Kalemegdan Disk - ROCK FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Nika Release Information

September was founded in 1975 by two veterans of the Yugoslavian popular music scene, Janez “Benč” Bončina (vocals), who had previously been a guitarist and singer in the band Mladi Levi (Young Lions), and later a singer in the bands The Generals, Srce (Heart) and Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija (Yugoslavian Pop Selection) – he was also the main songwriter of the band September – and Tihomir “Pop” Asanović (organ), who had previously played in the bands The Generals, Time, Pro Arte, Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija, and had already released his first solo albums “Majko zemljo” (Mother Earth) in 1974 and “Lola” in 1975.

The first line-up also included the violinist Petar Ugrin, who had previously played in the bands Mladi Levi, Pop-Jazz Ljubljana, Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija, the Slovenian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the RTV Ljubljana Dance Orchestra, the drummer Ratko Divjak, who previously played in the bands Dinamiti (Dynamites), Time, and BP Convention, the bass guitarist Čarli Novak, who was previously a member of the bands Srce and The Generals, and saxophonist and percussionist Braco Doblekar, who previously played in the bands Srce, Pro Arte, The Generals and Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija.

The band’s first album, “Zadnja avantura” (The Last Adventure), was released in 1976, and all the songs were written by Janez “Benč” Bončina, except for “Ostavi trag” (Leave a Mark), which he co-wrote with Dado Topić. With their masterly playing skills and jazz rock oriented music, they soon attracted the attention of both critics and the public in whole Yugoslavia.

They represented Yugoslavia at the youth festival in Cuba, and toured the Soviet Union, Germany and the USA. The band was occasionally joined at concerts by the famous former guitarist of Time, Vedran Božić. The compositions “Gvendolina” and “Zadnja avantura” (The Last Adventure), recorded by the band on 7 May 1976 at Studio M in Novi Sad, were released on the album “Randevu s muzikom” (Rendezvous with Music), which was published on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Radio Novi Sad.

Due to commitments in the RTV Ljubljana Dance Orchestra, Divjak, Ugrin and Novak left the band in 1977, and were replaced by Marjan Malikovič, the former guitarist of Kameleoni (The Chameleons) and Srce, Jadran Ogrin, the former bass guitarist of Kameleoni, and Nelfi Depangher, the former drummer of Faraoni (The Pharaohs).

At the beginning of 1978, they went on tour in the USA, where they recorded their second LP, entitled “Domovina moja” (My Homeland), with songs written by Asanović and Bončina, at Seabird Recording in Edgewater, Florida. The album contained less complex and slightly more rock-oriented music with multi-part vocal lines.

They played their farewell concert on 5 November 1979 in the Bosnian Zenica in the line-up Janez “Benč” Bončina, Tihomir “Pop” Asanović, Braco Doblekar, Ante Mažuran, Dani Gančev and Tone Dimnik, but reunited for live performances in 2003 and 2012.

Full album: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh2Bth4KYIoA6iZT6_ssfzmdB6gWGdjXG

Tracklist

Side A

1. Čudna vremena (Summer Winds) 6:20
2. Za tvoj rođendan (I’ll Come back to You) 3:26
3. Mala lady (Lady) 3:35
4. Florida (Florida) 5:48

Side B

1. Kolo (Round Dance) 5:48
2. Mom gospodinu pristojna pjesma (Have to Say Goodbye) 8:41
3. Domovino moja (Music My Music) 4:00