LAZA & IPE - Stižemo (1978)

 

LAZA RISTOVSKI (keyboard player) and GORAN IPE IVANDIĆ (drummer) were members of the most popular rock band ever in the former Yugoslavia, BIJELO DUGME. At the peak of their popularity, after they played in front of 100 thousand people at Beograd's "Hajdučka česma" free open air concert in 1977, the group made a break in their activity. Laza and Ipe decided to pursue their own ideas and they recorded their only joint album "Stižemo" in London 1978. The guest musicians included: Vlatko Stefanovski (guitarist of Leb i Sol), Goran Kovačević (vocalist of Teška Industrija), bassist Zlatko Hold, lyricist Ranko Boban and Ipe's sister Gordana as female vocalist. Unfortunately, just a few days prior to its release in September 1978, the police found illicit drugs hidden in Ipe's drum kit, so along with Kovačević, Hold and Boban, Ipe Ivandić was to end up in prison. Thus, this album never had a chance to be properly presented and reviewed and subsequently faded into oblivion. It is however highly recommended for prog fans to listen to it because it is one of the rare interesting works of the symphonic-style prog in ex-Yugoslavia, sometimes similar to Renaissance or Curved Air due to a female vocals, sometimes close to Genesis. Laza Ristovski, being on and off member of Bijelo Dugme and Smak during the 1980s, embarked on a solo career as electronic keyboard virtuoso making instrumental albums, while Ipe Ivandić was killed under mysterious circumstances in Beograd 1994, having spent several years in re-formed Bijelo Dugme, from 1983-89. (by Sead S. Fetahagić)