() is a Bosnian (formerly Yugoslav) rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most prominent acts of the Yugoslav rock scene and Yugoslav popular music in general.
was officially formed in 1974, although the members of its default lineupâÂÂguitarist Goran BregoviÃÂ, vocalist à ½eljko Bebek, drummer Ipe IvandiÃÂ, keyboardist Vlado Pravdiàand bass guitarist Zoran Redà ¾iÃÂâÂÂhad previously played since 1971 under the name Jutro. In 1974, the band's debut studio album Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme brought them nationwide popularity with its Balkan folk-influenced hard rock sound. The band's subsequent several studio releases, featuring similar sound, maintained their huge popularity, described by the Yugoslav press as "Dugmemania". Simultaneously, the band's material, especially their symphonic ballads with poetic lyricsâÂÂsome written by poet and lyricist Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂâÂÂwere also widely praised by music critics. In the early 1980s, with the emergence of the Yugoslav new wave scene, the band moved towards a new wave sound, managing to remain one of the most popular bands in the country. After the departure of Bebek in 1983, the band hired vocalist Mladen VojiÃÂiàTifa, with whom the band recorded only one, but highly successful album. The band's next (and last) vocalist, Alen IslamoviÃÂ, joined the band in 1986, and with him, recorded two albums, initiating the short-lived Sarajevo-based New Partisans movement with their blend of folk-influenced pop rock and Yugoslavism-inspired lyrics. The group disbanded in 1989 due to the political crisis, which would end up escalating into the Yugoslav Wars. Its leader, Goran BregoviÃÂ, continued his career as a successful film music composer and solo artist. In 2005, the band reunited in the lineup that featured most of the musicians that passed through the band, including all three vocalists, for three concerts, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Zagreb, Croatia and in Belgrade, Serbia, the free concert in Belgrade being one of the highest-attended concerts of all time. In 2024, the band had another reunion, with VojiÃÂiàand Islamoviàon vocals, in order to hold its 50th anniversary tour.
is considered to be one of the most influential acts of Yugoslav popular music, with a number of prominent figures of the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav music scene citing them as an influence. Their works were critically acclaimed at the time of their release and in retrospect, with a number of their albums appearing on various lists of best Yugoslav rock albums, praised for the composition, musicianship, production and poetic quality of the lyrics. On the other hand, the band is often criticized by a part of region's musicians, music critics and audience who believe that the band's blend of rock music and Balkan folk paved the way for the appearance of turbo-folk music in the late 1980s and the 1990s. 's work remains popular in all former Yugoslav republics, the band often being considered one of the symbols of Yugoslav culture and their work being a frequent motif in various forms of Yugo-nostalgia.
The band's history begins in 1969, where, at the time, the future leader of , Goran BregoviÃÂ, was the bass guitarist in the band (trans. The Beasts). He was spotted by Kodeksi (The Codexes) vocalist à ½eljko Bebek. As Kodeksi needed a bass guitarist, on Bebek's suggestion, Bregoviàbecame a member of the band. The band's lineup consisted of Ismeta Dervoz (vocals), Edo Bogeljià(guitar), à ½eljko Bebek (rhythm guitar and vocals), Goran Bregovià(bass guitar), and Luciano Paganotto (drums). At the time, the band Pro Arte was also interested in hiring BregoviÃÂ, but he decided to stay with Kodeksi. After performing in a night club in Dubrovnik, Kodeksi were hired to perform in a club in Naples, Italy. However, the parents of the only female member, Ismeta Dervoz, did not allow her to go to Italy. In Naples, the band initially performed covers of songs by Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but were soon asked by club owners to perform music more suitable for night clubs. After two months, the band's guitarist Edo Bogeljiàreturned to Sarajevo to continue his studies, and Bregoviàswitched to guitar. Local Italian musician called Fernando Savino was brought in to play the bass, but after he quit too, Bebek called up old friend Zoran Redà ¾iÃÂ, formerly of the band ÃÂiÃÂak (Burdock). Redà ¾iàin turn brought along his bandmate from ÃÂiÃÂak MiliàVukaà ¡inoviàas replacement on drums for Paganotto, who also quit in the meantime. Vukaà ¡inoviàbrought new musical influences along the lines of what Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were doing at the time. Additionally, he convinced BregoviÃÂ, Bebek and Redà ¾iàon incorporating the new sound into their set, and within two weeks of his arrival, Kodeksi were fired from all the clubs they were playing.
The foursome of Bebek, BregoviÃÂ, Redà ¾iàand Vukaà ¡inoviàstayed on the island of Capri and in 1970 relocated back to Naples. At this time, the other three members persuaded Bebek to stop playing the rhythm guitar reasoning that it was not fashionable any more. Bebek also had trouble adapting to the new material vocally. He would sing the intro on most songs and then step back as the other three members improvised for the remainder of songs, with Vukaà ¡inoviàtaking the vocal duties more and more often. After being a key band member only several months earlier, Bebek thought his role was gradually being reduced. During the fall of 1970, he left Kodeksi to return to Sarajevo.
Vukaà ¡inoviÃÂ, BregoviÃÂ, and Redà ¾iàcontinued to perform, but decided to return to Sarajevo in the spring of 1971, when BregoviÃÂ's mother and Redà ¾iÃÂ's brother came to Italy to persuade them to return home. Upon returning, the trio had only one concert in Sarajevo, performing under the name MiÃÂa, Goran i Zoran (MiÃÂa, Goran and Zoran). At the concert, they performed covers of songs by Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Ten Years After, Taste, Free, and managed to thrill the audience. Soon after, the trio got the opportunity to appear in a Television Sarajevo show, but under the condition that they record a song of their own. Hastily composed and recorded "Ja i zvijezda sjaj" ("Me and the Stars' Glow") was of poor quality and little artistic value, which influenced Vukaà ¡inoviÃÂ's decision to move to London. He left Sarajevo in late summer of 1971, and the trio ended their activity.
At the autumn of 1971, guitarist Ismet Arnautaliàinvited Bregoviàto form Jutro (Morning). The band's lineup featured, alongside Arnautaliàand BregoviÃÂ, Redà ¾iàon bass, Gordan Matrak on drums and vocalist Zlatko Hodnik. Bregoviàwrote his first songs as a member of Jutro. The band had made some recordings with Hodnik when Bregoviàdecided they needed a vocalist with "more aggressive" vocal style, so he invited Bebek to become the band's new singer. With Bebek, the band recorded the song "Patim, evo, deset dana" ("I've Been Suffering for Ten Days Now"), which was, in 1972, released as the B-side of the single "Ostajem tebi" ("I Remain Yours"), which was recorded with Hodnik. After the song recording, Bebek left the band to serve his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav People's Army, but the rest of the band decided to wait for his return to continue their activity.
