Monday, May 10, 2010

Dobro Jutro 1980

One of the last remaining gems of Yugo prog (not yet posted) along the lines of September, Leb i Sol, Predmestje, it shares with them that sunny, passionate feel that is so typical of their music, indicating how full of life and effusive soul these people are. This album is like Sept. with the fusiony saxes and high energy on top of a standard rock group with good songwriting and a fierce scratchy hammond organ. Several instrumentals appear, the first "Dobro Jutro" which does a great rotating riff (you'll see what I mean if you hear it) in A 7 that passes to C 7 then back, check out the subtle but highly effective piano accompaniment in the background. The last track starting with a piano intro then the age-old blues pattern ABDED vaults you into a happy sunny (for you synaesthetes out there) D major guitar solo, later a second guitar accompanies a triad above, Allman-style, it feels like you're on a yacht in the adriatic sea drifting along under the blue skies in crystal waters taking a sip from your 10-euro can of coca-cola ...

My wife, who understands a bit from the slavic languages, helped me with the translations here. Album title means "Good morning". Next song, "Slaba vest" is news from "Slaba" (a nickname). This song is about a friend of the singer called Slobodan, well, this guy got rich overseas in the import-export business. It's a cautionary tale, he got super-rich but he lost his entire fortune, when he dropped a lit cigarette, and his mattress went up in flames.
Next song called "Clasba Vzame" is all about a guy called Yadranko who gets stuff on the black market. The refrain says it all, "yeah my man, he get you your appliance." The lyrics go something like, "he touch my sister, he get drunk with my mother, but he get me my tv. I don't like the guy, he hit my baba, but he gonna get me my tv. He never worked a day in his life, and I can't get him out of my house, I wish he had a second pair of pants! But he gonna get me a transistor radio."
Next song, Cikorija is a really good instrumental. It means "Cirrhosis" (of the liver). Then we get a really interesting song that addresses the problem of free will. Basically there is a logical or philosophical paradox, and a neurological one. I summarize briefly, in one case, how can there be free decisions when the mind is fully deterministic-- it's an illusion to think we have control. The second is more subtle, studies show conscious awareness of an action is up to 0.5 seconds later than the neuronal signaling in the appropriate cortical area, indicating decisions are actually made purely unconsciously, awareness ensues later. So this song discusses the issue, it's called "Boogie woogie."
Next song called "Dvakrat" is about the singer's pet rabbit when he was a child. Basically his father gave him a pet rabbit, he loved it so. Refrain goes, "I love my pet rabbit so, I love him so." He feeds it beets, turnips, and the kidneys of pigs. He loves it more and more each day. One day, he finds the rabbit is gone. He asks father, where is pet rabbit. So refrain goes, "Where is pet rabbit now, where is pet rabbit now?"
Father serves them chicken for dinner, and the boy asks, "What is this chicken with the long ears?"
Father says, "is western chicken, I get on black market. Is not like real chicken." And the sister says, "This is not a chicken! this is not a chicken!" Father frustrated says, "Is chicken! Is kentucky fried chicken!"
The song ends happily when the singer grows up and joins the army he goes to Romania and sees a prostitute with a rabbit-skin coat, falls in love with her, and marries her. Refrain goes, "Oh I love my pet rabbit so!"

(ADDEND. I am told later the true meaning of the song is that pet rabbit means a part of the woman's body; it's all innuendo, it's not about a carnivorous tragedy.)

Po jezeru...

8 comments:

Tristan Stefan said...

http://sharebee.com/cc935053

LOU said...

I TRISTAN THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND WORK
LOU FROM -PORTUGAL

Anonymous said...

Wow - A really nice one. Fits your descrption very well. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

thanks Chris! great post

Anonymous said...

hey leave me out of this man! I have nothing to do with this and I have no idea who this nutball is who writes this blog, although I agree he's funny
-CK

Anonymous said...

Hi Tristan,

i found this Dobro's your best post, not as referring only to the album but surely also on text you exposed. I like a lot the analysis track by track of the album and in some points very suggestive like for rabbit story or Cyrrhosis. Simple and complex thematics exposed in a pleasuring way.

The album is wonderful and the old 70s Yugo-scene was great. Wonderful serene feel, splendid jazz rock music with refined and relaxing guitar work, cool vocals too. The intro piece and last track are the best with more romantic progressive sensibilities.

Fantastic, thanks a lot.

Don't worry about some foolish or humorous comments, more of them come surely from the same person. You can see some more subtle comments like these also on other blogs. Psychological action for stressing. Perhaps is the case to prevent anonymous comments allowing only with accounts, url or openID, so we know who write.

Anonymous said...

Your wife made a lot of wrong translations of the songs. But everything lese is excelent. One of the greatest bands which playes fusion msic in former Yugoslavia.

DJ. CHINABLACK said...

RE-UP PLEASE !!!
MNAY THANKS.
D.J. ChinaBlack

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