Babe (band)
Encyclopedia
Babe was a Serbia
n rock
supergroup
.
member Žika Milenković (vocals, guitar
), Električni Orgazam
member Goran Čavajda (vocals, drums
) and Riblja Čorba
member Zoran Ilić (guitar). All three being rock veterans, they decided to steadily work within the group during the times when their own bands were taking a work break. Bass guitar
ist and the initiator of the band formation was Bojan Vasić, who previously played with Ilić in Bezobrazno Zeleno
. Milenković's humorous lyrics, stylistically similar to the lyrical style of his former band Mačori (The Cats), and stage performance, based on the experience gained in the long-term activities within the Teatar Levo amateur theatre, soon became the band trademark.
During the recording sessions for the band debut album, Vasić left the band, moving to South Africa
and eventually only recording a part of the bass sections for the song "Mirko i Marina" ("Mirko and Marina"), being replaced by a former U Škripcu
member Dejan Škopelja. Slike iz života jednog idota (Images From an Idiot's Life), released in 1993 and produced by former Električni Orgazam member Ljubomir Jovanović "Jovec", brought Milenković's humorous songs about drunks, drug dealers and erotomaniacs. The album featured guest appearances by Margita Stefanović
, Marija Mihajlović, Vidoja Božinović
, Branislav Petrović "Banana", Miša Savić, Nenad Stamatović and Del Arno Band
members. After the album release, Babe went on a promotional tour, performing as an opening act for Riblja Čorba.
In January 1994, the band performed at the unplugged
festival held at the Belgrade Sava Centar, and the recording of the song "Audio stres" ("Audio Stress"), featuring guest appearances by Ekatarina Velika
keyboard player Margita Stefanović and Del Arno Band
percussionist Vladimir Lešić, was released on the various artists live compilation Bez struje
(Unplugged), released by MTS Records. On February 17 of the same year, the band performed at the Belgrade Youth Center
and the recording of the cover version of the Azra
song "Lijepe žene prolaze kroz grad" ("Pretty Women are Passing Through the Town"), made at the performance, appeared on the various artists live compilation album Groovanje live vol. 1 (Rumbling Live Vol. 1), released by L.V.O Records on compact cassette
only in 1995. The song recording along with other tracks was reissued on CD by Multimedia Records in 2009.
On April 30, 1994, the band performed at the Rock and roll zauvek (Rock and Roll Forever) rock spectacle, held at the Belgrade Fair – Hall 1 in order to celebrate thirty years of rock music in Yugoslavia
. In December of the same year, not long before New Year's Day
, the band released a compact cassette
EP
4 Babe pesme (4 Grandmas' Songs), featuring the songs "Novogodišnja pesma" ("New Year's Day Song"), "Loša navika" ("Bad Habit"), "Reći ćemo hvala kad bude karnevala" ("We Will Thank Only If There Will Be a Carneval") and "Dizel" ("Diesel"), the latter being a cover version of Tommy Roe
's song "Dizzy
". The former two songs were also included on the ITV Melomarket various artists compilation album New Rock Power '93-'94.
At the time, Milenković starred the Elvira je cool (Elvira is Cool) theatre play, also starring Lora Orlović and Neda Arnerić
, performed at the Radović theatre in Belgrade and written by the rock journalist Aleksandar Žikić. Also, the band had appeared in the Srđan Dragojević movie Dva sata kvalitetnog TV progarama (Two Hours of Quality TV Program), performing the song "Dizel". The following year appeared the soundtrack album for the Marija Soldatović play Zigi, Zvezdana Prašina (Ziggy Stardust
), staged at the Bitef theatre, consisting of cover versions of the David Bowie
greatest hits, with Milenković and Čavajda working on the song lyrics translations and the latter providing lead vocals for the cover versions of "Five Years
" and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
".