During Bebek's short leave from the army, the band recorded four more songs: "Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme" ("If I Were a White Button"), "U subotu, mala" ("On Saturday, Baby"), "Na vrh brda vrba mrda" (the title being a traditional tongue-twister which translates to "Willow Tree Is Moving on the Top of the Hill") and "Hop-cup" ("Whoopsie Daisy"), the first two appearing on a 7-inch single. Dissatisfied with the music direction the band was moving towards, Arnautaliàleft the band at the end of 1972, convinced that the right to the name Jutro should belong to him. For some time, guitarist Miodrag "Bata" KostiÃÂ, a former member of YU Grupa, rehearsed with the band, but this cooperation was soon ended. YU Grupa were one of the pioneers in combining elements of the traditional music of the Balkans with rock, and Bregoviàwould later state on number of occasions that this cooperation influenced 's folk rock sound. After Matrak left the band, he was replaced by Perica StojanoviÃÂ, who was shortly after replaced by former Pro Arte member Vladimir BorovÃÂanin "à  ento". BorovÃÂanin tried to secure a record contract with Jugoton, but failed, soon losing faith in his new band. He and Redà ¾iàneglected rehearsals, and both left the band after an argument with BregoviÃÂ.
Redà ¾iàwas replaced by Ivica VinkoviÃÂ, who was at the time a regular member of Ambasadori, but was not able to travel with the band on their Soviet Union tour. BorovÃÂanin was replaced by former Mobi Dik (Moby Dick) and Rok (Rock) member Goran "Ipe" IvandiÃÂ. Instead of second guitar, Bregoviàdecided to include keyboards in the band's new lineup. Experienced Vlado PravdiÃÂ, a former member of Ambasadori and Indexi, became Jutro's keyboardist. The band prepared several songs for the recording in Radio Sarajevo's studio, but ArnautaliÃÂ, still holding a grudge on his former bandmates, used his connections in Radio Sarajevo to get Jutro's recording sessions cancelled. However, the band managed to make an agreement with producer Nikola Borota Radovan, who allowed them to secretly record the songs "Top" ("Cannon") and "Ove ÃÂu noÃÂi naÃÂi blues" ("This Night I'll Find the Blues") in the studio. The intro to "Top" was inspired by traditional ganga music. Soon after, Vinkoviàrejoined Ambasadori, and was replaced by Jadranko StankoviÃÂ, a former member of Sekcija (Section) and Rok.
At this time, the band decided to adopt the name . They decided to change the name because of the conflict with ArnautaliÃÂ, but also because of the existence of another, Ljubljana-based band called Jutro, which had already gained prominence on the Yugoslav scene. As the band was already known for the song "Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme", they choose the name . The band officially started working under this name from January 1974.
In January 1974, with Borota, the band completed the "Top" and "Ove ÃÂu noÃÂi naÃÂi blues" recordings. The band and Borota offered these recordings to the recently established Sarajevo-based record label Diskoton, however, the label's top executive Slobodan VujoviÃÂ rejected them, stating that the label already had a great number of signed acts and that would have to wait for at least six months for the single to be released. The decision would soon come to be considered the biggest business blunder in the history of Yugoslav record publishing. On the same day the band were refused by Diskoton, they obtained a five-year contract with the Zagreb-based Jugoton label. On 29 March 1974 "Top" and "Ove ÃÂu noÃÂi naÃÂi blues" were released on a 7-inch single that would eventually sell 30,000 copies.
The band started promoting the single, performing mostly in smaller towns. StankoviÃÂ, unsatisfied with the agreement that only Bregoviàwould compose the band's songs and feeling he did not fit in with the rest of the members, continued to perform with , but avoided any deeper relations with other members. Soon after, BregoviÃÂ, Bebek, Ivandiàand Pravdiàdecided to exclude him from the band. Redà ¾iàwas invited to join the band, which he accepted, despite his previous conflict with BregoviÃÂ. The following 7-inch single, featuring the songs "Glavni junak jedne knjige" ("The Main Character of a Book"), with lyrics written by poet Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ, and "Bila mama Kukunka, bio tata Taranta" ("There Was Mommy Kukunka, There Was Daddy Taranta"), was almost at the same time released by both Jugoton and Diskoton, as Bregoviàsigned contracts with both of the labels. This scandal brought huge press covering and increased the single sales.
The band had their first bigger performance at the 1974 BOOM Festival in Ljubljana, where they performed alongside Bumerang, CvrÃÂak i Mravi, Tomaà ¾ Domicelj, Hobo, Grupa 220, Jutro, Ivica Percl, S Vremena Na Vreme, YU Grupa, Drago Mlinarec, Nirvana, Grupa Marina à  krgatiÃÂa and other acts and were announced as "the new hopes". The live version of "Ove ÃÂu noÃÂi naÃÂi blues" appeared on the double live album Pop Festival Ljubljana '74 â BOOM. This was also 's first performance on which the members of the group appeared in their glam rock outfits, which brought them new attention of the media. The band spent the summer performing in Cavtat and preparing songs for their first album. They soon released their third single, with the songs "Da sam pekar" ("If I Was a Baker") and "Selma". "Da sam pekar" was musically inspired by the traditional "deaf kolo", while "Selma", with lyrics written by poet Vlado Dijak, was a hard rock ballad. Over 100,000 copies of the single were sold, becoming 's first gold record. This single was their last produced by Borota at the Jugoton recording studio in Zagreb.
During September, the band performed as the opening band for Tihomir "Pop" AsanoviÃÂ's Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija, and during October, in studio Akademik in Ljubljana, they recorded their debut album Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme. Several days before the album release, wanting to appear in the media as much as possible, performed at the Skopje Festival, playing the song "Edna nadeà ¾" ("One Hope") by composer Grigor Koprov. Bregoviàlater described this event as "the greatest disgrace in 's career". Bebek sung in bad Macedonian, and the band did not fit in well in the ambient of a pop festival. On the next evening, the band performed, alongside Pop Maà ¡ina, Smak and Crni Biseri, in Belgrade's Trade Union Hall, on the Radio Belgrade show VeÃÂe uz radio (Evening by the Radio) anniversary celebration, and managed to win the audience's attention. At the time, cooperated with manager Vladimir Mihaljek, who managed to arrange the band to perform as an opening band on Korni Grupa's farewell concert in Sarajevo's Skenderija, which won them new fans, as about 15,000 people in the audience were thrilled with 's performance.
Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme, featuring a provocative cover designed by Dragan S. Stefanovià(who would also design covers for the band's future releases), saw huge success. It brought a number of commercial hard rock songs with folk music elements, which were described as "pastirski rok" (shepherd rock) by journalist Draà ¾en Vrdoljak. This term was (and still is) sometimes used by the Yugoslav critics to classify 's sound. The album featured the new versions of "Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme" and "Patim, evo, deset dana", "Sve ÃÂu da ti dam samo da zaigram" ("I'll Give You Everything Only to Dance"), ballad "Selma", blues track "Blues za moju bivà ¡u dragu" ("Blues For My Ex-Darling") and rock and roll-influenced hit "Ne spavaj, mala moja, muzika dok svira" ("Don't You Sleep, Baby, while the Music Is Playing"). Immediately after the release, the album broke the record for the best selling Yugoslav rock album, previously held by YU Grupa's debut album, which was sold in more than 30,000 copies. In February 1975, was awarded a gold record at the Opatija Festival, as they, up to that moment, sold their debut album in more than 40,000 copies. The final number of copies sold was about 141,000.
