Yugo-prog & other stories

[Svetonio]

I want my story about Yugo-prog to start with a short-lived band Dogovor iz 1984. ("Agreement from 1804.") The band was founded in November 1968, in Belgrade; line-up were Nebojša Ignjatovic (vocal, guitar), guitarist and flutist Aleksandar Stajić (guitar and flute), Robert Nemeček (bass), Dejan Vasiljević (double bass), Stevan Milutinović (drums) and Aleksandar (sitar and tabla). They played their own songs based on musical experiences of different cultures. The band released only one but for Yugo-prog worthy 4-track EP Krug ("Circle") in 1969, when the band took a part at the Youth Festival in Subotica in 1969, and at the Belgrade Guitar Festival 1969.





Their song "Sećanje na san ("Remembering the Dream") was released along with other artists on live album Gitarijada 1969 ("Guitar Festival 1969") released on Belgrade Disc records. The song was re-released on the compilation CD YU Retrospektiva - progresivna muzika ("YU Retrospective - progressive music") (Komuna records, Belgrade 1994).











Тhe band were split in early spring of 1970.

[Svetonio]

Korni Grupa were a Yugo-prog band from Belgrade, also known as Kornelyans - the name which they used during a short-lived foray into the Italian market. Formed in 1968, Korni Grupa was the first Yugo-prog bands to achieve mainstream popularity. Korni Grupa is considered to be one of the most influential bands in the history of Yugo-prog.



Since the beginning of their career, the band had developed progressive sound as a mix of symphonic rock, jazz and the 60s Yugo-pop. The band was formed in Belgrade by keyboard player and composer Kornelije Kovač, with Bojan Hreljac (bass) Vladimir Furduj (drums) and Velibor Kacl (guitarist) After changing several vocalists, the band's vocalist became Dado Topić, and guitarist Josip Boček replaced Kacl.
The band released three EPs and three LPs. They recorded the very first side-long song of Yugo-prog, entitled Prvo svetlo u kući br.4 ("First Light in the House no.4") in 1969.

("First Light in the House no.4") 1969


Magična ruka ("Magic Hand") 1969


Not An Ordinary Life, full album, 1974


The band were split in 1975.

[Svetonio]

Drago Mlinarec was born in Zagreb, in 1942. In 1962 with his friend keyboardist Braneli Lambert, Drago formed the band called Sputniks, but the band changed its name to Vampire, and then Morning Star. At that time, Drago was working as a chemical technician, studying and writing songs. In 1966, Drago founded a psychedelic rock band "Group of 220". The success achieved very quickly, when in the two months after the foundation, the band released the song "Smile", which became a hit in Yugoslavia. He was working with the band until 1971, when he started a solo career as a progressive folk-rock singer-songwriter. Drago published his first solo album in 1971. Personnel were Hussein "Hus" Hasanefendić, Ivan "Pippi" Stančic, Nenad Zubak and Brane Živković. After military service, at the end of 1971, Mlinarec started working in the theater for to tie much of his future music career.





Drago's most worthy albums for the story of Yugo-prog are A ti se ne daj ("Don't give up", 1971), Pjesme s planine ("Songs from the Mountain" 1972), Rođenje ("Birth", 1975) and Negdje postoji netko ("Somewhere there is someone", 1977).


Posmrtna osvijeta ("A posthumous revenge", 1971)


Dijete zvezda ("Child star", 1972)


Helena lijepa i ja u kiši ( "I And Beautiful Helen In The Rain", 1975)

[Svetonio]

Time were a Yugo-Prog band that was formed in Zagreb in 1971 by ex-Korni Grupa singer Dado Topić. After three full-lenght albums and many tours, the band split in 1977 and Dado Topić started his solo career.




Time played a progressive mix of symphonic rock, jazz-rock and melodic hard-rock. The s/t debut album from 1972, their best LP actually, has a prominent Hammond organ, piano and flute. At the debut album, personnel is:
Brane Lambert Zivković / piano, flute, electric piano
Dado Topić / vocal
Mario Mavrin / bass
Ratko Divjak / drums
Vedran Božić / guitar, vocal
Tihomir Pop Asanović / Hammond organ
Time II has a harder sound but includes some beautiful ballads. The third album may be considered to have a jazz-funk production style.


Za koji život treba da se rodim ("For what life I should be born", 1972)


Istina mašina ("Truth Machine", 1972)


Divlje guske ("The wild geese", 1975)

[Svetonio]

Indexi were a band formed in Sarajevo, in 1962. They were playing at the first Belgrade Guitar Festival in 1964, and released their first single Plima ("High Water") in January 1969. After many concerts and singles, Indexi were released their debut, self-titled full-lenght album in 1972.





