Buldožer

BULDOZER was formed in early 1975 in Ljubljana, present Slovenia, when an avant-garde singer/songwriter Marko Brecelj joined the band SEDEM SVETLOBNIH LET ("Seven Light Years") led by guitarist and lead vocalist Boris Bele. Apart from them, the original line-up included keyboardist/composer Borut Cinc, bassist Andrej Veble, lead guitarist Uros Lovsin and drummer Stefan Jez. They released their debut album "Pljuni istini u oci" in December 1975 to shocking reactions of the public and music business authorities due to its twisted black humor filled with sarcasm, satire and touching "sensitive" issues of drugs or pornography. They also utilized the Zappa-like stage freak-out performances and ridiculed some generally accepted morals of the so-called socialist state of Yugoslavia. The cover sleeve of this album was designed as a magazine sheet (similar to JETHRO TULL's "Thick As A Brick") filled with funny and ridiculous social vignettes and some pornographic cartoons. After the first circulation was sold out, the recording label PGP RTB refused to print more copies. In 1976 they recorded the second album "Zabranjeno plakatirati" but due to their label's policy (the band had to modify their lyrics if they wanted to release the record) it was released only in late 1977, when they joined their hometown label Helidon. In the meantime, the rhythm section changed, so the bassist Vili Bertok and drummer Tone Dimnik participated in studio sessions. Brecelj left the band in 1979 to pursue solo career, while Bele-led BULDOZER embraced then popular punk and new wave aesthetics to gain enormous popularity across ex-Yugoslavia. New members in this period were guitarists Davor Slamnig, Janez Zmazek and drummer Dusan Vran. Highly eclectic studio album "Izlog jeftinih slatkisa", including a radio smash hit "Zene i muskarci", and double live record "Ako ste slobodni veceras" are among the top-sellers of this era. Still, many of their song lyrics and stage theatricals are full of the local meanings and hard to comprehend outside of the scope of the post-titoist Yugoslavia. Along with his band activity Bele also worked as a chief music editor of Helidon label and succeeded in this period to purchase the copyrights of their debut from PGP RTB, so the reissue came up in 1981 to face very affirmative reviews. Their activity slowly diminished in mid-1980s, after the poor album "Nevino srce". Although they never officially broke-up, their "come-back" album "Noc" was released more than 10 years later, in 1995. BULDOZER was the first domestic rock band to release an album in a compact disc format in former Yugoslavia, not counting international imports - it was a compilation album "Nova vremena" in 1989.

First two albums "Pljuni istini u oci" and "Zabranjeno plakatirati" are essential for avant-prog listeners who like slightly psychedelic moments with Hammond organ and "acid" guitar solos. Their lyrics and performance are quite anarchic and close to RIO movement. "Izlog jeftinih slatkisa" is a diverse collection of more accessible songs ranging from punk aggressiveness to pure psychedelic moments, while "Noc" presents a refreshed band of the 1990s that is also worth checking out.

by Sead S. Fetahagic