INDEXI

— First review of this album —

In the early 1980s, Indexi struggled to function as a cohesive band. Since all members had other, more stable jobs (the instrumentalists were on the payroll of RTV Sarajevo, and Davor Popovic owned a cafe in addition to singing), they would only occasionally gather for special performances at pop music festivals. They rarely recorded new material, and their discography inevitably neared its end. At that time, singles, as Indexi's primary phonographic format, gradually lost significance in Yugoslavia, with albums and audio cassettes largely dominating the market. Nevertheless, in 1981, Indexi recorded a new single for Jugoton. This was to be their last vinyl record for the Zagreb- based label, and overall, their penultimate, twenty-sixth 7-inch record of their career. It was released on April 13, 1981 (the vinyl master was cut on April 2). The record brings two compositions previously performed at festivals, and during this period, they also changed a keyboardist. Instead of Neno Jurin, who was serving in the military, Sinan Alimanovic joined Indexi as his replacement. Nowadays esteemed as an excellent jazz pianist and composer, Sinan's first tenure with Indexi was short-lived, lasting only until Neno's return to civilian life. However, he would rejoin the group much later, in 1997, and remain a reliable member until the band's dissolution in 2001. Besides him, the lineup on this single consisted of the standard members: guitarist Bodo Kovacevic, bassist Fadil Redzic, drummer Djordje Kisic, and vocalist Davor.

The single's cover features a photograph showing the members of Indexi posing with a Suzuki GS 1000S motorcycle. Since the 1950s, motorcycles have been inextricably linked to rock and roll, forming an indispensable part of the "rocker lifestyle" iconography in popular culture. However, in this case, appearances are certainly deceiving, because if you thought Indexi recorded a rock single in their mid-life age, you were sorely mistaken! Moreover, it's one of Indexi's most non-rock releases ever! As someone who most appreciates their rock output until 1973, I must admit that upon first listen, these songs didn't particularly impress me. They are lighter, slower- tempo songs, ballad-type, where the rhythm section is significantly muted, and the electric guitar is almost absent. So, there's nothing of the typical rock sound. Both tracks are dominated by acoustic guitar, electric piano, orchestral strings, and female choral backing vocals. They aren't even classic pop-hits with dynamic rhythms and catchy choruses, but rather slow and boring easy listening songs that are so undemanding they can always be played in the background while reading the newspaper (or, as one would say today, while scrolling through Facebook). So much for the first impression. However, it often takes multiple listens to some music to discover its many layers, interesting details, and the beauty of an occasional solo instrument, all of which are missed on the first listen. What becomes apparent after just a second or third listen are the amazing arrangements and the extremely clean and sophisticated production by Fadil (who in those years was increasingly appearing as a music producer for many Sarajevo bands). Indexi, of course, had always paid attention to meticulously composed instrumental parts and superb performance, but on this record, it all sounds somehow better and clearer than before. Studio production likely played a role in this. Although I haven't found reliable sources, I assume the single was recorded in a Zagreb studio that serves Jugoton.

In "Betonska brana" (Concrete Dam), jointly composed by Bodo and Sinan with lyrics by Vlado Dijak (known as the lyricist of Bijelo Dugme's famous "Selma"), Davor's gentle vocals are accompanied by, in addition to the instruments mentioned above, a strong bass and organ, while soulful backing vocals complement a saxophone, an instrument rarely heard in Indexi's work. The instrumental bridge brings something of the pop-jazz-soul atmosphere of Steely Dan (especially from their esteemed albums "Aja" and "Gaucho"), with an effective bluesy guitar lick from Bodo, and the overall style of the track also evokes "blue-eyed soul" crooner Michael McDonald (an occasional member of the aforementioned band). For this excellent arrangement, Sinan also received the first prize at the "Vas slager sezone '81" festival, where the song was performed in early April. "Da l' oblak zna" (Does the Cloud Know?) is Fadil's song, arranged by Ranko Rihtman for a festival performance at "Opatija '81" during March 1981. It is similar in style to the previous track, but here, the slide guitar stands out, as does Davor's singing in an uncharacteristically high register bordering on falsetto, and a wonderful soprano saxophone solo. Only the choral backing vocals with somewhat more pronounced gospel influences in intonation are not quite to my taste, as they occasionally sound too cheesy. All in all, at the end of their discographic career, when it comes to vinyl records with original recordings, Indexi released a very good single of light and sophisticated music (at the time usually called "adult-oriented") that significantly deviates from their recognizable style, which can only be a recommendation to the more devoted listener, even if the prog-rock stylings of earlier Indexi are sorely missing.

