INDEKSI

THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST INDEXI ALBUM (1972-2022)

A frequent criticism directed against Sarajevo's band Indexi is that during their career that spanned several decades they lacked ambition - some would bluntly say they were lazy - when it comes to publicising their musical work on records. And in so doing it is almost regularly mentioned that during their long career they managed to release only two studio albums - "Modra rijeka" (Blue River, 1978) and "Kameni cvjetovi" (Stone Flowers, 1999). Unlike numerous singles and compilations, which more often than not served to satisfy record labels' demands for profit by releasing their most popular hits, in the two mentioned cases we can talk about the genuine authorship of the band members. Yet, there is another, a little-known discographic release by Indexi, published fifty years ago in an audio-cassette format that should be considered their first album, the reasons for which are presented herewith.

Indexi is the band also known for frequent line-up changes during their rich and successful career. Not counting external contributors, lyricists, composers and arrangers, as well as musicians who played with them temporarily for one-off shows and gigs, twenty-three members in total were in the band at one time or another. Out of these numerous line-ups, in which they mostly changed drummers and keyboardists, many would single out the one that was active from June 1969 until April 1971 as the best. In that period, besides the already established trio (Davorin Popovic - vocals, Slobodan A. Kovacevic - guitar and Fadil Redzic - bass guitar), along with the band's founder Ismet Arnautalic (he remained in the flock until December 1969), the band membership included Miroslav Saranovic and Ranko Rihtman on drums and keyboards, respectively. In an episode of the documentary TV series "Rockovnik", Kovacevic remarks that in this period they experienced a creative peak and that they "made songs in spades". They realised that anything was possible in their interpretation of rock and roll music in terms of songs' duration and form. They lavishly experimented with harmonies, sounds and studio recording effects. They actively followed foreign press and got to know how it was done elsewhere in the world. Kovacevic thinks that they quite managed to follow trends in the contemporary Anglo-American rock scene and that by relying on these models they succeeded to give their own swing to the songs. In the same documentary Rihtman emphasises that during those two or three years, being encouraged by the sudden popularity of "Plima" (High Tide, it was recorded in early 1969), they intensively searched for alternative forms of music, in line with the then-current developments in the British and American underground scene. The challenge was, according to Rihtman, to "break apart old cliches of polished music". On the same foundations, the international scene saw in this period the appearance of progressive rock as a genre, a definition marker applied to the bands who used their rock expression to channel influences and elements taken from classical music, jazz and other styles and genres outside of the established pop production. Indexi were the first band in Yugoslavia to open space for such artistic endeavours. However, compositions recorded in this manner, due to their long duration exceeding the standard 3-4 minutes, could not fit onto 7" records, whether it was a 2-track single or a 4-track EP. For this purpose, the worldwide rock discography saw since the mid-1960s a gradual introduction of the album, that is a 12" long-playing record (LP), which offers more space for experimentation, including a possibility to record lengthier compositions, running up to twenty minutes per side of the vinyl. So, in this regard, what was the situation in the Yugoslav record industry in the late 1960s and early 1970? For popular music, a 7" record (single or EP) was still a preferred format. LP records were released only sporadically, while more commercial artists of pop and folk music were privileged. Further to this, sound recording technology was underdeveloped. Recordings were still done mostly on 4 tracks (at the time when 16-track mixers were already introduced in Western pop production) while cutting the pieces of vinyl in stereo was yet to become a standard. All of this was a challenge for ambitious bands, like Indexi, who strived to experiment with production techniques and to compose and record lengthier and more complex songs. Besides that, record labels were sceptical about the commercial potential of rock music (this music was still in Yugoslavia called pop or beat) released on LP format, because the market demands for such products were still not very high. Nevertheless, the leading Yugoslav record label Jugoton took a chance in this period and provided an opportunity for several "vocal-instrumental ensembles" - borne out of the beat scene of the 1960s - to record an album. So, the period from December 1968 to December 1971 saw the release of several LP records on Jugoton label, namely: Grupa 220 ("Nasi dani"), Pro Arte ("Pruzi mi ruku, ljubavi), Dubrovacki Trubaduri ("Mi prepuni smo ljubavi" and "Pusti da ti leut svira") and Drago Mlinarec ("A ti se ne daj"). These records, due to their pronounced beat sound (a line-up consisting of a drum kit and electric guitars), could be considered forerunners of the future Yugoslav rock album discography. Audiophiles would probably appreciate the fact that all these titles were cut and released in stereo, in the period when Jugoton's most serious competitor in the Yugoslav market, PGP RTB from Belgrade, still had no such technology at their disposal.