In late February 1975, Mihaljek organized Kongres rock majstora (Congress of Rock Masters), an event conceptualized as a competition between the best Yugoslav guitarists at the time. Although Smak guitarist Radomir MihajloviàToÃÂak left the best impression on the gathered crowd, he was not officially recognized due to his band not being under contract with Jugoton, a record label that financially supported the competition. Instead, Vedran Boà ¾ià(of Time), Josip BoÃÂek (formerly of Korni Grupa), Bata Kostià(of YU Grupa), and Bregoviàwere proclaimed the best. Each of them got to record one side on the Kongres rock majstora double album. While the other three guitarists recorded their songs with members of YU Grupa, Bregoviàdecided to work with his own band and Zagreb String Quartet. After the album was released, the four guitarists went on a joint tour, on which they were supported by YU Grupa members. At the time, released the single "Da mi je znati koji joj je vrag" ("If I Could Just Know What the Hell Is Wrong with Her"), after which they started their first big Yugoslav tour. In the spring of 1975, they were already considered the most popular Yugoslav band. Soon after, Bebek took part in an event similar to Kongres rock majstora â Rock Fest '75, the gathering of the most popular Yugoslav singers of the time; besides Bebek, the event featured Marin à  krgatià(of Grupa Marina à  krgatiÃÂa), Mato Doà ¡en (of Hobo), Aki Rahimovski (of Parni Valjak), Seid Memià"Vajta" (of Teà ¡ka Industrija), Boris AranÃÂelovià(of Smak), Hrvoje Marjanovià(of Grupa 220), Dado Topià(of Time) and Janez BonÃÂina "BenÃÂ" (of September).
Before the recording of their second album, went to the village Borike in Eastern Bosnia to work on the songs and prepare for the recording sessions. The album à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu (What Would You Give to Be in My Place) was recorded in London during November 1975. It was produced by Neil Harrison who previously worked with Cockney Rebel and Gonzalez. The bass guitar on the album was played by Bebek, as Redà ¾iàinjured his middle finger just before the recording sessions started. Nevertheless, Redà ¾iàwas credited on the album, as he worked on the bass lines, and directed Bebek during the recording. The lyrics for the title track were written by Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ, while the rest of the lyrics were written by BregoviÃÂ. The band used the time spent in studio to record an English language song "Playing the Part", with lyrics written by lyricist Dave Townsend, released on a promo single which was distributed to journalists. The album was a huge commercial success, bringing hits "Tako ti je, mala moja, kad ljubi Bosanac" ("That's How It Is, Baby, When You Kiss a Bosnian"), "Doà ¡ao sam da ti kaà ¾em da odlazim" ("I've Come to Tell You that I'm Leaving"), "Ne gledaj me tako i ne ljubi me vià ¡e" ("Don't Look at Me like That and Kiss Me No More") and "Poà ¾urite, konji moji" ("Hurry Up, My Horses") and selling more than 200,000 copies. After the first 50,000 records were sold, à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu became the first Yugoslav album to be credited as diamond record. After it was sold in more than 100,000 copies, it became the first platinum record in the history of Yugoslav record publishing, and after it sold more than 200,000 copies it was branded simply as "2àplatinum record".
After à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu release, the band went on a warming-up tour across Kosovo and Metohija. During the tour, injured Redà ¾iàwas replaced by former Kamen na Kamen member Mustafa "Mute" KurtaliÃÂ. The album's initial promotion was scheduled to take place on the band's New Year's 1976 concert at Belgrade Sports Hall in Belgrade, with Pop Maà ¡ina, Buldoà ¾er and Cod as the opening bands. However, five days before New Year's, the band canceled the concert due to getting invited to perform for Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, as part of the New Year's celebration being organized for him. Their performance was, however, stopped after only several minutes, reputedly because of the loudness.
As Redà ¾iàhad to leave the band due to his army obligations, a bass guitarist for live performances had to be hired. Kurtaliàasked for higher fees, so the new temporary bassist became Formula 4 leader Ljubià ¡a RaciÃÂ. This lineup of the band went on a large Yugoslav tour. In Sarajevo the band performed in front of 15,000 people and in Belgrade they held three sold-out concerts in Pionir Hall, with approximately 6,000 people per concert. On the concerts, the band for the first time introduced a set of several songs performed unplugged. The press coined the term "Dugmemanija" (Buttonmania) and the socialist public went into an argument over the phenomena.
At the beginning of 1976, the band planned to hold a United States tour, however they gave up the idea after the suspicion that the planned concerts were organized by pro-ustaà ¡e emigrants from Yugoslavia. The band did go to the United States, but only to record the songs "Dà ¾ambo" ("Jumbo") and "Vatra" ("Fire"), which were released as IvandiÃÂ's solo single, and "Milovan" and "Goodbye, Amerika" ("Goodbye, America"), which were released as Bebek's solo single. The records represented the introduction of funk elements in sound. During the band's staying in America, Bregoviàmanaged to persuade Bebek, Pravdiàand Ivandiàto sign a waiver, with which they relinquished the rights to the name in favor of him. In June, the band members went to the youth work action Kozara 76, which was BregoviÃÂ's response to the claims that the band's members were "pro-Western oriented". At the beginning of autumn, Ivandiàand Pravdiàleft the band due to their stints in te Yugoslav army. They were replaced by Vukaà ¡inovià(who, after Kodeksi disbanded, played with Indexi) and Laza Ristovski respectively. Ristovski's moving from Smak, at the time 's main competitors on the Yugoslav rock scene, saw huge covering in the media.
The band prepared for the recording of their third album in Borike. The album's working title was Sve se dijeli na dvoje, na tvoje i moje (Everything Is Split in Two, Yours and Mine) after a poem by Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ. Bregoviàdid not manage to write the music on the lyrics (they were later used for the song recorded by Jadranka StojakoviÃÂ), so he intended to name the album HoÃÂu bar jednom da budem blesav (For Once I Want to Be Crazy), but Jugoton editors did not like this title. The album was eventually titled Eto! Baà ¡ hoÃÂu! (There! I Will!). The album was once again recorded in London with Harrison as the producer and Bebek playing the bass guitar. It was released on 20 December 1976. The album hits included hard rock tunes "Izgledala je malo ÃÂudno u kaputu à ¾utom krojenom bez veze" ("She Looked a Little Bit Weird in a Yellow Sillymade Coat") and "Dede bona, sjeti se, de tako ti svega" ("Come on, Remember, for God's Sake"), folk-oriented "Slatko li je ljubit' tajno" ("It's So Sweet to Kiss Secretly"), simple tune "Nià ¡ta mudro" ("Nothing Smart", featuring lyrics written by Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ) and two ballads, symphonic-oriented "Sanjao sam noÃÂas da te nemam" ("I Dreamed Last Night that I Didn't Have You") and less complex "Loà ¡e vino" ("Bad Wine", written by Bregoviàand singer-songwriter Arsen Dediàand originally recorded by singer Zdravko ÃÂoliÃÂ). In the meantime, Raciàasked for higher payment, so he got fired. He was replaced by Sanin KariÃÂ, who was at the time a member of Teà ¡ka Industrija. This lineup of the band went on the tour across Poland, on which they were announced as "the leading band among young Yugoslav groups" and held nine successful concerts. After the band's return from Poland, Redà ¾iàand Ivandiàrejoined them. After leaving , Vukaà ¡inoviàwould form the hard rock/heavy metal band Vatreni Poljubac.
