ZABRANJENO PLAKATIRATI

After the initial 13000 copies of Pljuni istini u oci were sold in about a month, the PGP RTB label refused to print more because the ones responsible considered the album's sleeve and music to be a threat to the Yugoslav public. Not receiving much airplay either, Buldozer were forced to make their public breakthroughs through very distinctive live performances which quickly gained them the reputation of the craziest band in Yugoslavia (although they'd announce themselves as a typical ensemble of pop-folk music from Slovenia (Eine tipische Export artikel aus Slowenien)).

Zabranjeno plakatirati was recorded in Novi Sad during the autumn of 1976, but the recordings got shelved for a year due to disputes with the label regarding the 'drug abuse-inducing' and 'pornographic' lyrics of the songs on the album. It eventually got released in late 1977 by Helidon.

Musically, Zabranjeno plakatirati is much stronger than its predecessor as it displays the very high capabilities of the band as both musicians and arrangers. The lyrics are typically humorous and satirical, embodied by Brecelj's vocal cord-ripping voice. The 5 songs are all Buldozer classics, from the heavy opener Ne brini, mama (and the infamously changed nirvana/kafana lyric) to the chopping rhythm of Doktore pomozite (there are records of live performances where Brecelj would sing this song while butchering a piece of pork with an axe while dressed up in a doctor's suit). This album also features what are in my opinion the best two songs Buldozer ever recorded, the mentioned being Dobro jutro, madam Jovanovic (a 9-minute number with some terrific drum work and psychedelic passages) and Jeste li vidjeli djevojcice, which combines psychedelic moods with raw punk-ish energy. Helga is a waltz with hilarious lyrics, portraying/parodying a galeb (a local whose 'job' is to keep the female foreign tourists 'company' during their stay on the Dalmatian coast) and one of the few early Buldozer songs in hit format.

Overall, this album would have been a true masterpiece if PGP RTB engineers actually put some effort into the recording and production (according to Borut Cinc, the tapes Helidon got from PGP weren't even the original masters but rather inferior outtakes!). The music alone has it all, but the recording quality is poor. 4,5 stars actually.