Bajaga i Instruktori (Serbian Cyrillic: Бајага и Инструктори; trans. Bajaga and the Instructors) are a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1984. Founded and led by vocalist, guitarist and principal composer and lyricist Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga", the group is one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene.
The band was formed while Bajagić was still a guitarist for the highly popular band Riblja Čorba, originally to promote Bajagić's side project Pozitivna geografija. The success of the album and the promotional tour led to the continuation of the band's activity. Bajaga i Instruktori's following releases, Sa druge strane jastuka (1985), Jahači magle (1986) and Prodavnica tajni (1988), brought a plethora of hit songs, placing the band at the top of the Yugoslav rock scene, alongside other mega-selling bands like Riblja Čorba and Bijelo Dugme. The band's work and Bajagić's often poetic lyrics were also widely praised by the music critics. The band continued their activity after the breakup of Yugoslavia, throughout their whole career remaining one of the most popular groups in Serbia and other former Yugoslav republics.
History Bajagić's beginnings and career with Riblja Čorba Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga" started his musical career in 1974, at age 14, as vocalist for the band TNT. He wrote his first lyrics as a TNT member, for their song "Dvadeseta noć" ("Twentieth Night"). After TNT disbanded, in the summer of 1976, he moved to the band Ofi, led by organist Toma Stojković, nicknamed "Ofinger" ("Coat Hanger"). The lineup consisted of Stojković on organ, Bajagić on bass guitar, Dragan Đerić "Đera" on drums and Živorad "Žika" Milenković on vocals. After Stojković decided to retire from music, Bajagić and Dragan Đerić formed the band Glogov Kolac (Hawthorn Stake) with organist Dragan Pliško and guitarist Rajko Kojić. The group disbanded after only one live performance, and disappointed Bajagić decided to give up music, refusing an invitation from Zdravo leader Boban Petrović to join his band. However, on the suggestion of Rajko Kojić – who had joined SOS, which had evolved into Riblja Čorba – in 1979 he became rhythm guitarist for Riblja Čorba, which already had gained significant popularity with their debut single, "Lutka sa naslovne strane" ("A Doll on the Front Cover"). With Riblja Čorba Bajagić recorded five studio albums and a live album, writing music and both music and lyrics for several Riblja Čorba hits, achieving nationwide popularity. During his time spent with Riblja Čorba he also produced the debut album of the band Bezobrazno Zeleno.
1980s During his time in Riblja Čorba, Bajagić wrote a large number of humorous pop-oriented songs that did not fit into Riblja Čorba's hard rock sound and social-related lyrics. In 1983 he decided to release these songs on a solo album, starting to work on the album with a group of Belgrade musicians: vocalist Dejan Cukić (a former Dizel, Tilt, and Bulevar member, at the time a journalist for the magazine Rock), bass guitarist Miroslav Cvetković "Cvele" (a former Tilt, Pop Mašina, and Papatra member), guitarist Nenad "Nele" Stamatović (a former Tilt, Zebra, Suncokret, and Bulevar member), and drummer Vladimir "Vlajko" Golubović (a former Tilt and Suncokret member, at the time also playing with Riblja Čorba as a temporary replacement for Miroslav "Vicko" Milatović, who was serving his mandatory stint in the Yugoslav Army). Bajagić originally intended only to record an album of his own songs and to remain a member of Riblja Čorba. The songs for the album were recorded in a rented apartment in Belgrade and in Radio Television Belgrade Studio V and produced by Kornelije Kovač. The album, beside mentioned musicians, featured studio musician Nenad Stefanović "Japanac" on bass guitar, a former Generacija 5 member Dragan "Krle" Jovanović on guitar, KIM leader Kire Mitrev on trombone, jazz musician Ivan Švager on clarinet, and actress Suzana Petričević on vocals. Petričević sung a duet with Bajagić in the song "Papaline" ("Bristlings"). The album, entitled Pozitivna geografija (Positive Geography), was released at the end of January 1984 and was well received by the audience, bringing numerous hits: "Berlin", "Mali slonovi" ("Little Elephants"), "Poljubi me" ("Kiss Me"), "Limene trube" ("Brass Trumpets"), "Tekila gerila" ("Tequila Guerrilla"), "Marlena", and "Tamara". For the opening of the song "Tamara" Bajagić, on the suggestion of musician Dušan Mihajlović "Spira", decided to include a recording of a girl saying several lines in Russian language. However, he was dissatisfied with the accent of all the possible candidates. Eventually, on Mihajlović's suggestion, they used the recording of a girl reading report on Danube water level on Radio Belgrade.Momčilo Bajagić interview, aleksandararezina.blogspot.com The album featured the anti-drug song "Znam čoveka" ("I Know a Man"), dedicated to Dragan Đerić "Đera", Bajagić's former bandmate from Ofi and Glogov Kolac.
