Album Club Selection #4: Đorđe Balašević - Pub

OK managed a couple of listens once trght though in a one-er, once in dribs and drabs.

Like AJ said higher up, it's frustrating not to be able to understand the lyrics.

I get the impression from the verbal rhythm and cadence that the narrative is both humorous and augmentative to the overall aesthetic.

Musically, a smorgasbord of styles, which is a positive for me.

My next straight through listen requires me to follow Louisa's post higher up.

My most extensive exposure to lyrics and vocals I couldn't understand was listening to Nirvana.

I had no preconceptions going into this, did not know what to expect, but the opening guitar was definitely not it... I was expecting a twanging country voice to start singing after that countrylike opening, which of course, isn't the case.

Music in other languages is an odd thing. I think its about what your ear is accustomed to. I listen to a fair bit of Afrikaans music, but of course I'm fluent in that language. I also listen to Zulu, Sotho, Ndebele, some of which I understand and get the inflections of.

My favourite artist, Johnny Clegg, sang English and Zulu together in songs, which in the Seventies was unprecedented. Later he threw in Afrikaans (and even French!) so I'm accustomed to other languages which I do and also don't understand.

This took more time to get to appreciate because its very different to what I (and I think most of us here) know or are accustomed to. It also gives me a far deeper appreciation and respect for @Louisa 's incredible command of the English language, which is just amazing..

I think Lepa protina kći is my favourite, both musically and in subject. I like his vocal delivery on this too.

Well, this is a blast. Am I the only one who thought "Leonard Cohen!" about a minute into Pesma o jednom petlu? Eclectic musical styles, eclectic lyrics (thanks, Louisa), all which I will never hear on the radio, unless I do some serious travelling some day.

I've listened through several times. The music is enough like stuff I listen to, and good on its own merits, that I can listen just for that. Three or four listens in, though, the more I like a track, the more I wish I could understand the language.

It's had me thinking about all the books, movies and music I've missed in life because they haven't been translated to English and about how much of the world doesn't speak English, but we Americans tend to forget that.

Intrigued by your intro @Louisa. Must confess I still haven’t given the GP selection a (re)listen - sorry @whispered secret. In my defence we are currently dotting i’s and crossing t’s on the impending house move. Must try harder…..but I’ll get there.

Got around to listening at last.

It's frustrating, as I think I would really enjoy this if I could understand the lyrics. The music is good , I could certainly detect some country influence, especially in the first song, and he has a pleasant voice. However, the lyrics are clearly really important, just from reading the bits Louisa translated for us and being unable to understand what he is saying makes it hard. This is a criticism of me, as languages just defeat me I'm afraid - even French which I supposedly learnt at school.

His history is interesting, his pacifism, the fact that he was approved of by the Communist party but then fell out of favour when Yugoslavia broke up. The first concert in Sarajevo after the war must have been quite something.

Thank you for opening our eyes (and ears) to him, even though I don't think I will be adding him to my play list.

So far, the music's good.

I don't believe there is such a thing as "bad music". I'm tapping my foot while listening here. So a A+ for me.

I like the cover art. I've been considering a playing card tattoo, but can't decide between a one-eyed Jack or the suicide King.

I like the music style. I don't think the language will be a factor in whether I enjoy the record a lot. Los Lobos led me to Mexican rock and roll and I do listen to bands like Bronco, Tigres de Norte, Anna Gabrielle. I can understand more Spanish than Croatian, though, but if the music's good, it won't matter. And a guy who sings about a hitchhiker gets a head start with me.

So far, the music's good.

I'm just starting my first listen. First track opens with some good music that reminds me of early 80s Steve Earle.

@Louisa I'm not ignoring this, I just need to have the time to listen and read the lyrics you have translated at the same time, not something I can do 'on the go' as I have been able to do with previous selections. I will make time over the weekend to do it properly.

Having read some of the lyrics above, I can see why you like him so much.

She just lifted her little thumb

I stopped the truck, opened the door

There she stood, an angel with one single flaw

She didn't have any wings

My dream, my Ilona

I can get behind this.

