Amajlija
Encyclopedia
Amajlija is a Serbia
n and former Yugoslav rock
band.
) and Predrag "Čole" Čoka (drums
), all three being 'Oćeš-Nećeš members, with Slobodan "Veća" Većalkov (solo guitar
) and Tomislav "Čvaja" Milei (rhythm guitar
). At first the band performed cover versions by acts such as The Rolling Stones
, Riblja Čorba
and Azra
, and slowly prepared their own material. The band had rehearsals at the Zlatibor construction firm, where, in late 1979, they had their debut live appearance, and earned the first payment performing at a party organized by the union of the deaf people.
During 1980 the band rehearsed intensely, and occasionally performed at elementary school
s. During the same year, the band was joined by Petar "Pera Gumeni" Krsić, who had the reputation of a showman, and the new lineup, on the invitation by Radio Novi Sad producer Jovan Adamov, recorded four demo songs. The following year, the band performed at the Subotica
Youth Festival. Before the band went on hiatus, as the members went to serve the Yugoslav People's Army
, the band had another lineup change as the new members became Zoran Bojčevski (bass guitar) and Vojislav "Voja Ušar" Vilić (solo guitar).
The band reunited in 1985, this time featuring Banjac on vocals and rhythm guitar and Većalkov switched to bass guitar. At a studio in Bukovac
the band recorded material consisting of ten songs, intending to release them, which did not happen due to the low quality of the recordings. During the same year, the band performed as an opening act on the Bajaga i Instruktori
Yugoslav tour. Due to the positive reaction by the audience and Bajaga i Instruktori themselves, the band also performed on the Jahači magle tour, during which, due to a quarrel, the band disbanded.
On June 1987, Banjac, as guitarist and vocalist, reformed Amajlija with bassist Zoran "Gera" Gerić and drummer Zoran "Petrija" Petrić. Owing to the band manager Dragan Veljkovski, the band performed as an opening act on the Vojvodina
tours of the bands Film, Kerber
and Griva
. At the time, the band wrote their first hit songs, "Požuri druže" and "Dobar drug", recorded at the Bukovac Barbaro studio by Banjac, who previously dissolved the current Amajlija lineup, with guitarist Zoran "Anka" Ančić and sound engineer Milan Ćirić, a former Čista Proza
member.
The band released their debut album Samo ti (Only You) in 1989 through Diskoton
. The album was produced by Aničić. The band, now consisting of Petar Krstić (vocals), Bogoljub Banjac (guitar), Zoran Aničić (guitar), Slobodan Većkalov (bass guitar), Dejan Starčević (keyboard) and Julije Dondo (drums), promoted the album, mainly on television and radio appearances. Aničić also produced the band's following album Zašto si tako blesava i luda (Why Are You so Weird and Crazy) which was released in 1990 through PGP-RTB
. Since Aničić decided to devote himself completely to a career as a producer, Većkalov switched to playing guitar, and the new bassist became the former Arena member Zoran "Zobma" Marjanović. While previous Amajlija album was mostly hard rock
-oriented, Zašto si tako blesava i luda presented the band in a melodic pop rock
sound, with the songs "To je bio dan", "Čeznem da te zeznem", and "Veruj u ljubav" being the album's main hits. Like on the previous album, Zašto si tako blesava i luda music was composed by Banjac who, with Predrag "Srba" Srbljanin, wrote all the lyrics. After the album release, the new band members became Miroslav "Kića" Maletič (solo guitar), and former Love Hunters
member Milan "Mićko" Ljubenković (drums)
Amajlija's third album, Vruće + hladno (Hot + Cold), was recorded in London
in 1991 by Banjac and Aničić only. On the album, Aničić played all the instruments. Andy Kershaw
appeared on the album as special guest, playing acoustic guitar
. The album brought more guitar-oriented sound than on the previous release, and the only hit from the album was the acoustic ballad "Ume biti gadno", which the band had considered not to release at all. Due to the intense live performances after the album release, including the 1992 and 1993 Gitarijada
festival in Zaječar
, Vruće + hladno became the band's greatest commercial success.
The band's fourth studio album, Čista zabava (Pure Fun) was released through PGP-RTB successor PGP-RTS
. The album, recorded with Bajaga i Instruktori member Saša Lokner on keyboards, featured an electronic music
-oriented sound, resulting negative album critics. The tracks "Dala si mi" and the cover of the Đorđe Balašević song "Prva ljubav" were distinguished as hits on the album, and, due to their frequent radio broadcasts, the band got the opportunity to perform at the Music Festival Budva. After the album release, on May 13, 1994, the band performed at the Novi Sad Danube
park handball
playground, which was one of the most successful concerts the band had throughout their career.