Working under these circumstances, it was Indexi's turn to start thinking about making their first album. Considering their authorship potential, they were surely prepared for such a move, because Kovacevic and Redzic, as principal songwriters, could now rely on Rihtman as an excellent arranger. These expectations were not unrealistic, since Indexi signed a contract with Zagreb-based Jugoton in early 1969 (up to that time their 7" records had been released by Belgrade-based PGP RTB) which began more frequently issuing LPs, as mentioned. Certainly significant was the case of Djordje Novkovic, ex-member of Indexi, who managed with his band Pro Arte to record an album for Jugoton as early as autumn of 1970 (else, this was the first ever band from Sarajevo to achieve this!). Albeit, the fact that they shortly before the recording sessions had moved from Sarajevo to Zagreb surely contributed to the result. Would Indexi get the opportunity to record an album for Jugoton much earlier had they by any chance followed Novkovic's path? Perhaps, but Indexi were tightly associated with their home base company, the Musical Production of RTV Sarajevo, so they could not make such a choice so easily. Nonetheless, there was a "Zagreb connection" established by their successful performances at the Zagreb Festival in 1970 and 1971, as well as by collaboration with the songwriting couple Hrvoje Hegedusic-Maja Perfiljeva. This connection even bore a discographic fruit, given that in late 1970 they recorded compositions "Da sam ja netko", "Svijet u kome zivim" and "Hej ti" at Zagreb studios, out of which the former two were released by Jugoton as a single in March 1971. TV Zagreb even made a video clip for "Svijet u kome zivim" to be shown in the popular youth TV series "Zdravo mladi". And despite that Jugoton for these studio sessions commissioned as a producer Miljenko Jelaca, who had little experience in doing that since he had a regular job as music editor and host at Radio Zagreb, there are indications that the biggest Yugoslav record company seriously reckoned with the possibility to release an album by Indexi. The band spent the summer of 1971 in Split, to work on new material for the album, along with playing regular gigs at hotels and clubs, which tells that they were in some way green-lighted by Jugoton. They were encouraged to make the album also by television director Anton Marti, who allegedly made a promise to produce a special video as soon as the album is released. This opportunity was, unfortunately, missed due to reasons we can only speculate about. But, it is certain that in this period, after Rihtman left the band in May 1971, Indexi were a less cohesive unit than before - in just a few months the band was reduced to a revolving-door group for keyboard players (Vlado Pravdic and Enco Lesic) and drummers (Miroslav Saranovic, Petar Petej and Perica Stojanovic) - which certainly made the LP recording project more difficult.

And then, sometime around the end of 1971, press articles appeared claiming that Indexi decided to turn full-time professional. They were going to stop with the amateur approach to music and cease appearing at pop festivals, where they had been dependent on songwriters connected with the entertainment business. Singer Davorin Popovic stressed they were going to focus on daily work within the band, make more recordings and organise more stand-alone concerts. In short, they would become a truly independent rock band, free from the grips of the entertainment music industry. On that occasion, Popovic announced the release of the debut LP in February 1972, which would contain only new compositions. It is not known which songs he had in mind, but as time has shown, the expected album never saw the light of day. Or it did, only sometime later and in a different format? Namely, the same year saw the release of the eponymously titled cassette "Indeksi" by the Cassette Production of RTV Ljubljana, containing seven tracks. This discographic release has been rarely mentioned in rock literature and press, and since the cassette j-card contains no other information apart from the tracklist, it remains an obscurity in their catalogue. To solve this bit of a mystery, this article attempts to shed some light on the historical background of this release.

