PRLJAVO KAZALIŠTE - "CRNO BIJELI SVIJET" (1980)

Prljavo Kazalište were founded in Zagreb at the end of the Seventies by guitar player Jasenko Houra and singer Davorin Bogović.

This is their second album, which marked a departure from the raw punk sound of their eponymous debut, embracing post-punk, new wave, power pop, dub, ska, harmonized vocals, and alienated atmospheres. 
It was recorded in Milan, Italy, and produced by Ivan "Piko" Stančić, one of the most important producers in the history of Yugoslavian music (Grupa 220, Idoli, Aerodrom, Film, Električni Orgazam, Psihomodo Pop, and many others).

"Crno bijeli svijet" sold 200.000 copies in its first year of release, establishing Prljavo Kazalište as one of the most popular bands of the nation. Brilliant ska numbers such as the title track and "Mi plešemo" are among the biggest hits of that era, but my favourite is probably the frantic "Neki moji prijatelji", with its beautiful liquid guitars.

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ARSEN DEDIĆ - "HOMO VOLANS" (1973)

Even though it generated a classic of ex-YU pop music, such as "Tvoje nježne godine", this double album marked the end of Arsen Dedić's golden era, selling less than his previous works.

In spite of this, today it can be considered his definitive artistic triumph, with a brilliant alternation of baroque pop, chanson, local folk, and adventurous jazz arrangements. 
In fact, some songs are way ahead of their time, like "Ana je Ana", an early mix of pop and world music, with is beautiful fuzzy guitars and Middle East-influenced orchestral lines, or "Mirni podstanar", which tells the story of a murder over a creepy, dissonant instrumental background, five years before the start of Scott Walker's experimental phase.

Don't let the length of the tracklist put you off; these 22 songs deserve your utmost attention.

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ARSEN DEDIĆ - "ĆOVJEK KAO JA" (1969) [R.I.P. †]

During the two months off my blog two important figures in the music scene of former Yugoslavia died, the first being Arsen Dedić.

Dedić was the greatest Croatian singer-songwriter of the late Sixties-early Seventies, and one of the most respected as of today. This is his debut album, which is mentioned in every best of ex-YU music list.

At the time of its release Dedić was already popular in Yugoslavia, having been around since 1962 with a long series of singles and EPs. This album contains some re-recorded versions of his previous hits, along with new material. 
If you know and appreciate American singer Scott Walker, you will get accustomed easily to Dedić, considering that their voices have many resemblances (no copycat here, Dedić was out there before Walker).
The arranger and co-producer of the album is Croatian maestro Stipica Kalogjera, who is capable of switching from bossa nova to folk ballads, from baroque pop to chansons.

The excellent sound quality of these recordings show that, as an artist, Dedić did not come second in any comparison with other top European musicians of his age.

P.S. Other than obviously Dedić, the album cover features Walker himself and influential Italian singer-songwriters Gino Paoli and Luigi Tenco.

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TIME - "TIME" (1972)

After a couple of years spent as Korni Grupa's vocalist, Dado Topić started his own project, Time.

This debut album saw historic producer Vladimir Mihaljek (Smak and Bijelo Dugme among his protegees) helping a line-up of expert musicians, such as Vedran Božić (guitar), 
Tihomir Asanović (organ), and Brane Živković (piano, flute).

The album was not a big success at the time, due to a first edition of 500 copies only, but it was soon reissued and never went out of print. Today considered one of the biggest classics of Yugoslavian rock, you can find it in every poll or list on this topic.
In their 32 minutes of duration the five tracks show a perfectly synchronized band divided between frantic funk-rock songs ("Istina mašina") and languid, atmospheric ballads ("Pjesma no. 3"), sometimes merging these two souls ("Kralj alkohol").
"Za koji život treba da se rodim" is the most celebrated cut: ten epic minutes where you can find guitar-driven jams, hypnotic piano patterns, wild flute solos, and that tragic electric organ crescendo just before the grand finale.
The only song I don't like is "Hegedupa upa", as it sounds like a stupid imitation of Cream or Jimi Hendrix, but the rest of the album is quite simply among the finest examples of non-British progressive rock.

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BOA - "BOA" (1982)

Boa was a pop quartet from Zagreb, formed by Mladen Puljiz (keyboards & vocals), Slavko Remenarić (guitars), Igor Šoštarić (drums), and Damir Košpić (bass guitar).