In 1977 the band went on a Yugoslav tour, but experienced problems during it. The clashes within the band were becoming more and more frequent, the concerts were followed by technical difficulties and bad reviews in the press, and the audience was not interested in the band's concerts as it was during previous tours. Three concerts in Belgrade's Pionir Hall, on 3, 4 and 5 March, were not well attended, and the second one had to be cut short after the shock wave from the Vrancea earthquake was felt. The Adriatic coast tour was canceled, as well as concerts in Zagreb and Ljubljana for which the recording of a live album was planned. After four years, saw a decline in popularity and rumors about the band's disbandment appeared in the media.
The band wanted to organize some sort of spectacle to help their decreased popularity. On the idea of journalist Petar "Peca" PopoviÃÂ, the band decided to hold a free open-air concert at Belgrade's HajduÃÂka ÃÂesma on 28 August 1977. Jutro had already performed on this location in 1973, on a concert organized by the band Pop Maà ¡ina. The concert would also be 's last concert before the hiatus due to BregoviÃÂ's army duty. The whole event was organized in only five days. Between 70,000 and 100,000 spectators attended the concert, which was the biggest number of spectators on a rock concert in Yugoslavia up to that point. After the opening acts â SlaÃÂana Miloà ¡eviÃÂ, Tako, Zdravo, Dà ¾adà ¾o, Suncokret, Ibn Tup and Leb i Sol â played a very successful concert. Despite the fact that the concert was secured by only twelve police officers, there were no larger incidents. Video recordings from the concert appeared in MiÃÂa Miloà ¡eviÃÂ's film Tit for Tat. Eventually, it was discovered that the audio recordings could not be used for the live album, as the sound was bad due to technical limitations and the wide open space, so the band, on 25 October of the same year, played a concert in ÃÂuro JankoviàHall in Sarajevo, the recording of which was used for the live album Koncert kod HajduÃÂke ÃÂesme (The Concert at HajduÃÂka ÃÂesma). Eventually, the only part of the HajduÃÂka ÃÂesma concert that ended up on the album were the recordings of the audience's reactions.
After Koncert kod HajduÃÂke ÃÂesme was mixed, Bregoviàwent to serve the army in Nià ¡ and the band went on hiatus; Melody Maker wrote about 's hiatus as about an event "on the verge of national tragedy". Redà ¾iàcontinued to work on the Koncert kod hajduÃÂke ÃÂesme recordings, and a live version of "Dede, bona, sjeti se, de tako ti svega" was later used as a B-side for the single "Bitanga i princeza" ("The Brute and the Princess"), released in 1979. In June 1978, Bebek released his first solo album, the symphonic rock-oriented Skoro da smo isti (We're almost the Same), which saw mostly negative reactions by the critics. During the same year, Ristovski and Ivandiàrecorded the album Stià ¾emo (Here We Come). The album, featuring lyrics by Ranko Boban, was recorded in London with Leb i Sol leader Vlatko Stefanovski on guitar, Zlatko Hold on bass guitar, and Goran KovaÃÂeviàand IvandiÃÂ's sister Gordana on vocals. Ristovski and Ivandiàmet with Bregoviàduring his leave and played him the recordings, believing they could persuade him to let them compose for . After he refused, the two, encouraged by the positive reactions of the music critics which had the opportunity to listen to the material before the release, decided to leave . However, on 10 September, the same day for which the beginning of the promotional tour was scheduled, IvandiÃÂ, alongside Goran KovaÃÂeviàand Ranko Boban, was arrested for owning hashish. Ivandiàwas sentenced to spend three years in jail (KovaÃÂeviàwas sentenced to year and a half, and Boban to a year). Before he went to serve the sentence, Ivandiàwent to psychiatric sessions to prepare for the life in prison. The psychiatrist he went to see was Radovan Karadà ¾iÃÂ.
In June 1978, Bregoviàwent to Sarajevo to receive a plaque from the League of Communist Youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the behalf of the band. In the autumn of 1978, Pravdiàreturned to the band and drummer Dragan "ÃÂiÃÂi" JankeliÃÂ, who participated in the recording of Bebek's solo album, became 's new drummer. Jankeliàwas previously a member of Formula 4 (the lineup in which he played included both Ljubià ¡a Raciàand Jadranko StankoviÃÂ), Rok, ÃÂisti Zrak and Rezonansa. started preparing their new album in Nià ¡ka Banjaâ but, as Bregoviàwas still serving the army, they definitely reunited in Sarajevo on 1 November. The new lineup of the band had their first performance in Skenderija on 4 December 1978.
The band's fourth studio album was recorded in Belgrade and produced by Neil Harrison. Several songs featured a symphonic orchestra. The making of the album was followed by censorship. The original cover, designed by Dragan S. Stefanoviàand featuring female leg kicking male's genital area, was refused by Jugoton as "vulgar"; instead, the album ended up featuring a cover designed by Jugoton's designer Ivan IveziÃÂ. The verse "Koji mi je moj" ("What the fuck is wrong with me") was excluded from the song "Ala je glupo zaboravit njen broj" ("It's so Stupid to Forget Her Number"), and the verse "A Hrist je bio kopile i jad" ("And Christ was bastard and misery") from the song "Sve ÃÂe to, mila moja, prekriti ruzmarin, snjegovi i à ¡aà ¡" ("All of That, My Dear, Will Be Covered by Rosemary, Snow and Reed") was replaced with "A on je bio kopile i jad" ("And he was bastard and misery"). The album Bitanga i princeza (The Brute and the Princess) was released in March 1979 and praised by the critics as 's finest work until then. The album did not feature folk music elements, and brought songs "Bitanga i princeza", "Ala je glupo zaboravit njen broj", "Na zadnjem sjedià ¡tu mog auta" ("On the Back Seat of My Car"), "A koliko si ih imala do sad" ("How Many Have There Been?"), and emotional ballads "Ipak poà ¾elim neko pismo" ("Still, I Wish for a Letter"), "Kad zaboravià ¡ juli" ("Once You Forget July") and "Sve ÃÂe to, mila moja, prekriti ruzmarin, snjegovi i à ¡aà ¡", all becoming hits. The album broke all the records held by their previous releases. Twelve days before the start of the promotional tour, Pravdiàhad a car accident in which he broke his clavicle, so he performed on the initial several concerts using only one hand. The tour, however, was highly successful. The band managed to sell out Pionir Hall five times, dedicating all the money earned from these concerts (about 100,000 American dollars) to the victims of the 1979 Montenegro earthquake. On some of the concerts they were accompanied by Branko KrsmanoviàChoir and a symphonic orchestra. On 22 September, the band organized a concert under the name Rock spektakl '79. (Rock Spectacle 79) on Bellgrade's JNA Stadium, with themselves as the headliners. The concert featured numerous opening acts: Crni Petak, Kilo i Po, Rok Apoteka, Galija, Kako, Mama Rock, Formula 4, Peta Rijeka, ÃÂisti Zrak, Aerodrom, Opus, Senad od Bosne, Boomerang, Prva Ljubav, Revolver, Prljavo Kazalià ¡te, Tomaà ¾ Domicelj, Metak, ObeÃÂanje ProljeÃÂa, Suncokret, Parni Valjak, Generacija 5 and Siluete. More than 70,000 people attended the concert.
