BEZ OHňů JE UNDERGROUND

This live album makes it really unclear whether it offers a '73 concert of PPOTU released in '92 or it offers a '92 reunion concert by the '73 line-up. Most likely it is the second option, based on the Czech lengthy intro/speech. Most likely in '73, they wouldn't have wasted some precious concert time, before the State police would inevitably break up their concert and throw a few members in jail. Graced with nude forest '73 shot of the line-up of this album, and a few more in concert shots, including the list of the personnel of the group from 68 until 73 but the presentation is not really that engaging.

Outside the lengthy intro, this albums is made of two more section: a cover section including The Doors' Light My Fire (correct if pointless version), Velvet Underground's Waiting For The Man (just as pointless and of lesser interest, even if VU was PPOTU's major influence) and The Fugs' Garden Is Open, which is actually fairly interesting. Actually the choice of these covers is not innocent either, as they started with cover these late 60's band as a reaction of resistance to the Warsaw Pact invasion, putting an end to the Spring of Prague. Unlike the more progressive Czech and Slovak group that managed tolerance from the authorities because of symphonic or jazz relations in their music, PPOTU were really at the forefront of the artist's resistance against the oppressive regime and met on a few occasion other heroes (even playing at Vaclav Havel's residence) and got every concert of theirs raided, ended up arrested and a few times thrown in jail. Why they were is that they refused to play down the western "English" names and covered some of the more aggressive and decadent groups around, especially Velvet Underground, which irritated the Party.

The second section is the more personal side of PPOTU with three "originals", starting with the Bo Diddley-derived Modry Autobus, and even in their own tracks, they couldn't resist blatant provocation, here speaking of San Fran and the Summer Of Love. The following Podivuhodny Mandarin is much more interesting (poking fun at the other communist power), a good sax solo and it is the highlight of this section and rates even better than The Fug's cover. The closing Magicki Noci is another scorcher, approaching Indian raga at times with their extremely repetititititituititive descending bass riff mixed with an Eastern-sounding violin and clarinet.

As unrepresentative as this album could possibly be (but actually not that much either), this live album is the ideal introduction to the group, because it is slightly more accessible (the covers helping out also) than their usually darker and obscure 70's stuff, but it will give you a correct foretaste.

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