In 1995, with the help of Nenad "Japanac" Stefanović, the band recorded the album Nikad više kao pre (Never Again Like Before), released in 1996 and recorded at the Novi Sad Dum Dum studio, where, for the first time, all the album tracks were recorded by the band themselves. In 1996, after the album release, the band had more than seventy live appearances, mainly at the Zeppelin Club, and the Ujvideki Sinhaz theatre. The band also performed at the 1995 and 1996 Novi Sad Koncert Godine. In 1998, Većalkov left the band, being replaced by Miroslav Maletić, but, soon after, the band went on hiatus and performed occasionally only. In 1999, the band performed at the Štrand festival with Banjac's son Petar on drums for the first time.
The band continued their activity in the mid 2000s. On July 5, 2008, the band performed as an opening act for Status Quo at the Rock Bastion Festival in Novi Sad. They released their fifth studio album Prosula si sake na kimono (You Spilled Sake on Your Kimono
) in 2009 through Komuna Belgrade
. The album featured nine songs, including the rerecorded version of the song "Dobar drug", and the bonus track "Kišne kapljice", recorded with the tamburitza
orchestra Zorule.
On May 26, 2009 Amajlija performed, alongside The Answer
, as the opening act for AC/DC
on the concert held at Partizan Stadium
in Belgrade
.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n and former Yugoslav rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band.
History
The band was formed in 1979 by Bogoljub "Čombe" Banjac (vocals), Boško "Čvaja" Plaćkov (bass guitarBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Predrag "Čole" Čoka (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), all three being 'Oćeš-Nećeš members, with Slobodan "Veća" Većalkov (solo guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
) and Tomislav "Čvaja" Milei (rhythm guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
). At first the band performed cover versions by acts such as The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
and Azra
Azra
Azra was a rock band from Zagreb that was popular across Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak and Boris Leiner . The band is named after a verse from "Der Asra" by Heinrich Heine...
, and slowly prepared their own material. The band had rehearsals at the Zlatibor construction firm, where, in late 1979, they had their debut live appearance, and earned the first payment performing at a party organized by the union of the deaf people.
During 1980 the band rehearsed intensely, and occasionally performed at elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s. During the same year, the band was joined by Petar "Pera Gumeni" Krsić, who had the reputation of a showman, and the new lineup, on the invitation by Radio Novi Sad producer Jovan Adamov, recorded four demo songs. The following year, the band performed at the Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
Youth Festival. Before the band went on hiatus, as the members went to serve the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
, the band had another lineup change as the new members became Zoran Bojčevski (bass guitar) and Vojislav "Voja Ušar" Vilić (solo guitar).
The band reunited in 1985, this time featuring Banjac on vocals and rhythm guitar and Većalkov switched to bass guitar. At a studio in Bukovac
Bukovac
Bukovac is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Petrovaradin urban municipality , in the Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population is 3,595 .-The name:The name Bukovac is thought to be derived from the word for a tree - 'bukva'...
the band recorded material consisting of ten songs, intending to release them, which did not happen due to the low quality of the recordings. During the same year, the band performed as an opening act on the Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
Yugoslav tour. Due to the positive reaction by the audience and Bajaga i Instruktori themselves, the band also performed on the Jahači magle tour, during which, due to a quarrel, the band disbanded.
On June 1987, Banjac, as guitarist and vocalist, reformed Amajlija with bassist Zoran "Gera" Gerić and drummer Zoran "Petrija" Petrić. Owing to the band manager Dragan Veljkovski, the band performed as an opening act on the Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
tours of the bands Film, Kerber
Kerber
Kerber is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Niš.-1980s:The original members of Kerber were Goran Šepa "Gale" , Tomislav Nikolić , Branislav "Bane" Božinović , Zoran Stamenković and Zoran Madić . In 1981, formerly known as Top Kerber (Serbian Cyrillic: Кербер; trans. Cerberus) is a...
and Griva
Griva
Griva was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Novi Sad.-1982—1992:The band was formed in 1982 by former Ibn Tup members, Zlatko Karavla and Josip Sabo . The first lineup also featured Zoran Gogić , Laslo Novak , and Đorđe Jovanović...
. At the time, the band wrote their first hit songs, "Požuri druže" and "Dobar drug", recorded at the Bukovac Barbaro studio by Banjac, who previously dissolved the current Amajlija lineup, with guitarist Zoran "Anka" Ančić and sound engineer Milan Ćirić, a former Čista Proza
Čista Proza
Čista Proza was a former Yugoslav New Wave band from Novi Sad, founded by the well-known Serbian producer and sound engineer Milan Ćirić.- History :...
member.
The band released their debut album Samo ti (Only You) in 1989 through Diskoton
Diskoton
Diskoton was a major record label based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the former Yugoslavia. It should not be confused with another former Yugoslav record company with a similar name called Diskos....
. The album was produced by Aničić. The band, now consisting of Petar Krstić (vocals), Bogoljub Banjac (guitar), Zoran Aničić (guitar), Slobodan Većkalov (bass guitar), Dejan Starčević (keyboard) and Julije Dondo (drums), promoted the album, mainly on television and radio appearances. Aničić also produced the band's following album Zašto si tako blesava i luda (Why Are You so Weird and Crazy) which was released in 1990 through PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB was a major record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. PGP-RTB was established in 1958...