At the time, Bregoviàwrote film music for the first time, for Aleksandar MandiÃÂ's film Personal Affairs, and the songs "Pristao sam biÃÂu sve à ¡to hoÃÂe" ("I Accepted to Be Anything They Want", with lyrics written by Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ) and "à  ta je tu je" ("Is What It Is") were recorded by and released on a single record. During 1980, Bregoviàspent some time in Paris, and the band was on hiatus.
At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, the Yugoslav rock scene saw the emergence of the great number of new wave bands, closely associated to the Yugoslav punk rock scene. Bregoviàwas fascinated by the new scene, especially by the works of Azra and Prljavo Kazalià ¡te. During 1980, decided to move towards new sound.
In December 1980, released new wave-influenced album Doà ¾ivjeti stotu (Live to Be 100). This was the first album produced by BregoviÃÂ. Unlike the songs from the band's previous albums, which were prepared much before the album recording, most of the songs from Doà ¾ivjeti stotu were created during the recording sessions. As the recordings had to be finished before the scheduled mastering in London, Bregoviàused cocaine to stay awake, writing the lyrics in the nick of time. The saxophone on the recording was played by jazz musician Jovan Maljokoviàand avant-garde musician Paul Pignon. From the songs on Doà ¾ivjeti stotu, only the new version of "Pristao sam biÃÂu sve à ¡to hoÃÂe" and "Pjesma mom mlaÃÂem bratu" ("The Song for My Little Brother") resembled 's old sound. The songs "Ha ha ha" and "Tramvaj kreÃÂe (ili kako biti heroj u ova à ¡ugava vremena)" ("Streetcar Is Leaving (or How to Be a Hero in These Lousy Times)") were the first songs to feature political-related lyrics. The provocative cover, depicting plastic surgery, was designed by Mirko IliÃÂ, an artist closely associated with Yugoslav new wave scene and appeared in three different versions. In accordance with their shift towards new wave, the band changed their hard rock style: the members cut their hair short, and the frontman à ½eljko Bebek shaved his trademark mustache. Due to the new sound, Doà ¾ivjeti stotu was met with a lot of skepticism, but most of the critics ended up praising the album. At the end of 1980, the readers of Dà ¾uboks magazine polled the Band of the Year, Bebek the Singer of the Year, Pravdiàthe Keyboardist of the Year, Jankeliàthe Drummer of the Year, Redà ¾iàthe Bass Guitarist of the Year, Bregoviàthe Composer, the Lyricist, the Producer and the Arranger of the Year, Doà ¾ivjeti stotu the Album of the Year, and Doà ¾ivjeti stotu cover the Album Cover of the Year.
The band started their Yugoslav tour on 24 February 1981, with a concert in Sarajevo, and ended it with a concert in the club Kuluà ¡iàin Zagreb, on which they recorded their second live album, 5. april '81 (5 April 1981). The album, featuring a cover of Indexi song "Sve ove godine" ("All These Years"), was released in a limited number of 20,000 copies. performed in Belgrade several times during the tour: after two concerts in Pionir Hall, they performed, alongside British band Iron Maiden and Yugoslav acts Atomsko Sklonià ¡te, Divlje Jagode, Film, Aerodrom, SlaÃÂana Miloà ¡eviÃÂ, Siluete, Haustor, Kontraritam and others, on the two-day festival Svi marà ¡ na ples! (Everybody Dance Now!) held at Belgrade Hippodrome, and during the New Year holidays they held three concerts in Hala Pinki together with Indexi.
In early 1982, performed in Innsbruck, Austria, at a manifestation conceptualized as a symbolic passing of the torch whereby the Winter Olympic Games last host city (Innsbruck) made a handover to the next one (Sarajevo). On their return to Yugoslavia, the band's equipment was seized by the customs, as it was discovered that they had put new equipment into old boxes. The band's record label, Jugoton, decided to lend 150,000,000 Yugoslav dinars to , to pay the fine. To regain part of the money as soon as possible, Jugoton decided to release two compilation albums, Singl ploÃÂe (1974-1975) (7-Inch Singles (1974-1975)) and Singl ploÃÂe (1976-1980). To recover financially, during July and August 1982, the band went on a tour across Bulgaria, during which they held 41 concerts, two of them at the crowded People's Army Stadium in the capital Sofia. As JankeliÃÂ went to serve the army in April, on this tour the drums were played by former Leb i Sol drummer Garabet Tavitjan. At the end of 1982, the media published that BregoviÃÂ was excluded from the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, with the explanation that he did not attend the meetings of the League in his local community. However, due to the growing liberalization of the Yugoslav society, this event did not affect BregoviÃÂ's and the band's career.
At the end of 1982, IvandiÃÂ was released from prison and was approached to rejoin the band. With his return to the band, 's default lineup reunited.
At the beginning of 1983, BregoviÃÂ, Redà ¾iÃÂ, Pravdiàand Ivandiàrecorded a children's music album ...a milicija trenira strogoÃÂu! (i druge pjesmice za djecu) (...and Police Trains Strictness! (and Other Songs for Children)). The songs were composed by Bregoviàand the lyrics were written by Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ. It was initially planned pop rock singer Seid Memià"Vajta" to record the vocals, but eventually the vocals were recorded by eleven-year-old Ratimir Borà ¡ià"RaÃÂa", and the album was released under the Ratimir Borà ¡iàRaÃÂa & moniker.
In February 1983, the band released the album Uspavanka za Radmilu M. (Lullaby for Radmila M.). Bregoviàintended to release Uspavanka za Radmilu M. as 's farewell album and to dismiss the band after the tour. The album was recorded in Skopje and featured Vlatko Stefanovski (guitar), Blagoje Morotov (double bass) and Arsen Ereà ¡ (saxophone) as guest musicians. The songs "Ako moà ¾eà ¡, zaboravi" ("Forget, if You Can"), "U vrijeme otkazanih letova" ("In the Time of Canceled Flights"), "Polubauk polukruà ¾i poluevropom" ("Half-Spectre is Half-Haunting Half-Europe", the title referring to the first sentence of The Communist Manifesto) and "Ovaj ples dame biraju" ("Ladies' Choice") featured diverse sound, illustrating various phases in the band's career. The album's title track is the only instrumental track ever recorded. Unlike the band's previous album, Uspavanka za Radmilu M. was not followed by a large promotion in the media, but it was followed by the release of the videotape cassette Uspavanka za Radmilu M., which featured videos for all the songs from the album, which was the first project of the kind in the history of Yugoslav rock music. The videos were directed by Boris Miljkoviàand Branimir Dimitrijevià"Tucko" The video for the song "Ovaj ples dame biraju" was the first gay-themed video in Yugoslavia. The song "Kosovska" ("Kosovo Song") featured Albanian language lyrics. Written during delicate political situation in Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, the song represented BregoviÃÂ's effort to integrate the culture of Kosovo Albanians into Yugoslav rock music. Although lyrics were simple, dealing with rock music, the song caused certain controversies.
Uspavanka za Radmilu M. did not bring numerous hits as the band's previous releases, however, the tour was very successful, and the audience's response made BregoviÃÂ change his mind about dismissing the band. After the tour, went on a hiatus and Bebek recorded his second solo album, Mene tjera neki vrag (Some Devil Is Making Me Do It). His last concert with was on 13 February 1984, in Sarajevo Olympic Village. Unsatisfied with his share of the profits in , he decided to leave the band and dedicate himself to his solo career. He left in April 1984, starting a semi-successful solo career. For a certain period of time, Bebek's backing band would feature JankeliÃÂ on drums.
