LEB I SOL

The Serbian band's third album released in the space of 18 months shows even more growth.

1. "Lenja pesma" (4:32) more sophisticated than their previous efforts (especially from bass player, Bodan Arsovski, drummer Garabet Tavitijan, and in the composition department). There's so much more to this song construct than anything on the band's previous albums--even the sound quality (which is more like JEAN-LUC PONTY or UK despite the CAMEL/John Wetton-esque vocals). (9.125/10)

2. "Rebus" (5:12) the staccato instrument sounds weaving together on this one are very much like something coming from the contemporary (late) Canterbury scene and bands like BRUFORD and UK. The second piano-dominated motif is full jazz (though perhaps a bit of a parody of such--in a BUGGLES kind of way) but Nikola Dimusevski sure gets to shine (as do Bodan and Garabet). The key changes and motif switches are awesome! Now this is true Jazz-Rock Fusion! (9.3333/10)

3. "Hogar" (4:21) a nice little pre-song space intro gives this a little UTOPIA/MISTER MISTER "Kyrie Eleison"/JEAN-LUC PONTY "Don't Let the World Pass You by" feel. The band continues the "Don't Let the World Pass You by" emulation when it ramps up the whole band into a fast-paced two-step cruising speed over which Vlatcko and Nikola (and maybe Milivoje) add their brief solos. A return to the intro motif at the halfway mark allows for a reset and then everybody's back to the races again. I love how fat the band has come: it's no longer music set up to display individual skills (especially Vlatko's); now it's fully-formed, sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion within which the individual musicians can make their mark. (9.5/10)

4. "Rucni rad" (5:07) the slow, melodic start had me a bit worried, but this song's development follows very well that of any mature, high-level Third or Fourth Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion song (though two of the motifs used definitely step into the realm of "Yacht Rock"/Smooth Jazz--if only exploratory "dipping their toes"). It's really remarkable how far Bodan and Nikola have come! (8.875/10)

5. "Kumova slama" (5:20) A semi-Disco tune--with Bodan setting the main melody with his fretless bass?!! And then Vlatko coming in with his Smooth Jazz CHRIS REA/LEE RITENOUR-like lead guitar melody-making! Unfortunately, it makes the song sound like a Easy Listening cover of an EAGLES song. Well performed (and, I guess, conceived--I've got to give kudos where they are deserved) but I have to admit to feeling a little disappointed and let down--especially after the rousing full-on Jazz-Rock Fusion start! (8.875/10)

6. "Put u vedro" (5:20) another softer and smoother musical construct that mellows one out as if you're sitting in the sun on your yacht or Florida club's poolside--even sporting a seductive, sex-suggestive saxophone as its one and only lead instrument. At the end of the fourth minute, however, things get a little crazy as the musicians go into a bit of a frenzy of chaotic noise-making, but they all come back to the soporific theme that started it all for the final 20 seconds (and fadeout). Nice but not enough to salvage it from the miasma of the kind of music that makes one have to drink. (8.75/10)

7. "Verni pas" (6:09) sounds exactly like something from Burt Bacharach's soundtrack to the film, Arthur. It's pretty, atmospheric, and mood-affecting, just not the Jazz-Rock Fusion I was hoping for (that the album's first three songs teased me with). (8.75/10)

Total Time: 36:01

An album whose first three songs signaled the start of a high-quality Jazz-Rock Fusion masterpiece took a sudden (and sadly unexpected) turn into the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary Fourth Wave avenue of what I call Smooth Jazz. It's mature, high-quality sound and song construction throughout--even the traitorous smooth stuff.

B+/4.5 stars; an album that would definitely qualify for full masterpiece status were we only judging the first three songs. As it plays out, as an album, this is high-quality music (and sound); it's just not the high-quality peak-era Jazz- Rock Fusion music that they seemed to be promising at the beginning. As it is, in its aggregate sum form, I can only refer to this as an inconsistent near-miss "near-masterpiece."

A band of super-talented musicians pull together a bunch of simply constructed songs over which they perform creatively and with great technical skill. This is the band's second release of 1978!

