Bajaga i Instruktori
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Bajaga i Instruktori (Serbian: Бајага и Инструктори; trans: “Bajaga and the Instructors”) are a highly popular rock band from Serbia. The group was founded in Belgrade in 1984 by composer, lyricist and guitarist Momčilo Bajagić, and continue to record music today. The group possesses a rich discography and a plethora of hit songs that place them at the very top of the all-time former Yugoslav rock scene, alongside other mega-selling bands such as Bijelo Dugme and Riblja Corba.
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[edit] 1980s
Momčilo Bajagić founded Bajaga i Instruktori in 1984. A native of Zemun, Bajagic was part of the tremendously popular Serbian rock group Riblja Čorba from 1978 to 1984. At that point, Bajagic decided to release an album composed of songs that he had originally written for Riblja Čorba, titled Pozitivna geografija (1984). Bajagić did not intend to leave Čorba, but events unfolded in that direction, and by April 12, 1984, Bajaga i Instruktori played their first concert as a group, in Zagreb, Croatia. The album went on to become a hit, with songs such as "Limene trube" and "Papaline", and the group busily began preparing their second release for the following year.
Bajaga i Instruktori followed their debut album with Sa druge strane jastuka (1985), considered by many to be one of the greatest pop-rock albums in Yugoslav-Serbian history. Bajaga i Instruktori rose to mega-fame that year, and virtually every song on the album became an instant hit. The group received a song-of-the-year award for the mega-hit "Zazmuri", and the album also featured the now-classic songs "220 u voltima", "Ti se ljubis", "Dvadeseti vek", "Dobro jutro dzezeri", "Vidi sta sam ti uradio od pesme mama", "Francuska ljubavna revolucija" and the popular title track "Sa druge strane jastuka", among several other songs.
Bajaga i Instruktori moved in a slightly different direction with the release of the album Jahači magle (1987). The album featured further experimentation with musical genres and presented a technical masterpiece of sound quality and creative output. Again, virtually every song on the album was an instant hit. It featured the classic Bajaga rock numbers "300 na sat", "Samo nam je ljubav potrebna" and "Kao ne zna da je gotivim", as well as the popular song "442 do Beograda" and another rock-jazz fusion, "Red i mir". As with Sa druge strane jastuka, Bajaga and Dejan Cukić shared vocal duties – particularly apparent in the hit song "Svemirska policija".
After Jahači magle, Dejan Cukić - Cuki left Bajaga i Instruktori and formed his own group known as Spori Ritam Bend. Nonetheless, Bajaga i Instruktori released a new album titled Prodavnica tajni (1988). Inspired in part by Bajaga i Instruktori’s tour of the former Soviet Union, Prodavnica tajni had a more melancholy mood than the previous three albums, but included several beautiful slower songs and ballads. Among those was the folkish-sounding "Plavi safir", which would become one of the greatest Yugoslav pop hits of all time. The album also featured hits such as "Gore-dole", "Verujem, ne verujem", "Ruski voz", "Tisina", "Godine prolaze" and "Zivot je nekad siv, nekad zut".
The group returned with the release of Neka svemir cuje nemir (1989), a compilation of new songs and live recordings. The album’s title track "Neka svemir cuje nemir" and the pop number "Na vrhovima prstiju" became two of the band’s biggest hits to date.
[edit] 1990s
Despite mounting problems in the former Yugoslavia, Bajaga i Instruktori had a highly successful decade. The group released a successful mini-album titled Četri godisnja doba (1991), featuring four songs that were each tied to one of the four seasons of the year. Muzika na struju (1993), is considered by many fans to be the group’s last great full album. It featured several hit songs including the title track "Muzika na struju" as well as "Grad", "Jedino to se zove ljubav", "Balkan" and "Montenegro". The album was followed up one year later by the highly popular soundtrack from the feature film Ni Na Nebu Ni Na Zemlji (1994). In addition to the title track and several previously released songs, the release also featured what may be the group's greatest hit song ever, the single "Moji drugovi", a folk-inspired mega-hit that is tremendously popular both in Serbia and Montenegro and amongst the Serbian diaspora throughout the world.
Bajaga i Instruktori followed up with Od bizuterije do cilibara (1997), a self-recorded full album. This release was only moderately successful and can be best remembered for the song "Iza nas". The diminished technical quality and seemingly bland, uninspired and almost depressive sound pointed to what many fans feared was a decline in the band’s inspiration and creativity.
