This two-CD set collects a self-released studio tape from 1983, Dvouletá Fáma’s sole album, and two concerts from 1988. The bands featured on the two discs are very different and barely deserve the same name. In 1983, Dvouletá Fáma was the quartet of Zdenek Konopásek (drums), Martin Vik (guitar), Jana Machácková (vocals), and Ivan Benda (bass). They played complicated new wave pop songs that stood somewhere between Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, and the Art Bears. The “Studio 1983″ CD bristles with quirkiness and charm. Vik’s twangy, out-of-tune guitar is a perfect match for Machácková’s playful vocal delivery (some may be reminded of After Dinner’s Haco). More challenging but still very interesting, the “Live 1988″ disc is a very different affair. Only Konopásek and Vik remain from the original lineup. During the first 14 tracks (recorded on June 12, 1988), they perform with poet/actor Radomil Uhlír as a trio. The last six tracks (date unspecified but obviously a few months later) also feature bassist Josef “Ferda” Matousek. These pieces inhabit much darker realms, include a lot of improvisation, and are dominated by Uhlír’s theatrical (and often absurd) recitation. While the non-Czech speaking listener can thoroughly enjoy the first disc, one has the clear impression of missing a crucial dimension in the second. It still has its moments, and from the general mood draws comparisons with Mikolás Chadima’s MCH Band. The tapes have been beautifully remastered for this edition, making Studio 1983 & Live 1988 more rewarding than many of Black Point’s other Archiv series titles. – François Couture