", with lyrics in Serbian language
entitled "Stranac usranac" ("Stranger in the Shit"). At the time, Čavajda left the band, being replaced by Vlada Cvetković, later starring the film Geto (Ghetto), directed by Ivan Markov and Mladen Matičević, before moving to Tasmania
where he died of AIDS
at the age of 35 on February 16, 1997.
During early 1998, the band released a compilation album P.S Babe, composed of the material previously released on the debut album and the 4 Babe pesme EP as well as new material, consisting of the songs "Hoću da budem predsednik Srbije" ("I Want To Be The President of Serbia"), "Zadnja noć" ("The Last Night") and "Mladi ludi svet" ("Young Silly World"). At the time, the band started preparing the material for the third studio album, with Milenković seeking inspiration in the works of Momčilo Bajagić
, Aleksandar Žikić, Danko Đurić, Magični Ćira book Vulvaši (Vulvas) and street graffiti for song lyrics. Slike sna i jave (Samo za ludake i buntovnike) (Images of Dream and Reality (For Lunatics and Rebels Only)) featuring new members, Vladan Nedeljkov (guitar) and Blagoje Nedeljković (drums), was released in 1999. The material, consisting of sixteen songs, featured the songs "Mexico", written in 1982 during Milenković's work with the band Mačori and "U sukobu 2 pola" ("In the Two Gender Clash"), a cover of Hazel O'Connor
's song "Touch Too Much".
started the recordings sessions for the album Zmaj od Noćaja
(The Dragon of Noćaj
), released in 2000, due to which the band ceased to exist, even though it had never been officially announced. During 2000, the song "Hoću da budem P.C." ("I want to be P.C.") appeared on the Gotov je! (He is Done!) various artists compilation and the song "Rolna (Parodija života")" ("Roll (Life Parody)") appeared on the Automania 2 - Pop hidraulic various artists compilation.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
.
Formation, nationwide success
The band was formed in 1992 as a side project of Bajaga i InstruktoriBajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
member Žika Milenković (vocals, guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
member Goran Čavajda (vocals, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
member Zoran Ilić (guitar). All three being rock veterans, they decided to steadily work within the group during the times when their own bands were taking a work break. Bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist and the initiator of the band formation was Bojan Vasić, who previously played with Ilić in Bezobrazno Zeleno
Bezobrazno Zeleno
Bezobrazno Zeleno were a former Yugoslav New Wave/pop rock band from Belgrade. The band was notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project as well as for their later works....
. Milenković's humorous lyrics, stylistically similar to the lyrical style of his former band Mačori (The Cats), and stage performance, based on the experience gained in the long-term activities within the Teatar Levo amateur theatre, soon became the band trademark.
During the recording sessions for the band debut album, Vasić left the band, moving to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and eventually only recording a part of the bass sections for the song "Mirko i Marina" ("Mirko and Marina"), being replaced by a former U Škripcu
U Škripcu
U Škripcu was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, notable as participant in the Artistička radna akcija project as well as for their later works.- Formation and breakup :...
member Dejan Škopelja. Slike iz života jednog idota (Images From an Idiot's Life), released in 1993 and produced by former Električni Orgazam member Ljubomir Jovanović "Jovec", brought Milenković's humorous songs about drunks, drug dealers and erotomaniacs. The album featured guest appearances by Margita Stefanović
Margita Stefanovic
Margita "Magi" Stefanović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as a keyboardist for the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika.Born in Belgrade as the only child of well-known theatre and television director Slavoljub Stefanović-Ravassi and Desanka Nikolić...
, Marija Mihajlović, Vidoja Božinović
Vidoja Božinovic
Vidoja Božinović , also known as Džindžer , is a Serbian musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.-Biography:...
, Branislav Petrović "Banana", Miša Savić, Nenad Stamatović and Del Arno Band
Del Arno Band
Del Arno Band is a Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae band from Belgrade. Formed in 1986, Del Arno Band are considered the longest lasting Serbian reggae band, and one of the pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae scenes.-1980s:...
members. After the album release, Babe went on a promotional tour, performing as an opening act for Riblja Čorba.
