TANGO BANGO

The second AERODROM album "Tango Bango" appeared right during the New Wave Boom in Yugoslavia 1981. In order to gain larger audience, and having learnt lessons from the previous album, it was necessary to abandon some, if not all, prog elements from their music. The result was a huge success.

The album kick starts with two great hits - an erotically seductive dance rock "Stavi pravu stvar" (En. "Put your right stuff into the right place and do it often") and an excellent power rock ballad "Tvoje lice" (En. "Your Face"). These two songs remain among their best songwriting examples up to date.

"Dobro se zabavljaj" (En. "Have Some Real Fun") contains obligatory ska/power pop rhythmic structures with fiery guitar riffs and melodic bass hook, providing another hit single. Legions of Yugoslav teenage youth used to party 'till the morning hours with songs like this. "I live for women and I live for rock music and vices" yells Zivković in another catchy pop/rock tune "Rock i porok" (En. "Rock and Vices"), while "Nudistička plaza" (En. "The Nudist Beach") contains the call for the girls to "take down your panties"!

After the enormous hit potentials and speedy tempo of almost entire first side of the vinyl, the second part provides a needed break in the form of two instrumentals. The first is energetic ska improvisation of "Aerodrom" while the second "Mordorea" still retains slight instrumental prog elements (expanded keyboards and guitar sounds) along with the next track aptly titled "Mijenjam se" (En. "I Undergo Changes").

Sex and party is back again in reggae-rhythmic patterns of "Djevojke" (En. "Girls"), when all the gang, finally exhausted of 24-hours non-stop dance-craze, drops into "Monotonija" (En. "Monotony"), a surprising post-punk psychedelia reminiscent of GANG OF FOUR or early SIMPLE MINDS!

"Tango Bango" is not a progressive rock album. It is a powerful, energetic rock and roll statement full of confidence and emotions. Judging it as a whole, and having in mind its purpose in the mainstream New Wave scene in former Yugoslavia - a highly productive artistic and rock'n'roll movement - it appears to be even better record than the commercially unsuccessful prog debut. It remains probably the best album of AERODROM.

PERSONAL RATING: 4/5

P.A. RATING: 3/5