Plastic People of the Universe

There was a strong underground in what is now the Czech Republic in the 1970's. The sound of that underground was the band "Plastic People of the Universe. Founded in 1968 PPU as they are known was not a political activism band they were just a group of musicians who loved rock and roll and wanted to play. The band takes it's name from the Frank Zappa song Plastic People a favorite musician of founder and bassist Milan Hlavsa. Their sound was influenced by the Velvet Underground and Captain Beefheart with a eastern European flair. During the time of the "Prague Spring" PPU became extremely popular in Czechoslovakia. This popularity came to a head when they were scheduled for a concert in a suburban town outside of Prague and the Soviets shut it down arresting concert goers around the time of their crack down on the people of Czechoslovakia.
The band then went underground truly underground. In 1974 members of PPU along with other artists were arrested for organized disturbance of the peace. It was during this period that playwright Vaclav Havel and others formed together to write Charter 77 a document critical to the current government and its crackdowns.
PPU never considered themselves political even though their music was the soundtrack of the underground politcal movement. The band eventuallu broke up in 1988 and members went off to form other bands. In 1997 at the suggestion of then President and fan Vaclav Havel the band was reunited playing throughout the Czech Rebublic and eastern European countries. The founder of PPU Milan Hlavsa died in 2001.
Their recordings are available today and are as enjoyable as any of the music of that and this era.