POP MASINA

This CD is a thoroughly remastered version of the original album. "Kiselina" ("Acid") LP appeared in late 1973 and despite many technical and production weaknesses remained influential as one of the early uncompromising rock albums released in ex-Yugoslavia that did not strive to make any alliances with the established easy listening pop music. Heavily influenced by British blues-based acid/hard rock of late 1960s (CREAM, JHE...), POP MASINA also pioneered open-air free concerts at "Hajdučka česma" in Belgrade vicinity 1972-73 on the American West Coast model - such as GRATEFUL DEAD lengthy jam sessions - and the Woodstock counterculture.

Album recording circumstances were rather poor and the band was disappointed by total lack of support from the record label PGP and studio staff, who was complete novices to the rock music and was incapable to properly record the songs. In addition, PGP did not have any trust in the band's commercial potentials did not have sufficient understanding of their ideas and tried to save resources as much as possible at the expense of "Kiselina". LP appeared thus in a cover design different from the original idea, pressed on poor quality vinyl and printed in small circulation of 2500 copies. Finally, when PGP executives learned that the topic of the album was about drug experience they refused to sign any contract with the band and never re-issued LP on vinyl.

After the band split in 1977 and shortly re-formed in early 1980s as a heavy metal act under the name ROK MASINA, since 1983 they practically disappeared from the rock scene. In the meantime guitarist Bozinović passed away, drummer Popović moved to North America, while the only remaining member, bassist Robert Nemeček decided to try to remedy the old unjust done to the album. The result appeared in 2007 and although presents certain improvement in sound quality against the old vinyl original it still may sound outdated and musically "naive". True merit of this remaster lies in the conceptual sphere - originally conceived order of tracks was restored so we can now follow the theme of "Kiselina", expressing the acid trip of a young man wishing to explore "the other side of reality". Another gem is CD booklet with original "psychedelic" red-yellow cover image and extensive liner notes about the story behind "Kiselina" and song details.

Certain songs do sound noticeably better however, such as an earlier version of "Trazim put" ("Looking for a Trip"), complete version of psychedelic instrumental "Jark/Kraj" ("Dne Eht/The End"), slowed-down version of acoustic instrumental "Mir" ("Peace") and the vastly improved version of excellent "Slike iz proslih dana" ("Images of Yesterdays") with added parts of flute and organ, which were composed but not recorded for the original issue. "Svemirska priča" from the vinyl LP was dropped because it never fit the concept in the first place and instead the early recording of "Sjaj u očima" ("Gleam In Your Eyes", otherwise issued as a B-side of the first 7" single "Put ka suncu" in 1972) is now included and it fits nicely in the tracking order.

"Original Acid: 35 Years After" is nice and welcome addition to its long-lost older "twin brother" and is particularly interesting for fans of POP MASINA and collectors of Yugoslav rock music. Others would love to check the roots of Yugoslav progressive rock no matter how naive or underdeveloped it may sound today.

PERSONAL RATING: 4/5

P.A. RATING: 4/5

Having reputation of a strong live act, POP MASINA was a logical candidate to be the owner of the first rock concert-LP record in Yugoslavia. If we dismiss KORNI GRUPA and their double-disc set "Mrtvo more" released earlier in 1975, which consisted of only one half of live material (the other half being a collection of hit singles), "Put ka suncu" ("Journey to the Sun") indeed deserves recognition as the first full-length live album of a rock band issued at the territory of former Yugoslavia. I am afraid, that is about all this title had to offer.

Poor sound quality notwithstanding, this 37-minute piece of noise is a real suffer to sit through listening. You can hardly distinguish between four "tracks" recorded from different concerts during 1974-75 because it all flows endlessly as one, painfully long hodgepodge of Tarzan-like screaming and shouting, coupled with inhumane maltreatment of instruments. For some mysterious reason, the recording of "Negde daleko" ("Somewhere Faraway") is repeated here although the same already appeared on the studio album "Na izvoru svetlosti". Extended jam "Put ka suncu" contains a section reminiscent of BAND OF GYPSIES' "Machine Gun". Jimi Hendrix was always one of true inspirational characters for Zoran Bozinovic, but here it sounds like a lesson titled "how not to play like Hendrix".

