ROBOTI - Dolazak robota (1966-1967)

 

ROBOTI started in 1963, in Zagreb, Croatia. Till 1965 they are more famous in Austria than in Yugoslavia. They played very often in Vienna in clubs and Beat festivals. In 1966 they played in Beat festival in Zagreb. They also played on First Beat Meeting Italy-Yugoslavia. All those years they have problems to find their own style. They played raw rhythm and blues but also pop numbers. In 1965 they have big hit Drafi Deutscher's cover "Mramor, kamen i željezo", but in 1966 they have first member changing: Ivica Percl (vocal and rhythm guitar) leaves the band and goes solo as singer-songwriter. He was influenced by Bob Dylan and Donovan and in the late 60s and early 70s he had quite successful solo career. The rest of the band finally makes cut and goes further as pure rhythm and blues band with organ/sax player instead of rhythm guitarist. They spent 1966 touring Italy and playing in Piper Club in Rome. Because there were already two bands with the same name in Italy they changed the name into "Five Up". After they spent half year and more playing in Italy Roboti came back to Yugoslavia. Readers of popular music magazine "Džuboks" choose Roboti for the best band of 1966 and they record their first EP. In 1967 and 1968 they toured Yugoslavia and Italy again and they played on International Pop Festival in Rome together with Pink Floyd, Ten Years After, Traffic and others. Trying to reach more international glory they are moving to Germany in 1968. There they played in many rock clubs. That period was very difficult for band and very disappointed and they came back to Zagreb in 1969. That's the end of Roboti. Few members go further as "The Wheels Of Fire". In early 70s Roboti have reunion. They made one more EP and after that they finally split up. (from home.wanadoo.nl)