You are probably expecting a Slovenian album, but I had to think broader and go deeper into my past. I picked a songwriter and musician from Serbia, Đorđe Balašević. His music was, and still is, a source of joy and reflective meditations, feel-good music if you want. He died last February from Covid. It was a heartbreaking event for the entire region of former Yugoslavia, where he was famous and always welcomed by his numerous fans. He was a Serb born in 1953 in the northern part of Serbia, in a multinational region of Vojvodina. His father was a Serb, mother half Croatian, half Hungarian. It was natural for him to adopt the idea of Yugoslav brotherhood and unity, the glue that kept the federation alive as long as all the different nations had faith in it. In the late 70s and early 80s, his songs were played at parades held by the Communist Party. He was considered to be a regime-supported musician. In the late 80s, when it became evident that Yugoslav nations would not live together in peace for much longer, he started to openly oppose the Serbian nationalism and the Milosević regime to the extent of endangering his life and his family's wellbeing. He stayed in native Novi Sad through the war, although many artists fled to the west. He wrote a couple of great antiwar albums and held the first concert in Sarajevo when the war was finally over. He was a great poet, a humble soul who avoided conflicts, an artist who transferred humanity to his audiences. A very talented musician with a gentle voice and shifting many musical genres. Folk rock, chanson, folk-blues, easy pop, country... His lyrics are reflective and poetic but sadly untranslatable. I tried because it's crucial if you want to connect with his music, but so much got lost in translation. He was a great storyteller, his lyrics are intelligent and poignant. He used many metaphors, local dialect phrases, humor, and most importantly, self-irony. You just have to trust me on this. I chose his debut solo album from 1982. The album is titled Pub (Jack of cards) contains seven songs, all individual stories about life, about ordinary people. Each story contains something heartbreaking, but he delivers the pain with empathy and makes it somehow beautiful. He was in his mid-thirties when the album was written, but it seems an older man had written it... Music is universal. The guitar is great, has a slight resemblance to Dire Straits perhaps, and was played by Josip Boček. Nice violin, horns, and, of course, accordion, the most beloved instrument of the Balkan region. Powerful drumming, also. I'm not expecting you to fall in love with this album. It is not perfect, but I believe it is a good album and represents the music I grew up with. Please give it a listen, and dive into a musically unknown territory of former Yugoslavia. Serbian rock critic Petar Peca Popović made the following comment in his album review. Đorđe Balašević was and still remains a masterful poet with a simply unbelievable gift for conjuring all the diversity of Vojvodina's clashes of culture, mentalities, customs, and characters in a way that does not offend anybody, yet leaves nobody indifferent. Ilona This is a catchy opener reminiscing about a female hitchhiker called Ilona, whom the narrator picked up with his truck. It happened long ago, he doesn't know anything about her, but not a day goes by without him thinking about her. Fun fact. He calls her pretty doll in the last line, I guess this was universal. My favorite lyric translated: She just lifted her little thumb I stopped the truck, opened the door There she stood, an angel with one single flaw She didn't have any wings My dream, my Ilona Ratnik paorskog srca (Warrior with a peasant's heart) The second song takes us to 1919 and is a story about an older brother returning home from WW1, told by his younger brother. The meaninglessness and horrors of wars were something he felt inclined to write about much earlier than he was surrounded by one. His pacifist attitude was already there on his first album. My favorite lyric translated: My brother used to curse both the guilty and the victims Guns and lice, and the muddy trench He'd say: We can't count the dead Because the czars have been playing wars Hey, I feel sorry for the horse Za sve je kriv Toma Sawyer (It's all Tom Sawyer's fault) This is a very humorous description of youthful idealism. Three teenage boys go for a weekend trip to the coast of the Black Sea. What could go wrong did go wrong. They ran out of food, stole a small boat, got caught in a heavy storm, hitchhiked back home, got beaten by his father. Who is to blame? Tom Sawyer. Why? My favorite lyrics translated: It's all Tom Sawyer's fault Such books shouldn't exist So many adventures, he did things so well on his own Mississippi is also to blame We dreamed of it on our old linden tree Where we were watching up through the leaves As Tom sailed through the sky To the stars, on that raft of his It's his fault! Za treću smenu (For the third shift) A song about the working class, but not a communist hymn, more a personal grievance about the working life and being stuck without options for a better life. The narrator is sitting at the bar with his girl, trying to convince her to stay a bit longer and to have another drink with him. My favorite lyrics translated: Sometimes I feel like I'm still searching for that golden fleece But end up dreaming of smoke, fire, and steel It's not your fault, and I do love you dearly C'mon, kiss me, let's have another drink For the tired proletariat, for the third shift Paying off someone else's debt Lepa protina kći (The beautiful priest's daughter) A wistful story about a young boy observing the beautiful priest's daughter as she was bathing in the Danube river one summer evening. Water drops were shining on her body as pearls under the moonlight. A sight he could never forget. She got married, he had other women, but no one could compare to her. My favorite lyrics translated: I'm leading a peaceful, uncomplicated life Sometimes I play cards or write a poem Things are happening I try not to get involved I love good women, easy ones also Some are right for me, some aren't They are all fairies, all queens And all irrelevant compared to her Pesma o jednom petlu (A song about a rooster) A fabulous and fun, also enlightening song. It tells a story of an older man's younger days on the farm when he had a wild rooster. The rooster is, of course, a metaphor for his cock, for which female birds tend to go crazy. The rooster chases after different kinds of female birds, picturing typical characteristics of women. The refrain line "Princip je isti, sve su ostalo nijanse" (The principle is the same, everything else is details) evolved into a pro LGTB slogan in the late 80s. My favorite lyrics translated: I'm 65, the fall is coming My gang is leaving, and I'm waiting on my turn These old days wouldn't be so horrible If I could hear my cook crow at least once a month Listen to the advice from an old dude When you have a young cock, do not let him suffer Let him fly, let all the hens see him Later it will be too late, cock's time is limited too Boža zvani Pub (Boža called Pub) This song tells a story of a legendary gambler, Boža, nicknamed Pub, consistently winning bets against different characters (Russian emigrant, baron, postmaster..) His life is a mystery. Nobody knows where he comes from, where he lives, how rich he is. He disappears without a sign, leaving people guessing if he went to Prague or Vienna, and is trying his luck there. My favorite lyrics: The card is a bitch, pardon my French I just tell it as I hear it And if I was lied to, then I'm lying to you now Predlog (Proposition) A strange song, to be honest... Set in a bar, the main melody is when the narrator articulates his thoughts about how to convince his girl to stay, telling it as it is. When the melody changes, he is transformed to the dance floor, where ladies pick the dance partner, and he becomes sweet and lovely. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... My favorite lyrics: Now, maybe, a good record would be due Some music from the old days Chubby Checker or some other similar cool looking guy Na pola puta (Halfway) Album closer is a reflective, nostalgic existential ballad with gorgeous lyrics about the times gone. Lovely back vocals, guitar solo, and nice drumming. My favorite lyrics: Hey, where are now those pebbles from the riverbank Cherries from the outskirts of town Notebooks from the sixth grade Where are now all those high school posers First college holidays And all the yearning letters from the army