PA rating: 3/5 Personal rating: 3,5/5

The twenty-fifth 7-inch record by Indexi was released at the end of 1980. At the same time, this was the 11th single released by Jugoton. Graphic designer Ivan Ivezic prepared a multicolored combination (blue, green, red, and yellow) for the cover, which seems to evoke a modernist artistic image of a setting sun on the horizon. Consciously or not, the image also indicates that Indexi were at the twilight of their career at this point, at least when it came to their recording and concert activities. They were acting less and less like a cohesive band, and would gather only occasionally for performances at popular music festivals. They had long since ceased to be considered a rock group worthy of attention, and during the year of the fierce breakthrough of the new wave in Yugoslavia (in 1980, notable records were released by Azra, Pankrti, Prljavo kazaliste, Paraf, while the Belgrade trio - Sarlo akrobata, Elektricni orgazam, and Idoli recorded material for the "Paket aranzman" LP, which soon dominated the radio waves and charts), they were almost not mentioned at all in the media and music press. Consequently, this single went largely unnoticed. Although not stated anywhere on the record itself, these are two songs that Indexi performed at festival events, two years apart. The recording studio is unknown to me, although records from the RTV Sarajevo phonotheque indicate that it was likely the Sarajevo studio. At this time, the band still consisted of: Slobodan A. Kovacevic - guitar, Davorin Popovic - vocals, Fadil Redzic - bass guitar, Nenad Jurin - keyboards, and Djordje Kisic - drums.

The hit track on the A-side, "Njene oci, usne, ruke" ("Her Eyes, Lips, Hands"), represents another compositional contribution by the Belgrade schlager maestro Aleksandar Korac, with lyrics by the little-known Ivica Vidric. Indexi performed it on June 28th at the "Vas slager sezone" festival in Sarajevo, and according to phonotheque data, it was recorded in the studio on March 20th, 1980. As I have already pointed out in reviews of earlier singles, Korac's name was not a guarantee of the musical quality we were accustomed to from Indexi, and his works too often approached the border of good taste. Music critic Ognjen Tvrtkovic shared a similar opinion, writing in Oslobodjenje daily on July 1st, 1980, immediately after the festival: "Indexi continue to profane themselves by performing sloppy schlagers by A. Korac, which even a high standard of interpretation does not save from swift oblivion." However, listening to this track today, after several decades, reveals some interesting musical details. The arrangers Kovacevic and Ismet Arnautalic, a former member of the band, were certainly responsible for the "high standard of interpretation" of this song. It has a strong, almost danceable rhythm with a bass guitar featuring a pronounced disco groove. The drums are somewhat muffled, and a particularly interesting detail is that the rhythm of the song is maintained throughout, almost metronomically without pause, by small hand percussion instruments - maracas and a ratchet. The guitar occasionally interjects with its melodic riff, supported by synthesizers whose tones sometimes venture into rhythmic electropop. Popovic frequently uses his famous vocal vibrato, and backing vocals also appear in certain places, making it difficult to say whether it's his multitracking or if Redzic joins in with his well- known falsetto. Despite justified criticism of Korac's "signature," the song still sounds solid today, although it is certainly not a great achievement, and indeed, as time would show, it was quickly forgotten. At the time of its release, "Njene oci..." was nevertheless a minor hit, as evidenced by a video clip from the Sarajevo studio that can be found on YouTube.

The B-side features a song that was not released for the first time here. "Oj, Neretvo" ("Oh, Neretva") is a patriotic song with lyrics by Miso Maric, evoking memories of the Partisans and their battles from World War II. The phonotheque records the recording date as October 29th, 1978, and it was performed in November of the same year at the "Festival of Patriotic and Revolutionary Songs" in Zagreb. It first appeared on a festival "cocktail" album in December 1978. Indexi had tried their hand at this genre before ("Jugoslavija" and "Zivjela Jugoslavija"), which was a common practice for many popular performers at the time, especially in the period immediately following the death of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito (he died in May 1980). Since Indexi did not have enough new material at the time, Jugoton's editors decided to re-release this older composition for the commemorative occasion. As for the song itself, let's first set aside the heart-rending and for-the-moment "commissioned" lyrics. The musical texture is quite impressive and falls within the framework of a somewhat "lighter" intoned symphonic prog rock, typical of Indexi. A somber and serious atmosphere is emphasized by the striking of (tubular?) bells, while the guitar sobs a mournful melody. The drums and bass enter powerfully into the sonic picture, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Kovacevic embellishes the track with a beautiful guitar solo, but the part of the chorus where they sing "Sutjeska, Neretva" is not very good, both due to poor intonation and awkward rhymes in the lyrics. Nevertheless, this song, at least in its basic musical part composed and arranged by Kovacevic, deserves a passing grade.

