SMAK - Smak (1975)

 

SMAK was formed 1971 in Kragujevac (Serbia) in former Yugoslavia by a guitar virtuoso Radomir Mihajlović nicknamed "Točak". The first stable line-up was assembled in late 1974 including Slobodan Stojanović (drums), Zoran Milanović (bass), Boris Aranđelović (vocals) and Lazar Ristovski (keyboards). During 1977-78 Ristovski was replaced by first Miki Petkovski and then by Tibor Levay on keyboards, while in the period 1979-81 Dado Topić (Time, Korni grupa) collaborated with SMAK as producer and occasional guest vocalist before the band broke-up in late 1981. The original line-up gathered again in 1986 with a new keyboardist Milan Đurđevic, but after the released one LP they split again. The third comeback of SMAK happened in 1992 with Ristovski again as a member, when they mostly played concerts in Serbia and issued a live album. Finally, in 1994 SMAK re-appeared again, this time along with Točak and Stojanović they added younger musicians: Dejan Stojanović (second drum kit), Dejan Najdanović (vocals), Vlado Samardžić (bass) and Milan Milosavljević (guitar). SMAK was celebrated for Točak's virtuosity in guitar playing, modelled on J. Hendrix and J. Page style, and for interesting, if not always successful, fusion of hard rock, prog rock, jazz rock with strong blues backing, with Aranđelović's falsetto vocal often used as an instrument rather than singing. "Ulazak u harem", a folk-inspired instrumental issued as hit-single in 1975, showcased Točak as one of the guitar-heros of ex-Yugoslavian music scene of the 1970s, while albums "Crna dama" and "Stranice našeg vremena" were highly celebrated among prog fans and were even released in English versions for the Western market. Their reunion, from the second half of 1980s onward, turned the musical direction of the band into less-inspired mainstream hard rock, abandoning any prog elements. As a comparison, one can mention similarities in style with artists such as Deep Purple, Taste, Traffic, Doobie Brothers, Santana, Leb i sol. This is their first eponymous album, mixed with hard and psychedelic rock and some jazz touches. (from progarchives.com)