Zabranjeno pušenje

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Cover of album Das ist Walter
Cover of album Das ist Walter

Zabranjeno pušenje (Serbo-Croatian for "No Smoking") was a Bosnian garage rock band from Sarajevo, closely associated with the New primitivism cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista. They were one of the most popular musical acts of the 1980s in Yugoslavia, selling hundreds of thousands of records. During the Yugoslav wars, members of the band separated, and two off-shoot bands continue to work in Belgrade and Sarajevo.

The band was formed in 1981 in Sarajevo by a group of friends who worked on the early radio version of Top Lista Nadrealista. Contrary to the then prevalent punk rock and new wave, Zabranjeno pušenje created a distinctive garage rock sound with folk influences, often featuring innovative production and complex story-telling, sometimes even dark premonitions of war. They went on to record four albums and tour the country extensively, occasionally sparking controversy and even getting into trouble with authorities for their, usually mild and sympathetic, criticism of the socialist system, and the habit of making light of issues considered sensitive at the time.

After the band's popularity reached new heights in late 1980s, spurred on by the televised version of Top Lista Nadrealista, the Bosnian War which followed saw the breakup of the band, with one off-shoot continuing work in Belgrade under the name No Smoking Orchestra, and the other in Sarajevo, using the original name. Nevertheless, many of the songs of Zabranjeno pušenje have attained an anthemic status and their music remains popular across former Yugoslavia.

Contents

[edit] The original band (Sarajevo)

[edit] History

Zabranjeno pušenje was founded by a group of friends who attended Sarajevo 2nd gymnasium and lived in Fuad Midžić Street in the Sarajevo suburb of Koševo. The band they formed was called Pseudobluz bend ("Pseudo-blues band"). All members were involved in the radio show Top Lista Nadrealista, so they already had stage names. The original line-up consisted of Nenad Janković (Dr. Nele Karajlić; vocals, keyboards), Davor Sučić (aka Sejo Sexon; guitar), Zenit Đozić (aka Fu-Do; drums), Mustafa Čengić (aka Muče/Mujo Snažni; guitar), Mladen Mitić (aka Munja; bass guitar) and Ognjen Gajić (aka Ogi; sax, flute).

They were occasionally accompanied by Mirko Srdić (aka Elvis J. Kurtović) as a guest, since he had his own band, Elvis J. Kurtović & his Meteors. They soon started calling themselves Pseudobluz bend Zabranjeno pušenje, and after some time simply dropped the first part. Their first recording, Penzioneri na more idu zimi ("Pensioners Take Their Vacation In Wintertime"), was made for Radio Sarajevo in early 1981.

They performed around Sarajevo for two years before recording their first album Das ist Walter in June 1984, for Jugoton label. The line-up was altered and now Nenad Janković's younger brother Dražen Janković (aka Seid Mali Karajlić) was on organ and Predrag Rakić (aka Šeki Gayton) took drums. Nenad Janković and Davor Sučić wrote all songs. The album was initially released in 3000 copies, but the final count was 100,000 copies sold, setting a record for exceeding the initial release by 30 times. In autumn 1984 they embarked on a 60-concert nation-wide tour, making them one of the biggest Yugoslav rock attractions after just one album.

Cover of album Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanom
Cover of album Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanom

During that tour, at their concert Rijeka concert (on November 27, 1984), Karajlić declared, referring to an amplifier that had just broken down, "Crk'o Marshall. Mislim na pojačalo." ("Marshall croaked. I mean, the amplifier."), making a pun on Marshal Tito's death, landing the band in trouble. They were criticized by the media and a campaign against them resulted in cancelling of their concerts and removing of Top lista nadrealista from the air.

In this atmosphere, the band recorded their second, double album Dok cekaš sabah sa šejtanom ("While you are waiting for the dawn with Satan") and released it in July 1985. Songs were written by Sejo Sexon, Nele Karajlić, Seid Mali Karajlić and Elvis J. Kurtović. The album was solid, but boycotted by the media and the following tour had a rather disappointing conclusion as the following year Munja, Šeki Gayton and Muče left the band in search of more secure means of making a living.

Cover of album Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari
Cover of album Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari

For the occasion of recording their third album, Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari ("Greetings from the Safari land") released in 1987 by Diskoton, the rest of the band was joined by Predrag Kovačević (aka Kova/Kowalski; from Kurtović's Meteors) on guitar, Faris Arapović on drums and Emir Kusturica played the bass guitar on 3 tracks. All songs were written by Sejo Sexon and Nele Karajlić.

Kusturica co-authored two songs. Diskoton censors had some objections and Our Proposal for the Euro-Song Contest had to be renamed, since song included comments on the depressed state of the economy and lack of freedom of expression. The album again included a number of hit songs and returned the band to stardom. The following tour, which included 87 concerts, was the largest Zabranjeno pušenje thus far and the band was by that time regarded as one of Yugoslav rock institutions. In January 1988 the band received a gold record for 100,000 copies sold.