1. "Akupunktura" (4:08) Now here's a song. Keyboard work and bass play are a bit lite but the drumming is pretty good (so much better than the work on the band's debut album--and better recorded). Vlatko is carrying the song-- especially when he (finally) hits full-speed at the end of the third minute. The cheesy rock ending again makes me think that this song is just a simple warmup construct: something that lets the band get synchronized and stretched out. (8.75/10)

2. "Kako ti drago" (3:58) a song that comes with a little ethnic folk spice--either Slavic or Caribbean. This is a true fusion of jazz and rock music: it might even qualify more as something proggy (like a Camel song). (9.125/10)

3. "Aber dojde donke" (4:49) Vlatko Stefanovski is extraordinary! And drummer Garabet Tavitijan has improved! Yay! At the same time, this is just a weird "song" (more like an étude or warm-up session that happened to get recorded.) Impressive guitar play over drum warmups doesn't earn top marks as an album representative. (8.5/10)

4. "Talasna duzina" (4:09) synth strings and electric piano support a bluesy lead guitar opening before a drum-and- cymbal crash signals the fulfillment of the mood-manipulating Soul motif over which Vlatko sings in a quite pleasant voice (in his native language). A very nice, solidly composed and rendered love song. I hope the "wave length" Vlatko is trying to reach with this one worked for his relationship. (8.875/10)

5. "Dikijeva igra" (4:09) a real rocker, spiced up with some jazzy nuances from the rhythm section and by the fact that it's an instrumental, but, really, it feels like a instrumental jam from some late 1960s pioneer of hard rock (or a Thin Lizzy instrumental.) I do like hearing the organ and vibes (as well as more testament to Garabet's improved drumming skills [and confidence]). (8.875/10)

6. "Uzvodno od tuge" (4:10) another gentle, pretty (soothing) ballad-like song construct, this time using slightly more nuanced musicianship than the previous "Talazna duzina," electric piano supporting pitch-bending synth solo and then, toward the end of the third minute, acoustic guitar solo. Too bad that it's only an instrumental as I found myself waiting for, expecting, vocals--otherwise, this is not really much of a Jazz-Rock Fusion song--not even a Smooth Jazz one! (8.875/10)

7. "Marija" (6:30) starts rather slowly, atmospherically, like a mature CAMEL song before jumping into the full band, full cruising speed CAMEL-like motif. This is a very solid full-band construct, with very solid united performances from the two rhythmatists, some nice keyboard support, and some excellently-constructed slow-building electric guitar play in the lead position. Nice piano solo from Nikola in the sixth minute. (9.75/10)

8. "Bonus" (1:34) acoustic guitar and singing. A bit like a Jimmy Page/Led Zepp song. (4.25/5)

Total Time: 34:02

A much better album in terms of equal quality of musicianship and recording sound quality than their debut.

B/four stars; an excellent display of skillful musicianship expressed through rather simplistic song constructs. Definitely an improvement over the band's debut.

I've been waiting a long time to write reviews of this Macedonian band's albums even though I felt an immediate attraction to and affinity for their music when I first discovered them sox months ago.

1. "Devetka" (4:30) opening with guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski introducing the song's main melody a couple of times with minimal support from the rest of the band before he pauses a little to allow the rhythmatists to establish the main weave. When Vlatko starts back up he has the support of a funky weave from bassist Bodan Arsovski, drummer Garabet Tavitijan, and keyboardist Nikola Dimusevski who is multi-tasking with both clavinet and Fender Rhodes. Sadly, the song is faded out after only four minutes: it feels as if they're just getting started! Also, too bad the drums are mixed into the background. (9/10)

2. "Pod vodom" (4:58) a fast-movin' romp with some high speed Mahavishnu Orchestra/RTF-like soloing being traded between Vlatko and Nikola's MiniMoog. The funky bass is steady and in tandem with Nikola's supportive Fender Rhodes chords while the drums seem buried in the mix--given no electric boost. Still, very impressive musicianship. (9.25/10)

