"Ljiljana Petrović" (1962)

Holy Grail for Eurovision fans and collectors, this little 8-songs EP recording must be one of the rarest and most precious albums connected with famous festival - it was the very first time Yugoslavia ever joined as participant on this highly publicised music spectacle, the song climbed to respectable eight place and strangest of all, when Belgrade's PGP RTB ‎finally got around to release the album (next year!) they were so new at it that they never even advertised it as Eurovision song, which became standard procedure everywhere else around the Europe, where sticker with "Eurovision!" would help the sales.

Young and practically unknown Ljiljana Petrović (not to be confused with Gypsy singer with the same name) was practically pulled out of obscurity by famous composer and arranger Jože Privšek who have heard her voice by chance, when girl was recording her very first studio track and he insisted this is the voice he needs for upcoming Eurovision festival (he was composing the song). Eventually that particular song was chosen during the national pre-selection and young Petrović was packed off to Cannes where her youth and decidedly unglamorous, simple appearance were sensation amongst media - she was the first ever participant coming from Eastern Europe which at that time was still known as "behind Iron Curtain". To be honest, "Neke davne zvezde" sounds very much like any other standard ballad of the time and the whole hoopla was simply because TV audiences were pleasantly surprised with novelty of such exotic participant. But it served to break the ice and the very next year, much more experienced Lola Novaković placed fourth.

Even though this was a historical break into Eurovision and the very first time some artists from Yugoslavia had such huge multi-millioned audience, neither Petrović or Novaković actually got much support at home, very probably because local homegrown recording companies were still unaware what Eurovision actually means for record sales. Where song by Novaković was never even released as a single, young Petrović at least got her own album, because of famous composer prominence - the resulting album (released very much after the fact, next year) was a pretty combination of current international pop hits and original material, arranged and produced by Privšek who wrapped everything in the highly polished, sophisticated cellophane.