TIME

One of the best prog-oriented debut albums made in ex-Yugoslavia. Dado Topic's Time was oriented towards a more sympho-prog sound, with a bit of hard rock. The opening 'Istina Masina' (Truth Machine) is very well known. It really stands out as a nice example of pre-Bijelo Dugme rock in YU. 'Pjesma no. 3' is a great ballad, typical for Dado Topic, while 'Hegedupa Upa' is an interesting experiment with no actual lyrics (some sort of scat singing). 'Kralj alkohola' is a jazzy tune, with the bar-sounding piano. And last we have the best track on the album, 'Za koji zivot treba da se rodim'. The 10-minute epic includes a middle improvisational part, with long solos and sounding somewhat funky. With this album, like Pop Masina did with 'Kiselina', Time sealed their name in the history of Yugoslavian rock 'n' roll. Recommended for anyone who likes good music!

Great early prog from Yugoslavia.

TIME is a great album, surprisingly great. The music is in the vein of heavy prog acts from the 60's and 70's they remind me a lot of URIAH HEAP , there is a lot of great beefy organ action going on which is always great. Istina Masina is a strong start with some great hooks, Za Koji Zivot is my favourite of the album though a 10 minute long that breaks down into a funky jam with some great solos from guitar, flute and organ.

A little known album well worth investigating if you're into 70's heavy prog.

"Time" from the band TIME is one of the best progressive rock albums from former Yugoslavia. Why? Well, let us do vivisection of the each song:

1. Istina masina (Truth Machine) Brilliant hard-rocker, but not your average DEEP PURPLE tune. Strange, unusual, interesting bass line. Slightest touch of Moog. Lyrics about sex and sexuality, so untypical for prog.

2. Pjesma no3 (Song No.3) Beautiful ballad full of jazzy chords and awesome flute solos, creating a rainy and melancholic feel. Unbeatable love lyrics. Dado Topic's vocal excels here.

3. Hegedupa upa (Hegedupa Upa) Instrumental (except for a few "da da da dam" vocals, reminds me a bit of TULL and FOCUS from the same period. Funny, but smart. It starts with unison melody on acoustic guitar and vocals and develops into the cacophony of Hammond, flute, bass and multiple vocals. Very gradually and very tasteful.

4. Kralj alkohol (King Alcohol) Nice lament with social lyrics, featuring heavy Rhodes and tasteful Hammond solo. Imagine TOM WAITS or VAN MORRISON in progressive waters. However, this song is prog only for a few fusion chords and atmosphere.

5. Za koji zivot treba da se rodim (For Which Life I Should Be Born) This is a multipart epic, with lyrics about existence, meaning of life and one's place in the space and the time...catchy bass lines, flute solos and twirling Hammond. A must.

Two tracks from this album are not listed on PA for some reason (I think they are bonus tracks on CD reissue), and they are:

6. Da li znas da te volim (Do You Know That I Love You) ...which was a huge hit, and of course it's less progressive than other tracks. Nice love ballad utilising only three chords, but with nice development on electric piano and mellotron. Mellotron is not easily recognizable because it's hidden behind the layers of string orchestrations.

7.Makedonija (Macedonia) A good, short track in pure rock style, with acoustic guitar and short but catchy solos on electric guitar. Nice 7/8 groove. Lyrics are not in Macedonian (as someone might expect from former-Yugoslav band), they're in Croatian as the rest of the album. Catchy, catchy, catchy.

Overall, this is an excellent album showing diversity of styles on each track but somehow it remains homogeneous in sound.

But how does this album sounds in general?

This band is lacking more Moogs and that sophisticated/almost polished sound of "prog giant's" albums such are"Snow Goose" or "Benefit", or maybe that's just my impression... Well, you know all those bands with hard rock edge like PURPLE, HEEP, WISHBONE ASH etc? They're all bordering prog, however most proggers love them. TIME is something in-between them and "prog giants", filling that gap. The only thing that prevents me from rating this beauty 5/5 is lack of one more or two multipart epics instead of mainstream tunes. However, this is a sheer joy. Give it a try.

In the summer of 1972 I attended TIME concert in Dubrovnik on which they were playing material from their debut album. I remember that their playing and the whole performance was so impressive that nearby standing Dutch friends, mislead by band's name , thought that some english band was on stage.These guys were excellent musicians led by Dado Topić, who wrote most of the material and whose powerful vocal gave distinct colour to this band tune.My favourites from this album are 'Pjesma No3' and particularly 'Za koji zivot treba da se rodim' which even today impresses me with strong lyrics and nice melody.I possess the original LP, first Jugoton pressing and understandably production is of poor quality, but it does not diminish the value and beauty of band achievement.

Extremely interesting re-issue by an obscure Polish label, "Vrijeme" (which actually means "Time", the band's very name in English) is an expanded edition of their acclaimed debut album from 1972. In addition to 5 original tracks, it includes two great singles and two live recordings, all from 1973. If, for any reason, you have not succeeded in getting "Time" album, then this may be your alternative chance to grasp the famous prog of early 1970s Yugoslavia. Don't miss it!

