Mišo Kovač - debut single (1964)

The series "FIRST RECORDING" did not last long - the idea, commendable as it was, went on for exactly two years and out of the eight names that "Jugoton" introduced, nobody really caught on with a public. Except this young upholsterer from Šibenik and even he will have to wait until the end of the decade to finally get wide recognition. Producer Pero Gotovac wrote interesting liner notes, convincing potential buyers that this young singer might be worth their attention and quoting all the amateur contests where Mišo Kovač performed until this point, but curiously noticing also a certain rough edge and infatuation with foreign idols that he hoped will soften with time. Prophetically, it will all come true and indeed Kovač will find his voice only when he sheds the influences of artists he had listened as a young man. 

Both sides of this debut single were Croatian covers of international hits - side A was "I Can't Stop Loving You"  and side B Italian ballad "Tu Che Sai Di Primavera"  though to be fair, young singer absolutely hold his own and the sheer intensity of his singing might be closer to than still-unknown Tom Jones than to anybody from San Remo pop festival. Jazz cat Bojan Hohnjec (husband of Rajka Vali) arranged both covers in a fine, generic and pedestrian but perfunctory style that failed to raise any genuine interest at the time. This is not so much fault of producer, arranger or even young singer himself as much as the atmosphere on a homegrown music scene that lacked original material - large amount of pop recordings were covers and there is just so much an unknown can do with a cover. The best we can say about this recording is that young Kovač had a strong, booming voice from the start and even if professionals at the time considered it to be a little bit rough, later it served him just fine - it will take a few years until he finds the right material and a composer who will tailor songs specifically for him, but once everything klick, he will be unstoppable.