Kalemegdan Disk - ROCK FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Croatia Records Release Information

After the recently released “Motori” (Engines), Croatia Records presents a new luxury vinyl reissue from the Divlje Jagode (Wild Strawberries) catalogue – the legendary album “Konji” (Horses).

Originally published by Jugoton in 1988, the album “Konji” represented a new page in the career of Divlje Jagode. After the recording of the album “Wild Strawberries” in London, and the breakup of that line-up in 1986, Sead “Zele” Lipovača, the author and founder of the group, gathered a new line-up of Divlje Jagode. He called his long-time friend, the inimitable Mladen “Tifa” Vojičić as the singer and frontman, and prepared an album that left an equal, if not greater, impression on the band’s fans than the iconic “Motori”. Along with the bass guitarist Zlatan Ćehić, the album also featured keyboard player Vlada Podany and drummer Edin Šehović, who gave “Konji” a unique stamp with their virtuoso musicianship.

Recorded in Sarajevo with the English producer Peter Hinton, the album brought a new and stronger sound to the songs that have remained in the group’s permanent concert repertoire to this day – along with the re-recorded Divlje Jagode (Wild Strawberries) and the title track “Konji” (Horses), the album also features the songs “Zaboravi” (Forget), “Zauvijek tvoj” (Forever Yours) and a unique adaptation of Mozart’s “Turski marš” (Turkish March).

In an interview with Stjepan Juras, Zele reflected on that period: “Where did I find the strength to make “Konji”, to once again raise Divlje Jagode from the ashes and reach platinum sales with a completely new line-up, at a time when everyone was predicting a flood and doom for us? I am a fighter and I simply do not admit that something cannot be done. I have always maintained that when you do something, you must first believe in yourself, and on the other hand, be wise enough for the team to follow you and, of course, believe in what you are doing. For me, almost every album was a new beginning, and that meant that I had to prove myself every time, regardless of previous successes. For any leader, that is certainly the worst-case scenario, but I did not have much choice. To continue and fight or to leave everything and take a different path.”

In the accompanying note, the Zagreb rocker Gordan “Pišta” Penava stated that “Konji” is his favorite Jagode album, which was full of good songs, “from the title track “Konji”, through the two legendary easy songs “Zauvijek tvoj” and the perhaps unjustly neglected “Osjećam, gola si ispod haljine” (I Feel, You Are Naked under Your Dress), to the presentation of Zele’s guitar skills in “Turski marš” or to the song “London” that reflects the feelings about that unfortunate English adventure”. Pišta continues: “Although Toni Janković was the first Jagode singer who left an indelible mark on their career, and Alen Islamović is the most famous and successful Jagode singer, it seems to me that Tifa has the most sincere emotion and that on this album he gave perhaps the best of his distinctive and always recognizable vocals, in his entire rich career”.

The album was remastered from the original tapes by Goran Martinac at the Croatia Records Studio, while the lacquer cut of the album was done at London’s Abbey Road Studios by Sean Magee, who also did remasters for vinyl releases by Iron Maiden and Deep Purple. The release also includes a download card with a code to download the mp3 version of the album. In addition to the 180-gram color vinyl and a poster, the album also comes with an exclusive booklet containing texts by Jadranka Janković Nešić, Gordan “Pišta” Penava and Stjepan Juras, along with numerous archival photographs and documents. The reissue was designed by Darko Kujundžić.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Konji 5:46
2. Ne brini sestro, večeras sam tvoj 3:38
3. Zauvijek tvoj 4:33
4. Turski marš 5:59

Side B

1. Zaboravi 3:40
2. I Want Your Love 3:21
3. Osjećam, gola si ispod haljine 4:30
4. London 3:54
5. Divlje jagode 5:09