Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića

Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića

Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića performing live in 2007
Background information
Origin Belgrade, Serbia
Genres New wave, post-punk, alternative rock, art rock, experimental music, minimal music
Years active 1980 – 1986
2007
Labels PGP-RTB, Multimedia Records
Associated acts Bajaga i Instruktori, Bulevar, Dejan Cukić & Spori Ritam Band, Du Du A, Električni Orgazam, Opus, Galija, Grupa I, Katarina II, Limunovo Drvo, Legende, Mira i Spira, Rimtutituki, Suncokret, Šarlo Akrobata, Tunel, YU grupa
Website Official Myspace
Past members

Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića (Serbian Cyrillic: Доктор Спира и Људска Бића; trans. Doctor Spira and the Human Beings) was a Serbian new wave/alternative rock band from Belgrade.

History

Mira i Spira, band formation (1972-1979)

The Belgrade singer-songwriter Dušan Mihajlović "Spira" (acoustic guitar, vocals) started his musical career during the late 1972 in an acoustic rock duo called Mira i Spira, also featuring Mirjana Marković (vocals). After a series of performances on happenings, especially the ones organized by Pop Mašina members in the Belgrade Sports Hall, Mihajlović achieved a major affirmation after the inclusion of his song "Prvi sneg" ("The First Snow") into the repertoire of the acoustic rock band Suncokret, being eventually released on their debut album Moje bube (My bugs) in 1977.

During the late 1970s, Mihajlović had given up the acoustic sound, turning towards the current trends of the time, the upcoming new wave music, forming the band Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića, which in its initial period had changed numerous lineups.

Album recording, disbandment (1980-1985)

In the lineup Mihajlović (vocals, acoustic guitar), Zoran Dašić (guitar), Stevan Milinković (bass guitar) and Želimir Vasić (drums), the band recorded the debut album Dijagnoza (Diagnosis). The album, produced by Mihajlović himself, featured the unusual and original songs "Buđenje" ("The Awakening"), "Ima dana kada mene moja duša boli" ("There Are Times When My Soul is Aching"), "Dg. Paranoja" ("Dg. Paranoia"), "Uvek isto zbogom" ("Always the Same Farewell"), and "Igrač na žici" ("Tightrope Dancer"), bearing a strong narrative notion of alienation. Recorded in 1980 at the Enco Lesić "Druga Maca" studio in Belgrade and mastered at the Trident studio in London, it featured guest appearance by backing vocalists Mirjana Marković and former DAG member Dragan Popović, the latter being a co-writer of the song "Psychoneurosis".[1]

At the time, Mihajlović had a cult status among the Belgrade musicians and fans, however, this did not affect the record labels to release the album. Since the Yugoslav record labels refused to release the album, during 1981, Mihajlović went to London and financed himself the printing of 50 copies of the album, which he brought to Belgrade and distributed them to his friends. The LP had a white paper cover without any images and the track listing was written by hand. The album promotion of the exclusive album release was held on December 1981 at the Atelje 212. The band continued performing the material until 1985 when they disbanded.

Post-breakup

In 1986, the PGP-RTB editor had become the pop rock mucician Oliver Mandić. In a discussion with rock musician Bora Đorđević at a local bistro Mandić claimed that he, as the new editor, would bring changes to PGP-RTB. Đorđević, annoyed with Mandić's statements, made a bet with him to release Dijagnoza.[2] Without any promotion, the album was released in a minimal printing of 2,000 copies, and quickly sold out.[2] At the time Mihajlović had quit performing and constructed a mini metal guitar and mini wooden bass guitar amp under the Žuto pile (Yellow Chicken) brand name.[2] However, despite trying to make a breakthrough on the music equipment market, it turned out to be unsuccessful.

In 1987, Mihajlović secretly recorded the second studio album, Dizajn za stvarni svet (A Real World Design), featuring diverse musical influences which could stylistically be called world music, even though the expression was not used at the time, combined with krautrock, gothic rock, dance music, boogie, jazz and atonal music.[3] Following the musical and production trends of the time, Mihajlović retained the same lyrical style on the new material as on Dijagnoza, sung under the domestic influences of such vocalists as Milan Mladenović and Vlada Divljan.[3] The following year, he had moved to London where he currently resides.

Reunion (2007)

In 2006, Mihajlović started remastering the album Dijagnoza and the album Dizajn za stvarni svet,[4] which were rereleased on CD by Multimedia Records in 2007 on the deluxe compilation album Arheološki artefakti tehnofilskih civilizacija prošlosti ili naučna fantastika kao žanr u umetničkim delima s kraja dvadesetog veka (The Archeological Artifacts of the Past Technophilic Civilizations or Science Fiction as a Genre in the Late Twentieth Century Artistic Works).[5]

During October of the same year, Mihajlović made several live appearances in Belgrade with Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića in a new lineup which, beside him, featured the former member Predrag Milanović (bass guitar), Predrag Kozomara (guitars), Aleksandar Miletić (keyboards), Slobodan Jurisić (drums), Ana Milanović (backing vocals) and Sanja Bogosavljević (backing vocals).[4] Special guest appearances included Emily Jane Sarić (vocals) and Dragan Popović's Mitropa Music Project from Sweden.[4]

Legacy

In 1982, Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga", at the time Riblja Čorba guitarist, later the leader of Bajaga i Instruktori, named (at the time still unreleased) Dijagnoza one of his ten most favourite albums.[6]

The song "Ima dana kada mene moja duša boli" was covered by Bilja Krstić on her solo album Iz unutrašnjeg džepa, released by PGP-RTB in 1985.[7] The garage rock band Kazna Za Uši on one of their first recordings paid a tribute to the band with the lines "Devojčice tvoja majka stvarno nije imala sreće..." ("Little girl, your mother was really out of luck..."), taken from the song of the same name.[8]

The lyrics of 4 songs by the band were featured in Petar Janjatović's book Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007 (Songs of Brotherhood, Childhood & Offspring: Anthology of Ex YU Rock Poetry 1967 - 2007).[9]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

References

  1. ↑ Dijagnoza at Discogs
  2. 1 2 3 http://www.plastelin.com/content/view/74/106/
  3. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  4. 1 2 3 Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića at Progarchives
  5. ↑ Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bica - Dijagnoza, Dizajn za stvarni svet at RockSerbia.net
  6. ↑ "Deset Najdražih - Momčilo Bajagić (Riblja Čorba)". Rock 82 (in Serbian). Belgrade: Politikin Zabavnik (19): 24.
  7. ↑ Iz unutrašnjeg džepa at Discogs
  8. ↑ Retro: Dr Spira i Ljudska Bića - Dijagnoza (samizdat 1981; PGP RTB 1986)
  9. ↑ Janjatović, Petar (2008). Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007. Belgrade: Vega media.

See also


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