A Word About the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock
Having written a blog post one on of the most influential former Yugoslav rock bands, it's important to highlight the so-called "body" of former Yugoslav music - the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock.
What is this School of Pop Rock?
It's not a "school," you would find at a college. Rather, it's a commonly known body of artists from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (back then Yugoslavia) that shaped the music of the nation and helped put Sarajevo on the map as the hub of the music scene in the former Yugoslavia.
As Toronto was to Canada and Los Angeles and New York City were to the US, Sarajevo is considered the birthplace of many highly popular bands (a few of which I've even covered in earlier posts). It has been around from the early 1960s until the early 1990s (i.e. when the Yugoslav wars broke out).
It started with Indexi
The Sarajevo School of Pop Rock's beginnings are rooted back to the early 1960s with teh formation of Indexi. Being pioneers of prog/psychadelic rock in the nation, they laid down the foundation for many future bands not to mention being influenced by some bands that later bands would be influenced by such as the Beatles.
In the 1970s, the School continued. The most prominent of the bands was the Goran Bregovich-led band Bijelo Dugme (White Button), who hit their peak in the mid to late 1970s. They were idolized by much of the nation's youth at the time.
Punk didn't make it stop.
As the 70s came to an end, and punk music was all the rage in London and NYC, Yugoslavia still had a steady rock scene. Many older bands broke away from their original, progressive styles, and began incorporating a modern pop sound that enticed a younger generation.
On the other side of the spectrum, newer bands quickly developed a punky/new wavey sound such as Jura Stublich and Film and Azra. Some of these bands continued into the 80s with a more pop-oriented sound of the day.
Enter New Primitivism
As the 70s became the 80s, a new form of movement was budding in the nation - the New Primitives Movement. Followers of this movement adopted a pop sound influenced by 60s rock such as the Beatles with romance-based lyrical themes.
Some of the members of this movement include: Plavi Orkestar (The Blue Orchestra), Crvena Jabuka (The Red Apple), and Zabranjeno Pushenje (No Smoking) among others.
The School's End
In the 90s, the ongoing wars put many bands' careers on hold, while other long timers, such as Bijelo Dugme, elected to disband. Jugoton, a prominent record label of the day, changed its name to Croatia Records in 1991 and eventually reissued many of the popular albums from the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock days.
Today, many artists from the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock get rotation on radio stations across the former states, and their popular music videos are regularly being shown. Furthermore, a tribute Ex-Yu channel, Jugoton, was created showing videos and live footage from many popular bands of the day.
What is this School of Pop Rock?
It's not a "school," you would find at a college. Rather, it's a commonly known body of artists from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (back then Yugoslavia) that shaped the music of the nation and helped put Sarajevo on the map as the hub of the music scene in the former Yugoslavia.
As Toronto was to Canada and Los Angeles and New York City were to the US, Sarajevo is considered the birthplace of many highly popular bands (a few of which I've even covered in earlier posts). It has been around from the early 1960s until the early 1990s (i.e. when the Yugoslav wars broke out).
It started with Indexi
The Sarajevo School of Pop Rock's beginnings are rooted back to the early 1960s with teh formation of Indexi. Being pioneers of prog/psychadelic rock in the nation, they laid down the foundation for many future bands not to mention being influenced by some bands that later bands would be influenced by such as the Beatles.
In the 1970s, the School continued. The most prominent of the bands was the Goran Bregovich-led band Bijelo Dugme (White Button), who hit their peak in the mid to late 1970s. They were idolized by much of the nation's youth at the time.
Punk didn't make it stop.
As the 70s came to an end, and punk music was all the rage in London and NYC, Yugoslavia still had a steady rock scene. Many older bands broke away from their original, progressive styles, and began incorporating a modern pop sound that enticed a younger generation.
On the other side of the spectrum, newer bands quickly developed a punky/new wavey sound such as Jura Stublich and Film and Azra. Some of these bands continued into the 80s with a more pop-oriented sound of the day.
Enter New Primitivism
As the 70s became the 80s, a new form of movement was budding in the nation - the New Primitives Movement. Followers of this movement adopted a pop sound influenced by 60s rock such as the Beatles with romance-based lyrical themes.
Some of the members of this movement include: Plavi Orkestar (The Blue Orchestra), Crvena Jabuka (The Red Apple), and Zabranjeno Pushenje (No Smoking) among others.
The School's End
In the 90s, the ongoing wars put many bands' careers on hold, while other long timers, such as Bijelo Dugme, elected to disband. Jugoton, a prominent record label of the day, changed its name to Croatia Records in 1991 and eventually reissued many of the popular albums from the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock days.
Today, many artists from the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock get rotation on radio stations across the former states, and their popular music videos are regularly being shown. Furthermore, a tribute Ex-Yu channel, Jugoton, was created showing videos and live footage from many popular bands of the day.
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