There is not much information about the early years of their career. It is hard to understand if they were popular at the time. In fact, this debut album shows a hi-tech, expensive production (with lots of electronic layerings, funky basslines, effected guitars, and refined sounds), but today just a loyal circle of fans seems to remember the band.
It is a pity, because this is such a well played, intense new wave record, which reminds of Trevor Horn's pyrotechnical works, but also predates Camel's "Stationary Traveller", with its Cold War atmosphere (even the artwork looks similar!).

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AZRA - "RAVNO DO DNA" (1982)

Recorded live in Zagreb (October 21, 1981).
Release date: March, 1982.
Produced by Branimir Stulić.
Triple vynil, double CD.
Two hours of music. 
44 songs. Eleven originally appeared on their self-titled debut album, fourteen on "Sunčana strana ulice", six on various singles, while thirteen are brand new songs which you would not find on any studio album.

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JOSIPA LISAC - "NAJVEĆI USPJESI" (1968-1973)

Josipa Lisac is an old Croatian singer who broke into the scenes at the end of the Sixties. Her powerful voice was kinda similar to that of Italian popstar Mina, but unlike her, Lisac not afraid to front rock music (in 1973 she released "Dnevnik jedne ljubavi", an album marked by psychedelic funk and baroque prog influences).

"Najveci uspjesi" collects some of Lisac's best songs, released as singles between 1968 and 1973. They were recorded at Jugoton Studios, with the help of the RTZ Orchestra. Authors and musical directors change from song to song, but the most important was probably Karlo Metikoš, who later composed the majority of Lisac's hits.

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AZRA - "SUNČANA STRANA ULICE" (1981)

For Azra's second album Branimir Štulić obtained as much freedom as he can get from the publishers of Jugoton Records. He produced it in person (unlike their debut effort) and he wrote some of his most powerful lyrics, equally dividing them between love songs and political anthems. Some tracks contain really harsh slogans ("Poljska u mome srcu"/"Poland Is in My Heart"; "Užas je moja furka"/"Horror is My Vibe"; "Kurvini sinovi"/"Bastards"), which testify that the Yugoslavian government policy wasn't as strict as the Soviet ones (as you probably know, Yugoslavia didn't sign the Warsaw pact and it wasn't technically part of the Eastern Bloc).

"Sunčana strana ulice" is the opus magnum of Azra's studio career. It is a double vynil, with six songs on each side, and it lasts over an hour. 
Štulić worked hard on the acoustic guitar sound (particularly high and sharp) and on echo techniques (in some moments the percussion are threated as in Jamaican dub records), while the arrangements ranged from folk ballads to rock'n'roll, crossing some cripple post-punk miniatures. Mišo Hrnjak's bass guitar is often prominent, and some songs are heavily marked by the presence of wind instruments (saxes, trumpet, tuba, harmonica).

The biggest hit of the album, "Odlazak u noć", is a jangle pop gem which predates English-speaking indie pop (only Orange Juice's "Falling and Laughing" was released before it). Other impressive numbers are the choral power pop anthem "Užas je moja furka", the obscure tango of "Kurvini sinovi", and the indolent post-punk of "Poljubi me", but honestly, nearly every song deserves attention. 

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AZRA - "AZRA" (1980)

Branimir Štulić, Azra's leader, was not really satisfied with the band's debut album. Even though it contained some of their best known numbers (the epic folk-punk of "Gracija", the power pop of "Marina", the bluesy post-punk of "Obrati pažnju na posljednju stvar"), Štulić felt that the production of Yugoslavian rock veteran Drago Mlinarec didn't fit with the sound of the band. Actually, the dynamics of some instruments are not as rich as you would have expected from such a blockbuster, but the average quality is still high and everyone in the local music scene considers this a milestone. 

I may prefer the band's second album, but "Azra" is still a required listening, as it contains a bunch of classics ("Gracija", "Jablan", "Uradi nešto", "Iggy Pop").

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AZRA - "SINGL PLOČE 1979 1982"

Azra were one of the most popular Yugoslavian bands. 
Their first three albums are generally regarded as ultimate classics, and they all reached the top 10 in YU100, a selection of the best Yugoslavian rock albums, as voted by 66 journalists, musicians, and other artistic personalities. 
Founded in Zagreb in 1977 by Branimir Štulić (vocals, guitar, songwriter), the band faced every kind of guitar-driven style (anthemic pop, punk rock, folk ballads, ska, and experimental new wave fragments).

This anthology collects ten songs originally released between 1979 and 1982, as part of four non-album singles. They are easily enjoyable, as they represents the most immediate face of the band. The first two tracks ("Balkan" and "A šta da radim") altogether formed one of the key-singles of the local new wave.

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