Buldožer
Encyclopedia
Buldožer was Yugoslav-Slovenia
n progressive rock
band from 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist
Yugoslavia that could be considered alternative
, and forefathers of the Yugoslav New Wave
. In musical sense, they were experimenting with a variety of genre
s, while most of their lyrics
, written in Serbo-Croatian
, were a satire
and mocking the political and musical establishment, themselves included. Buldožer was the first Yugoslavian rock band who released an album in a compact disc
format—compilation album Nova vremena in 1989.
Their appearance on the Yugoslav musical scene in early 1970s was "equal to the appearance of flying saucers with Martians". They jumped onto the dull musical scene, which tried to keep up with the world trend of sympho-rock
, full of self-confidence and fresh ideas, and offered pure humor, sometimes on the verge of lunacy, instead of prevailing pathos
and overlong solo sections. Frank Zappa
was admittedly one of the band's models, and was often subject to comparisons with Buldožer's style.
, today Slovenia, when singer/songwriter Marko Brecelj joined the band Sedem svetlobnih let ("Seven Light Years") led by guitarist and lead vocalist Boris Bele. The original line-up included keyboardist/composer Borut Činč, bass guitar
ist Andrej Veble, lead guitar
ist Uroš Lovšin and drummer
Stefan Jež
. The band received a huge success on their first appearance at the BOOM
festival, and were offered a record contract by Jugoton
, whom they rejected in favor of PGP RTB, reckoning that they will be better accepted on the Serbian market. Although the first album, Pljuni istini u oči (Spit the Truth into Eyes), featuring hits like "Život to je feferon", "Ljubav na prvi krevet" and "Blues gnjus" was quickly sold, the company rejected issuing new volume, as the record was marked by "higher instances" as "inappropriate and controversial".
They were also ignored by the media, but they successfully built the image of freaks
on numerous gigs. Although they introduced themselves as "typical folk-pop ensemble from Slovenia", Marko Brecelj, one of band's frontmen, was often making unpredictable excesses like appearing on stage in a wheelchair
, burning his hair and beard, and holding long tirades loaded with cynism and irony. Despite everything, he received the award "Seven Secretaries of SKOJ
" in 1976 for his solo-album Cocktail.
Such a thorn in the eye to the establishment could not pass lightly though, and some lyrics were censored during recording of the second album. Among other things, they were asked to change the word "nirvana
" into "kafana
". The record Zabranjeno plakatirati (No placateering) was on ice for a year, until Helidon from Ljubljana hopped in and issued it. The songs "Ne brini mama", "Helga" and "Dobro jutro madam Jovanović". By a mysterious chain of events, the band also received the Golden Arena award on the Pula Film Festival
for the soundtrack for film Živi bili pa videli in 1979. In the meantime, the rhythm section changed, so the bassist Vili Bertok and drummer Tone Dimnik participated in studio sessions.
The same year, Brecelj left the band wishing to make a solo-career, and Bele took over the frontmanship. He proved he should not be taken lightly, and continued the Brecelj's style of excesses and provocation. The double live album Ako ste slobodni večeras (If You're Available Tonight) featured the kidding of all kinds. Intermezzos between songs were filled by made-up interviews of Dražen Vrdoljak with the "public" on the topics of Buldožer's favorite themes—sex, drugs and Goran Bregović
. The album contained covers of Roll Over Beethoven
, renamed to "Ko jebe Buldožer" (Fuck the Buldožer), and verses from Pink Floyd
's "Another Brick in the Wall
" were sung to the melody of "Oj, svijetla majska zoro
". Arguably the greatest excess on the record, though, was Bele's longish obituary to Džoni Štulić
, who supposedly burned himself as sign of protest for the Poland crisis
.
Bele took over the position of chief music editor of Helidon label and managed to purchase the copyrights of their debut from PGP RTB, so the reissue came up in 1981. The band's activity slowly diminished in mid-1980s, after the album "Nevino srce". They never officially broke up though, and their "comeback" album Noć was released more than 10 years later, in 1995. Regathering of the band for an Ex-Yugoslavian tour is announced for the second half of 2006.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band from 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
Yugoslavia that could be considered alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, and forefathers of the Yugoslav New Wave
Yugoslav New Wave
New Wave in Yugoslavia was the New Wave music scene of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
. In musical sense, they were experimenting with a variety of genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s, while most of their lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, written in Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
, were a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and mocking the political and musical establishment, themselves included. Buldožer was the first Yugoslavian rock band who released an album in a compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
format—compilation album Nova vremena in 1989.
Their appearance on the Yugoslav musical scene in early 1970s was "equal to the appearance of flying saucers with Martians". They jumped onto the dull musical scene, which tried to keep up with the world trend of sympho-rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
, full of self-confidence and fresh ideas, and offered pure humor, sometimes on the verge of lunacy, instead of prevailing pathos
Pathos
Pathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric , and in literature, film and other narrative art....
and overlong solo sections. Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
was admittedly one of the band's models, and was often subject to comparisons with Buldožer's style.