Now, when you finally manage to endure this bad trip that sounds like a failed sound-check meeting the noise of a malfunctioned caterpillar, what do you do? Nothing. Just put this record away for safekeeping and archives because it is truly of documentary value. Oh yes, the cover photograph of a crowd in blue light is quite good.

PERSONAL RATING: 1/5

P.A. RATING: 2/5

After not-so-good experience with PGP RTB label from the time of their debut recording sessions and having built reputation as an attractive live rock act involving heavy rock pyrotechnics (amplified sound, guitar solo acrobatics, screaming, instrument breaking...) and lengthy improvisational jams at free open air concerts (the most notable being "Hajducka cesma" near Belgrade) in the vein of GRATEFUL DEAD, POP MASINA signed with another label - RTV Ljubljana, Slovenia - for their sophomore studio album.

"Akademik" studio in Ljubljana was one of the best in Yugoslavia in the mid-seventies. In an interview given for "Dzuboks" magazine in early 1975, Robert Nemecek sounded amazed about the "unlimited capabilities of studio technology with awesome 12-track recording equipment". The album was recorded for 25 studio hours within 4 days. All this may sound naive and funny for anyone acquainted with music production and business in the West but it was a genuine, unique opportunity for a rock band in Yugoslavia under the circumstances. Given all these conditions, "Na izvoru svetlosti" ("At the Source of Light") should have represented a perfect rock album - a blue-print of what other Yugoslav bands should follow and a true POP MASINA musical statement in the manner that "Kiselina" failed to achieve.

Alas, the first thing obviously spoiling the overall picture is the inclusion of live track "Negde daleko" ("Somewhere Faraway") which absolutely does not fit the album. It was recorded in concert almost a year before and consists of heavy-metallic crowd-pleaser with annoying vocal screaming, endless and pointless guitar solo and outdated blues-rock pattern in the way of early LED ZEPPELIN or CREAM. With almost 7 minutes, it took away precious vinyl space leaving only about 25 minutes for original studio material. Intention was probably to showcase the live atmosphere at the band on stage, but in light of later full-length live album "Put ka suncu", this now seems redundant.

Two songs with "progressive", multi-part structure and experimental inclination are interesting, even very good at moments but both suffer from lack of a complete idea and consistent arrangement. "Vreme za nas" ("Time For Us") opens the album with excellent heavy riff and amazing drumming by Bata Popovic (one of the first drummers in Yugoslavia to use a double bass-drum kit), which transforms into experimental and psychedelic parts filled with Roland synth played by the band's long-time associate (and almost the "fourth member") Sloba Markovic. It reminds me of certain Manfred Mann's work he did with the EARTH BAND. Different parts however seem unnaturally connected. Otherwise the song might have been excellent example of "heavy prog".

Similar objection I would raise about the album closer "Zemlja svetlosti/Kraj II" ("The Land of Light"/"The End II") - a very nice idea (good heavy groove, strong vocals, instrumental transition with piano and spacey percussion and chimes, cyclical main theme repeated in the end) was not followed by proper realization.

This leaves me with impression that only two tracks are spotless in their production - one easy acoustic ballad and one hard rocking stomper. "Rekvijem za prijatelja" ("Requiem For a Friend") was penned by Nemecek and his oldtime collaborators Nebojsa Ignjatovic (ex-DOGOVOR IZ 1804), Ljuba Ninkovic (S VREMENA NA VREME) and omnipresent Sloba Markovic, using Bach's baroque chorals as inspiration. Markovic's Hammond invokes PROCOL HARUM's "Whiter Shade of Pale", while acoustic guitars and strings add a softy and sentimental feeling. The song ends with attractive synthesizer solo. During its recording the band learnt of a sudden death of their friend Predrag Jovicic, lead singer of the band called SAN, who died on stage of electrocution (similar what had happened three years earlier to Les Harvey of STONE THE CROWS!), so they decided to dedicate this song to him.

