Every time I return from my sailing adventures and happily start re-arranging, dusting and checking out my books collection, there is one particular book that means a world to me and I hold it in my hands like its made of gold. I actually went so far to have it re-furnished again with a help of book-binder who sewed pages that were falling out. It is long out of print and the only book I wish to have with me on deserted island.
I had discovered it at some point in my local library (Krvavi most,Zagreb) filed under several volumes about music. Back than there were not as many books about music as today, mostly some encyclopedias translated from foreign languages.And lo and behold, suddenly I discovered this wonderful,large book titled "Bolja prošlost" ("The Better Past?") by journalist Petar Luković that was exclusively focused on pop music of Ex-Yu and how it grew,changed, metamorphosed and slowly integrated into society hat was slowly recovering from WW2 and was suspicious towards anything that came from the "rotten west". Luković had this brilliant idea to present half a century of popular music trough some 40+ chapters with most visible artists from different backgrounds, starting from very early ones who started right after WW2 and ending the story in 1989. when the book was published.
It was such a staggeringly brilliant idea that I adored it back than and still do, this is kind of book I would write myself simply for the pleasure and joy of writing.
Than, something very ugly happened. It is mostly forgotten now, but at the beginning of our war, people became very sensitive towards anything that came from Serbia - I was working as DJ on the radio and was forbidden to play any serbian artists, for example - public libraries suddenly removed anything that was printed or published in Serbia from their shelves. My beloved "Bolja prošlost" was nowhere to be found. I asked for it,of course, searched and was rebuffed - all those mousy little ladies in libraries behaved like they would end in prison if they tell me what happened with serbian books. (I suspected they locked them in some basements and cursed myself for not simply stealing "Bolja prošlost" when I had a chance).Tons of books printed in Serbia disappeared from the shelves, including those I used for my studies (history, WW1 and such, nothing really dangerous or threatening) in fact, than current media hysteria was far more dangerous than collection of poetry by serbian poets, to be honest. O.K. so I couldn't fight the windmills and let it at that. In retrospective, it was maybe better that way since I moved and changed address so many times that all my collections were lost and left somewhere behind, including my treasured LP collection.
Fast forward to a next decade: I was living in Amsterdam and thanks to internet found out about than-new encyclopedia of Ex Yu Rock music written by Petar Janjatović and was intrigued enough to order it directly for him, instead paying some on-line shops. His book was very informative and covered a lot but its nature meant that he was focused exclusively on Rock music and I could not forget all the musicians who came before that, so I gently inquired are there any copies of "Bolja prošlost" in second-hand bookshops of Belgrade. As author of his own book, Janjatović could simply ignore my question but he recognized music fan and sent me copy of "Bolja prošlost" right to my Amsterdam's address. To this day I am so grateful to him that from time to time I think about sending him some gift as expression of my gratitude.
Every time I open "Bolja prošlost" I am reading it like for the very first time. There are simply so many stories about first jazz musicians who played music strictly forbidden by communist regime, how they eagerly watched rare US movies and memorized music so they could play it later. Than interviews with very first stars of pop music in than new country - Ivo Robić who was hanging out with Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole but at home would be summoned in the middle of the night to sing for president Tito.
Orchestra leaders like Bojan Adamič who was one of the first who played Jazz and simultaneously brought thousands to his concerts and dangerous criticism from Communist Party who attacked him in media for playing "US propaganda trash". Predrag Cune Gojković who had the first best selling record in a country that didn't even had so many record players. Đorđe Marjanović and Vice Vukov, clash of pop music giants. Our very first female superstar Lola Novaković who had media on her trails all the time.People like Nikica Kalogjera and Stjepan Mihaljinec who helped to built our own glamourous pop festivals as platforms where new stars were catapulted. Young Gabi Novak who sang in a TV cartoon and was immediately invited to perform with country's biggest Jazz band.
Arsen Dedić writing lyrics for pop songs under pseudonym because he was embarrassed for dabbling into something so trivial. Father of Tereza Kesovija selling a pig to buy her a flute, instrument that would eventually lead her to singing in "Olympia". Beautiful Majda Sepe who saw herself as some kind of slovenian Doris Day.
Karlo Metikoš who was ignored at home and than welcomed as a hero once he became rock star in France....
All these singers share same enthusiasm and great memories for the time when pop music was still innocent and full of enthusiasm. Than money and politics started to creep in. Radmila Karaklajić basically got blacklisted, accused of buying votes on traveling pop festival. Miki Jevremović accused of plagiarism. Olivera Katarina going from being the biggest star in a country to forgotten and ignored by media. The rivalry between "new folk" stars Lepa Lukić and Silvana Armenulić.
Emergence of new rock stars, managers and big money.Occasional interesting story like Mišo Kovač refusing to sing for nationalistic emigrants in US or Lepa Brena giving away all the funds of her concerts to help building a new hospital. As the book progresses and reaches end of 1980s, managers and producers completely take over and materialism replaced previous love for music - even more dangerously, recording companies are pushing banal material that "people love" which means urban, schooled and educated composers and performers are pushed aside, while novelty acts of dubious quality rule radio waves and therefore create new standards. The book ends in 1989. but I could easily imagine a sequel that would cover the next two decades and gradual decline of music culture as such - today its all a gimmick, short-lived TV exposure, choreography and scandals - nostalgic and ironic title "The better past?" points that even though it was hard to be musician way back, it still had a certain dignity completely lost today.
LOTS of beautiful, rare photographs from private collections: elegant dresses on pop festivals of 1960s, our singers touring SSSR in 1970s, very first photograph of Karlo Metikoš and Josipa Lisac together, camaraderie behind the stages, Zdravko Čolić in army uniform (than again,hanging around with Đorđe Balašević who is also pictured while in a group with Bora Đorđević) .... it is the most exciting and complete work about popular music of some 40+ years in Ex Yu and I take my hat off to its author.
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