PA rating: 2/5 Personal rating: 3/5

After participating in the Sarajevo festival "Vas slager sezone 79", Indexi soon had another festival appearance. At the beginning of May 1979, they went to Belgrade where they played at "Beogradsko prolece 79", which was only their third appearance at this festival. For this occasion, they collaborated again with Aleksandar Korac, performing his composition "310 poljubaca" (310 Kisses). Soon after, they released a new single record for Jugoton (the master disc was cut on May 9th), which, in addition to the festival hit, would also feature the lesser-known track "Bilo je lijepo" (It Was Beautiful). This was Indexi's twenty-third 7" record in total, or the tenth issued on Jugoton label. The single's cover shows the band in the lineup: Djordje Kisic, Nenad Jurin, Slobodan A. Kovacevic, Davorin Popovic, and Fadil Redzic, and the photograph is actually just a version of the same picture taken by Dragan S. Stefanovic (uncredited on the single's cover) that appeared on the inner sleeve of the album "Modra rijeka" (Blue River) a year earlier.

Indexi's previous collaboration with Korac had not always yielded the best results. Besides several commercially successful tracks (e.g., "Predaj se srce" - Surrender Your Heart), Korac was also the author of some of, in my humble opinion, the weakest compositions in Indexi's oeuvre (e.g., "Stani malo zlato moje" - Wait a Little, My Dear). However, it seems that this time things fell into place, and we got an excellent composition, which was also a big hit. Behind the not very promising title "310 poljubaca" lies a track with a very interesting and complex arrangement and instrumental details. The opening sequence with an atmospheric synthesizer, acoustic guitar, and a powerful bass solo (which is why Redzic was often called a four-string soloist) brings something of the atmosphere of progressive rock bands Yes or Camel. The verses introduce a somewhat lighter melodic pop expression with Popovic's standard quality vocals and Kovacevic's exceptional flamenco-style acoustic guitar playing. The chorus is in a somewhat more expressive danceable quasi-disco rhythm, with funky electric guitar riffs and discreet electronic drum effects. A couple more solo passages on the acoustic and bass guitars bring the track back to the main theme from the verses. This excellent composition, which we could conditionally label as "progressive schlager", was recorded, according to data from the RTV Sarajevo phonotheque, on May 6, 1979.

The flipside of the single features the song "Bilo je lijepo", whose complete author is Redzic. There is no data from the master tape in the Sarajevo phonotheque, so it can be assumed that it was probably recorded in a Jugoton studio in Zagreb. This track is also instrumentally rich and unfolds at a somewhat slower soft rock tempo. The performance alternates between acoustic and electric guitar (the latter occasionally treated with somewhat psychedelic flageolets and pedal effects), synthesizer, piano, and organ, while the tambourine stands out among the percussion. It is a very interesting and pleasant song, which for some reason did not catch on and remained lesser known.

All in all, this is one of Indexi's best singles from the second half of the seventies. The hit "310 poljubaca" reached the top 10 chart of domestic singles of "Politikin zabavnik" youth magazine for June 1979, and was also frequently played on Radio Sarajevo programs.

PA rating: 3/5, Personal rating: 4/5

— First review of this album —

Starting from 1967, the year it was established, Indexi were regular guests of the Sarajevo pop music festival "Vas slager sezone" (Your Hit of the Season), which they never missed until the release of this single, except in 1974 when Slobodan Bodo Kovacevic and Davorin Popovic were in the army. Therefore, "Vas slager sezone 79" was their 12th appearance at this "light music" event. It was held on April 7, 1979, in the KSC Skenderija hall in Sarajevo, and Indexi performed two compositions that would soon be found on their 24th 7" record overall, or their 11th single released by Diskoton record label. The lineup of Indexi at that time had stabilized with drummer Djordje Kisic and keyboardist Nenad Jurin, along with the standard bass guitarist Fadil Redzic, and the aforementioned duo. When talking about Indexi, the terms disco or punk rarely appear in the same sentence. Yet, although extremely opposed to each other, these two musical styles were very popular during 1979, both abroad and in Yugoslavia (albeit the former declining and the latter just emerging), which certainly did not bypass Indexi, who always listened to what new was happening on the world scene.