"Secanja" ("Memories") in contrast is a powerful heavy track with impeccable guitar riffs and solo. Driving bass and especially Popovic's drums complete perhaps the strongest instrumental moment on the album. Only Bozinovic's vocals (otherwise a weak spot of the band's sound) are not very convincing.

Finally, this uneven record contains a nice instrumental "Na izvoru" ("At the Source") which reminds us that ALLMAN BROTHERS' "Jessica" was very popular in Yugoslavia too - slide guitar and piano chords are quite similar to the famed Southern Rockers' hit.

I would say again this album deserves something between 3 and 4 stars, but given the better overall conditions for recording, I would expect much stronger final result for giving the whole 4. This LP was reissued on vinyl in 2008 by Atlantide, in a limited edition.

PERSONAL RATING: 3/5

P.A. RATING: 3/5

POP MASINA's debut album "Kiselina" (Eng. "Acid") belongs to the category of long-forgotten, rare gems of Yugoslav rock scene. Recorded and released in late 1973, at the dawn of rock album discography in the former Yugoslavia, the band gained recognition as a pioneering heavy "acid" rock trio influenced by both British blues-based hard rock and early progressive rock. It was the second full-fledged rock album issued by Belgrade-based PGP RTB label (the first was phenomenal KORNI GRUPA's self-titled debut of 1972), which contained none of the then dominant vocal/orchestral pop sound of light jazzy/ Schlager/San Remo mainstream crooner music in Yugoslavia (generally known as "zabavna muzika" ? literally: "entertainment/good time music"). Instead, it was a mind-blowing attack to the record industry too.

As urban legend has it, the whole process of recording went under irregular circumstances. The PGP label assigned incompetent producer and sound engineer who never before worked with a rock 'n' roll group; studio time was limited (10 days only!) because their resources were reserved for more popular and commercial neo-traditional folk ensembles and singers ("narodnjaci"), and the technical capabilities of studio were poor, so the LP was recorded almost as "live" record, without much taking or dubbing or even tracking. Finally, the printing house complained that the original sleeve design was too expensive and offered them instead a cheaper version, the one you can see here presented. Moreover, to the astonishment of the company executives somebody first gave them a hint as to what the album title actually meant (yes, that "acid"!) and second they had to cope with the reality of the entire first circulation being sold out! Decision was made however not to reprint "Kiselina" but to offer instead a possibility to some other rock bands in Belgrade to record their debut LP vinyls. Therefore, "Kiselina" remained one of the rarest LP titles issued in Yugoslavia and remained a collector's item up until Austrian independent label Atlantide RIP reissued it on vinyl in 2005. The original vinyl can be recognized by the red PGP label and may be occasionally available at web shops at not so cheap price. In the meantime, two CD versions also appeared (a Serbian and a Polish one), both containing bonus tracks from singles.

So, behind all of that fame, what's in the grooves? It sounds like a mixed bag of early heavy (metal) rock, post-psychedelic balladry and some ambitious progressive rock attempts. Poor sound quality notwithstanding, the performance is often inconsistent, jumping from wild heavy rocking to acoustic mellow passages to some instrumental ideas that were obviously not fully developed. The best example of this is the title track "Kiselina". Perhaps the one closest to prog at least in form, it contains several different instrumental sections with excellent electric piano and drums, but with poor vocals and subdued guitar work. And just when you expect the track to develop into a more elaborated jazz rock jamming, it fades out... too bad.

