"Cementna Prašina" by Stijene (1981)

Croatian rock band Stijene might have been a brainchild of leader/composer Marin Limić but more importantly, it served as a showcase for the awesome powerhouse female vocalists who one after another stole the spotlight - each of these girls had a specific, strong voice that could soar above rock guitars, they kind of sound alike and all of them had to follow in the footsteps of the first vocalist, mighty Zorica Kondža. Even though I understand this was guy's band, Limić wrote most of the material and there had to be some yīn and yáng energy going on, if you ask me, Stijene was all about Kondža - her voice commanded attention, it was instantly recognisable and seemingly there was no limits to where she could go. She might have been inspired by Janis Joplin (a subject of a 1982. hit single for the band) but this was still an individual, distinctive sound that separated her from the rest of the competition and Kondža was so important for the band that after her exit they never really recovered. Valiantly they soldiered on with one after another excellent girl singers but the success was elusive. 

Initially, I have dismissed their debut "Cementna Prašina" as pretentious, meandering prog-rock that did nothing for the band and resulted in no hits. And than, just to contradict myself, yesterday I listened it again and found it was excellent, creative and interesting because less known material now sounds fresher than hits. Yes, the sound here is deeply rooted in 1970s rock and it does kind of reflects that guys were looking backwards instead of forward, but that is part of its charm and there is a certain spirit of youthful energy and enthusiasm present here that has not been compromised by demands of industry. Even if they meander a bit, guys are fiery and determined to conquer the world - it helps that girl singer understands what they are trying to do and she perfectly embodies rebellious spirit, where somebody else might have spoiled the effect with soft touch. Back in the day, there was one particular rock ballad that got radio attention - "Ja Sam More, Ti Si Rijeka"  which is kind of re-write of their first big hit, classic "Sve Je Neobično Ako Te Volim"  and it was clear from the start that Kondža was the band. The debut was not commercial and yielded no big hits but it  did served a purpose of introducing the band to wider audiences and very next year they will come up with their most perfect work. I found that it sounds surprisingly good because these songs are not overplayed.