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Bajm

About:

Beata Kozidrak (4 May 1960)

Bajm is a rockband around singer Beata Kozidrak. Kozidrak (born in Lublin) already performed solo at the National Song Festival in Opole in 1978 singing the song "Piechotą do lata" and winning second place. With her backing band she formed the band Bajm, a name The name abbreviated from the first letters of the names of its founders: Beata Kozidrak, Andrew Pietras, Jaroslaw Kozidrak and Mark Winiarski. A first performance at the Lublin house of culture let to the single ‘Medyk’. Although they gained some succes during the festivals of Opole and Torun it would take untill 1983 before their debut album was a fact. In between Beata and Jaroslaw joined Budka Suflera on their 1980 song ‘Ona przyszła prosto z chmur’, did Mark leave the band to persue a doctor’s career and did the band win the Dresden rock festival with the song ‘Jumbo’. In that sense their debut was a compilation of all the material they wrote in the past five years. First released as a cassette only the sales grew so rapidly that a LP was pressed which sold half a million copies. Their follow up album had a more raw sound, sadder compositions, and even politically engaged lyrics.

If this didn’t went well with the public or authorities is unsure but the third album showed a return to the more optimistic songs and had with ‘Dwa serca, dwa smutki’ and ‘Diament i sól’ some hitssingles. Meanwhile the band again had a big reshuffle of bandmembers. A fact that would stay with Bajm untill today. In 1988 they recorded the song ‘Ratujmy kosmos’ for the soundtrack of the popular Czech SF film ‘Pan Kleks w kosmosie’ (Mister Kleks in space). In 1989 Beata was voted ‘best vocalist’ by  music magazine ‘Non stop’. After a small tour of the USA Beata took up the plan to record an English solo album. A first song ‘Hurry my love’ was booed at the Sopot festival in 1989 (allegdly her English was awfull) and the plans for an album were temporarily posponed. This and the continious band changes didn’t do the output much good although the band stayed popular. It wasn’t untill the album ‘Etna’ (1995) that critics again wrote favourable about the band. That year Beata Kozidrak year was awarded the National Song Festival in Opole Golden statuette for lifetime achievement and 'creative contribution to the development of Polish culture. "

In 1998 the band excisted 20 years but just in that year Beata decided it was time for her solo-album. The selftitled album, filled with mature pop material, greatly expanded the circle of her admirers, while earning critical acclaim and the music industry. A thing that rarely happened with Bajm. Singles ‘Siedzę i myślę’ oraz ‘Taka Warszawa’ became big hits. For almost all compositions were responsible Abramek and Sot, known for Bajm CD ‘Biała armia’ (White Army). The following year the album was awarded Fryderick’s. The team then returned under the Bajm name for the album ‘Szklanka wody’ in 2000. The album spend 104 weeks in the charts. In 2003 Beata recorded a duet with her daughter Kasią Pietras for the movie ‘Stara baśń - kiedy słońce było bogiem’. In 2005 she recorded a second solo album, a jazz project this time, under the title ‘Teraz płynę’. In 2008 (when the band would celebrate their 30th anniversary) a box set compilation was announced including two albums old stuff and one CD with new material. In the end the new material never made the box. Seven of the compositions were released instead on December 16 as commemorative mini-album added to the magazine "Olivia." In May 2009, Beata recorded the titlesong ‘Nie pytaj o miłość's’ for the TV series ‘M jak miłość’ (M is for love). At the end of the year a single ‘P.S. Zabierz mnie tam’ accompanying a one off show at the Congress Hall in Warsaw at 13 December 2009.

On the web:

- Bajm's official website: http://www.bajm.pl/

If you like this, you probably like... / european counterparts:

Élan (Czech republic)

Grupa Zana (Serbia)

What do we think:

DB: To file Bajm in the same league as Maanam (as some do) is ridicilous. Their material is much more mainstream pop and less outspoken. Others feel that the band are a Polish alternative to Swedish act Roxette. Also not exactly true, for starters the voice of leadsinger Beata is much weirder then Marie's. I only know their first two albums and both of them are great Central European New Wave pop. Beata's screeching nasal voice fits perfectly with the edgy music. What I gather from the internet their later work wavers from OK to MOR. Perculiarly Beata's two solo albums get regarded much higher by fans as well as critics.

Albums:

♪♪♪♪ - Bajm - 1983

♪♪♪ - Martwa woda - 1984

- Chroń mnie - 1986

- Nagie skały - 1988

- Biała armia - 1990

- Płomień z nieba - 1993

- Etna - 1995

- Szklanka wody - 2000

- Myśli i słowa - 2003

Beata solo:

- Beata - 1998

- Teraz płynę - 2005

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided