TIME

Listening to this album today it may sound dated and old-fashioned, but one should keep in mind the fact that this was the very first LP record of progressive rock in ex-Yugoslavia, released only shortly before the equally important KORNI GRUPA's eponimous debut. Year 1972 marks the real beginning of rock album discography in this country. Thereafter, every next year would see more and more LP records released. "Time" is not a perfect album, production is very basic with some instruments not enough present, but given the overall importance it must be highly rated. The key songs were on the B side of the vynil: "Kralj alkohol", wonderful piano-driven jazz ballad about the sorrowful life of the alcoholics, and epic 10-minute "Za koji zivot treba da se rodim" with philosophical lyrics about a man's role in the life and excellent Hammond and piano exchange. On the A side there are: a strong blues-rock opener "Istina masina", a beautiful acoustic ballad with nice flute melody "Pjesma No. 3" and a jolly instrumental with scat singing "Hegedupa upa", possibly influenced by FOCUS' "Hocus Pocus". The CD re-release 1993 by Croatia Records includes bonus: a popular folk-inspired single "Makedonija" and a power ballad "Da li znas da te volim" from "Time II" album. Highly recommended listening for anyone.

"Time" from the band TIME is one of the best progressive rock albums from former Yugoslavia. Why? Well, let us do vivisection of the each song:

1. Istina masina (Truth Machine) Brilliant hard-rocker, but not your average DEEP PURPLE tune. Strange, unusual, interesting bass line. Slightest touch of Moog. Lyrics about sex and sexuality, so untypical for prog.

2. Pjesma no3 (Song No.3) Beautiful ballad full of jazzy chords and awesome flute solos, creating a rainy and melancholic feel. Unbeatable love lyrics. Dado Topic's vocal excels here.

3. Hegedupa upa (Hegedupa Upa) Instrumental (except for a few "da da da dam" vocals, reminds me a bit of TULL and FOCUS from the same period. Funny, but smart. It starts with unison melody on acoustic guitar and vocals and develops into the cacophony of Hammond, flute, bass and multiple vocals. Very gradually and very tasteful.

4. Kralj alkohol (King Alcohol) Nice lament with social lyrics, featuring heavy Rhodes and tasteful Hammond solo. Imagine TOM WAITS or VAN MORRISON in progressive waters. However, this song is prog only for a few fusion chords and atmosphere.

5. Za koji zivot treba da se rodim (For Which Life I Should Be Born) This is a multipart epic, with lyrics about existence, meaning of life and one's place in the space and the time...catchy bass lines, flute solos and twirling Hammond. A must.

Two tracks from this album are not listed on PA for some reason (I think they are bonus tracks on CD reissue), and they are:

6. Da li znas da te volim (Do You Know That I Love You) ...which was a huge hit, and of course it's less progressive than other tracks. Nice love ballad utilising only three chords, but with nice development on electric piano and mellotron. Mellotron is not easily recognizable because it's hidden behind the layers of string orchestrations.

7.Makedonija (Macedonia) A good, short track in pure rock style, with acoustic guitar and short but catchy solos on electric guitar. Nice 7/8 groove. Lyrics are not in Macedonian (as someone might expect from former-Yugoslav band), they're in Croatian as the rest of the album. Catchy, catchy, catchy.

Overall, this is an excellent album showing diversity of styles on each track but somehow it remains homogeneous in sound.

But how does this album sounds in general?

This band is lacking more Moogs and that sophisticated/almost polished sound of "prog giant's" albums such are"Snow Goose" or "Benefit", or maybe that's just my impression... Well, you know all those bands with hard rock edge like PURPLE, HEEP, WISHBONE ASH etc? They're all bordering prog, however most proggers love them. TIME is something in-between them and "prog giants", filling that gap. The only thing that prevents me from rating this beauty 5/5 is lack of one more or two multipart epics instead of mainstream tunes. However, this is a sheer joy. Give it a try.

Great early prog from Yugoslavia.

TIME is a great album, surprisingly great. The music is in the vein of heavy prog acts from the 60's and 70's they remind me a lot of URIAH HEAP , there is a lot of great beefy organ action going on which is always great. Istina Masina is a strong start with some great hooks, Za Koji Zivot is my favourite of the album though a 10 minute long that breaks down into a funky jam with some great solos from guitar, flute and organ.

A little known album well worth investigating if you're into 70's heavy prog.