The A-side of the single featured a patriotic pop song with a slogan-like title, "Zivjela Jugoslavija" (Long Live Yugoslavia), for which Kemal Monteno wrote the music and lyrics, and Redzic made the arrangement. It was recorded on March 24, 1979. It begins with the strumming rhythms of an acoustic guitar, gradually joined by orchestral strings, vocals, and the rhythm section. Playful keyboards further embellish the sonic picture, and subtle influences of disco music can be felt in the beat pattern and the treatment of the electric guitar, bass, and drums. The lyrics are quite weak and banal, and seem as if they were "commissioned" by the country's political leadership for the purpose of promoting the policy of non-alignment ("Just come, just come/Black brother, white brother/Here a white dove flies to every heart/With a branch of peace"). To avoid any misunderstanding, Indexi were no exception in occasionally performing patriotic songs. On the contrary, it was standard practice during the seventies, and it would be much easier to list the performers of pop and rock music who did not engage in this. However, such songs were too often short-lived, and their artistic reach was usually minimal. Such is the case with this song too. Despite a solid musical performance - with which Indexi won fourth place at the festival - which also featured former band member Ranko Rihtman as the conductor of the RTV Sarajevo Revue Orchestra, "Zivjela Jugoslavija" remains only as an interesting historical reminder of the time in which it was created.

A much better track, however, is on the B-side, which was often the case in Indexi's singles discography. The music and arrangement for "Prazne noci, a beskrajni dani" (Empty Nights, and Endless Days) are the work of Bodo Kovacevic, while the lyrics were written by another former member, Ismet Arnautalic. It was recorded in a Sarajevo studio on March 9th. The instrumental introduction is characterized by a fierce riff on the electric guitar that Bodo employs in a hard rock manner. This extremely catchy and effective sequence was used in the early eighties as the opening theme of a popular music show on Radio Sarajevo. The boogie/rock and roll pattern is also enhanced by the electric organ, which gives the track the "old style" of classic Indexi, while the chorus also shows influences of punk in the way the guitar is played. Bodo's acrobatics with a pick scratch, on the other hand, also evoke the style of "guitar heroes" in the heavy metal genre. Only the funny and long-outdated electronic drum effects, with their high- pitched tones like those from arcade video games, clearly date the track to 1979, when these sound effects, thanks to the market availability of Simmons instruments, were very popular and often used without measure or taste. In any case, it is one of Indexi's rockiest songs in the second half of the seventies, at a time when they were gradually moving away from rock and inevitably falling into oblivion by their previously loyal audience. It is indicative, for example, that in the text summarizing the domestic scene for 1979, published in "Hit strana" of "Politikin zabavnik" youth magazine at the end of December of that year, Indexi were not even mentioned, nor did any of their songs enter the selection of 20 domestic hits. However, in the same magazine, "Prazne noci" managed to enter the top 10 chart of domestic singles during September and October, peaking at the 4th position.

The record was released during the summer of 1979 (the vinyl matrix was cut on July 16th) in a standardized graphic design of the cover, which Diskoton used for a series of single records with hits performed at "Vas slager sezone 79". On a blue background, a photograph of the band is framed to resemble a TV screen, and it shows the current lineup of Indexi. However, the image was taken from an earlier photo session done for the cover of the album "Modra rijeka" (The Blue River), which can be concluded from the somewhat Elton John-esque extravagant dark glasses worn by drummer Kisic. All in all, this single is not among the Indexi's more significant releases, although the B-side song has enough interesting moments, which remind us that even in their most pop mainstream phase, Indexi knew how to dust off energetic rock and roll when they wanted to.

PA rating: 2/5 Personal rating: 3/5

— First review of this album —

At the beginning of 1978, Indexi were very active in the studio and in concerts. After the release of their ambitious concept album "Modra rijeka" (Blue River), the accompanying Yugoslav tour, performances at the Opatija Festival and "Vas slager sezone" (Your Hit of the Season) in Sarajevo, and the release of the single "Ispijmo zlatni pehar" (Let's Drink the Golden Goblet) for Diskoton, Indexi soon recorded another single, this time for Jugoton. During this period, they would alternately release records for Diskoton and Jugoton. The single was conceived as a combination of a festival hit and a song taken off the recently released album "Modra rijeka".