After Bebek's departure, Alen IslamoviÃÂ, vocalist for the heavy metal band Divlje Jagode, was approached to join the band, but he refused fearing that Bebek might decide to return. Eventually, the new singer became then relatively unknown Mladen VojiÃÂià"Tifa", a former Top and Teà ¡ka Industrija member. The band spent summer in Rovinj, where they held small performances in Monvi tourist centre, preparing for the upcoming album recording. At the time, Ivandiàstarted working with the synth-pop band Amila, fronted by his girlfriend-at-the-time Amila SulejmanoviÃÂ, who would soon start to perform with as a backing vocalist.
At the time, BregoviÃÂ, with singer Zdravko ÃÂoliÃÂ, formed Slovenia-based record label Kamarad, which would co-release 's new album with Diskoton. The album was released in December 1984, entitled simply Bijelo Dugme, but is, as the cover featured Uroà ¡ PrediÃÂ's painting Kosovo Maiden, also unofficially known as (Kosovo Maiden). The album featured both Ristovski and Pravdiàon keyboards, and, after the album recording, Ristovski became an official member of the band once again. featured folk-oriented pop rock sound which had, alongside a cover of Yugoslav anthem "Hej, Slaveni" featured on the album, influenced a great number of bands from Sarajevo, labeled by press as "New Partisans". The album featured a new version of "à  ta ÃÂu nano dragi mi je ljut" ("What Can I Do, Mom, My Darling Is Angry"), written by Bregoviàand originally recorded by Bisera VeletanliÃÂ, version entitled "Lipe cvatu, sve je isto k'o i lani" ("Linden Trees Are in Bloom, Everything's just like It Used to Be"), which became the album's biggest hit. Other hits included "Padaju zvijezde" ("The Stars Are Falling"), "Laà ¾eà ¡" ("You're Lying"), "Da te bogdo ne volim" ("If I Could Only Not Love You") and "Jer kad ostarià ¡" ("Because, When You Grow Old"). The song "Pediculis pubis" (misspelling of "Pediculosis pubis") featured Bora ÃÂorÃÂeviÃÂ, the leader of 's main competitors at the time, Riblja ÃÂorba, on vocals; he co-wrote the song with Bregoviàand sung it with Bregoviàand VojiÃÂiÃÂ. The album also featured Radio Television of Skopje Folk Instruments Orchestra, folk group Ladarice on backing vocals, Pece Atanasovski on gaida and Sonja Beran-Leskovà ¡ek on harp.
was sold in more than 420,000 copies. The tour was also very successful. The band held a successful concert at Belgrade Fair in front of some 27,000 people (which was, up to that point, the biggest number of spectators on an indoor concert in Belgrade), but also performed in clubs on several occasions. The stylized army uniform in which the members of the band appeared on stage and the large red star from Kamarad logo were partially inspired by the works of Laibach. In the summer of 1985, , alongside Bajaga i Instruktori, represented Yugoslavia at the 12th World Festival of Youth and Students held in Moscow. The two bands should have held their first concert on 28 July in Gorky Park. The soundcheck, during which Yugoslav technicians played Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd songs, attracted some 100,000 people to the location. Bajaga i Instruktori opened the concert, however, after some time, the police started to beat the ecstatic audience, and the concert was interrupted by the Soviet officials, so did not have to opportunity to go out on the stage. Fearing new riots, the Moscow authorities scheduled the second concert in Dinamo Hall, and the third one in the Moscow Green Theatre. The first one, held on 30 July, was attended by about 2,000 uninterested factory workers, and the second one, held on 2 August and also featuring British bands Misty in Roots and Everything but the Girl, by about 10,000 young activists with special passes.
The concerts in Moscow were VojiÃÂiÃÂ's last performances with the band. Under the pressure of professional obligations, sudden fame and a media scandal caused by revelation of his LSD usage, he decided to leave the band. After leaving , VojiÃÂiàwould first go on a tour with à ½eljko Bebek and the band Armija B, then he would join Vukaà ¡inoviÃÂ's band Vatreni Poljubac, then heavy metal band Divlje Jagode (whose singer Alen Islamoviàreplaced him in ), and eventually start a solo career.
After VojiÃÂiÃÂ's departure, Alen IslamoviÃÂ was once again approached to join the band. At the time, IslamoviÃÂ's band Divlje Jagode were based in London, working on their international career under the name Wild Strawberries. Doubting the success of their efforts, IslamoviÃÂ left them and joined .
The new album, Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo (Spit and Sing, My Yugoslavia), was released in 1986. Inspired by Yugoslavism, with numerous references to Yugoslav unity and the lyrics on the inner sleeve printed in both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, the album featured the already familiar pop rock sound with folk elements. Bregoviàoriginally wanted the album to contain contributions from individuals known for holding political views outside of the official League of Communists ideology. To that end he and the band's manager Raka Mariàapproached 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 MiÃÂa PopoviÃÂ, associated with Yugoslav Black Wave film movement, who got a dissident reputation due to his paintings; politician and diplomat KoÃÂa Popoviàwho, 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. BregoviÃÂ's idea was to have Vukov sing the ballad "Ruà ¾ica si bila, sada vià ¡e nisi" ("You Were Once a Little Rose"). However, despite Vukov accepting, the plan never got implemented after the band's manager Mariàgot arrested and interrogated by the police at the Sarajevo Airport upon returning from Zagreb where he met Vukov. MiÃÂa PopoviÃÂ's contribution to the album was to be his Dve godine garancije (A Two-Year Warranty) painting featuring a pensioner sleeping on a park bench while using pages of Politika newspaper as blanket to warm himself, which Bregoviàwanted to use as the album cover. When approached, MiÃÂa Popoviàalso accepted though warning Bregoviàof possible problems the musician would likely face. KoÃÂa Popoviàwas reportedly somewhat receptive to the idea of participating on the album, but still turned the offer down. Eventually, under pressure from Diskoton, Bregoviàgave up on his original ideas. A World War II holder of the Order of the People's Hero still appeared on the record, however, instead of KoÃÂa PopoviÃÂ, it was Svetozar VukmanoviàTempo. He, together with Bregoviàand children from the Ljubica Iveziàorphanage in Sarajevo, sang a cover of "Padaj silo i nepravdo" ("Fall, (Oh) Force and Injustice"), an old revolutionary song. Instead of PopoviÃÂ's painting, the album cover featured a photograph of Chinese social realist ballet. VukmanoviÃÂ's appearance on the album was described by The Guardian as "some sort of BregoviÃÂ's coup d'état". The album's main hits were pop song "Hajdemo u planine" ("Let's Go to the Mountains"), "NoÃÂas je k'o lubenica pun mjesec iznad Bosne" ("Tonight there's a Watermelon-like Full Moon over Bosnia"), and the ballads "Te noÃÂi kad umrem, kad odem, kad me ne bude" ("That Night, When I Die, When I Leave, When I'm Gone") and "Ruà ¾ica si bila, sada vià ¡e nisi".