In 1978, Indexi released their masterpiece - the album enitled Modra Rijeka ("Blue River"). Their style always were a mix of symphonic rock, Yugoslavian popular music, jazz-rock and melodic hard rock; thus, Indexi were an "archetype" of Yugo-prog band.

Dan kao ovaj, ("A Day Like This", 1972)

Hej ti ("Hey You"), live at the Boom Festival, Ljubljana 1972

Modra Rijeka, full album, 1978

[Svetonio]

Mladi Levi were a Yugo-prog band formed in Ljubljana in 1967. They released a debut EP in 1969. Members were Jernej Podboj ( saxofone, clarinet), Tomaž Habe (keys, vocals), Peter Hudobivnik (bass) Matjaž Deu (drums), Bor Gostiša (guitar) and Petar "Pero" Ugrin (trumpet, violin).

Kad su zvijezde padale ("When Stars Were Fallen") 1969

Mila Mala ("Dear Little") 1969

Spominjam se antimaterije, ("I Remember Antimatter") live at the Boom Festival 1972

[Svetonio]

Yugo-prog band from Belgrade called Pop mašina ("Pop Machine") played a kind of progressive mix of heavy rock, jazz-rock & psych. Members were Robert Nemeček (ex-Dogovor iz 1804) (bass), Raša Đelmaš (drums) and Sava Bojić (guitar, vocals). Pop mašina often organized - now legendary - free concerts, and in 1972 they organized a free open-air concert at Belgrade's version of Hyde Park, called Hajdučka česma. In fact, it was one-day prog festival because the concert also featured Yugo-prog bands S Vremena Na Vreme, Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba, and others; in May 1973, they organized another free concert at Hajdučka česma, which featured Yugo-prog bands Vlada i Bajka, Jutro, Med, and others current bands from Yugo-prog scene at the time.
In 1973, the band released their debut album Kiselina ("Acid"). At the beginning of 1975, in Akademik Studio in Ljubljana, the band recorded their second studio album Na izvoru svetlosti(At the Spring of Light). The album was produced by the band founder Robert Nemeček. The album featured fantastic progressive blues track Negde daleko *CLICK HERE* ("Somewhere Far Away") recorded live at concert in Belgrade Sports Hall on January 1974, and the song Rekvijem za prijatelja ("Requiem for a Friend"), dedicated to Predrag Jovičić, the former singer of Yugo-prog band San ("Dream") who died from an electric shock on a gig in Čair Sports Center in Niš. At the end of 1976, Nemeček left the band due to military service, and the bassist Dušan Petrović replaced him. When Robert Nemeček returned from the army, he moved to London, where he started working in a company who dealt with the music instruments. From London, he wrote as a rock journalists for some Yugoslav magazines. The new lineup moved towards jazz-rock. This personnel announced the recording of a new album. But, in '78, Pop Mašina disbanded.














Their albums are re-issued at Bandcamp https://atlantide-rip.bandcamp.com/album/kiselina

[Scrotum Scissor]

I've always loved Indexi, Korni Grupa, Time, Buldozer, Grupa Dah, Smak, S Vremena na Vreme, September, Tako, Trio Dag, Leb I Sol, Izvir and Den Za Den. Not a huge fan of Teska Industrija, Pop Masina, Yu Grupa, Bijelo Dugme, Divlje Jagode, Riblja Corba, Galija, Oko, Atomsko Skloniste, Gordi, Pavlja Parnak and so on. Bland hard rock to me, those latter ones.

[Svetonio]

I've always loved Indexi, Korni Grupa, Time, Buldozer, Grupa Dah, Smak, S Vremena na Vreme, September, Tako, Trio Dag, Leb I Sol, Izvir and Den Za Den. Not a huge fan of Teska Industrija, Pop Masina, Yu Grupa, Bijelo Dugme, Divlje Jagode, Riblja Corba, Galija, Oko, Atomsko Skloniste, Gordi, Pavlja Parnak and so on. Bland hard rock to me, those latter ones.

[Svetonio]

Porodična manufaktura crnog hleba ("Rye Bread Family Manufacture") were a Yugo-prog band more oriented to progressive folk-rock. The band was formed in Belgrade in 1968 by Maja de Rado (songwriter, vocals and twelve string guitar), Jugoslav Vlahović (acoustic guitar, congas, ) Slobodan Kuzmanović (acoustic guitar) and Aleksandar Ilić (organ). Being close relatives, they named the band Porodična manufaktura crnog hleba "("Rye Bread Family Manufacture"). The band worked with several excellent flutists: Vlada Bogosavljević, Sreten Tasić and Branko Malkoč. The band played gigs in Belgrade's Atelje 212 Theatre during 1972 & 1973.