3. "Utrinska tema" (3:20) a gentler song that is set up to fully support Vlatko's plaintive Stevie Wonder-like vocal. At 2:15 a Carole King piano riff establishes the base for some fiery electric guitar soloing, which, again, sadly, is faded out rather than let play. (8.75/10)

4. "Kokoska" (5:00) opening with a show of drumming skill, Garabet gets much more notice when the other instruments are not present to drown him back into the background, but he's no Billy Cobham or Tony Williams. The rest of the band begins to make themselves known after about 90 seconds, establishing a poppy, almost-Disco jam before actually going Disco from the 2:30 mark on. The back-and-forth bounce between Garabet's two-step drum pattern and Nikola's clavinet support the fiery display of Vlatko's electric guitar, which leads the band through several sytlistic shifts before coming to a clean ending. Impressive play though not my favorite kind of song. (8.75/10)

5. "Nisam tvoj" (3:20) another watered down piece for the support of a pretty vocal performance (with some very nice harmony work from the background vocalists), there is a little keyboard soloing in the spaces between Vlatko's verses but otherwise this is not really a song meant to impress the jazz, rock, or jazz-rock fusion communities. (8.5/10)

6. "U senci" (3:44) an instrumental that plays out more like a hard-charging rock song despite its occasional Weather Report-like jazz sound palette. The drum and bass play here is two rudimentary though Garrabet's fills are impressive. (8.66667/10)

7. "Cudo za tri dana" (2:50) another simple song construct set up to support a vocal. I must admit that Vlatko's voice is very pleasant. He also has a gift for choosing melodies that are "Western" enough to easily pass through my nervous system, that is, to not sing in musical scales and melodies more typical to his native people's musical traditions. (8.75/10)

8. "Pesma o sonji H..." (5:09) a gentle Smooth Jazz instrumental that feels like something out of the Weather Report wheelhouse. Uncredited pan flute (or perhaps its just a keyboard), acoustic piano, and gentle jazz electric guitar lead the way in establishing the gentle melodies over the simple and spacious rhythm track. Nice but nothing to write home about. (8.666667/10)

9. "Damar" (3:28) Upbeat Smooth Jazz that sounds like The Allman Brothers joining forces with The Crusaders. Once again I hear impressive performances from the guitar and keyboards built over fairly rudimentary rhythm lines. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 36:16

After listening to this album a couple of times I remain unconvinced that Leb I Sol's drummer and bass player are in the same league as Nikola Dimusevski and Vlatko Stefanovski. What these two might be capable of with a rhythm section of true virtuosi.

B-/3.5 stars; an excellent display of Jazz-Rock Fusion's transition from its Third to Fourth Waves: the move from skillful fire and funky brimstone into the radio-friendly pop melody making of Smooth Jazz. I so want to rate this album full of beauty and joy with a full four stars but I'm not sure it really deserves to be in the same league as those who are there.

Out of all the satellite nations of the Soviet Union perhaps none escaped the extreme censorship of the arts more than the former nation of Yugoslavia which since the collapse of the once almighty empire has itself disintegrated into the seven nation states of Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and the republic of Macedonia which in 2019 was renamed to Northern Macedonia due to a long feud with Greece over the Greek province of the same name. While still united under the banner of Yugoslavia, this region boasted one of the most vibrant rock scenes in all of Eastern Europe and while many such nations were struggling to get bootlegs of Western acts, the Yugoslav rock scene featured some of the most sophisticated prog and jazz-fusion bands of all.

One of the most successful of these bands was the Macedonian LEB I SOL which formed in Skopje in 1976 with its initial lineup of Vlatko Stefanovski (guitar and vocals), Bodan Arsovski (bass), Nikola Dimu?evski (keyboards) and Dimitar Čočorovski (drums) but Čočorovski was soon replaced by Garabet Tavitijan and the lineup would be stable until 1980 when the band recorded its first three albums which would feature an interesting mix of jazz-rock fusion with local homegrown influences in the form of Macedonian folk. The band's name LEB I SOL translates into "bread and salt" which is used as a greeting in the Macedonian language. This band became very popular in the 70s and 80s due to its creative arrangements and outstanding musicianship. The tracks are both vocal and instrumental with the vocal-free ones cranking out some of the most dynamic prog workouts while the vocal led tracks being the most singer / songwriter oriented.