By comparing the unique catalogue number of this cassette (040) with other cassette issues of RTV Ljubljana, which can be checked on the Discogs website, one can find with certainty that it was released in 1972. The j-card's front cover shows portraits of the band members including the keyboardist Enco Lesic although, in reality, he had not played during the recording sessions of any of these songs. He joined Indexi for the first time in September 1971 as a temporary replacement for Pravdic, who had substituted Rihtman sometime earlier in May. And if it's true that Lesic left Indexi in March 1972, as claimed by Sarajevo press, it seems that the cassette release had already been prepared, or at least that the j-card was printed, before these dates. Indexi also had two important gigs in Ljubljana in this period. They first appeared on the 21st of April before two thousand spectators on the first evening of the two-day Pop Festival Ljubljana 72 "Boom" at the Tivoli venue, while the recording of their performance of "Hej ti" was soon released in June, on the live double-LP by Helidon and Slovenijakoncert. They also appeared at the "Slovenska popevka 72" pop festival, which was held between the 1st and 3rd of June, when they performed "Uvijek sam" ("Nič več sam"), a song penned by Tomaz Domicelj, a singer-songwriter from Ljubljana. There is a story about the key meeting happening behind the scenes of the "Boom" festival when Domicelj, who was also a festival announcer/host, allegedly asked Indexi when they would finally release the famous song "Negdje na kraju, u zatisju" on a record. They supposedly replied that they could not find a record label, for they had been continuously ignored by both Jugoton and PGP RTB, which instead privileged the artists from Zagreb and Belgrade, respectively. When he heard this complaint, Domicelj reportedly advised them to go and see Ivo Umek, a recently appointed A&R editor for pop and rock music working for RTV Ljubljana. So they did it and offered Umek a bunch of tracks, previously recorded at RTV Sarajevo studios, which they probably deemed to be the most representative of the band at a given moment. He had known Indexi from the past since they ran into each other at festivals over the years while he was still playing keyboards with Bele Vrane, a beat group from Ljubljana. Yet it was possibly Umek who came up with the idea to issue this cassette, seeking in this way to enrich the cassette catalogue of his newly started record label (the Cassette Production of RTV Ljubljana was founded in December 1970) with top-quality Yugoslav-wide artists, outside Slovenia. This version of the story seems to be supported by Umek himself when interviewed for the Slovene music portal SIGIC he explained that his task was to monitor festivals across Yugoslavia and to make contact with good musicians from other republics to coax them into recording and releasing for RTV Ljubljana label. In this interview, Umek explicitly name-checks Indexi and says there was good cooperation between record labels, which frequently exchanged their master tapes and artists. From all the above one may conclude that the cassette "Indeksi" - the debut album of the eponymous band - was most probably released sometime between April and June 1972. It was even reissued several times during the 1970s, which can be seen at Discogs.

Speaking of the audio content of this cassette, it includes compositions recorded between March 1969 and January 1971 at the studios of the Music Production of RTV Sarajevo, except one ("Hej ti") which was recorded in Zagreb. Esad Arnautalic and Antun Markovic are credited as recording engineers on the master tape cover sheets from studios in Sarajevo, along with recording assistants Milan Stupar on two tracks ("Dan kao ovaj" and "Da li postoji ljubav"), Djordje Novkovic and Srecko Djurdjevic on one track each ("Najljepse stvari" and "Ja odlazim sutra", respectively). The engineer at the Zagreb recording session was Srecko Orlic. Apart from the song "Najljepse stvari", which was recorded when Novkovic was still the band member, all the remaining compositions were performed by the then standard five-member line-up of Indexi: Popovic, Kovacevic, Redzic, Saranovic and Rihtman. Additionally, three songs from 1969 - besides the one just mentioned those are "Negdje na kraju, u zatisju" and "Galijom sna" - were recorded during the period when Ismet Arnautalic, rhythm guitarist and the band founder, was still in the group. Regarding the songwriting credits, three tracks were composed by Kovacevic, two by Redzic, and the other two were composed by external collaborators. Of all lyricists, the most prominent is Nikola Borota with three songs, while Fadil Redzic, Zelimir Altarac, Borisa Falatar and Maja Perfiljeva penned one song each. Thematically, most songs sing about typical young people's frustrations and emotional experiences of the world: about sadness due to unrequited love, loneliness and longing for a loved one, about waiting, wandering, hoping, going on an unknown path... Additionally, Altarac's and Redzic's lyrics introduce somewhat deeper poetic thoughts on birth and death, on disappearance and emergence, on the eternity of poetry or music, and on the hazy dreams and despair of the individual facing their fate. In synergy with the musical accompaniment, these topics bring a distinctly melancholic atmosphere, which is a good approximation of the contemporary trend of searching for the "altered state of mind" that emerged within the countercultural Hippie movement.