A number of critics, however, expressed their dislike for the album. One of them was Belgrade rock journalist Dragan Kremer. In 1987, Kremer appeared as guest on TV Sarajevo's show Mit mjeseca (Myth of the Month), a programme pitting Yugoslav rock critics against the country's rock stars, allowing critics to directly pose questions to musicians sitting across from them in the same studio. In the case of Kremer's appearance, however, Bregoviàwasn't in the studio due to being on tourâÂÂKremer's taped questions were thus shown to Bregoviàwhile his reaction was filmed. Expressing his opinion about the band's new direction, Kremer tore the album cover, which provoked Bregoviàto publicly insult Kremer, eventually resulting in a large media scandal for the time. The incident however, did not affect the album sales. The tour was very successful, with the concert at Belgrade Fair featured opera singer Dubravka Zuboviàas guest.
The double live album Mramor, kamen i à ¾eljezo (Marble, Stone and Iron), recorded on the tour and produced by Redà ¾iÃÂ, was released in 1987. The title song was a cover of a hit by the Yugoslav 1960s beat band Roboti. The album offered a retrospective of the band's work, featuring songs from their first singles to their latest album. The album featured similar Yugoslavist iconography as the bands' previous two releases: the track "A milicija trenira strogoÃÂu" begins with "The Internationale" melody, during the intro to "Svi marà ¡ na ples" Islamoviàshouts "Bratsvo! Jedinstvo!" ("Brotherhood! Unity!"), and the album cover features a photograph from the 5th Congress of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Mramor, kamen i à ¾eljezo was the band's last album to feature Vlado PravdiÃÂ. He left the band after the album release, dedicating himself to business with computers. However, he continued to occasionally perform with the band, on larger concerts, and was, until the end of the band's activity, still considered an official member.
On the 24th of November, 1988, the album ÃÂiribiribela was released. Recorded during the political crisis in Yugoslavia, the album was marked by BregoviÃÂ's pacifist efforts: the album featured Edward Hicks' painting Noah's Ark on the cover, the song "Lijepa naà ¡a" ("Our Beautiful") featured the national anthem of Croatia "Lijepa naà ¡a domovino" ("Our Beautiful Homeland") combined with the Serbian traditional World War I song "Tamo daleko" ("There, Far Away"), and the title track featured lyrics about a love couple which decides to "stay at home and kiss" if the war starts. The album's biggest hit was "ÃÂurÃÂevdan je, a ja nisam s onom koju volim" ("It's St. George's Day, and I'm Not with the One I Love'"), based on traditional Romani song "Ederlezi", featuring Fejat Sejdiàalong with his trumpet orchestra. Other hits included "Evo zakleÃÂu se" ("Here, I'll Make A Vow"), "Ako ima Boga" ("If There Is God"), "à  ta ima novo" ("What's New"), "Nakon svih ovih godina" ("After All These Years"), pop-influenced "Napile se ulice" ("The Streets Are Drunk") and the title track, the Dalmatian folk music-inspired "ÃÂirbiribela". After the album release, Radio-Television Belgrade wanted to make a video for "ÃÂurÃÂevdan je, a ja nisam s onom koju volim". The original idea was for the video to feature iconography inspired by the Serbian Army in World War I. The video was recorded in the village of KoraÃÂica in Central Serbia. The band came to the film shooting, completely unaware about the video concept. It was originally intended for the band to have worn uniforms (without any insignia) and old weapons based on the World War I-era Serbian army gear, but Islamoviàthought the idea was too "pro-war", and he refused to wear a uniform. Eventually, the band and the director reached an agreement: everyone, except IslamoviÃÂ, wore Serbian traditional costumes, with only several of the original props used. However, after the video was recorded, the editors at RTB didn't allow the costumes to be shown at all, with their main concern being that it was too similar in appearance to the Chetnik movement. In Socialist Yugoslavia, the Chetniks were cast as an enemy of the state, and were severely looked down upon by the public.
At the beginning of 1989, the band went on a tour which should have lasted until 1 April. Their concert in Belgrade, held in Belgrade Fair on the 4th of February, was attended by about 13,000 people. The concert featured Dubravka ZuboviÃÂ, the First Singing Society of Belgrade, the Fejat SejdiÃÂ Trumpet Orchestra and the Trogir klapa. The concert in Sarajevo's Zetra Olympic Hall, held on the 11th of February, was also very successful, with an attendance count of over 20,000 people. However, on some of the concerts in Croatia, the audience booed and threw various objects on stage when the band performed their pro-Yugoslav songs.
After the concert in ModriÃÂa, held on 15 March, with four concerts left until the end of the tour, IslamoviÃÂ checked into a hospital with kidney pains. This event revealed the existing conflicts inside the band: BregoviÃÂ claimed that IslamoviÃÂ had no problems during the tour, while the band's manager, Raka MariÃÂ, stated that would search for a new singer for the planned concerts in China and Soviet Union. BregoviÃÂ went to Paris, leaving 's status opened for speculations. In 1990, the compilation album Nakon svih ovih godina was released, featuring recordings made between 1984 and 1989. As Yugoslav Wars broke out in 1991, it became clear that would not continue their activity.
Bregoviàcontinued his career as a film music composer, cooperating mostly with Emir Kusturica. Redà ¾iàmoved to Finland, where he worked as a producer, and after the Bosnian War ended, he returned to Sarajevo, where he opened a rock club. Ristovski continued to record solo albums and worked as a studio musician. During the 1990s he worked with glam metal band OsvajaÃÂi and his former band Smak. IslamoviÃÂ, who recorded his first solo album (Hey, May All Hear, Hey, May All Know) in 1989, started a semi-successful solo career.
On 12 January 1994, Ivandiàdied after falling from the sixth floor of the Hotel Metropol in Belgrade. After a police investigation, his death was officially declared a suicide. However, during the years, a number of his family members, friends and bandmatesâÂÂincluding BregoviÃÂ, Bebek, Ristovski, VojiÃÂiÃÂ, Vukaà ¡inoviàand Amila SulejmanoviÃÂâÂÂexpressed doubts about the investigators' conclusions. Bregoviàstated that in the years following his release from prison Ivandiàused to sleepwalk, and that he might have fallen from the building's sixth floor while sleepwalking. VojiÃÂiÃÂ, Vukaà ¡inoviàand several of IvandiÃÂ's friends expressed their belief that Ivandiàwas murdered by loan sharks.
In 1994, the double compilation album (There's Some Secret Connection), featuring Dragan Maleà ¡eviàTapi's painting (The Joy of Bankruptcy) on the cover, was released.
BregoviÃÂ, who during the 1990s became one of the most internationally known modern composers of the Balkans, on numerous occasions stated that he will not reunite . However, in 2005, reunited, with Goran Bregoviàon guitar, à ½eljko Bebek, Mladen VojiÃÂiàand Alen Islamoviàon vocals, Zoran Redà ¾iàon bass guitar, MiliàVukaà ¡inoviàand ÃÂiÃÂi Jankeliàon drums and Vlado Pravdiàand Laza Ristovski on keyboards. The reunion saw huge media attention in all former Yugoslav republics, accompanied by various forms of yugonostalgia.