In 1974 they released their debut album Stvaranje ("The Creation"). After that release, Porodična manufaktura crnog hleba disbanded due to the male members' military service.



Nešto ("Something", 1972)


Zid ("Wall", 1974)


"Imam li što od tog?" ("Where I am in this deal?", 1974)

[Svetonio]

Yugo-prog band Sa vremena na vreme ("From Time To Time") were the leaders of the Belgrade's progressive folk scene. The band was founded in 1972 by Miomir Djukic, Vojislav Đukić, Asim Sarvan and Ljubomir Ninkovic. From Time To Time is named after have informally gathered - from time to time - to record the songs for the purposes of Radio Belgrade.



In Yugo-prog, they were pioneers in using old instruments such as šargija. Their music is characterized by a combination of acoustic and electric with the accompanying sound of the flute, organ and mandolin with harmony vocals. For the story of Yugo-prog, the most worthy is their s/t debut album from 1975.

Tema šargija ("Šargija Theme" 1975)

Tema Classica ("Classica Theme", 1975)

Nada ("Hope", 1975)

[smcfee]

Thanks for doing this series, it's very interesting to me. One thing I'm wondering if you could expand on is the influence of censorship and state-controlled labels on the music of the period. I knew a Romanian fellow who filled me in quite a bit on the scene from the 1970s, some of the cultural meanings of different groups of the period, and also some interesting things about what they had to deal with. I'd be interested in the same perspective on the former Yugoslavia if possible.

[Svetonio]

Thanks for doing this series, it's very interesting to me. One thing I'm wondering if you could expand on is the influence of censorship and state-controlled labels on the music of the period. I knew a Romanian fellow who filled me in quite a bit on the scene from the 1970s, some of the cultural meanings of different groups of the period, and also some interesting things about what they had to deal with. I'd be interested in the same perspective on the former Yugoslavia if possible.

Unlike other countries of real-socialism and since 1966, Yugoslavia was no-party society because the Communist Party was transformed into NGO, even though the ruling ideology remained Marxist-Leninist. In Yugoslavia, there was no state form of ownership in the companies, but community ownership of big systems and private ownership in small and medium-sized enterprises. The founders of the companies have not been government departments, but a group of citizens. So there was community-ownership in Yugoslav records companies that were quite big. It was a socialist self-management system that existed only in Yugoslavia. The state ownership wasn't exist in Yugoslavia since 1950.
All operations of censorship carried out by institutions that were independent in their work. Freedom of artistic expression in Yugoslavia were de facto unlimited and in accordance with a high level of respect of the human rights and freedom which includes, for example & unlike above mentioned Romania, unhindered traveling of Yugoslav citizens in Western countries, and that they even were allowed to registered private companies in Western countries and to not pay taxes in Yugoslavia.
I know of only one case of censorship, when Bijelo Dugme's verse "Jesus was a bastard and misery" had to be changed at the album into "he was a bastard and misery", although in concerts they regularly sang the original verse. So, the bands were not allowed to directly offend those positive historical and public figures and, of course, that Marxism-Leninism as an ideology, but all else they were allowed.

[Svetonio]

Bijelo Dugme ("White Button") were the most famous Sarajevo-based band, formed in 1973, whose first three albums are a wonderful example of the mid-70s Yugo-prog (well-know as "breast - ass - lips", due to great artworks by graphic designer & photographer Dragan S. Stefanović). Their style was a progressive mix of symphonic rock, melodic hard rock and Balkan folk. The original line-up was: Goran Bregović - guitar & composing, Željko Bebek - vocals, Zoran Redzić - bass, Ipe Ivandić - drums, Vlado Pravdić - Hammond organ, synthesizers, electric piano, grand piano




The band are celebrate a new release.




A pic from Bijelo Dugme's free concert at Hajdučka česma, 1977, Belgrade.