Career
In early 1975 in LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, today Slovenia, when singer/songwriter Marko Brecelj joined the band Sedem svetlobnih let ("Seven Light Years") led by guitarist and lead vocalist Boris Bele. The original line-up included keyboardist/composer Borut Činč, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Andrej Veble, lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Uroš Lovšin and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Stefan Jež
. The band received a huge success on their first appearance at the BOOM
BOOM
Founded in 1997, BOOM Securities Limited 有限公司), is a fully licensed Broker / Dealer regulated by Securities and Futures Commission and headquartered in Hong Kong....
festival, and were offered a record contract by Jugoton
Jugoton
Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, Socialist Republic of Croatia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the company continued to work in independent Republic of Croatia under the name Croatia...
, whom they rejected in favor of PGP RTB, reckoning that they will be better accepted on the Serbian market. Although the first album, Pljuni istini u oči (Spit the Truth into Eyes), featuring hits like "Život to je feferon", "Ljubav na prvi krevet" and "Blues gnjus" was quickly sold, the company rejected issuing new volume, as the record was marked by "higher instances" as "inappropriate and controversial".
They were also ignored by the media, but they successfully built the image of freaks
Freaks
Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
on numerous gigs. Although they introduced themselves as "typical folk-pop ensemble from Slovenia", Marko Brecelj, one of band's frontmen, was often making unpredictable excesses like appearing on stage in a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
, burning his hair and beard, and holding long tirades loaded with cynism and irony. Despite everything, he received the award "Seven Secretaries of SKOJ
Skoj
Skoj is a cider-based soft drink, manufactured by the Swedish Skoj Beverage Group. Skoj is the Swedish word for fun.Skoj is 15 percent fruit juice sweetened with sugar...
" in 1976 for his solo-album Cocktail.
Such a thorn in the eye to the establishment could not pass lightly though, and some lyrics were censored during recording of the second album. Among other things, they were asked to change the word "nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
" into "kafana
Kafana
Kafana , kafeana , kavana are terms used in the former Yugoslav countries for a distinct type of local bistro which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee , and which sometimes also has a live band.The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink...
". The record Zabranjeno plakatirati (No placateering) was on ice for a year, until Helidon from Ljubljana hopped in and issued it. The songs "Ne brini mama", "Helga" and "Dobro jutro madam Jovanović". By a mysterious chain of events, the band also received the Golden Arena award on the Pula Film Festival
Pula Film Festival
The Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival which is held annually in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula arena since 1954. The festival is usually held in the summer, in July or August....
for the soundtrack for film Živi bili pa videli in 1979. In the meantime, the rhythm section changed, so the bassist Vili Bertok and drummer Tone Dimnik participated in studio sessions.
The same year, Brecelj left the band wishing to make a solo-career, and Bele took over the frontmanship. He proved he should not be taken lightly, and continued the Brecelj's style of excesses and provocation. The double live album Ako ste slobodni večeras (If You're Available Tonight) featured the kidding of all kinds. Intermezzos between songs were filled by made-up interviews of Dražen Vrdoljak with the "public" on the topics of Buldožer's favorite themes—sex, drugs and Goran Bregović
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
. The album contained covers of Roll Over Beethoven
Roll Over Beethoven
"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music...
, renamed to "Ko jebe Buldožer" (Fuck the Buldožer), and verses from Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's "Another Brick in the Wall
Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3...
" were sung to the melody of "Oj, svijetla majska zoro
Oj, svijetla majska zoro
"Oj, svijetla majska zoro" is the official state anthem of Montenegro. Before becoming the anthem, it was a popular folk song of the Montenegrins, with many variations of its text...
". Arguably the greatest excess on the record, though, was Bele's longish obituary to Džoni Štulić
Branimir Štulic
Branimir "Johnny" Štulić is a Yugoslav singer, songwriter, poet and a leader of the popular former Yugoslav rock group Azra...
, who supposedly burned himself as sign of protest for the Poland crisis
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
.
Bele took over the position of chief music editor of Helidon label and managed to purchase the copyrights of their debut from PGP RTB, so the reissue came up in 1981. The band's activity slowly diminished in mid-1980s, after the album "Nevino srce". They never officially broke up though, and their "comeback" album Noć was released more than 10 years later, in 1995. Regathering of the band for an Ex-Yugoslavian tour is announced for the second half of 2006.
Discography
- Pljuni istini u oči (Spit the Truth into Eyes), PGP RTB, (1975)
- Zabranjeno plakatirati (No placateering), Helidon, (1977)
- Živi bili pa vidjeli (soundtrack), Helidon, (1979)
- Izlog jeftinih slatkiša (Shop Window of Cheap Sweets), Helidon, (1980)
- Rok end roul-Olstars bend (Rock and Roll All Stars Band), EP, Helidon (1981)
- Ako ste slobodni večeras (If You're Available Tonight) live, Helidon (1982)
- Nevino srce (Innocent Heart) Helidon (1983)
- Nova vremena (New Times) Helidon (compilation, 1989)
- Noć (Night) Helidon (1995)