This debut album was recorded in Novi Sad and released in September 1977 and cranks out some of the best jazz-fusion recordings i've heard from the former Eastern European block with Stefanovski showcasing his guitar wizardry along with the keyboard prowess of Nikola Dimu?evski delivering some of the most memorable workouts. The folk music of the Balkan region is already jazz-flavored and therefore the sounds of LEB I SOL mixing American jazz sounds with rock and its local folk flavors is quite the successful recipe for some stellar proggy workouts with accessible melodies ramped up by the jazzy chord progressions and energetic rock rhythmic drive. The tracks alternate between these fiery passionate instrumentals on overdrive starting with the opener "Devetka" and the acoustic guitar oriented slower ballads like "Ultrinska Tema" which feature Stefanovski on vocals. These vocal tracks sound a lot like some of the prog folk bands from 70s Argentina.

Unlike Western prog, these Eastern bands performed exclusively in their native tongues and since LEB I SOL was limited to the confines of the Yugoslav rock scene, the lyrics were performed exclusively in the official Yugoslav language of Serbo-Croatian (actually two languages but the former uses the Cyrillic alphabet while the former employs the Latin). LEB I SOL were primarily geared for live shows where they dazzled the crowds with emotive songs as well as sizzling instrumental virtuosity however much of this translates quite well into the band's recordings as this debut release perfectly displays what made this band so exemplary for a time and place that found just enough Western influences to make the connection to artists such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra and John Abercrombie's various acts. LEB I SOL also had firm control over excellent shifts in tempos, dynamics and other creative colorful expressions that really stands out from any Western equivalents. This was the start of one of Eastern Europe's most successful prog bands and a great place to start if you are interested in this region of the world's contributions to the richness of the greater prog universe.

This is a nice single vinyl record. I bought it in Serbia when i was there visiting someone. When i was listening to the record for the first time I heard something strange and interesting. At first i liked it but then it sounded unreal, so i remembered to put the turntable on 45r/p.

In this funny moment my fiancee was laughing at me until i turned it from 33 to 45r/p. Than there was the known patern of Macedonian Leb i Sol that silenced you.

Excellent guitar work and soft tones merging with Macedonian melody. Definitly nice combination for a SP.

Would recomend it, no question about it.

Peace

Perhaps I shouldn't do this as the album is hard to find anymore and bringing attention to it could be considered as teasing. Then again, ignoring this excellent work would only assist in letting this often fantastic band fall into further obscurity. The good news is that much of their material had been released in compilation format and likely to be still in circulation. A warning. You mat want to peruse the track list as some of their later works are just plain horrible.

Some bands start out on the weaker, Pop-ish side, but do get better as they mature. Leb I Sol did the opposite. Bursting to the scene with absolutely professional musicianship and flawless compositions on their early albums. Only to drop it altogether and turn into a totally forgettable Pop act following some changes in their line-up before band leader and exceptional guitarist Vlatko Stefanovsku has come to his senses again in recent years.

I can't recall the circumstances, but many decades ago this album has found me in an LP format and became an instant hit. I was heavily into Jazz-Rock by then, the likes of Mahavishnu, Soft Machine, Brand X, Return To Forever, etc. At this stage this band was in the same league with such giants, I kid you not. Established in Macedonia which was then still a state in the former Yugoslavia, one would not have expected such quality material performed, let alone recorded in that part of the world then. But it did happen.

The material here is pure, instrumental Jazz-Rock consisting of shorter compositions that blend together quite nicely. There are no extended pieces, no stretching out, but somehow such is not missed, either. The most interesting feature here is that one could pay full attention to every note, or just let the album run in the background on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Far from elevator music, it's soft, yet intense and wholesome at the same time working it's magic from beginning to the end.

My only reservation is that it's a very short album, but perhaps it's not the artists' fault. Highly recommended, well worth the effort of tracking it down.