The A-side featured the song "Pozovi me na kafu" (Invite Me for Coffee), which Indexi performed at the Belgrade Spring festival at the end of April 1978. Indexi's collaboration with the author Aleksandar Korac did not always yield the happiest results. In my humble opinion, some of his compositions represent the weakest works of the group overall. However, this time it is a solid schlager (a type of popular hit song), which at least does not contain unbearably sappy folk-like stylizations like the earlier semi-hit "Stani malo zlato moje" (Wait a Little, My Gold). "Kafa" (Coffee) is characterized by a rather "progressive" arrangement by Fadil Redzic during the verses, which features synthesizer and electric guitar solos, and the gradual inclusion of acoustic guitar, piano, and rhythm section. The electric guitar in the background plays a progression of ascending and descending chords, which is an interesting harmonic solution. The chorus is typically schlager-like and easily catchy while the lyrics are a rather banal love lament about a quarrel between a man and a woman who are trying to reconcile over a cup of coffee. According to data from the RTV Sarajevo phonotheque, the song was recorded on April 17th, with the help of producer Esad Arnautalic and sound engineer Mufid Kosovic.

The B-side features Fadil's composition "Slovo o covjeku" (A Word About Human Being) from the album "Modra rijeka," which was probably intended by Jugoton to boost album sales, as, unlike the rest of the LP, it is relatively singable and rhythmic. It begins as a ballad with piano and acoustic guitar accompaniment, gradually incorporating organ followed by "sobbing" bluesy solo licks on the electric guitar. Finally, the song picks up a faster tempo led by acoustic guitar, bass, and percussion. Davor's vocals range from lower to higher registers. Fadil and Bodo experimented with the speed of the tape recorder during recording session, first recording the guitar part at a faster speed, and then returning the tape to normal speed to get the effect of the guitar sounding an octave lower than usual. With Mak Dizdar's hair-raising poetic lyrics ("In that circle of pain, neither last nor first / A playground for carrion and a court for worms"), the song represents one of the best B-sides of a single in Indexi's discography.

Jugoton released the single on May 17, 1978 (the lacquer disk was cut on April 19th) in a sleeve designed by Ivan Ivezic. It features a concert photograph of the group taken with an unfocused exposure, giving the image a blurred effect. In the photograph, Bodo Kovacevic can be recognized with his famous Gibson Flying V guitar, Fadil with his Rickenbacker bass guitar, Davorin Popovic with his palms raised in applause, and two backing female vocalists (most likely Zumreta Midzic and Gordana Ivandic, who often performed backing vocals at Indexi concerts at that time). At this time, the group also consisted of Nenad Jurin on keyboards and drummer Djordje Kisic. Although the lead track "Pozovi me na kafu" went unnoticed at the Belgrade Spring festival, it reached the top 10 chart of domestic singles on Hit-strana of Politikin zabavnik during May and June, where it even reached the 3rd position, and could often be heard on radio programs. This single, like the previous one, is among the better 7-inch vinyl releases by Indexi in the second half of the 1970s.

Personal rating: 4 PA rating: 3

As the 1970s progressed, the once beloved Yugoslav prog rock icons continued to decline, recording ever more irrelevant and insignificant pop songs. In September 1977 Indexi recorded at Jugoton studio in Zagreb a schlager- ballad "Voljela je 'Sjaj u travi'" (She Loved 'Splendor in the Grass') and with this song they participated in the famous Zagreb Festival of Popular Music in late October. Although by the public vote it scored relatively high fifth place, it is a rather boring song with cheap and sleezy chorus made on the blueprint of their earlier hit "Predaj se srce". The only redeeming value of the song is a nice piano playing by Nenad Jurin in the verses. Guitar solo by Bodo Kovacevic is played more as a routine and not with his true conviction and emotions.

There is a much better song on the flipside of this single. "Pokazi mi dlan" (Show Me Your Palm), a story of the pitfalls of wandering musician's lifestyle, was penned by bassist Fadil Redzic, and it brings back heavy progressive sound of their yesteryears. Introductory heavy guitar and organ riffing reminds of Deep Purple's classic style. Kovacevic elegantly adds a few nice guitar flageolets. The bridge is characterized by dual-mixed solo guitars playing ascending scales, while some organ-led rhythmic pattern recalls a groovy part of Pink Floyd's "Echoes". Unfortunately, this composition is destroyed by a terrible chorus including some clumsy and forced rhymes in the lyrics. Too bad, because it had enough good semi-prog rocking elements to elevate it to the status of a forgotten classic of Indexi.