Seeing these guys perform live a month ago felt great, they still sound as powerful as in 1972 on the debut album. This is simply excellent recording even being too short (bellow 30 minutes), definitely one of the best albums former Yugoslavian music scene had to offer. The lyrics are in Serbo-Croatian, but that fact should not distract from hearing the album, because the music is wonderful and smart at the same time, with strong lyrics by Dado Topic. "Time I" turned out to be one of the most influential recordings ever made in Yugoslavia. Timeless

I got this CD as a promo and I always thought that the band name was Vrijeme. Until I noticed on this site the Yugoslavian band Time and checking out their albums I discovered that Vrijeme was the title of a compilation from their first album (1972) plus bonustracks (their single/B-side and two live songs, all from 1973).

Apart from the wonderful Yugoslavian vocals this band sounds like the Early British Progressive Rock Movement (Julian's Treatment, Beggar's Opera, Atomic Rooster and Rare Bird) because of the omnipresent Hammond, the fiery electric guitar and the melodic, tastefully arranged compositions. There is also a nice variation with instruments like the flute, piano, acoustic guitar and even the ubiquitous Mellotron can be heard (short but strongly like Gracious). The electric guitar work is strong and varied: a fine duet with the organ in The Real Machine, bluesy in Song Nr. 3 and a great build-up in the long 'magnum opus' For What Life I Should Be Born (fiery wah-wah in the end), drenched in Hammond organ waves. The four bonustracks are no more or less than a nice addition: the single Tell Me Gypsy sounds like early The Who and the two live songs are more guitar-oriented. If you love the Hammond organ and you are up to the emotional Yugoslavian vocals, this compilation CD is a fine discovery!

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This album is the first one in the string of four essential prog-rock albums from Yugoslavia during seventies,other three being Korni grupa's debut,Indexi's "Modra rijeka" and Tako's self titled debut.Dado Topic,lead singer,formed Time after departure from Korni grupa 1971,and immediately band was hailed as a first Yu supergroup,gathering some of the best musicians at the time.Also,their self titled debut is the first real foray into progressive waters in Yugoslavian music scene ,at the time dominated by pop and hard-rock.there is a five songs on original LP,with two straight rockers "Istina masina" and "Hegedupa upa",two prog ballads "Pjesma No.3"and "Kralj alkohol",and first Yu-prog epic "Za koji zivot treba da se rodim",a multipart song with wild elecric piano,flute and wah-wah guitar solos,which gave direction to other Yu-prog bands to follow.Musical and historical importance of this album is so huge that even today CD release sells in excess all over ex- Yugoslavia,altough prog-rock is completely forgotten musical genre over there.Unfortunately,after great succes of this album,Topic disbanded the group,reforming it a year later with new musicians,but the thrill was gone and band released several more,mostly mediocre straight rock albums which failed to re-energize band's musical life and by the end of 1976 Time finally ceased to exist.Today "Time" stands as one of the most important musical achivements in modern music from ex- Yugoslavia and also one of the best.Highly recommended.

— First review of this album —

"Time & Dado Topic" is a CD re-issue of 2 albums of TIME, a classic 1970s prog band from exYugoslavia, namely "Time II" (1975) in its entirety and "Zivot u cizmama s visokom petom" (1976) which is shortened by two songs, in their place added were two non-LP singles. So now pretty all of TIME discography is available on CDs. I will not repeat what I already said in the reviews of these 2 albums, only important is to mention that this package gives added value to both of them. Only why exactly the two tracks from original "Zivot..." album were taken out (one of them being even a hit "Rock'n'Roll u Beogradu") just to be replaced with a not very convincing reggae "Tin i Tina" and a soft pop song "Cekajuci jutro", remains a mystery. Liner notes are non-existing and apart from track titles no other info is available. Despite these flaws, this CD is still worth having if you either want a complete (well, "complete") TIME discography or you enjoy a sort of laid- back jazzy/funky prog rock coming from South-East Europe.

The third album of TIME was also the last official release, since the band soonafter disbanded. It was recorded in Germany 1976 with very good music production and excellent musicianship. Vedran Bozic's guitar work is particularly outstanding. Dado Topic's vocals on the other hand are not very coherent and strong throughout the album, while his lyrical concept about the rise and fall of a rock star and pitfalls of music business may sound naive and dated for today's listeners. This is however an interesting effort aiming at mixing prog rock with jazz-fusion and funk styles, giving certain moments a touch of a STEELY DAN-like sophistication. "Zivot u cizmama s visokom petom" (English: The Life in the High-Heeled Boots) was coupled with "Time II" for a CD re-release under the title "TIME & Dado Topic", issued in 1996, where two of the original album tracks were replaced with two hit-singles from 1976. This album is not recommended for strict prog fans, but more flexible listeners will find some fine music here nonetheless.