The band held only three concerts: in Sarajevo, at Koà ¡evo City Stadium, Zagreb, at Maksimir Stadium, and Belgrade, at Belgrade Hippodrome. The concerts featured a string orchestra, a brass band, klapa group Nostalgija and two female singers from BregoviÃÂ's Weddings and Funerals Orchestra. During the concerts, BregoviÃÂ, Redà ¾iÃÂ, Pravdiàand Ristovski performed during the whole set, while Vukaà ¡inoviàand Jankeliàchanged on drums. Islamoviàopened the concerts in Sarajevo and Zagreb, and VojiÃÂiàopened the concert in Belgrade. Bebek sung third on all three concerts. The concerts also featured an unplugged section, during which Bregoviàand Bebek played guitars and all three singers performed. The concert in Sarajevo attracted about 60,000 people, and the concert in Zagreb was attended by more than 70,000 people. For the concert in Belgrade, more than 220,000 tickets were sold, but it was later estimated that it was attended by more than 250,000 people, making it one of the highest-attended ticketed concerts of all time. However, the concert in Belgrade was much criticized due to inadequate sound system. The live album ' (2005 Tour â Sarajevo, Zagreb, Belgrade) recorded on the tour was released.
Laza Ristovski died in Belgrade on 6 October 2007, following years of battle with multiple sclerosis.
In 2014, Raka MariÃÂ made an attempt to reunite once again to mark the band's 40th anniversary, but the agreement could not be reached, despite the members being interested in a new reunion. Eventually, Goran BregoviÃÂ marked 40 years since the formation of the band and the release of their debut album with a series of concerts with his Weddings and Funerals Orchestra, featuring Alen IslamoviÃÂ as vocalist. To mark the anniversary, Croatia Records released a box set entitled Box Set Deluxe. The box set, released in a limited number of copies, features remastered vinyl editions of all studio albums, and the reissue of the band's first 7-inch single as bonus.
is generally considered to have been the most popular act ever to appear in SFR Yugoslavia and its successor countries, inspiring many artists from different musical genres. The musicians that were, in their own words, influenced by include guitarist and leader of Prljavo Kazalià ¡te Jasenko Houra, Piloti guitarist and vocalist Zoran "Kiki" LesendriÃÂ, singer and former Bulevar and Bajaga i Instruktori member Dejan CukiÃÂ, guitarist and former leader of KUD Idijoti Aleksandar "Sale Veruda" MilovanoviÃÂ, singer and former Merlin leader Dino Merlin, and others. The acts that recorded covers of songs include Aska, SrÃÂan MarjanoviÃÂ, Regina, Revolveri, Prljavi Inspektor Blaà ¾a i Kljunovi, Viktorija, Sokoli, Massimo SaviÃÂ, Vasko Serafimov, Zoran Predin and Matija DediÃÂ, Branimir "Dà ¾oni" à  tuliÃÂ, Teà ¡ka Industrija, Texas Flood and others. The song "Ima neka tajna veza" was performed by Joan Baez on her 2014 concerts in Belgrade and Zagreb. In 1991, on Nirvana's concert in Muggia, Italy, Krist Novoselic jokingly introduced his band as to the crowd consisting mostly of Slovenes.
There were several books written about the band: (The Truth about , 1977) by Danilo à  trbac, (1980) by Duà ¡ko PavloviÃÂ, (1981) by Darko Glavan and Draà ¾en Vrdoljak, (Rascals That Weren't Caught, 1985) by Duà ¡an VesiÃÂ, (2005) by Asir MisirliÃÂ, ' (2005) by Zvonimir KrstuloviÃÂ, Kad bi bio bijelo dugme (2005) by Nenad StevoviÃÂ, Kad sam bio bijelo dugme (When I Was a White Button, 2005) by Ljubià ¡a Stavriàand Vladimir Sudar and à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu (2014) by Duà ¡an VesiÃÂ.
In 1994, Radio Television of Serbia aired a four-part documentary about the band entitled Nakon svih ovih godina. In 2010, Igor Stoimenov directed a documentary about the band, simply entitled . In 2015, Robert Bubalo, Renato TonkoviÃÂ and Mario Vukadin directed a documentary film about IvandiÃÂ entitled Izgubljeno dugme (The Lost Button).
The book ' (YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music), published in 1998, features eight albums: Bitanga i princeza (polled No. 10), Kad bi bio bijelo dugme (polled No. 14), à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu (polled No. 17), Bijelo Dugme (polled No. 28), Eto! Baà ¡ hoÃÂu! (polled No. 31), Doà ¾ivjeti stotu (polled No. 35), Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo (polled No. 53), and Koncert kod HajduÃÂke ÃÂesme (polled No. 74). The list of 100 greatest Yugoslav album, published by Croatian edition of Rolling Stone in 2015, features three albums, Bitanga i princeza (ranked No. 15), Eto! Baà ¡ hoÃÂu! (ranked No. 36) and à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu (ranked No. 42). In 1987, in YU legende uà ¾ivo (YU Legends Live), a special publication by Rock magazine, 5. april '81 was pronounced one of 12 best Yugoslav live albums.
The Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list features eight songs by : "Lipe cvatu" (polled No. 10), "Bitanga i princeza" (polled No. 14), "Sve ÃÂe to, mila moja, prekriti ruzmarin, snjegovi i à ¡aà ¡" (polled No. 17), "Sanjao sam noÃÂas da te nemam" (polled No.31), "Ima neka tajna veza" (polled No.38), "à  ta bi dao da si na mom mjestu" (polled No. 68), "Za Esmu" ("For Esma", polled No.78) and "Kad bi' bio bijelo dugme" (polled No. 97). The B92 Top 100 Yugoslav songs list features three songs by : "Sve ÃÂe to, mila moja, prekriti ruzmarin, snjegovi i à ¡aà ¡" (polled No. 14), "Loà ¡e vino" (polled No. 32) and "Ako moà ¾eà ¡, zaboravi (polled No. 51).
The lyrics of 10 songs by the band (8 written by Bregoviàand 2 written by TrifunoviÃÂ) were featured in Petar JanjatoviÃÂ's book ' (Songs of Brotherhood, Childhood & Offspring: Anthology of Ex YU Rock Poetry 1967 â 2007).
In 2016, Serbian weekly news magazine Nedeljnik declared Goran BregoviÃÂ as one of 100 People Who Changed Serbia. In 2017, the same magazine pronounced 's concert at HajduÃÂka ÃÂesma one of 100 Events that Changed Serbia.
In addition to the band's works appearing on various lists of best Yugoslav albums and songs, praised for composition, poetic lyrics of Goran Bregoviàand Duà ¡ko TrifunoviÃÂ, musicianship and production, was often criticized by a part of Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav musicians, critics and audience who believe that the group's blend of rock and Balkan folk music paved the way for the appearance of turbo-folk music in the late 1980s and 1990s. Musicians who criticized 's work include Pop Maà ¡ina frontman Robert NemeÃÂek, Disciplina KiÃÂme frontman Duà ¡an Kojià"Koja", Partibrejkers frontman Zoran Kostià"Cane", and others. In addition, Bregoviàwas often accused of plagiarism, as a number of critics found similarity between some of his compositions and songs by foreign rock acts. The band's work has been parodied by acts like Marko Brecelj, Paraf, Gustafi, Rambo Amadeus, S.A.R.S., and others.
's works remain popular in all former Yugoslav republics. They are often viewed as one of the symbols of Yugoslav culture, their songs often featured in various forms of yugo-nostalgia.
Current members
Former members
Touring musicians
Timeline
Studio albums
Live albums