Chronologically speaking, the earliest track in this collection is Kovacevic's composition on Borota's lyrics "Najljepse stvari" (The Prettiest Things), which was recorded in the studio on 10th March 1969. It was subsequently performed by Indexi at the Sarajevo pop festival "Vas slager sezone 69", in the arrangement by Kornelije Kovac, which was one of his last authorship contributions to the band following his departure from the line-up several months earlier. The song abounds in excellent psychedelic effects: a discreet piano accompaniment provides a space for the interplay between the lead guitar, rich in Hendrixian wah-wah pedal treatment, and the rhythm guitar with a fuzz distortion producing a deep and abrasive sound. It is hard not to wonder how the festival audience reacted to these innovative and "heavy" psychedelic sounds.

"Negdje na kraju, u zatisju" (Somewhere at the End, in Silence) is also Kovacevic's composition based on the poem written by Zelimir Altarac, while the entire band is credited for the arrangement. It was recorded on the 11th of October 1969 and is generally considered the first pop song in Yugoslavia exceeding ten minutes in length. By comparison, just a day before - on the 10th of October - the album "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson was released in England, which is regarded as the most influential for the development of the progressive rock genre. This further confirms that Indexi were a pioneering group in Yugoslavia, that anticipated the development of stylistic directions in rock music over the next few years. Even their biggest competitors in this field, Korni Grupa (a.k.a. Kornelyans) from Belgrade, began recording longer and more complex compositions in this style only in the following 1970 year. The track consists of several "movements" in which the vocal parts of the chorus interchange with instrumental interludes sounding symphonic, while the melodiousness of guitar solos is supplemented with avant-garde experiments utilising studio effects. Spoken word intro by the actor Branko Licen is mixed with sound effects of storm and rain, bringing a sacral atmosphere produced by Rihtman's organ, while Popovic's chorus is accompanied by strings. Rocking parts with powerful drums, bass and electric guitar imperceptibly blend into quieter passages dominated by acoustic instruments. In one such movement, the outstanding beauty of the melody is stressed by the flute solo played by Becir Drnda, a member of the Sarajevo Symphony Orchestra. In another section, which experiments with piano noise and psychedelic effects, not unlike the early Pink Floyd, one can hear the sound of the Indian instrument tanpura - it was played by an anonymous guest, a foreigner who happened to be at the Sarajevo Music Academy - accompanied by the echoes of Saranovic's percussion and tympani. What follows are the unrestrained and complex leads of Redzic's bass guitar merging with a nice melody provided by Kovacevic's lead guitar, and his technique is somewhat reminiscent of Steve Hackett's tapping fretwork with Genesis a few years later. For a good reason, this composition is often considered Indexi's magnum opus, as the anthem of early progressive rock in Yugoslavia.

The same recording session also spawned Redzic's song "Galijom sna" (On Board the Galley of Dreams). It combines psychedelic and progressive rock influences with beat style, utilising a brass section. Although the chorus is performed in a catchy pop manner, Kovacevic's guitar and Redzic's bass again use fuzz treatments with complex unison picks, while Rihtman's organ suggests the influence of Procol Harum. It is also worth mentioning that TV Sarajevo filmed videos for both of these songs - "Galijom sna" and "Negdje na kraju, u zatisju" - on the stage of the Sarajevo National Theatre, which also was a pioneering achievement at the time.

The track "Ja odlazim sutra" (I'm Leaving Tomorrow), recorded on 12th September 1970, is another result of the Kovacevic-Borota songwriting partnership, but this time Rihtman was an arranger. It is hard rock with traces of blues, reflecting the style of Deep Purple. The song is characterised by the interplay between Hammond organ, lead guitar and melodic bass lines, while the instrumental mid-section carries the attempts at jazz-rock improvisation, which again aligns the soundscape with the contemporary trends from the British and American scenes.

