RATIMIR BORSIć & BIJELO DUGME: A MILICIJA TRENIRA STROGOćU (OST)

Almost simultaneously with the album "Uspavanka za Radmilu M." Goran Bregovic backed by BIJELO DUGME composed and released this album which is usually not considered a proper DUGME LP, and hence was never included in any of the subsequent CD remasters releases. The reason is obvious - this is so-called "music for children", although its title in English roughly "And the Police Maintains Strictness" might suggest otherwise.

A collection of these songs was devised as a soundtrack for a popular children TV show "Nedjeljni zabavnik", and instead of singer Zeljko Bebek, who was in the process of quitting the band, features a boy named Raca as a main vocalist. This character of "applied music" notwithstanding, the title song still broke the charts and was a popular radio hit, and not only among the youngest audience. The reason was perhaps the quality of music.

In a way, musically this LP is best listened in pair with "Dozivjeti stotu". It is produced in a similar, new wave style with lots of ska references and power pop catchiness. Several songs also hint at the trendy synth-pop with loads of electronic keyboards, drum machines and occasional saxophone. There are brief references to country, Caribbean, rock and roll and polka sounds. The 13-year-old boy did his job decently. In a way, this LP can be considered even an educational effort to acquaint youngest listeners with joys of pop and rock sounds.

Several songs are quite good - "Pjesma o zivotinjama" (Song About Animals), "Pjesma o vozovima" (Train Song) or "Pjesma o basti, parku i cvijecu" (Song About the Garden, Park and Flowers) or "Divlji Zapad" (Wild West) - and with an adult singer they might have been rather successful in reaching wider audience. There is even a short nod to Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik".

Totally unpretentious, this album is cheerful in its naivety and simplicity. I would go as far as to say that this was the last decent and sincere album that Bregović recorded with or without Dugme, prior to his increasing ambitions to politicize and folkloricize the once great and important rock band. The lyrics were provided by famous Sarajevo's poet Dusko Trifunovic, who was known as a lyricist of many artists from the so-called "Sarajevo pop school". Of course, in the context of PA this album is of minor interest, but outside of it...

PERSONAL RATING: 3/5

PA RATING: 2/5