[edit] 2000 And Beyond
After a lengthy hiatus, Bajaga i Instruktori released a studio album titled Zmaj od noćaja (2001). The release was met with mixed reviews. The songs “Zmaj od nocaja” and “Ala” were moderately successful, as was the bonus track “Zvezda”, a tribute to FC Red Star Belgrade that was released simultaneously to the album. Later, the band also recorded a music video for the previously-released single “Pesma protiv maleri”.
In a fitting move for the ‘new’ political times in Serbia, Bajaga agreed to compose the soundtrack for the feature film Profesionalac (2003). This included the hit song “Pada vlada” (trans: “The government is falling”). The band followed up by releasing a compilation of past hits that had a relation to the city of Belgrade, titled Ruza vetrova Beograda (2004). The compilation included two new songs: "Novosti" and the title track “Ruza vetrova”, as well as an urban remix of the same track. Both versions of the title track were moderately successful.
Bajaga i Instruktori released a new studio album titled Šou počinje u ponoć (2005). The album features nine new songs and a diverse mix of musical genres. Potential hits include the title track “Šou počinje u ponoć”, as well as the songs “Otrov”, “Padaj kiso keve ti” and “Kap po kap”. The release is expected to fare better than Zmaj od noćaja.
[edit] Legacy
Bajaga i Instruktori are one of the most successful and influential pop-rock groups in the history of the former Yugoslavia and Serbia. Their string of albums and awards in the mid-to-late 1980s rounded out the golden age of Yugoslav pop-rock. The album Sa druge strane jastuka is considered to be one of the best Yugoslav-Serbian pop-rock albums of all time.
People from Belgrade feel a particular attachment to Bajaga’s material of the 1980s and early 1990s, as his music was thought in large part to symbolize that city. Bajaga i Instruktori’s recent concert appearances in the former Yugoslavia (including performances in Slovenia and Croatia), as well as in the remainder of Europe, Canada and the United States, have proven that the group still enjoys an extensive fan base.
Momcilo Bajagic “Bajaga” is widely (and rightfully) accepted to be the leading figure in the group. He is regarded as an outstanding lyricist and composer, having also written many songs for the famous pop singer Zdravko Colic. Respect for Bajaga remains high in Serbia, particularly in upper/intellectual social circles.
[edit] Critiques
One of the major criticisms of Bajaga i Instruktori is the fact that Bajaga himself is the band’s lead vocalist. Though admitting his outstanding composing and lyrical skills, some people do not regard Bajaga as a good singer and point to his monotone, 'narrative' vocal style with limited range. However, this factor does not seem to have diminished the perceived quality of the band’s hits. In fact, many loyal fans regard Bajaga’s vocal style as one of the band’s trademarks, as he is perhaps the best suited to recite his own complex and descriptive lyrics.
Another common criticism amongst the followers of Yugoslav/Serbian pop-rock is the allegedly diminished quality of Bajaga’s material beginning with the release of Od bizuterije do cilibara in 1997 and continuing through the release of Zmaj od nocaja in 2001. Some people believe that the alleged drop in song quality and the lack of an ability to create more mega-hits means that Bajaga i Instruktori have run their course and should discontinue the band so as not to damage their own legacy by releasing more poor material. This is a somewhat controversial question, as there is evidence of a rise in quality with Ruža vetrova Beograda in 2004 and Šou počinje u ponoć in 2005.
[edit] Band Members
Current Members:
- Momčilo Bajagić - (lead vocals, guitar)
- Žika Milenković - (guitar)
- Saša Lokner - (keyboard)
- Miroslav Cvetković - (bass guitar)
- Čeda Mačura - (drums)
- Ljubiša Opačić - Buba - (guitar)
Past Members:
- Dejan Cukić - (vocals, guitar)
- Nenad Stamatović - (guitar)
- Vlajko Golubović - (drums)
- Vlada Negovanović - (guitar)
[edit] Discography
Full Albums:
- Pozitivna geografija - 1984
- Sa druge strane jastuka - 1985
- Jahači magle - 1986
- Prodavnica tajni - 1988
- Muzika na struju - 1993
- Od bižuterije do ćilibara - 1997
- Zmaj od noćaja - 2001
- Šou počinje u ponoć - 2005
Compilations, Live Albums and Mini-Albums:
- Neka svemir čuje nemir (live album/compilation) - 1989
- Četri godišnja doba (mini-album) - 1991
- Ruža vetrova Beograda (compilation) - 2004
Movie Soundtracks:
