Zdravko Čolić

Artist: Zdravko Čolić

LP: Ako Priđeš Bliže

Song: "Glavo Luda"

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This is the second LP, released in 1977, from "the Tom Jones of the Balkans," Zdravko Čolić. I got my copy in the mail today from a guy named Vladan in Jagodina, Serbia. What happened was this: A few weeks ago I found a copy of this record by Yugoslavian group Srebrna Krila up at the Aurora Antique Pavilion in Lynwood, WA. Along with that record, there was also a nice copy of Zdravko Čolić's fourth LP, "Malo Pojačaj Radio," inside the sleeve. I went online to find a copy of "Malo Pojačaj Radio" with its own outer sleeve, and found Vladan's shop on Discogs. He had "Malo..." and a copy of this amazing-looking earlier record by Čolić too! And a bunch of Yugoslavian disco singles! Anyway, now they're mine. Enjoy!

[ Zdravko Čolić ]

Progres 2

Artist: Progres 2

LP: Mozek
Song: "X.A.Z." / "Kdo Je Tam?"

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The vinyl appreciation Meetup group I've joined a few times in the past, Seattle Spinsters, just announced their next gathering! The theme will be 'world music' since it's summertime and people are planning their vacations. I've already picked out too many LPs to bring, including ones from Hong Kong, Panama, Russia, Italy, Korea, the Caribbean, and this wonderful thing from Czechoslovakia in 1984. I've missed the last two Seattle Spinsters get-togethers since I was stuck at work until 8pm, but I'm starting a new job on Monday! You can read about Progres 2 here; there were four fellas in the group when this LP came out, but according to the Progres 2 photo below, at one time there were five.

[ Progres 2 ]

Lokomotiv GT

Artist: Lokomotiv GT

LP: 7" single

Song: "Higher and Higher"
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Supreme Echo, a tiny little place next to a super depressing pawn shop at the corner of Government and Bay Streets, was the last and final record store I visited in Victoria. It turned out to be the best one of all! (It was actually the second record store I visited too, but after traipsing across town in the pouring rain I found the place locked! I returned the next day via taxi after calling to make sure they were open.)

I realized pretty early on in my Victorian excursion that my vinyl-hunting expectations had been too high. I'd figured, "Canada's a foreign country! Exotic!" Plus, "I once found a Boney M single at Victoria's Salvation Army thrift store. The sky's the limit!" But it turns out the city's shops are primarily peddling pasty-people pop records that you could find in Everett or Wenatchee, USA. 

But my luck finally turned around at Supreme Echo. Along with pasty-people pop and really friendly service, the place offers a treasure trove of Eastern European rock records from the late-'60s and early '70s, with an emphasis on Poland! One of the neat things I found there is this 1975 Polish pressing of two live tracks by Hungarian supergroup Lokomotiv GT. (They're still pasty, but I bet they don't have this in Wenatchee.) You can read all about Lokomotiv GT on Wikipdia here, where they discuss various lineup changes over the years and outline Lokomotiv GT's connections to other Hungarian rock groups of the '70s like Omega and Skorpio.

[ Supreme Echo — Victoria, BC, Canada ]

Angel Vladković Group

Artist: Angel Vladković Group

LP: ABC

Song: "Bananas"
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Song: "Disco Fever"
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The following afternoon I had about three hours to check out two Helsinki record stores that were about a block apart. I had planned to split my time between the two, but by the time I got out of Redhill Records, I only had about 15 minutes to look through the other store. According to the Redhill Records website, "Our staff can always help you find the record you need." What they don't include is a warning that their staff will always help you find about 58 records you need! 

The guy who was working when I went in was super helpful, one of the best customer service record-peddlers I've come across at any record store ever. Initially, when he asked what kind of music I was looking for and I said I was hoping to find some Finnish disco-pop from the 1970s, he kindly advised: "I don't know if anyone has told you, but Finland is a heavy metal country." You know, I wish somebody would have told me that before I bought my ticket.

Nevertheless, since the store is evidently one of the only ones in Scandinavia with a listening station and I was the only customer there (well, one guy popped in to ask if they have any Dave Matthews Band records—they don't), we basically had a record-listening party for an hour and 45 minutes. He would bring over instrumental Russian disco-synth LPs, Finnish funk records from the '70s (which were great, but around 200€ each, so I simply couldn't afford them), and more. He always knew the best tracks on every LP; if I picked one up he would say, "Check out track three on side two," for example. By the time I left I had a stack of wonderful and bizarre LPs and 45s that I simply couldn't do without. 

