DG 307 was a Czech underground rock band founded in 1973 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Milan Hlavsa Milan "Mejla" Hlavsa (Prague, 6 March 1951 – 5 January 2001) was the founder, chief songwriter, and original bassist of the Czechoslovakia, Czech band the Plastic People of the Universe, which was part of the inspiration for the anti-establish ...

and

Pavel Zajíček Pavel Zajíček (15 April 1951 – 5 March 2024) was a Czech poet and musician, who was a prominent member of the Czech underground scene during the 1970s, associated with the bands DG 307 and the Plastic People of the Universe. Biography In ...

. The group has been inactive since 2016.

History

Bass guitarist

and poet

launched DG 307 in 1973, taking the name from a psychiatric diagnosis that allowed young men to obtain a blue booklet and thus avoid compulsory military service. Together with

the Plastic People of the Universe The Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) is a Czech rock band from Prague. They are considered the foremost representatives of Prague's underground culture (1968–1989), which defied Czechoslovakia's Communist regime. Members of the band o ...

, a band Hlavsa had also been a member of, DG 307, among other underground ensembles, was a target of persecution by the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

. The repression climaxed in 1976, when Zajíček was arrested and imprisoned for a year, allegedly for

disorderly conduct Disorderly conduct is a crime in most jurisdictions, such as the United States and China. Typically, "disorderly conduct" is a term used to refer to any behavior that is considered unacceptable in a formal, civilized or controlled environment. ...

. After his release, only two DG 307 concerts took place, in 1979. In 1980, Zajíček emigrated and the group went on indefinite hiatus. The

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

in 1989 made it possible for Zajíček to return to his homeland, at which point he reestablished the band and became its lead singer. Since 2016, the group has been inactive due to Zajíček's health. The only permanent member of DG 307 throughout its existence was Pavel Zajíček. The group had a rotating membership of musicians that at various times included

Josef Janíček Josef Janíček (born 28 December 1947 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic) is a Czech rock keyboardist, singer, accordion and guitar player. He was a former guitarist of The Primitives Group; from 1969 he played with The Plastic People ...

Jan Sahara Hedl Jan Hedl (born 9 January 1957, in Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a p ...

, and Eva Turnová.

Partial list of band members

– vocals *

– bass guitar * Jana Jonáková – vocals *

Ivo Pospíšil Ivo is a masculine given name, in use in various European languages. The name used in western European languages originates as a Normannic name recorded since the High Middle Ages, and the French name Yves is a variant of it. The unrelated So ...

– bass guitar * Ivan Bierhanzl – bass guitar, double bass * Tomáš Vtípil – violin, electronics * Tomáš Schilla – cello * Petr Fučík – drums * Ivan Manolov – electric guitar * René Starhon – drums * Antonín Korb – drums * Otakar "Alfréd" Michl – guitar * Pavel Cigánek – guitar, violin * Michal Koval – bass guitar * Přemek Drozd – drums * Dalibor Pyš – violin * Oto Sukovský – bass guitar * Eva Turnová – bass guitar

Discography

* ''Gift to the Shadows (fragment)'' (1982) * ''DG 307 (1973–75)'' (1990) * ''Dar stínům (jaro 1979)'' (1992) * ''Pták utrženej ze řetězu (podzim 1979)'' (1993) * ''Torzo (léto 1980)'' (1993) * ''Uměle ochuceno (Artificially flavored)'' (1992) * ''Tvář jako Botticelliho Anděl'' (Live bootleg – 1995) * ''Kniha psaná chaosem'' (1996) * ''Siluety'' (1998) * ''Koncert'' (1999) * ''Šepoty a výkřiky'' (2002) * ''Historie hysterie'' (1973–75 recordings) (2002) * ''Nosferatu'' (soundtrack to the film ''

Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...

'' – 2004)) * ''DG 307 – LIVE (17 April 2005)'' (2005) * ''Květy podzimu – barvy jara /live at La Fabrika'' (2008) * ''Veřejná zkouška/Public rehearsal Praha-New York'' (2009) * ''Magický město vyhořelo'' (1994 live recording – 2008) * ''V katedrálách ticha'' (1994 live recording – 2011) * ''Životy? Nebo bludné kruhy?'' (2013) * ''Svědek spálenýho času /komplet nahrávek z let 1979–1980'' (5CDs – 2013)

References

External links

DG 307 at Bandzone
* {{Authority control Czech alternative rock groups Czech underground music groups Musical groups from Prague 1973 establishments in Czechoslovakia 2016 disestablishments in the Czech Republic Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 2016