The smoke of the flaming Leb I Sol debut hasn't been blown out and the ex-Yugoslavian quartet had already prepared material for a second album.It was a common practice for a band back in the 70's to release more than just an album during the same year and Leb I Sol were no exception, releasing ''2'' in 1978, again on the mega PGP RTB label.

With this album the group epitomized the fact of being one of the best Fusion acts, not only in East Europe, but worldwide.Stefanovski and his intelligent, stunning guitar work still leads Leb I Sol's fiery yet deeply melodic music, being supported by the nervous electric piano of Koki Dimusevski.The album is filled with energetic and passionate solos, technically perfect drumming and furious keyboard passages, sometimes surrounded by ethnic overtones, but mostly coming in a tight mix of Jazz/Fusion and Progressive Rock.The ability of the group to combine the music roots of the country with the rockin' attitude is more than impressive, while some tracks contain also some nice and spacey synth preludes.The vocal moments are now quite limited, giving more space to solid instrumental interplays and virtuosic deliveries, characterized by odd meters and shifting tempos.But the music of Leb I Sol had always a deep sense of melody, thus a wide audience always supported the group.

This group needs a wider recognition by the public.Clever, intricate, melodic and demanding Prog/Fusion with lovely melodies and a personal character.Highly recommended to all Prog fans.

By the time the band got to this point after their first two albums - that are second only to Brand X "Masques" period(!) - they've slowed down a bit. Still quality Jazz-Rock, but the inspiration is fading here.

The tunes are pleasant and pleasant is the word as there is nothing groundbreaking here anymore. Still, it's much better than the Pop-oriented approach that was to follow a few years later - till Vlatko had re-invented himself as one of the most talented guitar players in Prog.

Not meaning to be patronizing here, but for a Macedonian band to deliver world class music is quite an achievement. If you care to hear them at their absolute best, check out their previous albums and don't forget to hold your jaw from dropping - that is if you are into Brand X at their best!

I entirely agree with the P.A. community of reviewers, when assign to LEB I SOL "Rucni Rad" (side to side With "Leb I Sol II" a high note. Although, I must confess that I'm not an adimirer from the Jazz Rock Fusion Style, mainly when this style are close to a free jazz., and for this reason maybe I'm not the most capable member from that community to wirite one review about this album. Even so in this record I have stayed "enchanted" for almost all of tracks, and between these tracks I wish detach the track 2 "Rebus" a delicious sound which even can be appreciated in a comfortable armchair or driving in a highway, the track 3 "Hogar" with his intial space prog theme and the sequence "in the mood" of RETURN TO FOREVER themes and the track 4 "Ruèni Rad and his meditative "landscape" with a excellent work from the musicians whit a very tender touch in their instruments. For this reasons my rate is 4 stars !!!

LEB I SOL's third album is on a par with the first two in my opinion but I would give the first two a bit of an edge over "Rucni Rad" if I was listing them by favourites.

"Lenja Pesma" is bright and uptempo with vocals. Love this song.The bass is prominant the way I like it too. We get guitar after 2 minutes when the vocals stop followed by synths before the vocals return. "Rebus" has lots of keyboards early on and it turns jazzy around a minute with bass.The drumming is excellent here.The guitar 3 1/2 minutes in proceeds to rip it up. "Hogar" kicks in before a minute. Man this guy can drum ! The guitar is lighting it up late as the bass throbs.

"Rucni Rad" is more laid back with piano, bass and drums standing out. Some relaxed guitar before 3 1/2 minutes and vocal melodies come in late. "Kumova Slama" is another relaxed tune with synths this time.Vocal melodies around 4 minutes followed by guitar as it becomes more aggressive. "Put U Vedro" is mellow and I like the guest sax which sounds incredible. So much going on here. Good tune ! "Verni Pas" opens with keys then the bass joins in. Synths 1 1/2 minutes in and sax comes in later.Vocal melodies after 3 1/2 minutes.

If you can find any of LEB I SOL's first three studio albums or their double live recording don't even hesitate. A solid 4 stars.