Another Redzic's composition, "Dan kao ovaj" (A Day Like This), the lyrics for which were penned by Borisa Falatar, follows a similar style. It was recorded on 29th October 1970. Hard rock with blues and jazz ingredients is this time supplemented with lengthier psychedelic guitar riffs and sombre tones of Rihtman's Hammond. We can again hear the influences of jazz-rock, which began to assert itself in those years on the global scene. The bridge is followed by a speedy guitar solo having a psychedelic blues feeling - comparison to Alvin Lee's technique comes to mind - followed by exceptional Saranovic's percussion fills, an organ solo, and powerful lead bass picks by Redzic. Excellent Popovic's vocals complement this extraordinary number.

"Hej ti" (Hey You), a song composed by Ljupco Konstantinov on lyrics by Maja Perfiljeva, was initially performed by Indexi in the Macedonian language at the pop festival "Skopje 70" held in autumn of that year, while a year and a half later it was included in the setlist of "Boom" festival in Ljubljana. This track was recorded back in December 1970 in Zagreb, with the assistance of Srecko Orlic, an engineer of RTV Zagreb. The song begins with a furious performance of the rhythm section followed by playful passages of Rihtman's Hammond organ. Despite the verse section having a catchy rhythm and melody (one can hear a similar rhythmic pattern for instance in the Doors' "The Piano Bird" from 1972) while brilliant Popovic's singing is tinged with a bluesy feel, the composition reflects the influences of the "heavier" stream of progressive rock. Typically dark and abrasive sounds of Hammond remind of the then popular Uriah Heep, or the less known but influential bands Colosseum or Vanilla Fudge. With complex rhythm changes led by the mighty Redzic's bass guitar in the bridge, Kovacevic's fuzzed guitar licks resemble the style of Carlos Santana, particularly in higher registers.

Finally, the song "Da li postoji ljubav" (Is There Love), composed by Milan Djajic on Borota's lyrics and arranged by Pero Bradic, was recorded on 5th January 1971 to be performed a few months later at the Sarajevo pop festival "Vas slager sezone 71". For this reason, it was arranged in a pop manner with rich orchestral backing. Despite the impressive organ intro conjuring memories of the similar-sounding keyboard chords from Joe Cocker's interpretation of "With a Little Help From My Friends" during the Woodstock Festival of 1969, this number is the only one standing out stylistically from all other compositions on this cassette. The romantic theme is underlined by tastefully arranged strings, while Kovacevic's guitar takes a moment to "spice up" the song with a brief but effective solo. A powerful Redzic's backing vocal also shines here. Although made with an appealing pop/beat arrangement, which was frequently used during that period at pop festivals, the song has not come to life and remained almost completely unknown.

The seven songs collected on this cassette - unfortunately, released in mono, which diminishes the listening experience - authentically represent the peak of progressive rock opus by Indexi during the late sixties and early seventies. All these tracks were originally released right here on this cassette edition, while out of seven, three songs - "Najljepse stvari", "Galijom sna" and "Da li postoji ljubav" - never again appeared on any release. Although the cassette "Indeksi" is not a studio album in a true sense, like subsequently released "Modra rijeka" and "Kameni cvjetovi", it nonetheless authentically shows the band's productive work in their arguably the strongest line-up, while the audio material sounds as a coherent whole, even though these tracks stem from several recording sessions made in the two-year period. For all the above reasons, this cassette can rightly be considered the band's debut album, whose quality should be critically evaluated with new reissues or remasters on a CD or LP format. The wider listening audience and new generations would accordingly be better acquainted with these, perhaps less popular but artistically more significant, aspects of the creative career of this well-respected band.

Sead S. Fetahagic, July 2022

(Last updated on 15 May 2023)

Once in a while i'll come across a band that is highly esteemed by the majority that leaves me bewildered as to why. INDEXI is one of those bands.Their highly regarded "Modra Rijeka" did little for me but at least it was proggy.This is a compilation from their early years and is a mixed bag, and the sound quality while not bad still leaves a lot to be desired.

