Krešo Blažević RIP
posted by Stanislav
Sad news comes to us that Krešimir Blažević has died. Krešo played guitar, sang and wrote songs for his band Animatori in mid ’80s Yugoslavia. Although his band was based in Zagreb, Krešo was born in Slavonski Brod, a provincial town some 110 miles down the Sava river. Perhaps this was why Blažević and his Animators sounded so much more humble than any other band in Yugoslavia at the time. But that was not an obstacle for them, who had huge regional success with their first album Andjeli nas zovu da im skinemo krila. The album had a disarming summertime feel to it and revealed Krešo’s and the other band members’ influences, especially British pub rock and Americana. Their beach rock vibe was similar to that of Djavoli (who appeared a few years later) from the coastal town of Split, which was not surprising since the album was actually recorded there with producer Željko Brodarić Jappa. Animatori recorded two more LPs before Yugoslavia dissolved. These didn’t sell quite so well, but were far from embarrassing, and established Blažević as one of the region’s most consistent songwriters.
Animatori – “Andjeli nas zovu da im skinemo krila”
Animatori – “Kao ogledala”
March 28th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Sad news indeed. That fun time aura Animatori had made it easy to forget they weren’t actually from the coast… It’s hard not to feel a sense of wistful longing for certain elements of the past when you hear this stuff (good way to avoid the word “nostalgija,” wouldn’t you say?).
March 28th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Kim, nostalgija is the word. These songs were meant to be nostalgic even when they were new. Longing for the sea and adventures from the past summer (another song of theirs “Ljeto nam se vratilo”), or the times when music was simpler (60s)… Animatori were all about that. Now add all the past time and the fact that Kreso just died way too young (although I heard very little of his post Yugoslav output) then you can be nothing but pathetically nostalgic.