Still, there are more than a handful of very good songs. On the heavy side, "Pesma srecne noci" ("Song of the Happy Night") with wonderful solo organ work by guest player Slobodan Markovic and amazing Hendrix-like wah-wah guitar by Bozinovic bursts out of energy and powerful groove, while "Svemirska prica" ("Tale of the Universe") is perhaps one of the earliest (if not the earliest!) pure style heavy metal tracks in ex-Yugoslavia. It is almost a copycat of BLACK SABBATH grinding riffs and only the vocal will remind you that this ain't the Ozzy and Co. On the easier side, "Mir" ("The Peace") and "Povratak zvezdama" ("Return to the Stars") present the acoustic psychedelia in a more soothing manner, with very nice Bozinovic's guitar leads that invoke PINK FLOYD's "Meddle" era. The latter also contains a gentle piano part by Markovic. Finally, the end brings the best moment of this uneven record - very nice Nemecek's acoustic/electric jam with slight folksy feel "Slika iz proslih dana" ("Picture From the Past"), including tasteful flute by Branimir Malkoc. This one segues into a short "Jark" outro consisting of reversed tape sound effects ("Jark" is actually a reversed reading of "Kraj" - meaning: "The End").

So, despite obvious weaknesses I would encourage you to listen to this record. Even if flawed, it still captures the moment of creative potential, raw energy, adolescent naivety and pioneering prog/psychedelic exploration in the rock scene of ex-Yugoslavia. This is what actually appeared on vinyl in 1973. But, if you are still not convinced, you may want to check what was the original idea behind recording of this album. Nemecek's remastered edition "Originalna Kiselina - 35 godina kasnije" testifies what should have been recorded and released but was not meant to be.

PERSONAL RATING: 3,5/5

P.A. RATING: 4/5

Wow! Finally! A box-set including all recordings of the legendary Yugoslavian progressive hard rock band, ironically named Pop Masina. This release marks the first time these recordings are released on a CD. Some recordings are previously unreleased. All in all, a perfect and complete retrospective of this truly unique band in Yugoslavia.

Before the musical contents, let's go through the visual side of Antologija. It's a cardboard box-set, including a 48-page booklet, with lots of information about the band. There are interviews, concert reviews, album reviews, stories about the band, lots of pictures, song lyrics and, of course, the introduction word by Robert Nemecek, the band's leader. The whole release is dedicated to the memory of the late Zoran Bozinovic, the band's guitarist and singer.

CD 1 includes 19 songs. Among the first 8 songs are the first two singles by the band, as well as some unreleased demo versions. These show that Pop Masina was not just a regular pop band in Yugoslavia. On the contrary, their sound was pretty hard, with short lyrics and a large space for improvisations. Check out the opening 'Put ka suncu' and the demo of 'Trazim put' (#7). Tracks 9-17 are from the LP 'Kiselina' as it was released back in 1973. (For the 'real' version of the album, the way it should have been released, see 'Originalna Kiselina: 35 Godina Kasnije'.) The album shows the contrasts in the sound of Pop Masina - the hard rock side in 'Na Drumu za Haos' and 'Pesma srecne noci' and a more mellow sound of 'Mir' and (the unfinished) 'Slike iz Proslih Dana'. The album's title track shows a dose of psychedelia in their music. The final two songs are from the third single. 'Zemlja Svetlosti' is one of the most famous Pop Masina songs.

CD 2 features 15 songs. It kicks off with their second album 'Na Izvoru Svetlosti'. The original LP featured an additional live track, but more about it later. The mellow side of Pop Masina prevails here - you have slower and acoustic songs like 'Na izvoru' and 'Rekvijem za prijatelja'. 'Zemlja svetlosti' was re-recorded here with an added section in the middle of the song. The rest of the disc is comprised of three live recordings from Hala Sportova in Belgrade. The first one (7-12, excluding #11) was used for the A-side of the live album 'Put ka Suncu'. Track 11, the blues by the name of 'Negde Daleko' was previously released on 'Na Izvoru Svetlosti' album. The second live recording features two covers, 'Voodoo Chile' and 'Crossroads'. It is a homage to Pop Masina's biggest influences, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. The sound isn't brilliant, considering it was recorded from the audience. The final track, 'Put ka Suncu', comprised the B-side of the live album of the same name. It is 13 minutes long and was recorded on the band's final concert. All of these live tracks show Pop Masina's ability to perform a true rock show in the 'power trio' form.

What is to say in the end? Along with 'Originalna Kiselina: 35 Godina Kasnije', this is a real epitaph to one of the greatest bands that came from Yugoslavia. A must for prog/hard rock fans from around the world!