PA rating: 2/5 Personal rating: 2,5/5

After returning from Zagreb, where they recorded the album 'Modra rijeka' in late January, INDEXI were back at a Sarajevo studio where they recorded material for a new single during February 1978, which was soon to be released by Diskoton. The tracks were recorded for the purpose of participating in the upcoming pop festivals, first in Opatija, and then at Sarajevo's 'Vas slager sezone'. Their frequent collaborator Maja Perfiljeva wrote the lyrics for both songs, in her characteristic poetic-romantic style. Indexi were by then a well-established quintet lineup: Davorin Popovic on vocals, Slobodan A. Kovacevic Bodo on guitar, Fadil Red?ic on bass guitar, Nenad Jurin on keyboards, and Djordje Kisic on drums, and in the Sarajevo studio they were assisted by sound engineer Antun Markovic and producer Esad Arnautalic.

For the single's A-side, Fadil's composition (music and arrangement) 'Ispijmo zlatni pehar' (Let's Drink from the Golden Cup) was chosen, with which Indexi won the second place at 'Vas slager sezone', held in early April 1978. It was recorded on February 12th in the studio, and it is one of the group's better pop hits. This slower-tempo ballad features a pleasant melodic phrase on the piano, accompanied by acoustic and electric guitar. In the second verse, the organ and rhythm section join in, while the chorus is accompanied by an effective solo guitar. On the live recording of the performance, which can be found on YouTube, a thunderous applause from the audience is heard, and instead of the piano theme from the studio version, the leading melody is played by Bodo on electric guitar, as Jurin was in charge of keyboard backing as a member of the festival orchestra.

The B-side is occupied by the almost six-minute ballad 'Svidjas mi se' (I Like You) by former member and frequent 'external collaborator' Ranko Rihtman (music and arrangement), which Indexi performed during the rock evening of the Opatija '78 festival, held from March 15th to 18th. With a slow and melancholic tempo and atmosphere, the song stylistically relies on the sympho-progressive rock of the album 'Modra rijeka', and in addition to the piano and acoustic guitar, Bodo's solo on the electric guitar with the use of an EBow also plays a notable role. The composition also contains elements of jazz that are noticeable during a short instrumental mid-section, in which the solo parts of the acoustic guitar and soprano saxophone complement each other, with a light and unobtrusive rhythm of drums and bass guitar, and discreet organ backing. The track was recorded in the studio on February 22nd, and in addition to this single, it was also released on the festival's various artists' LP record 'Vece rok muzike JRT Opatija '78' by PGP RTB label, alongside selected tracks by several rock bands, the most famous of which are YU GRUPA, SEPTEMBER, and LEB I SOL. With this track, Indexi showed that they still had the strength and will to step into a more progressive rock territory intended for devout listeners beyond instant pop-hits, which they prioritized during the second half of the seventies.

The single was released in March 1978 (the matrix was cut on March 14th), and was packaged in a generic Diskoton cover designed for a series of festival releases. The front side of 'Vas slager sezone' is adorned with a detail of a flock of pigeons flying around Sebilj, a recognizable symbol of Sarajevo's Old Town Bascarsija square, while the back side of 'Opatija' is accompanied by illustrations of sea fishing with a fish trap. The author of the design is unknown, but the cover also includes a smaller photograph of the trio Davor, Fadil, and Bodo, which is a copy of an identical photo from the earlier single 'U jednim plavim ocima', taken by Dragan S. Stefanovic back in the spring of 1976. This is one of the better singles by Indexi during the seventies, on which they successfully combined a decent and catchy festival hit with a more challenging progressive music for more attentive listeners. 'Zlatni pehar' became a popular hit; during April 1978, it reached the top-10 chart of domestic singles of the Hit-strana of 'Politikin zabavnik' youth magazine, and in the decades to come, it was often included in compilation releases, and remained part of the group's standard concert repertoire. Unfortunately, this cannot be said for 'Svidjas mi se', which after its release practically fell into oblivion. Quite undeservedly, because it is a very good song that is a real pleasure to listen to.