In January 1994, the band performed at the unplugged
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
festival held at the Belgrade Sava Centar, and the recording of the song "Audio stres" ("Audio Stress"), featuring guest appearances by Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
keyboard player Margita Stefanović and Del Arno Band
Del Arno Band
Del Arno Band is a Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae band from Belgrade. Formed in 1986, Del Arno Band are considered the longest lasting Serbian reggae band, and one of the pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae scenes.-1980s:...
percussionist Vladimir Lešić, was released on the various artists live compilation Bez struje
Bez struje
Bez struje is a various artists live album, released in 1994, recorded on the unplugged festival held in 1994 in Sava Centar, Belgrade, Serbia. The album features eighteen Serbian acts.-Track listing:-References:*...
(Unplugged), released by MTS Records. On February 17 of the same year, the band performed at the Belgrade Youth Center
Belgrade Youth Center
Belgrade Youth Center, or Dom omladine Beograda , is a cultural center in Belgrade, dedicated primarily to youth. It organises numerous programs in the area of modern art and culture, as well as educational-debate programs: around 1,000 different programs per year, visited by over 180,000 youth...
and the recording of the cover version of the Azra
Azra
Azra was a rock band from Zagreb that was popular across Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak and Boris Leiner . The band is named after a verse from "Der Asra" by Heinrich Heine...
song "Lijepe žene prolaze kroz grad" ("Pretty Women are Passing Through the Town"), made at the performance, appeared on the various artists live compilation album Groovanje live vol. 1 (Rumbling Live Vol. 1), released by L.V.O Records on compact cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
only in 1995. The song recording along with other tracks was reissued on CD by Multimedia Records in 2009.
On April 30, 1994, the band performed at the Rock and roll zauvek (Rock and Roll Forever) rock spectacle, held at the Belgrade Fair – Hall 1 in order to celebrate thirty years of rock music in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. In December of the same year, not long before New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, the band released a compact cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
4 Babe pesme (4 Grandmas' Songs), featuring the songs "Novogodišnja pesma" ("New Year's Day Song"), "Loša navika" ("Bad Habit"), "Reći ćemo hvala kad bude karnevala" ("We Will Thank Only If There Will Be a Carneval") and "Dizel" ("Diesel"), the latter being a cover version of Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe is an American pop music singer-songwriter.Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" and "Dizzy" , critic Bill Dahl wrote that Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 1960s, but Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his...
's song "Dizzy
Dizzy (song)
"Dizzy" is a song originally recorded by Tommy Roe which was a worldwide hit single in 1969.Written by Roe and Freddy Weller, "Dizzy" was a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number one on the U.S...
". The former two songs were also included on the ITV Melomarket various artists compilation album New Rock Power '93-'94.
At the time, Milenković starred the Elvira je cool (Elvira is Cool) theatre play, also starring Lora Orlović and Neda Arnerić
Neda Arneric
Neda Arnerić is a Serbian actress.-Selected filmography:*Shaft in Africa *The Republic of Užice *The Sensual Man *Who's That Singing Over There...
, performed at the Radović theatre in Belgrade and written by the rock journalist Aleksandar Žikić. Also, the band had appeared in the Srđan Dragojević movie Dva sata kvalitetnog TV progarama (Two Hours of Quality TV Program), performing the song "Dizel". The following year appeared the soundtrack album for the Marija Soldatović play Zigi, Zvezdana Prašina (Ziggy Stardust
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
), staged at the Bitef theatre, consisting of cover versions of the David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
greatest hits, with Milenković and Čavajda working on the song lyrics translations and the latter providing lead vocals for the cover versions of "Five Years
Five Years
"Five Years" is a song written by David Bowie and released in 1972. It was the opening track on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars....
" and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
"Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is a song by David Bowie, originally released as the closing track on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in June 1972. It detailed Ziggy’s final collapse as an old, washed-up rock star and, as such, was also the closing number of the...
".
