New Partisans
Additionally, some characteristics of the movement can be found on Plavi Orkestar's 1985 debut Soldatski bal, which launched the band to the status of nationwide teen stars, and the subsequent promotional tour.
The country's music critics expressed general dislike of the albums, especially of Smrt fašizmu and Teško meni sa tobom (a još teže bez tebe).
[3] By the mid-1980s, the tensions between Yugoslav republics emerged,[2] the first calls for abandoning socialist manifestations came from SR Slovenia,[2] a large number of Serbs and Montenegrins emigrated from SAP Kosovo,[4] and nationalism was on the rise.
[6] The bands like Pankrti, Paraf, Azra, Prljavo Kazalište, Pekinška Patka, Film, Haustor, Lačni Franz, Idoli, Električni Orgazam, Šarlo Akrobata, U Škripcu, Piloti and others recorded songs which were critical of the Yugoslav social reality, experimenting and conjoining with other art forms, with some veteran acts, like Bijelo Dugme, Parni Valjak and Buldožer, joining in on the new, exuberant scene.
[6] In Slovenia, the industrial band Laibach was formed in 1980, sparking controversy with their use of iconography and elements from totalitarianism, nationalism and militarism, which ultimately led to the ban of the group's name.
[10]In December 1984, Bijelo Dugme released their self-titled album, unofficially widely known as Kosovka devojka (Kosovo Maiden) due to the usage of the famous painting by Serbian painter Uroš Predić on the cover.
[11] The album featured folk-oriented pop rock sound and opened with the band's version of Yugoslav national anthem "Hej, Sloveni";[11] the idea came from Bijelo Dugme leader Goran Bregović, who was wary of the voices which questioned Yugoslavist ideals.
[12] The followup tour was also highly successful, and during performances the band appeared on stage in stylized army uniforms partially inspired by the works of Laibach.
[15] Led by vocalist and principal songwriter Saša Lošić, the band had been formed three years earlier,[16] and was in their early phase associated with the New Primitivism movement.
[17] The group gained the attention of Yugoslavia's biggest record label Jugoton after starting to cooperate with music manager and promoter Goran Marić, alias Malkolm Muharem.
[15] The album featured numerous guests, including folk singer Nada Obrić in the folk-oriented tune "Šta će nama šoferima kuća" ("What Do We Drivers Need a House For"), as well as Aki Rahimovski and Jura Stublić, frontmans of Zagreb-based bands Parni Valjak and Film respectively, and Peđa D'Boy, frontman of Belgrade-based Peđa D'Boy Band, the three vocalists singing with Lošić in "Stambol, Pešta, Bečlija" ("Istanbul, Pest, Viennese"), the lyrics of which were inspired by the Yugoslav principle of brotherhood and unity.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, depicting the members of Plavi Orkestar in archaic uniforms, four girls in folk costumes, and 49 persons from Yugoslav history and public life.
[15] The band appeared on promotional photographs and in concerts wearing military boots and wool socks known as partizanke (Partisan socks),[15] and the live performances on the promotional tour featured socialist and Yugoslavist imagery – the concerts opened with the sounds of "The Internationale", and the screens on stage displayed footage from the 1940s and 1950s work actions, followed by the closing kolo from Jakov Gotovac's opera Ero the Joker.
[15] Soldatski bal caused an immediate sensation on the Yugoslav scene with its radio friendly folk-influenced songs, the members of Plavi Orkestar soon becoming nationwide teen stars.
[15] Merlin, formed in 1985 and led by vocalist Edin "Dino" Dervišhalidović, also released their debut album, entitled Kokuzna vremena (Broke Times), during the same year.
[19] In 1986, Bijelo Dugme released their new studio album Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo (Spit and Sing, My Yugoslavia), recorded with new vocalist Alen Islamović.
[11] He and the band's manager Raka Marić approached three such individuals who were effectively proscribed from public discourse in Yugoslavia: pop singer Vice Vukov, who represented SFR Yugoslavia at the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest before seeing his career prospects marginalized after being branded a Croatian nationalist due to his association with the Croatian Spring political movement; painter and experimental filmmaker Mića Popović, associated with Yugoslav Black Wave film movement, who got a dissident reputation due to his paintings; politician and diplomat Koča Popović who, despite a prominent World War II engagement on the Partisan side as the First Proletarian Brigade commander that earned him the Order of the People's Hero medal, followed by high political and diplomatic appointments in the post-war period, nevertheless got silently removed from public life in 1972 after supporting a liberal faction within the Yugoslav Communist League's Serbian branch.
[22] A World War II holder of the Order of the People's Hero still appeared on the record, however, instead of Koča Popović, it was Svetozar Vukmanović Tempo.
He, together with Bregović and children from the Ljubica Ivezić orphanage in Sarajevo, sang a cover of "Padaj silo i nepravdo" ("Fall, (Oh) Force and Injustice"), an old revolutionary song.
[11] The album featured similar Yugoslavist iconography – the track "A milicija trenira strogoću" ("And Police Trains Strictness") begins with "The Internationale" melody, during the intro to "Svi marš na ples" ("Everybody Dance Now") Islamović shouts "Bratsvo!
"[18] Despite being ambitiously conceived—guest appearances included Italian singer Gazebo, violinist Jovan Kolundžija, folk singer Usnija Redžepova, klapa Šibenik, and choir of Zagreb's Saint Joseph's Church[15]—and bringing several hit songs, the band's departure from the style of their debut caused a decline in popularity with their fans, and the album sales and promotional tour did not repeat the success of the previous release and follow up concerts.
[15] Merlin turned to Partisan- and Yugoslavism-inspired lyrics and imagery with the album Teško meni sa tobom (a još teže bez tebe) (It's Hard With You (Even Harder Without You)).
[19] One side of the album cover featured the text Teško meni sa tobom... and an image of Marilyn Monroe, and the other side featured the text ...a još teže bez tebe and the image of Milja Marin, Partisan fighter which was a subject of Žorž Skrigin's famous World War II photograph named Kozarčanka (Woman from Kozara).
The mid-1980s albums by some of these acts featured songs with lyrics inspired by brotherhood and unity, like Valentino's "Jugovići" ("Jugovićs", the title being a Yugoslav slang for Yugoslavs), Hari Mata Hari's "Naše malo misto" ("Our Little Town") and Crvena Jabuka's "Ako, ako" ("If, if") and "Jedina" ("Only One"), while Bolero included a cover of the old Husino rebellion song "Konjuh planinom" ("Across Konjuh Mountain") on their 1986 concept album O Jesenjinu (Of Yesenin).
Large part of the Yugoslav public, especially in the republics of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzgovina, Macedonia and Montenegro, feeling concerned with the future of the country, welcomed the Yugoslavist themes and iconography in rock music.
[15] In his review published in NIN magazine, Kusturica accused Lošić of promoting bad taste and attempting to turn rock music into state's project.
[32] Part of the music press accused Bregović and Lošić of hypocrisy, describing them as wealthy stars defending the socialist system out of selfish reasons.
[15] With their 1989 comeback album Sunce na prozoru (Sunshine on the Window) they turned to sentimental pop rock, failing, however, to repeat the success of their debut.
The conflicts between the republics became harsher, the old, unhealed wounds from World War II were reopened, and togetherness, intellect and reason grew weaker by the day.
