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Thread: Combo FH

  1. #1
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    Combo FH

    One benefit of endless hours spent transferring the Rascal Reporters' Archive of Recorded Media (RRARM) is finding cool bits of their personal record collection scattered among their own music.

    Today's pleasant surprise was an LP (dubbed onto DAT tape, remember those?) by the Czech band Combo FH. Anyone heard them? I'd never even heard of them. Not much online about them, it seems. This record was called "Things." Really cool instrumental bizarro prog (y'know, the best kind) ala The Muffins playing Miriodor charts (but from the early 80s, I'd guess), with a distinct Samlas influence. Really cool stuff!

  2. #2
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    Their two albums were re-released a few years ago along with some other Czech Prog groups (Enegrit was one, and I think there were a couple of others). These were nice sets that collected all these groups material. I have them all including the Combo FH.

    The Veci (Things) album you reference really is quite good. Sadly their second one, Situace Na Strese, isn't nearly as interesting. I haven't spun any of these in a while, I'll tee them up.

    Bill

  3. #3
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    I just remembered Mahagon was another band that came out at the same time as Combo FH.

  4. #4
    Member nosebone's Avatar
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    Veci is nice if you like quirky instrumental stuff like early Soft machine, Moving Gelatine Plates and the Onze danses.... album by aksak maboul.
    no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone

  5. #5
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    "DING! DING! DING! DING! Veci is a album that Wayside Music used to sell hundreds of in the early 1980s and that many, many people remember fondly, even nearly 30 years later. Combo FH were a RIO-style avant/progressive band who used keyboards, reeds, violin, bassoon, guitars, bass, drums and percussion. This is the very first time that any of this material has been issued on CD and it's all here. You can follow their development from their "Mini Jazz Club" 1st release of 1976, where they are a very good, quirky sorta of fusion/progressive band, to their peak in the very early 1980s via singles and their album, onto their shockingly dissapointing second album and a lot of demos. It's all here, but you won't want to listen to much beyond the 1st disc. Having said that, this is still reasonably priced even for one disc and this is beautifully done with lots of great photos and (Czech) liner notes. Essential for fans of avant/progressive/RIO-style music.
    "None of the members of this group were full-time musicians, but they run through 14 brief (1':35" to 4':26"), but very intricate compositions (mostly by keyboardist Daniel Fikejz), as if they were conservatory-trained. Wonderful stuff which, although strongly influenced by Hungarian folk and classical (i.e., Bartok) musics, seems very Zappa-inspired (circa Burnt Weeny Sandwich). The basson is prominent, so the music is superficially reminiscent of Gryphon, at times. I highly recommend this to fans of Zappa, Canterbury sounds, RIO (esp. those of us who enjoy Nimal, Zamla, etc.), and people who like the sound of the bassoon. The music of Combo FH is weird, but not in a pernicious/atonal/chaotic way, so even those of you with more mainstream tastes may like this."-Dave Wayne/Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock"
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

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    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  6. #6
    I have the Veci lp from back in the early 80's recommended catalog

  7. #7
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    Veci is definitely a quirky one. The tunes are generally quite short but chock full of twists and turns
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  8. #8
    Veci is great. The second one is completely different, and shouldn't even be expected to sound anything like the first. But there are still a few quirky tunes in a 'Prague underground'-style (Prazsky Vyber, Extempore, MCH Band).
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  9. #9
    I only have Věci, but I quite like it; highly quirky avant-fusion with a whole bunch of short, very complex tracks and a whimsical attitude towards music making (using bicycle pumps, squeak toys, etc. as musical instruments, for example). I really should upgrade to that “collected works” CD one of these days, as I’ve long been curious about that rare Mini Jazz Klub 11 EP.

    This is probably the most anybody’s discussed Combo FH on Progressive Ears in...forever. Very cool!
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  10. #10
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    I don't think I can add anything to Steve's excellent description other than do buy the CD even if you've got the vinyl -this is one of the very few remasters that I've noticed a very substantial difference in sound quality on. The original vinyl was a bit crackly and the single very thin, but on the CD both are sounding really great. I seem to remember Recommended described them in part as "put on the shelf next to Begnagrad" and I know what they mean -the first Combo FH was a one-off -sort of jazz related but like no other jazz album I've heard-- likewise Begnagrad were sort of folk but not like any other folk album. That one will be much more difficult to find however.

  11. #11
    An oddity in Czech music because from my understanding, that scene had much to offer in terms of symphonic prog and fusion, but in terms of more experimental/avant stuff it was usually politically inspired, which added a certain "underground punk" flavor to the sounds (PPU would be the most obvious example, though there were other similarly inclined bands around them as well).

    "Veci" is maybe the only example of joyous chamber prog from this time and place that I know of. Great stuff, and I enjoy the earlier EP as well. Never heard the second proper album.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Levgan View Post
    in terms of more experimental/avant stuff it was usually politically inspired, which added a certain "underground punk" flavor to the sounds (PPU would be the most obvious example
    Although essentially true, I think it's worth noting the odd exception to the rule; the Dezo Ursiny Provisorium album, although Slovak and not Czech, was certainly very cutting edge for its time, and the same goes for the very first Prazsky Vyber record, when they were more of an experimental progressive fusion band than what came after. On the side a bit, but Ota Petrina's Super-Robot is also very peculiar, not to mention the first Stromboli release, the studio part of it (which features a young Iva Bittova a.o.), which somehow merges Zeuhl and new-wave antics in a fascinating manner. In addition, it's an interesting fact that some of the "ground workers" of the Czech scene at large, namely Flamengo, resurfaced as a substantial influence on post-punk avant-progressive bands in the 80s and 90s like Dunaj, UJD and Narajama.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor
    the Dezo Ursiny Provisorium album, although Slovak and not Czech, was certainly very cutting edge for its time
    Sure thing! Thanks for bringing it up - excellent record which I totally forgot about. I have recently stumbled upon his second LP, "Pevnina Detstva", and somewhat unexpectedly, it turned out super-nice stuff as well, with light Canterbury touch and some positively Caravan-esque bits.
    same goes for the very first Prazsky Vyber record, when they were more of an experimental progressive fusion band than what came after. On the side a bit, but Ota Petrina's Super-Robot is also very peculiar, not to mention the first Stromboli release, the studio part of it (which features a young Iva Bittova a.o.), which somehow merges Zeuhl and new-wave antics in a fascinating manner.
    Duly noted - sounds like I must check out all of these.

  14. #14
    Subterranean Tapir Hobo Chang Ba's Avatar
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    An album that I should like but don't for some reason. Maybe one day.

    Their debut I mean, of course.
    Please don't ask questions, just use google.

    Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.

    I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.

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