. Since Aničić decided to devote himself completely to a career as a producer, Većkalov switched to playing guitar, and the new bassist became the former Arena member Zoran "Zobma" Marjanović. While previous Amajlija album was mostly hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
-oriented, Zašto si tako blesava i luda presented the band in a melodic pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
sound, with the songs "To je bio dan", "Čeznem da te zeznem", and "Veruj u ljubav" being the album's main hits. Like on the previous album, Zašto si tako blesava i luda music was composed by Banjac who, with Predrag "Srba" Srbljanin, wrote all the lyrics. After the album release, the new band members became Miroslav "Kića" Maletič (solo guitar), and former Love Hunters
Love Hunters
-1987—2004:The band was formed in 1987 by Milan Mumin and Aleksandar Medan . The first lineup of the band also featured Lazar Malešević and Siniša Lučić . In the beginning, the band had several lineup changes, before the first consistent lineup was formed...
member Milan "Mićko" Ljubenković (drums)
Amajlija's third album, Vruće + hladno (Hot + Cold), was recorded in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1991 by Banjac and Aničić only. On the album, Aničić played all the instruments. Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw is a British broadcaster, known for his interest in world music.His shows feature a mix of country, blues, reggae, folk music, spoken word performance from the likes of Ivor Cutler, and other music from around the world.- Early Life :Kershaw and his sister, fellow broadcaster Liz...
appeared on the album as special guest, playing acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. The album brought more guitar-oriented sound than on the previous release, and the only hit from the album was the acoustic ballad "Ume biti gadno", which the band had considered not to release at all. Due to the intense live performances after the album release, including the 1992 and 1993 Gitarijada
Gitarijada
Gitarijada is a musical festival held in Zaječar, Serbia in order to promote demo bands. Held since 1969, Gitarijada is one of the longest lasting festivals in Serbia and in South Eastern Europe and the largest festival of young and unsinged bands in South Eastern Europe...
festival in Zaječar
Zajecar
Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...
, Vruće + hladno became the band's greatest commercial success.
The band's fourth studio album, Čista zabava (Pure Fun) was released through PGP-RTB successor PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1958 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
. The album, recorded with Bajaga i Instruktori member Saša Lokner on keyboards, featured an electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
-oriented sound, resulting negative album critics. The tracks "Dala si mi" and the cover of the Đorđe Balašević song "Prva ljubav" were distinguished as hits on the album, and, due to their frequent radio broadcasts, the band got the opportunity to perform at the Music Festival Budva. After the album release, on May 13, 1994, the band performed at the Novi Sad Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
park handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
playground, which was one of the most successful concerts the band had throughout their career.
In 1995, with the help of Nenad "Japanac" Stefanović, the band recorded the album Nikad više kao pre (Never Again Like Before), released in 1996 and recorded at the Novi Sad Dum Dum studio, where, for the first time, all the album tracks were recorded by the band themselves. In 1996, after the album release, the band had more than seventy live appearances, mainly at the Zeppelin Club, and the Ujvideki Sinhaz theatre. The band also performed at the 1995 and 1996 Novi Sad Koncert Godine. In 1998, Većalkov left the band, being replaced by Miroslav Maletić, but, soon after, the band went on hiatus and performed occasionally only. In 1999, the band performed at the Štrand festival with Banjac's son Petar on drums for the first time.
The band continued their activity in the mid 2000s. On July 5, 2008, the band performed as an opening act for Status Quo at the Rock Bastion Festival in Novi Sad. They released their fifth studio album Prosula si sake na kimono (You Spilled Sake on Your Kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
) in 2009 through Komuna Belgrade
Komuna Belgrade
Komuna is a Serbian record label and media production house. Established in 1985, its headquarters are in Belgrade, Serbia with a branch office Budva, Montenegro...
. The album featured nine songs, including the rerecorded version of the song "Dobar drug", and the bonus track "Kišne kapljice", recorded with the tamburitza
Tamburitza
Tamburica or Tamboura refers to any member of a family of long-necked lutes popular in Eastern and Southern Europe, particularly Croatia , Serbia and Hungary. It is also known in southern Slovenia and Burgenland...
orchestra Zorule.
On May 26, 2009 Amajlija performed, alongside The Answer
The Answer (band)
The Answer are a Northern Irish hard rock and blues-rock band from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. They have achieved success with their debut album Rise selling in excess of 30,000 copies in the UK & Europe, 10,000 on day one in Japan and 100,000 worldwide.-Lineup:*Cormac...
, as the opening act for AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
on the concert held at Partizan Stadium
Partizan Stadium
Partizan Stadium is a football and track-and-field stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, owned by FK Partizan. It carried the name JNA Stadium for a long time and was the site of Youth Day parade. Even today, the majority of football fans in all countries of the former Yugoslavia call it by its old name....
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
Studio albums
- Samo ti (1989)
- Zašto si tako blesava i luda (1990)
- Vruće + hladno (1992)
- Čista zabava (1993)
- Nikad više kao pre (1996)
- Prosula si sake na kimono (2009)