ROSES FOR A GENERAL

This is one of those albums showing all the perils and misconceptions of technological development in the early 1980s popular music. Vast amount of programmed electronic keyboards and drum machines, following the mechanical patterns and all-too-predictable melodic arrangements, was the best evidence of music being sacrificed for the sake of sounding sweet, pleasant and non-aggressive - the music once you play it you never pay any attention to it.

The spirit of the art of music is lost while the whole package sounds like a plastic toy designed to enchant the juvenile synthesizer-freaks. Take the worst of Jean Michel Jarre's electronic pop tunes and add pretty awful drum machines and cheap melodies and you'll get "Roses for a General". But to be honest, this album is still better than the preceding hit-and-miss called "Vojnicki dani". At least, the Hispanic-themed "Figueras" and the bluesy, Hammond-spiced "Old Places" can be listened now and then. But, that is hardly enough...

PERSONAL RATING: 1,5/5