Piloti

Piloti (Serbian Cyrillic: Пилоти, trans. The Pilots) is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1980. Led by vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić, Piloti initially immersed in the Yugoslav new wave scene, and later moved towards mainstream pop rock sound, becoming one of the leading pop rock acts on the late 1980s and early 1990s Yugoslav rock scene. Formed by Zoran Lesendrić (vocals, guitar), Dragan Andrić (bass guitar), Goran Bogićević (guitar) and Nenad Antanasijević (drums), Piloti released their self-titled debut in 1981, achieving large mainstream popularity. Their second studio album Dvadeset godina, released in 1982, featured similar new wave sound. Upon completing the recording of their third album, Piloti went on hiatus, the recorded material ending up unreleased. Lesendrić reformed the band in 1984, the group turning towards more commercial sound, achieving nationwide success with their late 1980s and early 1990s releases. Piloti disbanded in 1997, making a brief reunion in 1998. Following the release of his first solo album in 2008, Lesendrić reformed Piloti once again. The group has released three studio albums since under the name Kiki Lesendrić & Piloti Piloti were formed in September 1980, by former members of Kako (How), a melodic hard rock band whose greatest claim to fame was appearing as one of the opening acts for Bijelo Dugme on their 1979 concert at the Belgrade JNA stadium. The original lineup of Piloti featured Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić (vocals, guitar), Dragan Andrić "Andra" (bass guitar), Goran Bogićević (guitar) and Nenad Antanasijević (drums), the latter formerly playing with the bands Butik (Boutique) and Lift. During the initial phase of their career, the band appeared on stage wearing uniforms belonging to Bogićević's deceased father, who was a pilot for JAT and died in a plane crash less than a year after Bogićević was born. Years later, Bogićević followed in his father's footsteps and became a civilian pilot himself. In early 1981, Piloti, alongside other Belgrade bands, performed on a festival in Zagreb entitled Pozdrav iz Beograda (Greetings from Belgrade). On the event, they were spotted by the manager of Austrian musician Falco. He considered either Piloti or Šarlo Akrobata as an opening act for Falco on his upcoming tour, eventually opting for Piloti. Falco, Piloti, West German band Ideal and French band Niagara embarked on a 40-date tour across Austria, France and Switzerland, and on two concerts the four acts were joined by West German punk rock band Big Balls and the Great White Idiot. In May 1981, Piloti competed at the Subotica Youth Festival, but, despite qualifying, did not appear in the festival's finals, as Bogićević, at the time still a high school student, had to return to Belgrade in order to fix his grades. The band soon gained a loyal fanbase owing to their frequent club performances, mod revival-inspired songs and modern ska sound, their popularity leading to a recording contract with PGP-RTB record label. The band's eponymous debut album was released in September 1981. The album was produced by former Generacija 5 guitarist Dragan Jovanović. All of the tracks were written by Lesendrić, with the exception of lyrics for "Imam diplomu" ("I've Got a Degree"), "Svi smo mi ponekad anđeli" ("We're All Angels Sometimes") and "Veseli momci" ("Jolly Boys"), co-written by Lesendrić and Goran Bogićević, the lyrics dealing with life and dilemmas of Yugoslav city youth. The song "Beogradske klinke" ("Belgrade Girls"), originally recorded for the album, on the insistent of the record label editors appeared on promo single only, due to the mention of irregular menstruation in the lyrics. The songs "Imam diplomu", "Svi smo mi ponekad anđeli", "Ne veruj u idole" ("Don't Believe in Idols") and "Novo odelo" ("New Suit") became hits and provided the band with large attention of Yugoslav media. The album was also published under license in Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, eventually selling over 100,000 copies. Already in June 1982, the band released the followup to their debut album, entitled Dvadeset godina (Twenty Years) and produced by Saša Habić. Two weeks before the beginning of the recording sessions, Antanasijević broke his arm in a traffic accident, but still managed to play on the album recording by taping a drumstick to the broken arm. Despite bringing several minor hits, the album did not repeat the commercial success of the band's debut. The group embarked on the promotional tour, in a changed lineup. Bogićević had to leave the band due to his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav army, leaving Lesendrić as the band's only guitarist. This was followed by Antanasijević's departure; in the following decades, Antanasijević would release four albums of his ambient compositions and form the Bellum Goticum Orchestra. Upon his departure, Lesendrić and Andrić initially considered hiring veteran drummer Dragoljub Đuričić of the recently-disbanded YU Grupa, but eventually opted for Zoran Obradović "Ćera", formerly of Artisti i Modeli (Artists and Models). In December 1982, the band started working on their third album, with the working title Zvuci civilizacije (Sounds of Civilization). The band recorded the album in Enco Lesić's studio, spending over 600 hours working on the material. However, upon the end of the recording sessions, Lesendrić was drafted to serve his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav army, with Bogićević and Obradović being drafted soon after. Thus, the band went on a hiatus and the recorded material was never released. Piloti re-assembled during the late 1984, in the lineup featuring Kiki Lesendrić, Goran Bogićević, Zoran Obradović and two new members, brothers Dejan (bass guitar) and Darko Grujić (keyboards), the two previously playing with the band Braća (Brothers). In early 1985, Piloti had several performances at festivals and charity concerts and a number of concerts in the Yugoslav republic of Slovenia. The demo recording of their new song "Kada sanjamo" ("When We Dream") saw large airplay on Yugoslav radio stations, and despite the fact that their latest album had been released three years prior, the group had 58 live performances during the year. On June 15, Piloti, alongside 23 other acts, performed on the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade, on the concert which was a part of YU Rock Misija, a Yugoslav contribution to Live Aid. In the summer of 1986, the band recorded their third album Kao ptica na mom dlanu (Like a Bird on My Palm) with Dušan "Šane" Petrović as the producer. However, after the recording, Lesendrić dissolved the linuep which recorded the album, deciding to keep only Obradović as a member of the band. They were joined by guitarists Safet "Saja" Petrovac and Milivoje "Miško Plavi" Petrović. Although he gained prominence as the guitarist in the bands VIA Talas, D' Boys and Fantazija (Fantasy), in Piloti Petrović played bass guitar. Kao ptica na mom dlanu was released with a one year-delay, in June 1987. The album presented the band's new, pop rock style, followed by their shift from social commentary of their new wave works towards love songs. The album brought large mainstream popularity to the band, with "Kada sanjamo", "Rekla je da u mojoj glavi čuje gitare i bubjeve" ("She Said She Heard Guitars and Drums in My Head"), "Iza oblaka" ("Beyond the Clouds") and the title track becoming large hits. The follow-up promotional tour was marked by an incident. On 3 July, Piloti played a festival at Split Riva. The group performed after Split glam metal band Osmi Putnik, and the audience threw various objects towards Piloti members throughout their whole performance. At one point, Lesendrić was hit in the head with a bottle, the concert was interrupted, and he ended up in hospital. At the time of Kao ptica na mom dlanu release, Lesendrić started working as a songwriter for a number of popular Yugoslav singers, and a number of his songs written