Igra Staklenih Perli ~ Serbia

Soft Explosion Live (1978 / 1991)

Next up in the albums I haven't heard in decades comes Igra Staklenih Perli's first album to be released to a wider audience. In fact this was my personal first exposure to this great band from Serbia. By the time this archival album was released, Igra Staklenih Perli's reputation had hit the underground record collector community by storm. And finding original product back then was seemingly impossible (not near as difficult today).

Soft Explosion is a live concert released one year before their debut and the music ties very closely to that album. About half of this album is entirely new material whereas the other half is mostly improvised and still sounds unique. It must have been exhilarating to see this concert real time in Belgrade, though as we were to learn during the 90s, the Yugoslavian rock scene was more advanced than most of Eastern Europe during the 70s. The quality of the source cassette tape is more than fine. If you didn't know any better, you might think you found an unreleased 1969 tape of Pink Floyd from the Paradiso in Amsterdam.

I didn't realize until today, as I relisten to this some 30+ years since, that they repressed the album two years later with a different running order and an additional five minutes of material. In both cases, they used the same album cover, which has the incorrect track order.

Ownership: 1991 Kalemegdan (LP). With typed booklet giving the history of the band plus the label owner's personal journey with Yugoslavian rock music in general.

1993 (acquired); 8/11/25 (review)

Igra Staklenih Perli (1979)

---2009

Along with Group 1850, Igra Staklenih Perli were the best group to emulate and expand upon Pink Floyd's sound from their Careful with That Axe Eugene / Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun days. Trippy, spacey,... a psychedelic dream. For me, the pinnacle of musical achievement from the former Yugoslavia.

---1/24/24

Yep. That. Such an interesting album in that the band really studied and absorbed Ummagumma's album #1. Some folks call out Hawkwind, and even King Crimson, but I don't personally hear it. Maybe the first track has a bit of Hawkwind. Otherwise, this is live Pink Floyd 1968 to 1970 all the way. Also curiously they sing in English. One would think the Authorities would have taken a dim view of that. Maybe they all got high while listening to it, and didn't notice? Anyway, between this, their next studio album, and all three archival releases, ISP proved to be a wonder from the place and era. Timeless as they get.

Ownership: 

1979 RTB (LP)

2007 PGP RTS (CD) with Vrt Svetlosti. Tri-fold digipak, with embossed lettering, and full liner notes in Serbian.

4//96 (acquired); 2009 (review); 1/23/24 (update)

Vrt Svetlosti (1980)

Igra Staklenih Perli's second album "Garden Light" takes their sound from 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' all the way forward to... 'Echoes'. So they were a full decade behind - just the way we like it!

The music here is more streamlined and upbeat, but it's essentially still zonked out of its mind. One could see this as a legitimate Krautrock release from 1971, without any other data at your disposal. Psychedelic guitar, cosmic - and at times crazed - vocals, and heavily phased organ define this psychotic work. Without a doubt, Serbia's finest rock group from the Yugoslavia era.

Ownership: 

1980 PGP RTB (LP). Blue label.

2007 PGP RTS (CD) with their debut album.

1995 (acquired); 2009; 7/7/15 (review); 4/4/18

Other albums I own and need to review: Inner Flow; Drives

7/7/15 (new entry)

Korni Grupa. 1972 Serbia

For my tastes, Kornelyans' Not an Ordinary Life is one of Europe's great progressive rock albums. On paper, it goes against one of my key rules: It's sung in English verse the native tongue. There's always an exception. Two years prior to that, Korni Grupa premiered with their self-titled debut, and this time it's in the local language. And even with the one track they both share, I'll take the English version. But primarily because the band had matured greatly in two years. The tracks here are not as tight nor innovative, and there's the tendency to ramble on in a jazzy type way. Also there's hints of that somewhat annoying Eastern European pop style that was stubbornly hanging on. Having said that, the album is certainly excellent and continues to grow in my mind. It's not going anywhere.

Ownership: CD: 1996 PGP RTS. Basic CD reissue with nothing to recommend it beyond decent sound. That said, I don't think the album has ever experienced a great reissue (that I'm aware of). And originals on crappy Yugoslavian vinyl isn't going to change matters much. I bought the CD new online not long after release, and it appears it will be the lasting copy unless something better comes along.

Birdland ~ Serbia

Darkness of Light (1980)

Coming from Serbia, via Switzerland, Birdland debuted with quite a strong statement in the area of jazz fusion. Make no mistake, this one swings far to the jazz side of that equation. There's not much in the way of songwriting, the instrumentation isn't overly amplified, and mostly the compositions stay true to the jazz school. Still, the guitarist has quite the nimble fingers which he displays often. And the pianist is no slouch either. For certain Mahavishnu Orchestra were an influence here, as were many of the jazz masters, and the German MPS label practitioners. Jazz fans dabbling in rock forms will love this, but if looking for some more composition acumen, this isn't what Birdland were about. Closer 'Elements II' is the highlight of the short four track set.

7/13/18 (review / new entry)

Tako - U Vreci za Spavanje. 1980 Serbia

Tako's second album, christened with the of-the-moment name In the Sleeping Bag, is an almost perfect example of one of my personal favorite styles of progressive rock. That of what we used to call symphonic fusion. Quite simply instrumental progressive rock, but heavy on melody and tricky compositions - and no showboating whatsoever. It's a sound the Dutch perfected in the mid 70s, and was later adapted heavily in the late 70s and early 80s in France, Japan, and points unknown - like Serbia for example. Each individual track can be appreciated entirely on its own, without having to worry about its sequence within the album. The guitarist plays in a decidedly rough manner, a type of psychedelic hard rock sound. The keyboards are vintage 1980, which is a sound one expects to hear for the style. The fact that Tako keeps the album interesting throughout each minute is a testament to how strong they were as a functioning unit. The bonus tracks are just as enchanting as the album itself.

Personal collection
CD: 1998 Record Runner (Brazil)
LP: 1992 Kalemegdan (Germany)

I first heard this album via the Kalemegdan LP reissue. The German label is famous for unearthing and reissuing the best from the former Yugoslavia - and they were responsible for the two bonus tracks found here. Oddly the album was only reissued on CD in Brazil, by the excellent Record Runner label. They licensed the recording directly from Kalemegdan. Definitely recommend either reissue, for the bonus cuts, and the superior sound to the original Eastern European LP.