One of favorite albums of my teenage years,Kiselina sounds pretty lame today,due to poor production values(despite decent remastering job)and psychedelic meandering,very uncommon for a usual Pop masina style,a high energy hard-rock.That said,best songs on this uneven record are rockers Na drumu za haos i Sjaj u ocima,while more complex and ambient pieces,although interesting,have somewhat unfinished feel and lower overall quality of the album.Despite all this,album is still extremely interesting,mostly as a document about pioneering times and birth of Yu-rock scene in early seventies.It's too bad career of this band went nowhere with subsequent records.While reforming itself in mid 70's as a heavy-metal outfit called Rock masina,band never regained popularity it had few years earlier.As a prog- hard-rock record of historical importance and,mostly,for the nostalgic reasons,album deserves 3 stars.

POP MASINA is a very interesting band, one of those rare progressive (ex-)Yugoslavian names to step into wider experimentation. 35 years after the original release of Kiselina (Acid), this limited edition appeared. After working on the complete remastering of the songs, including some unreleased outtakes, Robert Nemecek (the band's bass player) finally finished the job. What we have here is a remarkable YU prog-album, which was apparently ruined for the original release because of various reasons. Now the tracks are in a correct order as well and both lyrically and musically give an impression of a LSD trip.

Probably the most interesting song on this album is the title track Kiselina. In five minutes there's a lot of mood and rhythm changes, which make the song interesting. This is the song that also reminds of an (other) underground Serbian/Yugoslavian psychedelic rock outfit, Igra staklenih perli. You can also compare it to some Pink Floyd works (e. g. Meddle album). A brilliant composition indeed.

I would also choose Trazim put (Looking for a Trip) and Na drumu za haos (On the Road to Chaos) as my favourites. These songs include a bit of hard rock sound typical for that time, reminding me of Deep Purple.

Song no. 6, Jark / Kraj (Dne Eht / The End), includes the first half played backwards. Only this part of the song was released on the original release. However, for a second half the music starts going forward and continues into the final tracks. The last chapters of this psychedelic story are mostly comprised of acoustic / instrumental passages, sometimes including wordless vocals.

The enjoyment you get with this disc is a nice booklet, including complete lyrics, a storyline behind the album recording and an info on each of the tracks. I know, the album contents are more important, but this little 'gift' also leaves an impression.

All in all, it's definitely an excellent addition to any prog music collection, but sure is a masterpiece of progressive music too. All the mistakes from the original Kiselina have been repared / replaced / finished etc., so now you have a real thrill of a listen. If you have a chance to get a copy of this, take it - you won't be disappointed!

Doing something impressive and distinct during the peak of the classic progressive rock era couldn't have been an easy task. But sometimes there's just no excuse for mediocre music. Pop Masina, ironically meaning "Pop Machine", demonstrates this on their second record from 1975. Aside from the apparent lack of any progressive movement whatsoever, this trio of guitar, bass and drums even disappoints on the hard rock front which is where most of their aspirations lay. An adolescent amalgam of post Hendrix blues, Mountain-like chugging and spacey Floydism, Pop Masina stumbles at almost every turn and while their intentions are good - this album featuring some fine organ, synth and arranging as on 'Rekvijema Za Prija Telja' - the result is undistinguished at best and banal at worst. Anemic, forgettable and barely progressive.

I got this album as a promo while working for Dutch progrock magazine iO Pages. The label presented thisseven piece band as 'Early Seventies Yugoslavian Progressive Hardrock'. Well, in my opinion the amount of hardrock is reduced to some heavy riffs in the vein of Black Sabbath but in general Pop Masina plays pleasant rock with progressive tendencies like the alternating We'll Change The World (varied instrumentation, from organ and piano to acoust cguitar, flute and tablas). The strong point on this CD is the powerful guitarplay, obviously rooted in the tradition of all great guitar heroes in the Sixties and Seventies. A fine Yugoslavian record on a label from Poland.

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