The guy (I wish I knew his name) said that they have lots of neat Russian records, since Finland and Russia share a border. When Finns visited Russia in the '70s and early '80s, there were no souvenirs available so they'd buy Russian records to bring back as a memento. But they hardly ever actually listened to them, so now Finnish record stores are full of great old Russian LPs in excellent condition! 

This Yugoslavian disco record from 1979 is one of the ones the sales clerk extraordinaire brought over to the listening station, guiding me toward "Disco Fever" (track five on side one). I've just discovered that the song is a cover of this one by Tina Charles; the LP also includes terrific Eastern-Europey-sounding disco covers of "How Deep Is Your Love," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and others...but I go absolutely "Bananas" over track one on side two. 

[ Redhill Records — Helsinki, Finland ]

Ksenija Erker

Artist: Ksenija Erker

LP: 7" single

Song: "Povedi Me Večeras" 
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This weekend I attended the Williams Family Campout at a lovely Mormon-owned campground called Camp Zarahemla, where droves of conservative young white people often enjoy gathering to participate in strange games involving blindfolds...

...and the re-enactment of ancient Native American massacres.

I drove out of the hills yesterday morning directly onto a road that led to Golden Oldies record store in Tacoma. I managed to unearth a few 7" treasures after rummaging through their disheveled collection of 45s scattered around the floor in cardboard boxes that are coming apart at the seams. This 1973 Yugoslavian pop single is one of the things I found. 

Born in 1954, Ksenija Erker had performed in a children's choir and as a backing vocalist before launching her solo career with the release of "Povedi Me Večeras (Take Me Tonight)" in 1973. Sadly, the lovely and talented Ksenija ultimately "submitted to family life" in the mid-1980s, effectively putting an end to her career in popular music. You can read more about Ksenija Erker in Croatian here and find the English translation here.

Ksenija Erker on YouTube:

[ "Povedi Me Večeras" ]

[ Ksenija Erker ]

[ Golden Oldies — Tacoma, Washington ]

Daliborka Stojšić

Artist: Daliborka Stojšić

LP: 7" single

Song: "Moja Čežnja Za Tobom" 
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When I picked up this 1975 single by Daliborka Stojšić at Georgetown Records a few months ago, I had no idea that the lovely singer had been a runner up in the 1968 Miss Universe pageant and that she was voted "Most Photogenic" in the interplanetary contest. In fact, she was the first-ever contestant to represent Yugoslavia in one of these pageants! Obviously, Daliborka went on to a singing career, but she eventually retired from public life when the time seemed right. Nowadays she is active on the computer, has mastered four languages, and enjoys hanging out with friends and listening to all kinds of metal music. You can read more here. Admittedly, it's been quite a few years since I myself mastered each of the Slavic languages, but I think "Moja Čežnja Za Tobom" translates to English as "Why Are Gay Men In Seattle So Fucking Boring?"

[ Daliborka Stojšić — most photogenic woman in the universe, 1968. ]

Koncz Zsuzsa

Artist: Koncz Zsuzsa

LP: Jelbeszéd

Song: "Hé, Mama"

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I was on my way to grab some breakfast after hitting the gym this past Saturday morning, but some brilliant entrepreneur stuck a record store smack dab in the middle of the block between Ballard Health Club and Vera's Restaurant. I ended up lingering there much longer than planned, of course, and was mighty hungry indeed when I came upon this 1973 LP from Hungarian superstar Koncz Zsuzsa. (There are also several neat-looking Hungarian-language comedy LPs in the bins, which will likely be a tough sell for most Seattle shoppers.) You can read all about Ms. Zsuzsa in English here, and if you can read Hungarian and would like to know more, you can go here—though I suppose anyone who reads Hungarian probably already knows more about Koncz Zsuzsa than Wikipedia could ever tell. 

 [ Koncz Zsuzsa in 2012 ]

The Boris Kovačič Ensemble

Artist: The Boris Kovačič Ensemble
Vocals: Stanka Gorišek and Danilo Čadež

LP: Slovenian Songs

Song: "Autumn Song (Jesenska)"

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Song: "Mountain Girl (Gorsko Delke)"

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Have I mentioned yet that fall is my favorite season? Here's a short ditty all about fall-time (aka. "autumn"), and another about a girl from the mountains, both from beautiful Slovenia!

[ Boris Kovačič ]