Decline, Čavajda's death
During the late 1995, the band released the second studio album, Lažne slike o ljubavi (False Images of Love), but the album did not reach the success of the debut, although the songs "Ko me ter'o" ("Who's Made Me") and "Mesnica" ("Butcher") became minor hits, having a decent media coverage. The rest of the album remained unnoticed, including the cover version of "Strangers in the NightStrangers in the Night
"Strangers in the Night" is a popular song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. It was originally created under the title Beddy Bye as part of the instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed...
", with lyrics in Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
entitled "Stranac usranac" ("Stranger in the Shit"). At the time, Čavajda left the band, being replaced by Vlada Cvetković, later starring the film Geto (Ghetto), directed by Ivan Markov and Mladen Matičević, before moving to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
where he died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
at the age of 35 on February 16, 1997.
During early 1998, the band released a compilation album P.S Babe, composed of the material previously released on the debut album and the 4 Babe pesme EP as well as new material, consisting of the songs "Hoću da budem predsednik Srbije" ("I Want To Be The President of Serbia"), "Zadnja noć" ("The Last Night") and "Mladi ludi svet" ("Young Silly World"). At the time, the band started preparing the material for the third studio album, with Milenković seeking inspiration in the works of Momčilo Bajagić
Momcilo Bajagic
Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga" is a highly popular Serbian rock musician born in Bjelovar. He is best known as the leader of the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, as well as a former member of the hard rock band Riblja Čorba.-Early career:Bajagić started his musical career as a...
, Aleksandar Žikić, Danko Đurić, Magični Ćira book Vulvaši (Vulvas) and street graffiti for song lyrics. Slike sna i jave (Samo za ludake i buntovnike) (Images of Dream and Reality (For Lunatics and Rebels Only)) featuring new members, Vladan Nedeljkov (guitar) and Blagoje Nedeljković (drums), was released in 1999. The material, consisting of sixteen songs, featured the songs "Mexico", written in 1982 during Milenković's work with the band Mačori and "U sukobu 2 pola" ("In the Two Gender Clash"), a cover of Hazel O'Connor
Hazel O'Connor
Hazel O'Connor is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after World War II to work in a car plant...
's song "Touch Too Much".
Breakup
After the album release, Milenković's main band Bajaga i InstruktoriBajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
started the recordings sessions for the album Zmaj od Noćaja
Zmaj od Noćaja (album)
Zmaj od Noćaja is the seventh studio album from Serbian rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 2001. The name of the album refers to the name of a street in Belgrade...
(The Dragon of Noćaj
Stojan Cupic
Stojan Čupić , also known as "Zmaj od Noćaja" , was a Serbian voivod, one of the most important leaders of the First Serbian Uprising. He was born in Piva in Herzegovina and his original surname was Dobrilović. He later moved to Salaš Noćajski in Mačva, where he was adopted by Strahinja Čupić, and...
), released in 2000, due to which the band ceased to exist, even though it had never been officially announced. During 2000, the song "Hoću da budem P.C." ("I want to be P.C.") appeared on the Gotov je! (He is Done!) various artists compilation and the song "Rolna (Parodija života")" ("Roll (Life Parody)") appeared on the Automania 2 - Pop hidraulic various artists compilation.
Studio albums
- Slike iz života jednog idota (1993)
- Lažne slike o ljubavi (1995)
- Slike sna i jave (Samo za ludake i buntovnike) (1999)
Other appearances
- "Adio stres" (Bez struje; 1994)
- "Novogodišnja pesma" / "Loša navika" (New rock power '93-'94; 1994)
- "Lepe žene" (Groovanje live vol. 1; 1995)
- "Hoću da budem P.C." (Gotov je!; 2000)
- "Rolna (Parodija života")" (Automania 2 - Pop hidraulic; 2000)
- "Lepe žene" (Groovanje devedesete uživo; 2009)
External links
- Babe at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Babe at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Babe at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Babe at Rateyourmusic
- Babe at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Babe at B92.fm