Azra: Singl ploce 1979-1982

Here's another favourite band of mine from ex Yugoslavia: Azra were one of the most popular rock groups of the yugoslavian new wave (if not THE most popular), and even today, fiteen years after their break up, they are something more than a cult not only in Croatia (they came from Zagreb) but also in the rest of the Balkans. 

This album is a compilation with their first singles, spanning from 1979 to 1982 and it contains also music prior to their first eponymous album (1980). It's probably not their best release but it's a very good introduction.

And for those who don't know a thing about yugoslav new rock and about Branimir "Johnny" Štulić (the leader of Azra and now a kind of mysterious exiled artist, totally unwilling to come back to his former country, if you can call it so after the war in the nineties), I'd urge you to view this nice documentary, "Sretno djete", about the Zagreb scene in the eighties (with english subtitles).

This is one of the songs from the compilation. With english translation of the lyrics (from LyricsTranslate).

A šta da radim (And what should I do)

And what should i do
When my friends leave
When a girl leaves
On which I throw my gazes.

And so day by day
On public places with a guitar
Ofcourse someone always comes
to hear me at least furtively

Nothing is important to me anymore
I found a good band
I only want to play
To get my kicks and that's all.

And what should i do
When my friends leave
When a girl leaves
On which I throw my gazes.

People just talk
Why are you so nervous?
People just say
Don't be so horrible.

Human lips whisper
sneak through the city
Stay out of trouble
They will take your head off.

Nothing is important for to me anymore
I found a good band
I only want to play
To get my kicks and that's all.

And what should i do
When my friends leave
When a girl leaves
On which I throw my gazes.

Instrumental

Nothing is important to me anymore
I found a good band
I only want to play
To get my kicks and that's all
To get my kicks and that's all
To get my kicks and that's all

Singl ploce 1979-1982

Zabranjeno Pušenje - Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari (1987)

I haven't posted anything in a very very very long time, I know. Trapped in the maze of annoying social networks... So, I decided to be back with something unusual, that is actually something I'm getting fond and that I'm starting to know only now: (ex) yugoslavian rock. I know: it sounds weird. And mostly so if you have never heard someone sing in that language (i.e. serbian, croatian, bosnian or slovene). And I never had...until some weeks ago. But now that I got used to it I have to say it is worth it.

But now let's cut the crap.

Zabranjeno Pušenje were a band from Sarajevo, Bosnia, active in the 80's. They were part of what was called "the new primitives" (kind of a garage rock with ironic lyrics). They were also part of a famous bosnian comedy tv show (Top lista nadrealista)...and in fact irony is a big part of this band just like lyrics meant a great deal among ex yugo bands. But I'll talk about that some other time.

"Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari" is their third album, from 1987. After the war the band split (it is a bit more complicated than that: the singer joined the No Smokng Orchestra -"no Smoking" is the english translation of Zabranjeno Pušenje- in Belgrad while other members stayed in Sarajevo and kept the old name).

The download link is taken from the blog jugorockforever.

Here's Balada o Pišonji i Žugi + the english translation of the lyrics (from lyricstranslate.com). And then one of my favourite songs off this album, "Kako je Velika Britanija postala probušeni dolar album" (long title indeed! I don't know what it means this time...).

The ballad of Pišonja and Žuga

Pišonja and Žuga remembered pretty well

What Lepi told them last night

"There is party at the seaside, there are chicks at the seaside

Seaside is the source of life, right, Moke?"

Moke also said that

Foreign girls fuck really good

And that he, when he was in a camp in Zaostrog

Had sex every other night

Pišonja and Žuga could listen to them

Through the whole night

Pišonja and Žuga had

Hot seventeen year old blood

Pišonja and Žuga

The same night Pišonja and Žuga

Stole a cassette recorder from The handicapped center

And right after it they stole a bus

Of a bus company from Hrid

Pišonja speeded up

That hot summer evening around 10 pm

"And now, to the seaside!"

Yelled Žuga as loud as he can

Pišonja was driving and smoking tobacco

Žuga loves brunettes, Pišonja loves blondes

"And after the seaside, to the wide world,

Only brave people become famous

And then, goodbye, Breka shacks!"

Yelled Žuga and turned up the recorder

"You're getting a postcard from safari in African countries

Bye, roaches!"

Pišonja and Žuga, two faithful comrades

Are taming dangerous curves

Please, watch after them, Queen of speed

Cops blocked the road

Somewhere around 11 pm

Boogie-woogie was playing in the bus

When he saw cops while he was driving

Around 50 miles per hour

Pišonja told Žuga: "Tie yourself, we're flying!"

A horrible crash cut the air

Even sparkles were flying

Next moring people were talking and swearing

That they found air exhauster and rearview mirror

Hundreed and fifty feet farther in a ditch

Pišonja and Žuga, two faithful comrades

Are taming dangerous curves

Please, watch after them, Queen of speed

While they were carrying Pišonja into an ambulance

He saw Moon above himself and said

"God, how can some people go there

And me and Žuga can't even go to the seaside!"

After that he swooned

And he couldn't hear

How, up in the sky

The yellow Moon laughed for a long time

Pišonja and Žuga

Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari (1987)