A TI SE NE DAJ

Drago Mlinarec appeared around 1966 in Zagreb, present Croatia, as a prominent leader and songwriter of one of the most important beat & rock 'n' roll bands in the former Yugoslavia - GRUPA 220. They still enjoy the glory of being the very first Yugoslavian rock band to record an LP vinyl album back in 1968, titled "Nasi dani" (Our Days). Strongly influenced by THE BEATLES, they started composing their own songs (unlike the usual standard covers of the times) and embarked on experimental and conceptual musical ideas. However, they split not long after the album release, with Mlinarec pursuing solo career.

In 1971 he gathered a group of experienced Zagreb-based musicians (Husein Hasanefendic/electric guitar, Nenad Zubak/bass, Ivan Piko Stancic/drums and Brane Zivkovic/piano, organ and flute) with whom he planned a restoration of GRUPA 220. Instead, they recorded "A ti se ne daj" (Hold On) album as Drago Mlinarec solo effort. Music production, in spite of technical constraints of the then circumstances, offers a very strong and confident musicianship, albeit with somewhat "dark" and "muted" sound. Mlinarec wrote most of these songs during GRUPA 220 activity from 1966-70.

The opener "Pop pjevac" (Pop Singer) is a strong guitar and piano riff-based hard-rocker which, at the moment when flute appears, approaches JETHRO TULL territory. "Moje ladje" (My Ships) is another powerful blues-heavy track with excellent guitar and bass drive. Then comes "Srebri se mraz" (Silver-Shining Frost), a little "prog" masterpiece with wonderful Hasanefendic "weeping" guitar solo and Mlinarec's melancholic lyrics. There is even a nice section on acoustic guitar at the end, sounding a bit like GENESIS' Hacket/Rutherford strings of the "Trespass/"Nursery" period. "Ja sam feniks" (I Am Like Phoenix Bird) is a heavy piano-driven boogie, while the title track is highly enjoyable folksy acoustic ballad with piano solo. A slow-tempo psychedelia of "Izgleda ostat ces sam" (Seems Like You'll Remain Alone) is another brilliant song with melodic leading bass line and again a shivering sustained guitar solo, accompanied by FLOYD-esque organ. Wah-Wah guitar cry of "Grad" (The City) resembles THE DOORS psychedelia, while the flute, organ and percussion bring the touch of TRAFFIC - a truly remarkable song in every respect! Finally as an emotional peak, the closing track "Posmrtna osveta" (Postmortal Revenge) is a very "symphonic prog" multi-part composition. Starting with electric and acoustic guitars and easy jazzy drumming with Mlinarec singing scat. The melody sounds a bit too "classical" and old-fashioned, when suddenly the bridge goes to the orchestral part with strings, piano and flutes. The lyrics of a XIX century Croatian poet are among the most morbid and terrifying I heard, about dead souls craving to hold their buried bones together. There is an eerie female backing vocal followed by the strings and the listener cannot avoid the feeling similar to that after reading some of Edgar Allan Poe's horror "Gothic" stories (ie. "Morella", "Ligeia").

As the cover photo suggests, Mlinarec was pretty much in his "hippie" phase during the making of this album and a careful listener will find enough moments to compare him to the Anglo-American contemporaries such as Donovan or Neil Young, in crossing over between psychedelia and singer/songwriter-style folk-rock. His backing band is in top form and it is surprising why even many experts of the former Yugoslavian scene have largely overlooked this album. Nowadays the vinyl record is a rarity artefact, because up to date there has not been a CD reissue. According to my research registry, "A ti se ne daj" was the FIRST FULL-FLEDGED PROGRESSIVE ROCK ALBUM released in ex-Yugoslavia, pre-dating even the famous duet of eponymous debuts of TIME and KORNI GRUPA! But not only because of that fact, the musical, lyrical and art expression of this album justifies its proclamation as a timeless masterpiece. 4,5 stars rating.