NJENE OCI, USNE, RUKE

The twenty-fifth 7-inch record by Indexi was released at the end of 1980. At the same time, this was the 11th single released by Jugoton. Graphic designer Ivan Ivezic prepared a multicolored combination (blue, green, red, and yellow) for the cover, which seems to evoke a modernist artistic image of a setting sun on the horizon. Consciously or not, the image also indicates that Indexi were at the twilight of their career at this point, at least when it came to their recording and concert activities. They were acting less and less like a cohesive band, and would gather only occasionally for performances at popular music festivals. They had long since ceased to be considered a rock group worthy of attention, and during the year of the fierce breakthrough of the new wave in Yugoslavia (in 1980, notable records were released by Azra, Pankrti, Prljavo kazaliste, Paraf, while the Belgrade trio - Sarlo akrobata, Elektricni orgazam, and Idoli recorded material for the "Paket aranzman" LP, which soon dominated the radio waves and charts), they were almost not mentioned at all in the media and music press. Consequently, this single went largely unnoticed. Although not stated anywhere on the record itself, these are two songs that Indexi performed at festival events, two years apart. The recording studio is unknown to me, although records from the RTV Sarajevo phonotheque indicate that it was likely the Sarajevo studio. At this time, the band still consisted of: Slobodan A. Kovacevic - guitar, Davorin Popovic - vocals, Fadil Redzic - bass guitar, Nenad Jurin - keyboards, and Djordje Kisic - drums.

The hit track on the A-side, "Njene oci, usne, ruke" ("Her Eyes, Lips, Hands"), represents another compositional contribution by the Belgrade schlager maestro Aleksandar Korac, with lyrics by the little-known Ivica Vidric. Indexi performed it on June 28th at the "Vas slager sezone" festival in Sarajevo, and according to phonotheque data, it was recorded in the studio on March 20th, 1980. As I have already pointed out in reviews of earlier singles, Korac's name was not a guarantee of the musical quality we were accustomed to from Indexi, and his works too often approached the border of good taste. Music critic Ognjen Tvrtkovic shared a similar opinion, writing in Oslobodjenje daily on July 1st, 1980, immediately after the festival: "Indexi continue to profane themselves by performing sloppy schlagers by A. Korac, which even a high standard of interpretation does not save from swift oblivion." However, listening to this track today, after several decades, reveals some interesting musical details. The arrangers Kovacevic and Ismet Arnautalic, a former member of the band, were certainly responsible for the "high standard of interpretation" of this song. It has a strong, almost danceable rhythm with a bass guitar featuring a pronounced disco groove. The drums are somewhat muffled, and a particularly interesting detail is that the rhythm of the song is maintained throughout, almost metronomically without pause, by small hand percussion instruments - maracas and a ratchet. The guitar occasionally interjects with its melodic riff, supported by synthesizers whose tones sometimes venture into rhythmic electropop. Popovic frequently uses his famous vocal vibrato, and backing vocals also appear in certain places, making it difficult to say whether it's his multitracking or if Redzic joins in with his well- known falsetto. Despite justified criticism of Korac's "signature," the song still sounds solid today, although it is certainly not a great achievement, and indeed, as time would show, it was quickly forgotten. At the time of its release, "Njene oci..." was nevertheless a minor hit, as evidenced by a video clip from the Sarajevo studio that can be found on YouTube.

The B-side features a song that was not released for the first time here. "Oj, Neretvo" ("Oh, Neretva") is a patriotic song with lyrics by Miso Maric, evoking memories of the Partisans and their battles from World War II. The phonotheque records the recording date as October 29th, 1978, and it was performed in November of the same year at the "Festival of Patriotic and Revolutionary Songs" in Zagreb. It first appeared on a festival "cocktail" album in December 1978. Indexi had tried their hand at this genre before ("Jugoslavija" and "Zivjela Jugoslavija"), which was a common practice for many popular performers at the time, especially in the period immediately following the death of Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito (he died in May 1980). Since Indexi did not have enough new material at the time, Jugoton's editors decided to re-release this older composition for the commemorative occasion. As for the song itself, let's first set aside the heart-rending and for-the-moment "commissioned" lyrics. The musical texture is quite impressive and falls within the framework of a somewhat "lighter" intoned symphonic prog rock, typical of Indexi. A somber and serious atmosphere is emphasized by the striking of (tubular?) bells, while the guitar sobs a mournful melody. The drums and bass enter powerfully into the sonic picture, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. Kovacevic embellishes the track with a beautiful guitar solo, but the part of the chorus where they sing "Sutjeska, Neretva" is not very good, both due to poor intonation and awkward rhymes in the lyrics. Nevertheless, this song, at least in its basic musical part composed and arranged by Kovacevic, deserves a passing grade.

PA rating: 2/5 Personal rating: 3/5

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