Kalemegdan Disk - ROCK FROM EASTERN EUROPE

Josip Boček (4 x); Vedran Božić (4 x); Goran Bregović (4 x); Miodrag “Bata” Kostić (4 x)

Tracklist

Side A

1. Goran Bregović: I kad prođe sve pjevat ću i tad 4:39
2. Goran Bregović: Ima neka tajna veza 3:28
3. Goran Bregović: Minijatura za moju majku 1:40
4. Goran Bregović: Znam za jedno tiho mjesto 5:49

Side B

1. Vedran Božić: Najbolji drug 5:51
2. Vedran Božić: Čovjek i žena 3:43
3. Vedran Božić: Shuffle 2:32
4. Vedran Božić: Da li čuješ 5:46

Side C

1. Josip Boček: Dinamit 3:35
2. Josip Boček: Sve će biti bolje 4:10
3. Josip Boček: Bez nas, za nas, u sebi 3:14
4. Josip Boček: Zakletva 5:26

Side D

1. Miodrag “Bata” Kostić: Rock & Roll 3:52
2. Miodrag “Bata” Kostić: Teenager 3:04
3. Miodrag “Bata” Kostić: Tvoj put 4:28
4. Miodrag “Bata” Kostić: San 5:16

Full album at YouTube

Croatia Records Release Information

The anniversary reissue of the album “Kongres rock majstora” (Congress of Rock Masters) is available on double vinyl!

Originally conceived as a concert review of the best Yugoslavian rock guitarists of the time, the Congress of Rock Masters held on 20 February 1975 in the small hall of the Zagreb Sports Hall, brought together Goran Bregović, Radomir “Točak” Mihajlović, Želimir “Pes” Kovačević, Vedran Božić, Josip Boček, Miodrag “Bata” Kostić, Dragan Jelić, Krešimir Šoštar, Petr “Veri” Gorjup and Veseli Oršolić.

Behind the concept of exploiting the new rock euphoria, which started with Bijeli Dugme (White Button) and their first album “Kad bi’ bio bijelo dugme” (If I Were a White Button), was the then concert producer and manager Vladimir Mihaljek Miha, with the media support of the Džuboks (Jukebox) magazine.

The Congress of Rock Masters will soon come to life as a double record on which, by the decision of Mihaljek and his colleagues, four of the ten aforementioned guitarists were shortlisted – each of them received one side of the record to show their authorship and performance skills. Goran Bregović (Bijelo Dugme), Vedran Božić (Time), Josip Boček (Korni Grupa) and Miodrag “Bata” Kostić (YU Grupa) were given the opportunity to record and present original, as yet unreleased material, accompanied by members of their parent groups.

Vlado Pravdić, Zoran Redžić, Ipe Ivandić and Željko Bebek played along with Bregović, while Mato Došen and the Zagreb String Quartet joined as guests, in an epoch-making performance of the rock classic “Ima neka tajna veza” (There Is some Secret Connection). Božić was accompanied by Ivan “Piko” Stančić and Nenad Zubak (then members of Grupa 220) on three recordings and Dado Topić and Peco Petej on one recording. Along with the Korni Grupa members Vladimir Furduj and Bojan Hreljac, Boček was joined by Sloba Marković and Saša Ilić, while Žika Jelić and Raša Đelmaš from YU Grupa played alongside Kostić. The very list of participants emphasizes that the Congress of Rock Masters record brought together the cream of the rock scene at that time.

In an interview with Zoran Tučkar on the occasion of this reissue, Mihaljek stated that he was sorry that there was no place for Radomir “Točak” Mihajlović from the group Smak on the album Congress of Rock Masters, possibly because he had no contract with Jugoton, while Jugoton wanted to promote their own artists. Tučkar writes that “the fact remains that the great Stephen Stills did not become a member of the Monkees either (but he was in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young). In retrospect, Stephen achieved a superior career by all criteria than any member of the Monkees. As in Stills’ case, Točak’s reputation was not at all damaged by not being invited to the Congress recordings.”

Siniša Škarica writes in his review of the release: “Somewhat unfairly, apart from Bregović’s works (some of which, like “Ima neka tajna veza” (There Is some Secret Connection), have become standards of the rock catalogue), the other performances have remained practically forgotten on the margins of our pop history. As is the album itself, which should also be noted that it was invented (like many events of that era) by a producer with a thousand ideas, Vladimir “Miha” Mihaljek.”

The album was remastered by Goran Martinac at the Croatia Records Studio while the lacquer cut was done at London’s Abbey Road Studios by Sean Magee, the winner of the Grammy Award for the Beatles’ Mono Box Set. The release on double 180-gram vinyl also comes with a booklet containing reviews by Siniša Škarica and Zoran Tučkar and a download card with a code to download the mp3 version of the songs.