"Dan Kao Ovaj" is catchy with vocals and organ standing out. Some good guitar too. "Hej Ti" is better but more of the same really. I like the prominant bass though. We get a calm after 2 1/2 minutes then it kicks back in with organ and guitar leading. Nice. Another calm after 3 1/2 minutes then the main melody with vocals return. "Da Li Postoji Ljubav" doesn't sound the best. It must have been recorded at a different time. Organ to start as vocals and bass come in.The sound quality is a distraction on this one. "Najlepse Stvari" opens with drums and guitar as vocals arrive. Again poor sound quality here. "Ja Odlazam Sutra" is a little bluesy with organ, bass and guitar standing out with vocals of course. I like this better than the last two tracks at least. I really like when it calms down before 3 minutes as organ, bass then guitar come in. It picks back up.

"Negdje Na Kraju U Zatisju" opens with the sound of rain and floating organ as spoken words come in. This over 11 1/2 minute track is the best one in my opinion. Vocals and organ take over and build. A change before 4 minutes as drums and organ create some atmosphere then the guitar joins in. Great sound here. Another change before 5 1/2 minutes as flute starts to lead with tambourine and bass. A guitar solo before 7 minutes is tasteful as the organ floats in the background and drums pound. Drums and organ lead 8 1/2 minutes in. A calm with vocals a minute later.The song ends with rain and spoken words just like it began. "Galijom Sna" is a straight forward commercial sounding tune. I like the calmer sections with floating organ.

Certainly this would be of value to fans, but with the sound issues and some of the more commercial sounding tracks it's barely 3 stars in my opinion.

Considered one of the most popular Yugoslav bands of all time, INDEKSI formed in Sarajevo (now the capital city of Bosnia & Herzegovina) in 1962 and would go through many lineups as a cover band for many years before finally realizing a debut album ten years later in 1972. Only guitarist Slobodan A. Kovacevic would stick around through all the changes up to the point when an album emerged. INDEKSI began as a bunch of college students playing for fun and spent the late 60s releasing EPs, singles and touring including a two-month stint through the USSR in 1967. The same year the band performed at the first Sarajevo festival called your Schlager of the Season and continued to establish itself as one of the very first Yugoslav bands that would continue to grow in popularity.

The 60s found the release of several short EPs and singles but this self-titled debut represents the recordings from 1969-72 and was only released once in cassette form and has yet to find a reissue. This debut featured seven tracks that for the most part showcased the band's early years as a rock band with some leftover sounds from the 60s beat movement. While known as a progressive rock band for the second album, INDEKSI did feature a full blown prog workout at this early stage with the track 'Negdje u kraju u zati'ju' which at nearly 12 minutes long featured various movements as well as extended instrumental workouts, pastoral acoustic guitar with flute segments that veer into folk meets classical territory but what makes it stand out as prog more than anything is the extensive use of atmospheric keyboards.

This album was preceded by a single titled 'Plima' which was recorded in 1968 and debuted the concept of lead guitar in the Yugoslavian rock scene but overall for 1972 this album feels woefully dated in comparison to the rest of Europe reaching a crescendo in the world of progressive rock and despite Yugoslavia being one of the most liberal nations in the Eastern block still showed signs of not being up to speed with the innovative sounds coming from the Western European nations. For the most part INDEKSI's debut is a standard rock with occasional hard rock affair with a few prog time signatures added in for good measure with the only exception being the prog behemoth 'Negdje u kraju u zati'ju' which probably sounds closest to the symphonic prog coming out of Italy a couple years earlier.

This seems to be a lauded album in many circles but to my ears it sounds a bit amateurish most likely due to the inconsistency of the material being recorded over a long period of time. It's not necessarily a bad album by any means but not up to par with the other interesting bands that emerged from the former Yugoslavia such as Time, Buldozer, Leb i Sol and Smak. The band would take another six years to release its more progressive sophomore release 'Modra Rijeka' and despite its lack of albums still became one of Yugoslavia's most successful bands. Being far removed from the time and place from when this was released may give me no context as to how relevant this was during its day but as someone experiencing it decades later with a very open mind i have to say i find this a bit underwhelming as it doesn't really deliver anything substantially original to the world of rock music. Relevant for a historical perspective.