Buldožer

Buldožer (Transl. Bulldozer) was a Slovenian and Yugoslav rock band formed in 1975 in Ljubljana. One of the first avant-garde acts on the Yugoslav rock scene, Buldožer were noted for their experimentation with a variety of genres, musical parodies, humorous and satirical lyrics and provocative and self-ironic imagery and public performances. They are often described as the forefathers of the Yugoslav new wave scene and are generally considered one of most prominent and influential acts of the Yugoslav rock scene in general. The first lineup of Buldožer featured guitarist and vocalist Boris Bele, vocalist Marko Brecelj (who had already gained attention of the public as singer-songwriter), keyboardist Borut Činč, bass guitarist Andrej Veble, guitarist Uroš Lovšin and drummer Štefan Jež. The group's debut album Pljuni istini u oči, released in 1975, was a commercial and critical success. Appearing on the progressive- and jazz rock-dominated Yugoslav scene, Pljuni istini u oči attracted the attention of the Yugoslav public and music press with band's unusual sound, madcap humor and subtle provocation. Following the band's second studio album, Zabranjeno plakatirati, featuring similar dark humor and sarcastic lyrics as the band's debut, Brecelj left the band, dedicating himself to his solo career. The group was joined by guitarist and writer Davor Slamnig, Bele taking over the role of the group's lead vocalist. During the following years Bele and Činč would be the band's main creative force. After mini soundtrack album Živi bili pa vidjeli (recorded with Brecelj, but released after his departure), Buldožer released the 1980 album Izlog jeftinih slatkiša, keeping up with their earlier humorous and satirical lyrics, but moving towards simpler sound and joining in on the vibrant Yugoslav new wave scene. After a rock and roll revival mini album and a live album, both well received by the public and music critics, the band recorded their last 1980s release, the 1983 album Nevino srce, which was followed by a long hiatus. The group reunited at the beginning of 1990s, releasing their comeback album Noć in 1995. They disbanded at the end of the decade, making another reunion in 2006, for a series of concerts in former Yugoslav region. The band's beginnings can be tracked back to early 1970s and the progressive rock band Sedem Svetlobnih Let (Seven Light Years), formed by guitarist and vocalist Boris Bele, keyboardist Borut Činč, bass guitarist Andrej Veble (formerly of the band Homemakers), guitarist Dušan Žiberna (who would later become a member of Pankrti), drummer Jani Tutta and vocalist Andrej Trobentar (who would later become the leader of Na Lepem Prijazni). Despite not having frequent live performances, the band held intensive rehearsals, working on their songs which were similar in style to later works of Buldožer. They gained attention of the Yugoslav public with their appearance at the 1974 edition of the BOOM Festival, their song "Krinko raskrinkaj" ("Unmask the Mask") appearing on the various artists live album Boom Pop Festival Ljubljana '74 recorded at the event. Soon, the band started to collaborate with singer-songwriter Marko Brecelj, but without larger ambitions. Brecelj, a former member of the band Krik (Scream), had already released a solo album, entitled Cocktail, in 1974, which brought an unusual combination of avant-garde and schlager music, with Brecelj's compositions arranged by composer Bojan Adamič and performed by RTV Ljubljana Dance Orchestra. Sedem Svedlobnih Let members had made a guest appearance on the album, playing on the song "Hiškar Rogač". Following the album release, Brecelj had a song of his accepted for competition at the 1975 Opatija Festival. However, after he started working with Sedem Svetlobnih Let, he realized his appearance at a pop music festival would be pointless, so he suggested to Bele to appear with him on the festival only to provoke the public. The two made several scandals at the festival and, as result, did not enter the festival's finals. In March 1975, Brecelj, Bele, Činč and Veble were joined by guitarist Uroš Lovšin and drummer Štefan Jež, the six starting to perform under the name Buldožer. They chose the name on the suggestion of Bele, who got inspiration from a work by poet and long-time friend of the band Ivan "Feo" Volarič. The band had their first notable performance at the 1975 edition of BOOM Festival, held in Zagreb on 31 May. On the event they were spotted and offered a contract by the executives of the country's biggest record label, Zagreb-based Jugoton. However, the band opted to sign a contract with Jugoton's main competitor, Belgrade-based PGP-RTB, believing their humor would be met with good reception in the Yugoslav republic of Serbia. The band started to record their debut album in August 1975 in Ljubljana's Akademik studio. The record was produced by the band members themselves with the help of music journalist Dražen Vrdoljak. The album, entitled Pljuni istini u oči (Spit into the Eyes of Truth), was released in December the same year. Opening with a sketch about a man looking for a convenient place to commit a suicide, the album brought a number of unusual songs, like "Yes My Baby No", "Ljubav na prvi krevet" ("Love at First Bed"), "Blues gnjus" and "Život, to je feferon" ("Life Is a Chili Pepper"), with references to and parodies of songs by Yugoslav pop singers. The magazine-like album cover, inspired by the cover of Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick, featured the band's madcap texts and increased the public's interest for the band. The initial number of copies was soon sold out. However, despite large interest of the public, PGP-RTB delayed reissuing the album, as some songs and certain details of the cover were perceived as overly provocative; the most provocative aspect of the album was piece of the album cover which featured a combination of cynical text with a childhood photograph of Činč, in which he, dressed in Yugoslav pioneer uniform, plays the accordion under a photograph of Yugoslav president for life Josip Broz Tito. The country's most notable music magazine Džuboks published a review of Pljuni istini u oči by writer Momo Kapor, who praised the album, concluding: "Don't blame the mirror if you're ugly!" Despite large interest of the public and positive reactions coming from the music press, most of the country's media ignored the band. During 1976, they gradually gained media attention with frequent live performances. Initially, the band was better accepted in Yugoslav republics of Serbia and Croatia then in their home republic of Slovenia, where they often faced cancellations of their concerts. Brecelj gained the attention of the public with his on-stage eccentricities, like unusual monologues, acrobatics, going out on stage in a wheelchair, and setting his hair and beard on fire. The Yugoslav music press compared the band's performances to the freak scene and the works of Frank Zappa, but the band dissented from the comparison, describing themselves as "a typical folk-pop ensemble from Slovenia" and "eine tipische export artikel aus Slowenien" (German for "a typical export article from Slovenia"). The band released a humorous press kit, including photographs entitled "Mama z dojenčkom" ("Mother with a Baby"), featuring Bele breastfeeding Brecelj, and "Pas je čovekov najbolji prijatelj" ("Dog is a Man's Best Friend"), featuring Bele walking Brecelj on a leash. The band's promotional posters featured a photograph originally entitled "Novo dupe naše grupe" ("Our Group's New Ass"), featuring a posterior with a cigarette between the cheeks among the faces of band members. New attention of the media led to large interest of the Slovenian public, and in June 1976 Buldožer held a sold-out concert in Ljubljana's Tivoli Hall, becoming the first Slovenian band to sell out the venue. The concert was entitled Povratak otkazanih (The Return of the Cancelled) in reference to