PERSONAL RATING: 4/5 PA RATING: 3/5

At the beginning of 1977, after a successful winter Yugoslav tour with pop singer Zdravko Colic, Indexi recorded a new single, which is associated with two fun facts. First, Indexi returned to the Zagreb record label Jugoton. The details of this transfer are not known, but it is interesting that with this move they did not leave Sarajevo's Diskoton, so that during the next few years (until 1981) they would record in parallel for both labels. In addition, although this is unverified information from the Internet, it seems that Ivo Mojzer, a multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter from Maribor, a member of several Slovenian groups, the most famous of which are Kameleoni and Pepel in kri, participated in the recording sessions of this single as a guest drummer. Namely, after the departure of Milic Vukasinovic Mica in October 1976, Indexi were without a permanent drummer for the next few months, so this position was filled as needed by Perica Stojanovic, Mojzer (he also went on a Soviet tour with them at the end of 1976), and veteran Djordje Kisic. The latter settled in the lineup during the spring of 1977, and would remain with the group until its very end in 2001. This situation is also reflected on the cover of the new single, on which Indexi are presented as a quartet, without a drummer. The photograph comes from a photo session by Dragan S. Stefanovic from the previous year and shows the members of the group in glittering, glamorous suits. Although Mica was a member of the band at the time, his figure was omitted so that the cover would represent the current line-up, and since Mojzer was not a full member, he is not in the picture either. The songs for the single were recorded, again according to unverified information, in Zagreb, probably in the Jugoton studio, and the matrix for the record was cut on March 24, 1977. "Samo jednom" (Only Once) is Indexi's 18th release in the 7" format (7th release on the Jugoton label), and the 14th single overall (not counting EPs).

The main song "Samo jednom" is composed by Bodo Kovacevic with lyrics by Miso Maric, which poetically describes the romantic longing for the return of an old love. After a short introductory solo on electric guitar, the composition is taken over by acoustic guitar, with a slow tempo and synthesizer accompaniment by Nenad Jurin. The chorus is catchy, somewhat in the style of ABBA, and Mojzer, in addition to drums, proves himself on high backing vocals. In the bridge, Fadil extracts impressive high notes from his bass guitar during a short solo, and then the song returns to the basic gentle melody with guitar and high vocals, and ends with a fade-out. It is a solid ballad stylistically positioned somewhere between progressive pop and soft rock.

The B-side is again occupied by a song in the folk-rock manner, although this time such a fusion is somewhat weaker compared to "Kad se hoce sve se moze" (When There's a Will, There's a Way) from the previous single. Fadil provided both music and lyrics for "Kupala se cura jedna u potoku pod planinom" (A Girl Was Bathing in a Stream Under the Mountain), which brings a somewhat humorous erotic story about a young man who secretly takes clothes from a girl who is bathing, so that he can watch her naked. The melody of the folklore atmosphere produced by Jurin's synthesizer sounds quite cheesy and banal, and almost foreshadows the manner in which this instrument will be misused during the eighties in "newly composed folk" music in Yugoslavia. This agony is, fortunately, interrupted by an aggressive, almost heavy intrusion of electric guitar and bass, employing an abrasive sound with fuzz or similar effects. The song musically and topically relies on the style of the so-called "shepherd's rock" of Bijelo dugme, but also sounding like a rock version of the folk-pop of Kamen na kamen. Davor, in the process, once again shows that he can sing in the folk manner as well, although this is a mediocre song, which deservedly did not catch on with the audience.

Although "Samo jednom" has almost fallen into oblivion over time, it should be recalled that after the release of the single it was a minor hit, which remained at the first position of the Top-10 domestic singles chart of "Politikin zabavnik's Hit-strana" magazine from April 15 to May 6, 1977, and spent a total of 14 weeks on the chart from March to June of the same year. This single is not one of Indexi's more significant achievements, but it is worth listening to.

Personal rating: 3/5 PA rating: 2/5

Since this cassette release bears again the eponymous title, I will call it "Brown Album" for easier identification. This release is mostly of interest for collectors because the sound quality of the tape is not high.

Still, the content of this cassette is interesting and is even a bit of a curiosity. Out of 12 tracks, nine was released in February 1976 on Diskoton label as a vinyl LP under the title "Svaka je ljubav ista (osim one prave)" as a solo album by Davorin Popovic "Davor", the lead singer of INDEXI. But, essentially that whole album was the product of INDEXI as the band in terms of songwriting and performing. It was only due to some dubious contractual, or marketing reasons that the material was released as a solo album by Davor.

During that period of late 1975, INDEXI actually, for the first time in their career, entered the studio with new material specifically written for the purpose of album recording. That LP was released and promoted during the "solo" concert by Davor in February 1976 in Sarajevo's crowded Skenderija hall, which was in fact the gig done by the complete INDEXI line-up (Slobodan A. Kovacevic, Fadil Redzic, Milic Vukasinovic, including ex-drummer Djordje Kisic and newcomer keyboardist Nenad Jurin). A few months later, Diskoton released the INDEXI 7" EP with 4 songs: "Moja Hana"/"Stani malo zlato moje"/"Putovi"/"Nocni susreti".