Kad bih bio Bijelo Dugme ("If I Would Be A White Buttom", 1974)



Požurie konji moji ("Hurry, My Horses", 1975)



Sanjao sam noćas da te nemam ("Tonight I Dreamt That I Don't Have You", 1976)


http://lyricstranslate.com/en/sanjao...amt-i-dont-hav

Sanjao sam nocas da te nemam
English translation

Tonight I dreamt that I don't have you
Tonight I dreamt that I don't have you
that I'm lying awake on beds of snow
and quietly, quietly
some other woman
calls out my name trough the night
bad dream
In my dreams I saw a white lily
black horses and celebrations without song
and quietly without sound
they go away somewhere
some dear people
Where, oh where
bad dream
Hey, night stop
let the dawn break
(let the dawn break)

[Svetonio]

Dag (also know as Trio Dag) were Yugo-prog band from Belgrade, oriented to progressive folk-rock. The band was formed in 1972 by Dragan Popović (guitar, vocals), Grujica (percussion, vocals) and Aleksandar Milanović (guitar, vocals). They released some singles and only one but for the story of Yugo-prog a quite worthy full-lengh album entitled Sećanja ("Memories") in 1974. The album was recorded with additional musicians: Sloba Marković on keyboards, Robert Nemeček (ex-Dogovor iz 1804, Pop Mašina) on bass, Ljubomir Ristić on sitar, Branimir Malkoč on flute, and Raša Đelmaš (ex-Pop Mašina) on drums.





Na Drini ćuprija ("The Bridge on the Drina", 1974)


I na kraju zvuk ("And A Sound On The End", 1974)


Jutro jednog fauna ("Morning of a Faun", 1974)

[Svetonio]

Hobo were formed in Zagreb 1972. The line-up: Mato Dosen (keys), Saša Čavric (bass), Josip Belamarić (electric violin), Mladen Garasic (drums) and Boris Trubić (percussion). They played summer festivals in Yugoslavia, and after the band released their debut album, they played as an opening act for Deep Purple concert in Zagreb, 1975 (btw, at Deep Purple's next gig at that Yugoslavian part of thier 1975 world tour, in Belgrade, at that unforgettable concert - where I attended as a little kid - an opening act was virtually unknow band called Smak).



The same year Hobo released their eponymous s/t album. Sadly, the debut was their only one LP. Due to lack of commercial success, Hobo disbanded. But, that only one album is really great and one of my favourite re Yugo-prog - just hear this amazing song Srebro with Far-East influence.

Srebro Srebro ("Silver", 1975)



Hobo, full album, 1975

[Svetonio]

Drugi Način ("Another Way") were formed in Zagreb, in 1973, by members: Branko Pozgajec (vocals, keyboards, flute); Halil Mekić (guitar); Zeljko Mikulčić (bass) and Ismet Kurtović (vocals, flute, guitar). This line-up released a single in 1974. In February 1975 they recorded the eponymous debut album. After being rejected by Zagreb's labels, Belgrade's PGP RTB agreed to release the debut album.



It was a succesfull concept album, heavier and with flutes, with a theme about loneliness, and it was regularly reissued in the following years. It's another classic of Yugo-prog. At the end of 1976 the band split-up, so Kurtović and Mekić formed a short-lived band Nepočin which released only one album.


Na mom dlanu ("On My Hand" 1975)

Dobro je biti nekome nešto ("It Is Good To Have Someone You Know" 1975)

Lile su kiše ("Rains Were Falling", 1975)

[strawberrybrick]

Hvala lijepa Svetino!

[Svetonio]

Hvala lijepa Svetino!

[Svetonio]

Nepočin were Yugo-prog band that was formed in Zagreb in 1976 by already mentioned band Drugi Način's members Ismet Kurtović (vocal, flute, guitar) and Halil Mekić (guitar, vocal), who were joined by Božo Ilić (bass), Branko Knežević (drums) and Damir Šebetić (keyboards). They named the band after the poem Nepočin polje ("Unrest Fields") by Vasko Popa who was a Serbian poet.



They released only one album Svijet Po Kojem Gazim ("The World Over Which I Walk") in 1977, and split-up shortly after the album was released at Belgrade's major label PGP RTB. There is an urban legend that then PGP RTB's executive manager Predrag "Peca" Popović liked so much the artwork that the band brought to him along with demo tapes that he said that he will release the album without listening the band's demo tapes; though, reality is that he already knew all previous works of Kurtović and Mekić in Drugi Način.








Čekati moj hit ("Waiting For My Hit", 1977)


Svijet Po Kojem Gazim ("The World Over Which I Walk", 1977)


Stopa za stopom (" Bit By Bit", 1977)

[Svetonio]

Opus were an interesting guitar-less Yugo-prog band formed in Belgrade, in 1973, by organist Miodrag Okrugić, accompanied with bassist Slobodan Orlić, drummer Ljubomir Jerković and singer Dušan Prelević (ex-Korni Grupa); the same year they recorded their debut Opus 1. Although Opus were a concert attraction, they split-up soon after the debut album was released. In addition to their only LP, they released a few singles.






