Help, trying to identify old east european rock album

[yoyiceu]

A long time ago, a friend send me a cassette copy, now lost, of what I remember as an East European band, probably from the eighties, with a dark cover. The music itself was very minimalist, maybe even industrial, with a lot of sinister echo on the voice, which more or less intoned the foreign language lyrics instead of singing. Perhaps there was some post punk Joy Division influence as well. In particular I remember a piece which was just a repeated beep or something like that. I just searched Combo FX on youtube, because the name and album cover seemed familiar, but, although great, they are not it, as they play in a RIO Henry-Cow style. I'm frustrated, because I was pretty sure it was them. Maybe they had a limited edition of a previous incarnation of the band with a different style? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[thedunno]

Its a long time ago since I've heared it but it seems like it might be the debut album of Laibach.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laibach_(album)

Here's a tune with some beeps and industrial sounds

https://youtu.be/NXA8_p8Tl1E

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A405FN met Tapatalk

[yoyiceu]

Thanks, but its not it. The album I mention is much more austere in its backing, probably no guitars, prominent bass and sax. And the 'singer' and leader seemed to be talking in his sleep in a monotone, with a big echo. I also remember reading that he later made a few solo albums. I kind of think they were from Czchoslovakia, but I could be wrong.

[Zeuhlmate]

Plastic People of the Universe?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pl...f_the_Universe

[yoyiceu]

No.

[smcfee]

When you say "Combo FM" I want to say it's this: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...veci__things_/

But what you say does not describe the music here, which is entirely instrumental music, more upbeat, some RIO overtones.

So I'm going to go with my backup guess which is: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...eut_mich_f___/

Sample track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cqgvBMf4iU

[yoyiceu]

This is it! Many thanks. I knew there were some single letters in the band name. Now I can go on with my life... Yes, I know Combo FH is a completely different style.

[smcfee]

[yoyiceu]

This is what I remembered. It's a great, sombre, almost suicidal album. Lots of fun.

[SunRunner2]

Somber, yes, and danceable too (when the choo choo train comes in about halfway through ).

Amazon has their "greatest hits" album, MCH Band, 1982-1989, 25th Anniversary Edition, on CD for a cool $130 (Used, but VG condition). Perhaps a Christmas wish list item?

[yoyiceu]

There's a sad story related to my relationship with this music. Many years ago, before internet, I developed a long distance friendship with a Mexican prog music fan: he wrote me first, having gotten my address from the editor of Progression magazine, for whom I had written a couple of articles in the very very early days. We exchanged long letters about music and, more importantly, cassette recordings of little known records we wanted the other to hear. This was of the ones he sent me, like many others I didn't know anything about. Years passed, we lost touch. Awhile back I became curious and looked up his name on Facebook. I found a woman's name with the same two last names, also from Mexico. I wrote her. It turned out she was his sister. She told me he had had a brain hemmorage a few years ago and was doing better, but that he didn't remember anything about his previous life.

[aith01]

There's a sad story related to my relationship with this music. Many years ago, before internet, I developed a long distance friendship with a Mexican prog music fan: he wrote me first, having gotten my address from the editor of Progression magazine, for whom I had written a couple of articles in the very very early days. We exchanged long letters about music and, more importantly, cassette recordings of little known records we wanted the other to hear. This was of the ones he sent me, like many others I didn't know anything about. Years passed, we lost touch. Awhile back I became curious and looked up his name on Facebook. I found a woman's name with the same two last names, also from Mexico. I wrote her. It turned out she was his sister. She told me he had had a brain hemmorage a few years ago and was doing better, but that he didn't remember anything about his previous life.

Thanks for sharing that story. Heartwarming to hear of long distance friendships like that, borne of a common love for music. But it is sad what happened since then.

Maybe his memory will come back to him one day. I hope so.

[helicase]

Amazon has their "greatest hits" album, MCH Band, 1982-1989, 25th Anniversary Edition, on CD for a cool $130 (Used, but VG condition). Perhaps a Christmas wish list item?

This is actually a 6CD set with all their albums from those years. Available new from the Czech Republic for just over $20 + $20 shipping (though sadly, their site doesn't seem to be available in English):
https://www.blackpoint.cz/mch-band-1...e-edition-6cd/

[Scrotum Scissor]

M.C.H. Band were one of the groups to rise in the wake of the Plastic People of the Universe, sporting some of the same beyond-sombre sonorities and vibe but also a somewhat more refined approach to arrangement. There were several such acts, all of them indebted in one way or another to the mighty PPU yet also always donning some treat of their own; Extemporé, DG307, Prazsky Vyber, Ser Un Peyalero and so on.

The last I heard from M.C.H. was the absolutely excellent Nech Svetlo Dohoret, Katerino from sometime mid-to-late 2000s. One of the great Czech underground bands.

[smcfee]

Obscure band box sets are my kryptonite so I assume I'm going to own that 6 CD set at some point (I currently have Es Reut Mich F on vinyl, and Karnevale and Live on CD, which post-date that set).

[miamiscot]

What a crew we have here. Is there any question we can't answer? Any mystery we can't solve?

[Scrotum Scissor]

Any mystery we can't solve?

Did you know about Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Hoffa, Svetonio and Rufus?

[aith01]

Did you know about Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Hoffa, Svetonio and Rufus?

[Rick L.]

Svetonio's name is Legion, for he is many.

[Gravedigger]

Any mystery we can't solve?

Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10, but hot dog buns only come in packages of 8?

[Scrotum Scissor]

I always thought this was a great tune by DG307:



It amazes me that somehow even six years after the Prague spring uprising was basically crushed, they still keep performing this agit-prop insanity. And this was under peril of actual jailtime and beatings. Vratislav Brabenec was practically beaten into kidney failure from his several incarcerations, none of which were founded in constitutional presedence of the day in Czechoslowakia.

[TheH]

Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10, but hot dog buns only come in packages of 8?

That is no mystery, it's a simple case of how Business works...