performances directly, he was proactively affecting and refining the group's artistic concept since his arrival. In 1973 Hlavsa, Janicek and Kabes were joined by saxophonist Vratlslav Brabenec /1943/.

As an experienced jazz musician, Brabenec caused a further major shift In the group's orientation, from relatively straight progressive rock towards more experimental music forms. They also ditched the English lyrics in favour of original Czech poems, supplied at that time particularly by the underground philosopher and poet Egon Bondy /aka Zbynek Fiser, 1930-2007/. Hlavsa established himself as the band’s sole composer and main vocalist; the line-up was completed by drummer Jiri Sula. During the winter of 1974-75 the PPU clandestinely recorded their first "album" on archaic equipment in the unheated rooms of the Houska castle, where a friend of them used to work as a janitor. In the meantime, Jaroslav Vozniak appeared as the new druamer. Parts of the lo-fl material were later released In France as the "Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned" LP in 1978.

Back In 1973 the PPU participated in the humiliating "requalification exams", obligatory for all actively performing musicians at that time. Initially they even passed, only to be rejected by the censors two weeks later. Consequently, Jirous eventually proclaimed the PPU /and other related artistic projects/ to be the "anti-establishment", the uncompromising artistic opposition against the conformist domestic cultural scene. Underground music in its purest form. From then on, they performed solely at privately organized events.

The counterattack of the "establishment" followed soon. Dozens of members from the underground community were arrested by the secret police In 1976, Including the PPU musicians, and several of them were put on trial. Brabenec and Jirous were sentenced to eight and eighteen months in prison respectively for "organized disturbance of the peace". That trial gave the impulse for playwright Vaclav Havel and other intellectuals to publish the Churter 77 document in January 1977. However, in spite of indirectly helping to start off the most prolific dissident civic movement against the Czechoslovak communist dictatorship to date, the PPu have always emphasized their apolitical attitude: all they ever wanted was to play their music the way they wanted. Nothing more and nothing less.

The alliance with Havel remained, though. Despite all the hurdles, the PPU kept on writing new material, which they occasionally performed and recorded at Havel's private farm, Hradecek, a "micro-enclave of relative freedom" at that time. In 1978, with the new drummer Jan Brabec /1959/ and several guest musicians, they performed "Pasijove hry velikonocni /"Passion Play"/, and in 1981 "Co znamena vesti kone" /"Leading Horses"/, both with Brabenec's lyrics. Paul Wilson - who had been expelled in the meantime - released them in Canada on his Bozi mlyn label in 1980 and 1983 respectively.

The persecutions by the secret police continued unceasingly, and in 1982 Brabenec was forced to emigrate. Musically, Hlavsa returned to composing straight rock songs, influenced by the contemporary new wave genre. Although the PPU clandestinely home-recorded several albums through the 1980s /the LP "Pulnocni mys" aka "Midnight Mouse" was released in 1987 in Holland by Chris Cutler/, since 1981 they did not play once before an audience until their break-up in 1988. Hlavsa, Kabes and Janicek then formed PULNOC with several new musicians, and were finally allowed to perform in public by the authorities.

After the Velvet Revolution of 1989. the PPU briefly reappeared in 1992 for a few gigs, featuring the original founding members. In 1997, after being asked by Vaclav Havel /then Czech president/ to perform at the 20th anniversary of Charter 77 at the Prague Castle, the classic 1978-1982 line-up eventually decided to reunite. And despite Hlavsa s premature death in 2001, The Plastic People Of The Universe continue touring successfully to the present day.

~ Lukas Machata alias DJ Lou Kash, February 2010