Cover of album Male priče o velikoj ljubavi
Cover of album Male priče o velikoj ljubavi

In October 1988 the band released their last album before splitting up - Male priče o velikoj ljubavi ("Small Stories About Great Love"). The songs were mostly written and produced by Sejo Sexon. For this album, Jadranko Džihan played keyboards and Darko Ostojić (aka Minka) was on bass guitar. The album also featured opera singer Sonja Milenković, violin player Dejan Sparavalo and Goran Bregović as backing vocal and guitar player. The album was an average success. The band embarked on the tour with Bombaj štampa and the rest of Top lista nadrealista crew (those who didn't play in the band already). The tour (a combination of theatre and rock and roll, after an idea by Sejo Sexon) was a great success and regarded as the best tour of 1989 with around 60 concerts and more than 200,000 visitors.

[edit] Music

In early 1980s, when the rest of the ex-Yugoslav popular music scene followed the trends of early 1980s Europe (chiefly punk rock and new wave), Zabranjeno pušenje were part of a unique rock movement centered in Sarajevo that forged its own path. This movement, for the most part, centred on simple, youthful, garage rock, with folk influences and a distinct Sarajevo urban feel called Novi primitivizam (New primitivism).

The songs range from punk to rock, quite frequently arranged to feature trumpets and saxophones, adding to the unique sound of the band, along with many samples and soundbites from the period. Zabranjeno pušenje captured the feel of Sarajevo, its idols and local heroes along with tales of love and loss, in a distinctive and often humorous way. Very visual and cynical, the band's lyrics were progressive enough to show the last stages of Yugoslav socialism ("Dan republike", "Srce ruke i lopata", "Abid", "Guzonjin sin"), alternate clubs and gays ("Pišonja i Žuga u paklu droge", "Javi mi") as well as providing morbid hints for the upcoming war ("Kanjon Drine", "Zvijezda nad Balkanom"). Their youthful energy and awareness of their surroundings made Zabranjeno pušenje much more than the sum of its parts, a band that seemed able to record a great song with ease.

Songs such as Nedjelja kad je otišao Hase ("The Sunday Hase Left"; the song is, on the surface, a tribute to Asim Ferhatović, but is actually tribute to the day Josip Broz Tito died).

Other songs on the album were:

  • Anarhija all-over Baš Čaršija
  • Zenica blues
  • Šeki is on the road again
  • Balada o Pišonji i Žugi
  • Pišonja i Žuga u paklu droge
  • Dok jezdiš ka Alemanji
  • Lutka sa naslovne strane
  • Straža pored Prizrena

They have secured their place in the history of ex-Yugoslav rock music. The band released four albums before the ethnic Yugoslav warfare which began in 1991 forced most of the members to relocate.

[edit] Members

On several occasions from 1987 until the breakup of the band, Emir Kusturica played guitar in the band.

[edit] Discography

  1. Das ist Walter - 1984 ("That's Walter")
  2. Dok cekaš sabah sa šejtanom - 1985 ("Waiting for the dawn with the devil")
  3. Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari - 1987 ("Greetings from the land Safari")
  4. Male priče o velikoj ljubavi - 1988 ("Little stories about a big love")

[edit] Breakup

The unstable political situation during the breakup of Yugoslavia took a toll on the band and Sejo Sexon, Darko Ostojić and Faris Arapović left. Some time after the Bosnian War began, Nenad Janković fled to Serbia and formed Nele Karajlić & Zabranjeno pušenje in Belgrade. Most of the Zabranjeno pušenje and Top lista nadrealista crew stayed in besieged Sarajevo. Although many have criticized Janković's move, Sučić (who stayed in Sarajevo and co-authored wartime episodes of Top lista nadrealista to boost citizens' morale) has said that Janković was in a different situation because he had a little baby.

[edit] Zabranjeno pušenje (Sarajevo)

The western part continued to perform in 1996 and have recaptured some of the group's success. They also later went to a European tour and by 2004 had released five new albums (three studio and two live albums). In 2006 band created complete soundtrack for Bosnian movie Nafaka with guest musicians (mostly actors from the movie, as well as the female choir Arabeske). Later that year, band released double album Hodi da ti čiko nešto da, first double album since Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanom, and they are currently on tour, promoting new album with concerts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

[edit] Members

[edit] Discography

  1. Nikad robom, vazda taxijem (Best of 1) - 1996
  2. Fildžan viška - 1997
  3. Srce, ruke i lopata (Best of 2) - 1998
  4. Hapsi sve! (Live) - 1998
  5. Agent tajne sile - 1999 ("Agent of secret forces")
  6. Bog vozi Mercedes - 2001 ("God is driving a Mercedes")
  7. Live in St. Louis (Live) - 2003
  8. Nafaka OST - 2006
  9. Hodi da ti čiko nešto da - 2006

[edit] External links

[edit] No Smoking Orchestra (Belgrade)

The eastern part released one new album as Zabranjeno pušenje. It was then renamed Emir Kusturica & No Smoking Orchestra and released four more albums and continued touring all around the world. In 1998 the No Smoking Orchestra composed the music for Emir Kusturica's film "Black Cat, White Cat", which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival the same year.

[edit] Members

Many other musicians have appeared on various albums in large and varying setups.

[edit] Discography

  1. Ja nisam odavle - 1997 ("I'm not from here")
  2. Black cat, white tomcat - 1998
  3. Unza Unza time - 2000
  4. La vie est un miracle - 2004 ("Life is a miracle")
  5. Live is a miracle in Buenos Aires 2005

[edit] External links

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