I have to thank Todd for the heads up on this one.TIME was a Progressive Rock band from what was then Yugolslavia, and this is their debut released in 1972. The singer here had been with KORNI GRUPA but he left them in 1971 and helped form this band. From the descriptions i've read about this band I wasn't so sure if I would like it. The mention of Proto-Prog and some of the heavier early bands like URIAH HEEP and DEEP PURPLE gave me low expectations. After many listens I can't hear how the two bands I mentioned sound anything like TIME, but I will admit there is this Proto-Prog flavour here, but this is far better than most Proto-Prog bands i've listened to,and proggier.The vocals are the key, they're so warm and well done, I can't say enough about them. Keyboards and guitar are outstanding while the bass and drums are also excellent and prominant.

"Istina Masina" has this catchy rhythm with vocals.The organ that comes in is a little nasty. Guitar to the fore late. "Pjesma No3" opens with light drums and flute. Very pastoral. Reserved vocals before a minute.The organ floats in. A fuller sound before 2 minutes with passionate vocals but it settles back quickly. Laid back guitar too.Themes are repeated. "Hegedupa Upa" opens with strummed guitar as vocal melodies join in. Organ and drums before a minute. Flute follows. Guitar before 3 1/2 minutes makes some noise.This is great !

"Kralj Alkohol" starts and stops twice but the third time is the charm. Piano, light drums and reserved vocals lead the way.The organ before 3 minutes takes the lead. Nice. Back to the earlier sound then the organ returns 5 1/2 minutes in. "Za Koji Zivot Treba Da Se Rodim" is my favourite and the longest at around 10 minutes.Gentle guitar as reserved vocals join in. It kicks in before a minute. Nice. Electric guitar follows. An excellent instrumental section with piano. Flute then replaces the piano 4 1/2 minutes in as he lets it rip. A nice and heavy sound here. It's the guitars turn after 5 1/2 minutes. A calm before 7 minutes. Organ floats in as it builds. Vocals are back before 8 1/2 minutes. Big finish.

Very enjoyable and a solid 4 stars.

The first progressive rock LP in Yugoslavia probably.

Now I'm guessing that before TIME only the beat/rock band GRUPA 220 released one LP in 1968, and their leader DRAGO MLINAREC just started it's solo career a year before with his debut, but I don't think it was until the second album he really got into his familiar prog folk sound; other greats like INDEXI and KORNI GRUPA were still releasing mostly singles at the time. So the statement of first prog rock would be true I think.

The sound and similar bands that I would use to describe TIME are a bit horrible to me though; mostly hard rock or proto-prog artists in the early years, and to mention DEEP PURPLE or similar artists it just doesn't excite me at all cause they are too classic.

So why does this early prog work? First, I think the length of it is perfect. Half hour seems small but it contains everything it has to; every song is different and recognizable and I don't get lost in tens of hard rock numbers. There is the hard rock opener, followed by a love ballad, instrumental number, a slower more atmosphere and keyboard oriented piece and of course, a 10 minute epic about life itself. It's not that groundbreaking internationally as albums go, but it's nice how it doesn't go overboard, it's all contained nicely and leaves you wanting more.

Vocals of DADO TOPIC are excellent and enjoyable (and it doesn't surprise that later on he would dedicate himself more to pop rock because of them). The more atmosphere oriented songs like the love ballad are effective and emotional, "Mr Alkohol" being more of a serious tone but more fun as well. Also loads of rhythms and basslines are very catchy which is also something that makes the album stand out. Sound is satisfiyng, even if little touches like yelling one, two, three or intentional mistake while starting the song give it a bit of garage rock feel, maybe production could be better but overall it makes it charming for me.

Truth be told, only the epic "Za Koji Zivot Da Se Rodim" ("For Which Life Should I Be Born") fits fully into prog territory and some might find this record more of a transitional stage between rock/blues and prog, as lot of those proto prog bands do. As an album that would represent music history of the region though, it's absolutely essential, and I would put it side by side with the best music ever come out of the ex country.

Bluesy hard-rocking prog from what was then Yugoslavia. This was apparently one of the first (and perhaps THE first) prog releases from a Yugoslav band, but Time clearly had been keeping tabs on what was going in the wider world of prog - Tihomir Pop Asanović's Hammond organ playing helps put the band in the same leagues as Uriah Heep or Deep Purple when it comes to prog with a significant Hammond component, whilst pianist Branislav ?ivković occasionally resorts to flute to slip in a bit of early Tull here and there. Dado A. Topić's powerful vocals inject some soul into proceedings, and some of the instrumental jamming starts threatening to get outright jazzy. A wild confection of musical styles that somehow work well together.