This completely forgotten and obscure little gem haunted me since the first day I heard it and the fact that it didn't make even a ripple upon its release makes it somehow even more interesting. Its one of those records that just fell trough the cracks and were lost in the time, until somebody like me unearths it decades later and cherish them for what they are, forgotten little jewels.
Even the cover is mysterious: as was the trend back than, it is a fairly generic "Jugoton" cover with a title "FIRST RECORDING" which apparently was idea that never caught on, probably to promote new talents. Out of some amateur contest, competition or who knows what cosmic accident, came bespectacled singer who had no looks, tits, hips or anything that might sell - the only thing she had was a voice. And she pours her little heart out on two lovelorn ballads, really sining like a dream, once you hear her, its actually quite impossible to forget Janja Strmac. Unfortunately for her, the bigwigs at "Jugoton" were not expert businessmen they probably thought they were so they lacked promotional ideas how to sell this new artist and what to do with her - it also has to do something with popular music being still at its early stages and suffering from middle class perception that it has to be "sophisticated" (hence, not really fun) so young girl was not being given something catchy or bouncy or even memorable, but she was saddled with two moody jazz ballads that have absolutely nothing in common with 1964 (year of The Beatles, beat, mods, Vespa, San Remo, Mina and youth culture) but hark back at previous decade. Both sides were arranged by talented Jazz musicians and conductor is no other than great Miljenko Prohaska so we should judge this little gem not as a pop but as a Jazz recording, it works brilliantly as such, its just a pity that poor girl didn't make it or get the second chance.
Side A is of course, Croatian cover of a great R&B standard "I Don't Want To Cry Anymore" that probably started life as 1945. recording by now forgotten Jim Wynn And His Bobalibans and was later covered enough times to became beloved Jazz standard. It is a beautiful song no matter who performs it and for some reason I always associate it with Dinah Washington though Strmac has nothing of her earthiness - the version here is a young, sensitive teenage schoolgirl. Side B could have been one of the countless ballads that used to be performed on popular festivals at the time (Zagreb, Opatija, etc) and in fact the writing tandem Marija Radić/Tona Adnim created quite impressive body of work exactly on these stages. Both songs have nice little trumpet solo and come as perfect example of orchestrated jazzy sound that gently framed this unknown young girl's voice - she does sound very, very good I must admit. And on top of everything, the single ("FIRST RECORDING") went nowhere, public never really got a chance to warm up to Janja Strmac (who could have been our own Nana Mouskouri) and it all fizzled away without a trace. Luckily, there are such things as music archives where yours truly lives and digs until one day Janja Strmac comes out of the dusty corners, shining under the cobwebs. Check her out, you will be surprised.
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