II
Dado Topić

About:

4 September 1949

(Adolf) Dado Topić was born in Nova Gradiska (Croatia) and began his musical career as a teenager in the rockband ‘Đavolji eliksiri' (the Devils elixer) with his friend Josip Boček. Later the band's name changed in 'Lavine' but soon Topić moved to Osijek and joined the band 'Dinamita' in 1967. The band went through some changes in the end leaving Topić on vocals. The group mainly focussed on playing blues covers but did some original songmaterial (in 1994 finally released in the compilation ' Yu retrockspektiva’). In the summer 1969 they met guitarist Vedran Božić (who just returned from Germany) who introduced the band to the psychedelic music that was going round in the west. They changed their name to ‘Robota' later to change it again in ‘Wheels of fire’. This could have gone on for a while if Topić wasn’t asked by the then already popular Korni grupa to replace singer Dalibor Bruna. Although his time was short with this band it did gave him a national platform and also a place to write his first songs like ‘Remember', 'Žena je luka a čovjek brod' and 'Prvo svjetlo u kući broj 4'.

Topić left the Korni grupa again in September 1971 and with the help of manager Vladimir Mihaljek he formed the band Time. Leaning heavy into progressive rock most of the material was already written during his time with the Korni Grupa. The band hit the studio and the first album was released in 1972 in 500 copies, because the record company did not believe domestic album had more commercial potential. It was quickly sold out and would get a reprint years later. Oblivious to this Topić and Božić went to Germany to play there, while keyboard player Tihomir Pop Asanović went to tour the USSR with Novi Fossili. The two bands met up again in Berlin in 1973 for the World Festival of Youth later to also perform at the Boom popfestival in Yugoslavia. Back in Yugoslavia was arrested and imprisoned for avoiding military service. Spending part of 1974 in jail it gave him time to write new material and Time started working on a second album after his release and just before he join the army to fulfil his duties. Therefore release of the album was postponed until 1975 but after some minor promotional activities Topić left for London to join the band Fondejšns. Still a third and final album of Time would be released. Recordings to place in Munich for what was to be a concept album about the life of a rockstar. ‘Zivot u cizmama sa visokom petom’ (‘Life in high heeled boots’) was released in 1976 and two years of extensive touring followed giving a farewell show in Novi Sad in 1977. The band played with idea of continuing under the name K2 but abandoned that idea.

Topic joined Zdravko Čolić band for his ‘Putujući zemljotres' tour. He also recorded a duet with Boris Aranđelović on the single ‘Smak’ (1979). That same year he scored a hit with the song ‘Floyd’written for the film ‘Nacionalna klasa' directed by Goran Marković. This gave the recordcompany an idea of creating a concept album following an imaginary filmscript. In the eleven songs we follow the life story of an imaginary hero Jovan who left Yugoslavia in order for the comfortable life. In the period of ten years Jovan has become a gigolo, a gambler, is slowly collapsing and all the more intense discovering the value of his homeland. The album ‘Neosedlani’ was recorded with Joseph Boček, Ratko Divjak, Carl Novak, Chris Nicholls, guitarist Srdjan Miodragovic and Slađana Milošević as guest vocalist.

The cooperation with Milošević apparently stuck since the tried to join the Eurovision Song Contest in 1984 with the song ‘Princeza' (in the end the duo Vlado & Isolad went) and a joint album in 1989. Meanwhile Dado also released a rather patriotic Mini-lp in 1986. At the start of the nineties (presumably to escape the war) Topić moved to Austria where in 1993 he released an English languaged album. In 1997 he returns to Croatia to perform in the rock opera ‘Crna kraljica' and 'Gubec Beg' (together with Josipa Lisac). In the new millenium he starts by recording a first solo album since many years released in 2004. Then he starts performing with the band Dragonfly based around female singer Iva Gluhak. With that band he enters the Eurovision in 2007 with a song called 'Vjerujem u ljubav' which is unable to place itself for the finals. Since then he has popped up on projects of singer Zoran Predin, Laza Ritovski and with Macedonian rock-legends Leb I sol for their 'I taka nataka' project.

On the web:

- Dado's website: www.dadotopic.com

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

Ivano Fossati (Italy)

Triana (Spain)

What do we think:

DB: It's almost weird to see Dado Topic as more then a very good session musician considering that it's just that what he did the last two decades. But then we forget the great albums he made in the seventies and eighties, with Time and solo. On it Topic creates a clash between western prog rock and typical yugoslavian melancholy. Other then for instance Bijelo Dugme he is less folk orientated but more Croatian blues.A great musician with some true classics on his curricullum.

Recommended albums:

- Time  – 1972.

♪♪♪♪♪ - Time 2 – 1975.

♪♪♪♪ - Zivot u cizmama sa visokom petom – 1976.

♪♪♪ - Neosedlani  – 1979.

Further listening: Saputanje na jastuku – 1980; Bolji zivot  – 1986; Slađana i Dado - 1989; Call it love – 1993; Apsolutno sve – 2004

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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