Dolina bisera ("Valley of Pearls", 1975)


Momento mori, 1975


Žena tame ("The Woman of Darkness", 1975)

[Svetonio]

Buldožer ("Bagger") were Yugo-prog band formed in early 1975 in Ljubljana, by avant-rock singer-songwriter Marko Brecelj, accompanied with guitarist and lead vocalist Boris Bele. The original line-up included keyboardist/composer Borut Eine, bassist Andrej Veble, lead guitarist Uros Lovsin and drummer Stefan Jez. Buldožer released debut album Pljuni istini u oči ("Spit It In The Eyes of The Truth") in December 1975 which was welcomed due to its art-rock direction of their progressive music, what was something in Yugo-prog; they performed a lot of - now quite legendary - freak-out performances. In 1977, the band released their second album Zabranjeno plakatirati ("Posters forbidden") on their hometown label Helidon. After release of Zabranjeno plakatirati the album, the band's rhythm section were changed, so the bassist Vili Bertok and drummer Tone Dimnik participated in recording sessions. In 1979, founder Marko Brecelj left the band in favour of his solo career. As the first commerically successful avant-rock band in Yugoslavia, Marko Brecelj's Buldožer is one of the most important bands in the story of 70s Yugo-prog.





Pljuni istini u oči ("Spit It In The Eyes of The Truth") full album, 1975


Dobro jutro madam Jovanović ("Good Morning, Madamme Jovanović"), 1977


Ne brini mama ("Don't Worry, Mammy) 1977

[Svetonio]

Yugo-prog band Izvir ("Spring") was formed in Ljubljana, in 1971, They released two singles and a s/t full-lenght album, in jazz-rock direction. Members of the band were: Marko Bitenc (vocal, percussion), Marjan Lebar - (bass), Slavko Lebar (guitar), Andrej Petković (drums), Franc Opeka ( guitar ), Davor Petrić (guitar) and Andrej Konjajev (organ, piano, vocals). After split-up in 1978, most of the members continued with the band Predmestje. Their only one album is re-issued at Bandcamp https://atlantide-rip.bandcamp.com/album/izvir

[alanterrill]

Thanks for that - I had no idea Yugoslavia differed so much from other former communist countries.

Unlike other countries of real-socialism and since 1966, Yugoslavia was no-party society because the Communist Party was transformed into NGO, even though the ruling ideology remained Marxist-Leninist. In Yugoslavia, there was no state form of ownership in the companies, but community ownership of big systems and private ownership in small and medium-sized enterprises. The founders of the companies have not been government departments, but a group of citizens. So there was community-ownership in Yugoslav records companies that were quite big. It was a socialist self-management system that existed only in Yugoslavia. The state ownership wasn't exist in Yugoslavia since 1950.
All operations of censorship carried out by institutions that were independent in their work. Freedom of artistic expression in Yugoslavia were de facto unlimited and in accordance with a high level of respect of the human rights and freedom which includes, for example & unlike above mentioned Romania, unhindered traveling of Yugoslav citizens in Western countries, and that they even were allowed to registered private companies in Western countries and to not pay taxes in Yugoslavia.
I know of only one case of censorship, when Bijelo Dugme's verse "Jesus was a bastard and misery" had to be changed at the album into "he was a bastard and misery", although in concerts they regularly sang the original verse. So, the bands were not allowed to directly offend those positive historical and public figures and, of course, that Marxism-Leninism as an ideology, but all else they were allowed.

[Svetonio]

Yugo-prog Predmestje ("Suburbs") were formed in Ljubljana, in 1975; the members were: Peter Gruden (guitar, vocals); Andrej Pompe (keyboards) Aleksander Malahovsky (saxophone), Janez Hvale (drums) and Gabriel Lah (bass)



This line-up released the debut album in 1977, what promptly established Predmestje as one of the best Yugo-prog bands oriented to fusion. In 1978, the band recorded their second album Danes, vceraj in... with two new members, Lado Jaksa at saxophone and Tone Dimnik at drums; for the third album entitled Hazard, Andrej Pompe invited the members of then disbanded band Izvir to join him in the studio. Predmestje disbanded in 1982. Their first three albums are all worthy albums for the story about Yugo-prog. Their debut album Brez naslova ("Untitled") is officially re-issued at Bandcamp: https://atlantide-rip.bandcamp.com/album/brez-naslova