This cassette "Brown Album", which was released by Diskoton probably in summer or autumn 1976, apparently without the knowledge or approval by the band, contains the entire material from Davor's solo album but now repackaged and credited to INDEXI. There are three bonus tracks taken from the above mentioned INDEXI EP ("Nocni susreti" was released both on the EP and on Davor's solo album!). So, we can say that this "Brown Album" cassette was in fact an expanded re-issue of Davor's album "Svaka je ljubav ista (osim one prave)" but now issued as the INDEXI release. From this perspective, "Brown Album" would act as the first long-playing release of INDEXI containing new studio material made specifically for the album, two years prior to the release of the first official studio album "Modra rijeka"!

Unfortunately, the production and sound quality of both Davor's vinyl LP and of this INDEXI tape are very bad (see the review of Davor's LP for detailed analysis), so this material has often been neglected in the anthologies or written essays about INDEXI. It's a pity, since in my opinion one could find here several brilliant songs (apart from those 2-3 well-known hits) that remain almost unknown to the public. And most of these can be classified as a sort of progressive pop, or "prog-related" music, to use Progarchives' classification.

In November 1976, Indexi released their seventh single for Diskoton (not counting the EP "Moja Hana"). The B-side matrix was cut on October 20th, and the A-side on November 2nd. The cover design was not very inventive. They used a photo of the band that was already on the back cover of their previous release, the EP "Moja Hana", which was done for that occasion by Dragan S. Stefanovic. Only the earlier dark blue background was replaced with red.

After the Adriatic tour that lasted from July 11th to August 15th, during which they accompanied the rising pop star Zdravko Colic, Indexi once again took the opportunity to perform at the Zagreb '76 music festival, held from October 25th to 30th. At the festival, they performed the composition "I mi i nas dvoje" (Both We and Both of Us) without much success. After that, they went on their third tour of the Soviet Union. In the meantime, even before the Zagreb performance, drummer Milic Vukasinovic left the band, as the offer to join Bijelo dugme and go to London to record their new album "Eto, ba? hoću!" was more attractive to him than Soviet fees, and this single is the last Indexi record he participated in recording. During October, he was replaced by Perica Stojanovic (ex- Ambasadori, who had played with Indexi in 1971 for a short period), who also performed with the band at Zagreb '76.

On the lead, A-side of the record, there is a song from the Zagreb festival, for which Fadil Redzic wrote the music and arrangement to the lyrics of Maja Perfiljeva. His bass guitar sets a strong rock rhythm with solid drum parts, while Bodo Kovacevic's solo guitar unobtrusively follows and occasionally introduces short heavy riffs and solos. The verses and choruses have complex rhythmic structures and are not clearly defined. Nenad Jurin's organ underlines the atmosphere and occasionally decorates Davorin Popovic's vocals with short synth passages. Although the vocal melody with the lyrics about a failed love brings this song closer to the schlager formula, the overall sound is too rocky, and it's no wonder that "I mi i nas dvoje" was not accepted by the festival audience. However, its strange structure, in addition to its undeniable qualities, was not attractive to the rock audience either, so the song was soon forgotten.

The composition on the B-side, "Kad se hoće, sve se mo?e" (Where There's a Will There's a Way), is somewhat more interesting. Bodo is the author of the music and arrangement, and Ranko Boban wrote the lyrics about a guy who, because of unfulfilled love, "drinks and messes around day and night". In a style atypical for Indexi, the song seems to contain their answer to the then-current "shepherd rock" direction of Bijelo dugme, and thematically it somehow connects to Dugme's "Bekrija" from 1975. In the introductory phrase, sounds taken from traditional music dominate - Bodo plays the saz or ?argija (long-necked lute), Davor's vocals resemble folk "ojkanje", and in the background, you can hear a sound similar to a folk flute (pipes). Soon, the song transitions into an odd-time hard/boogie rock, while in the bridge, the vocals are harmonized in a Beatles fashion. The guitar solo is very heavy with strong cymbal and drum accompaniment. It's a kind of "heavy folk" number, which is fiercely rock, witty, and entertaining, so it's a shame that it also remained less known in Indexi's opus.

Although both songs on this single are quite solid and contain a number of interesting musical solutions, and Sarajevo Television even filmed video clips in its studio for both songs (with Perica on drums), it didn't help much, and this single hardly even made it to the contemporary music press charts. From today's perspective, this is another Indexi release that needs to be "rediscovered".