Shoulder to shoulder with Arsen Dedić and Hrvoje Hegedušić, Zvonko Špišić created the soundscape of homegrown chanson - each of them had to go trough slightly embarrassing pop apprenticeship before they discovered their own, distinctive voice and even though sometimes it looks as everything was fight with the windmills (going against the mainstream) their music is still lovely and timeless as ever. Dedić might have been more prolific but each of them was also quite successful as composer, Špišić for example might not have been commercial singer himself but he composed several massive hits for others ("Suza Za Zagorske Brege", "Zvona Moga Grada", "Barbara", "Dobra Veče, Uzorita", "Dalmatinska Elegija") so his music was fairly popular, even if he was not upfront himself.
This early 1970s came out at the time when Jugoton just started releasing full blown LP albums of their biggest stars - mainly artists who already had some back catalogue from 1960s and now re-recorded old songs in stereo. Interestingly, Špišić sidestepped lightweight pop from earlier singles and focused on serious repertoire, mostly composed by himself and with lyrics of people like Vesna Parun. It is a breathtakingly beautiful album, full of poetry and introspective songs, almost little music dramas with interesting characters ("Kockar", "Trešnjevačka Balada") and unforgettable images ("Vrata Ruža"). Even though he was not what you would call pop singer, these songs were often played on the radio and to some extent he represented urban sound that appealed to literate audiences who would actually visit concerts, theatres and exhibitions. I have met the man during my early years as a journalist and he was a perfect gentleman, his music still etched in my heart after all these years. Beautifully orchestrated and performed, this is the peak of our chanson.
P.S. By some strange coincidence, I wrote this review on a day that wold have been his birthday!
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