Music: "Najveci uspjesi 1968-73" by Josipa Lisac

Contrary to popular myth that Croatian jazz-rock legend Josipa Lisac was "born" upon meeting composer Karlo Metikoš who went on to become her Svengali, this excellent compilation suggest she was already a top-class singer at the very beginning of her career and would have probably made it with or without him anyway. Lisac herself affectionately dates start of their collaboration and relationship as point when everything started, however this is not entirely correct.

With few exceptions, LP albums that "Jugoton" released at the dawn of 1970s were generally compilations of singles - this particular album was probably what initially they had in mind when Metikoš diverted them with completely new material that eventually became celebrated debut "Dnevnik jedne ljubavi". It was all-star rock extravaganza that instantly placed Lisac in a different place and distanced her from schlager contemporaries, from now on audiences would never associate her with other easy-listening girl singers but this is where, in fact, she had started. Like everybody else at the times, Lisac had to go trough apprenticeship of than hugely popular music festivals that had specific firm rules of how artists should look, sound and behave. Sticking out like sore thumb amongst this competition was eighteen year old schoolgirl with presence and confidence who apparently had different idea of what material she wanted to sing - comparisons are inevitable and illuminating since majority of contemporary artists eventually succumbed to pressure but Lisac always preferred complicated repertoire that generally avoided commercial route.

These first several years are beautifully documented here on this compilation - her first collaborators are all exceptionally gifted composers like Arsen Dedić or Zdenko Runjić and even if these singles were heavily orchestrated, typical festival schlagers that on the surface don't appear much different from what was being recorded at the time, they surely did stand out head and shoulders above contemporary competition by the sheer power and imaginativeness of young vocalist who must have been painfully aware how out of place she is on these events. Not only that songs like "Oluja" and "Život moj" used inventive arrangements and supersonic vocals but they in a way ushered rock on these festival stages, hidden like in a Trojan horse. It probably didn't pay off when it came to record sales but it garnered her huge respect (and criticism, simultaneously), no doubt lots of audiences were confused and alarmed with somebody so obviously unrepentant. Personally I have always found this compilation by far the most fascinating of all her albums since it shows metamorphoses and transformations of spectacular voice trough different collaborations and when towards the end Metikoš steps in ("Dok razmišljam o nama", "Na,na,na,na") its clear that kindred spirits have found each other. If you ever wondered how would Lisac sound collaborating with other composers, this is the place.