In the early stage of their career, Plavi Orkestar were associated with the New Primitivism subcultural movement, but turned towards more commercial folk-influenced pop rock sound with their debut Soldatski bal.

The album was generally disliked by the critics and alienated the band from a large part of their teenage fans, the members deciding to make a discographic hiatus after its release.

[3][1] Since Pauk was based out of Zavidovići, for teenage Pavičić, that meant traveling 130 km from Sarajevo every weekend for band rehearsals, which his parents did not approve of and soon persuaded him to stop.

[1] For a short time afterwards, alongside Admir Ćeremida's twin brother Samir, he played with Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors, and then in the bands Bonton Baja and Kazablanka (Casablanca).

[1] The steady lineup was formed in late 1983, with the arrival of bassist Samir Ćeremida whose most recent musical activity had been a brief spring 1983 stint with Zabranjeno Pušenje.

[1] During summer of 1983, they held a gig at a Sarajevo club Trasa, where they were spotted by Laboratorija Zvuka's Mladen Vranešević, who, noticing their potential, invited them to Belgrade to record material for a studio album.

[1] In Enco Lesić's studio, they recorded the songs "Soldatski bal" ("Soldier's Ball"), "Goodbye Teens" and "Suada", intending to release them on a maxi single.

[4] In Zagreb, Lošić and Marić, with the help from Parni Valjak members Husein Hasanefendić "Hus" and Rastko Milošev and Ekatarina Velika drummer Ivan Fece "Firchie", recorded the demos for the songs which would appear on Plavi Orkestar's debut album.

[4] Although Plavi Orkestar was inactive at the time, the demos got Yugoslavia's biggest record label Jugoton interested in the group, and Lošić signed a pre-contract with the company.

[4] The album was produced by Husein Hasanefendić "Hus" and featured a number of guest appearances: Parni Valjak frontman Aki Rahimovski, Film frontman Jura Stublić and Peđa D'Boy recorded vocals for the song "Stambol, Pešta, Bečlija" ("Istanbul, Pest, Viennese"), folk singer Nada Obrić recorded vocals for the song "Šta će nama šoferima kuća" ("What Do We Drivers Need a House For"), and theatrologist Jovan Ćirilov and painter Dragoš Kalajić recorded backing vocals for the ballad "Bolje biti pijan nego star" ("Better to Be Drunk than Old").

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, including the Seven Secretaries of SKOJ, Ivo Lola Ribar, Vuk Karadžić, Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, Miroslav Krleža, Vladimir Nazor, Zuko Džumhur, Bata Živojinović, Bekim Fehmiu, Olivera Katarina, Slavko Štimac, Ivo Robić, Goran Bregović, Željko Bebek, Oliver Mandić, Lepa Brena, Mirza Delibašić and others.

[4] Soldatski bal was released in the spring of 1985, causing an immediate sensation on the Yugoslav scene with its radio friendly folk-influenced songs, members of Plavi Orkestar soon becoming nationwide teen stars.

[4] The promotional video for the song "Kad mi kažeš paša" ("When You Call Me Pasha"), directed by Goran Gajić, featured actresseses Sonja Savić, Tanja Bošković and Mirjana Bobič, and singer and TV presenter Suzana Mančić.

[4] The concerts on the promotional tour opened with the sounds of "The Internationale", and the screens displayed footage from the 1940s and 1950s work actions, followed by the closing kolo from Jakov Gotovac's opera Ero the Joker.

[4] On 15 June 1985, Plavi Orkestar, alongside 23 other acts, performed at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade, on the concert which was a part of YU Rock Misija, a Yugoslav contribution to Live Aid.

[4] The band performed in tense atmosphere in front of 6,000 people, but there were no larger incidents, with the exception of a small group of spectators throwing various object towards the stage and waving the banner "Bolje biti živ nego mrtav" ("Better to Be Alive than Dead").

[5] The album also saw negative reaction by the country's cultural circles, which criticized the message of the song "Bolje biti pijan nego star", and the Yugoslav media initiated the discussion about the band.

[4] The album featured guest appearance by Italian singer Gazebo in the song "To je šok" ("It's a Shock"), for which he also wrote English language lyrics.

was conceived by the group's manager Malkolm Muharem, who found inspiration in the Neue Slowenische Kunst movement, and described the new phase in Plavi Orkestar's work as "Bosnian art experiment".

[4] In his review published in NIN magazine, Kusturica accused Lošić of promoting bad taste and attempting to turn rock music into state's project.

[10] Part of the press described the New Partisans concept as "quasi-revolutionary", accusing Bregović, Lošić and Merlin leader Edin "Dino" Dervišhalidović of exploiting the imagery of National Liberation Struggle for popularity and financial gain.

[11] He continued to compose, writing several songs for Crvena Jabuka, another popular pop rock band whose members emigrated from Sarajevo with the beginning of Bosnian War, reforming the group in Croatia.

[11] The soundtrack was released on the album Gori vatra (the film's original title), which, among other tracks, featured a cover of "Suada" performed by folk singer Šerif Konjević.

[11] For a period of time, he performed with Belgrade faction of another Sarajevo band, Zabranjeno Pušenje, before moving to Canada, where he started a career as studio musician.

[11] The album featured sentimental pop rock sound resembling the band's early works and was excellently received by the audience in former Yugoslav republics.

[11] Plavi Orkestar started the promotion of the album with two sold-out concerts at Ljubljana's Križanke Outdoor Theatre, held on 25 May (celebrated in SFR Yugoslavia as the Youth Day) and 26 May 1998.

[11] The album was produced by Bratoš, and all the songs were authored by Lošić, with the exception of the lyrics for "Bi li pošla sa mnom" ("Would You Come With Me"), written by singer-songwriter Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni.

[11] Other guest appearances included Bruno Urlić (viola, violin), Dalibor Marinković (drums) and the members of Belgrade-based Beatles tribute band The Bestbeat.

[12] Plavi Orkestar song "Sava tiho teče" was covered by Croatian dance group Karma on their 2002 album Zavrti život (Spin Your Life).

[13] "Bolje biti pijan nego star" was covered by Bosnian and Yugoslav rock band Teška Industrija on their 2011 album Bili smo raja (We Were Friends).