Initially, Bajagić had no intention of promoting Pozitivna geografija in concert, but eventually decided to listen to the advice of fellow musicians and music journalists and hold several concerts. Bajagić and musicians working on the album held their first concert in Zagreb club Kulušić on 12 April 1984. Beside the musicians that worked on the album, the concert also featured vocalist Žika Milenković (a graduate from Belgrade Faculty of Applied Arts, Bajagić's former bandmate from the band Ofi, a former Mačori member and an actor in the amateur theatre Teatar levo), keyboardist Dragan Mitrić (a former Bulevar and Propaganda member) and Kornelije Kovač, Milenković soon becoming an official member of the band. During their staying in Zagreb, Bajagić and Cukić appeared as guests on the recording of Parni Valjak album Uhvati ritam (Get into the Rhythm), singing backing vocals on the title track, as a sign of gratitude to Parni Valjak for lending them a piece of drum kit for their first concert. The band held the official album promotion, organized by the Rock magazine, in Belgrade's Trade Union Hall on 21 April. On this performance the band appeared under the name Bajaga i Instruktori – chosen after the idea of journalist Peca Popović – for the first time. The concert featured Valentino and Bezobrazno Zeleno as the opening bands. The concert was well attended and the band's performance was well received by the teenage audience.
The success of Bajagić's solo album intensified already existing problems and conflicts inside Riblja Čorba. On 19 July 1984 Bajagić was, alongside Rajko Kojić, excluded from the band. During the summer of 1984 Bajaga i Instruktori went on a tour, with experienced musician Rade Radivojević on keyboards, playing mostly at youth work actions. At the end of the year, in the Rock magazine Bajagić was proclaimed the Rock Musician of the Year, and Pozitivna geografija was voted the Album of the Year by fellow musicians.
At the beginning of 1985 Bajaga i Instruktori recorded the album Sa druge strane jastuka (On the Other Side of the Pillow), co-produced by Kornelije Kovač and Saša Habić. The album featured a large number of guests: jazz veterans Stjepko Gut on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jovan Maljoković on saxophone and Mića Marković on saxophone, young jazz musicians Branko Mačić on jazz guitar and Sava Medan on double bass, Nenad Stefanović "Japanac" on bass guitar, Dragan "Krle" Jovanović on guitar.Sa druge strane jastuka at Discogs Sa druge strane jastuka was the band's first album to feature Milenković as an author: he co-wrote the song "Francuska ljubavna revolucija" ("French Love Revolution") with Bajagić. The album brought hits "220 u voltima" ("220 Volt"), "Vidi šta sam ti uradio od pesme, mama" (a Serbo-Croatian cover of the Melanie Safka song "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma"), "Ti se ljubiš (Na tako dobar način)" ("You Kiss (In a great Manner)"), "Dvadeseti vek" ("Twentieth Century"), and ballads "Dobro jutro, džezeri" ("Good Morning, Jazzers"), "Sa druge strane jastuka" and "Zažmuri" ("Close Your Eyes"). The jazz tune "Dobro jutro, džezeri" was partially inspired by the time the band had spent with Belgrade jazzers in Belgrade Youth Center jazz club and would eventually become a jazz standard in Yugoslavia. The band chose "Zažmuri" as a single for the music chart TV show Hit meseca (Hit of the Month), much to dissatisfaction of the editors of their record label, PGP-RTB, who insisted on a fast-tempo song. "Zažmuri" eventually climbed to the top of the Hit meseca chart. The album was promoted with a 7-inch single with "220 u voltima" as the A-side. On the record's B-side was a track with software for ZX Spectrum entitled "Kompjuterska informacija (za Sinclair Spectrum)" ("Computer Information (for Sinclair Spectrum)")."220 (Plava verzija)" single at Discogs
In March 1985 Bajaga i Instruktori presented their new songs to the Zagreb audience in Kulušić club, as a part of the BG-ZG: Bolje vas našli (Belgrade-Zagreb: Happy to Be Here) action. Several days later, on the night of 9–10 March, they performed in Toulouse on the Night of Mediterranean Rock festival. Although they performed around 4:00 am, they were well received and performed three encores. After this concert Rade Radivojević was replaced by a former Potop (The Flood) and Galija member Saša Lokner. The band went on a successful Yugoslav tour, on which they held two concerts in Tašmajdan Stadium, on 8 and 9 June. For both of the concerts the Stadium was sold out, and on the first one the band played during pouring rain. In May 1985 Bajagić and Cukić took a part in YU Rock Misija, a Yugoslav contribution to Live Aid, and on 15 June Bajaga i Instruktori performed on the YU Rock Misija concert held on the Red Star Stadium.
In the autumn of 1985 Bajaga i Instruktori and Bijelo Dugme represented Yugoslavia on the 12th World Festival of Youth and Students held in Moscow. The two bands should have held their first concert on 28 July in Gorky Park. The soundcheck, during which Yugoslav technicians played Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd songs, attracted some 100,000 people to the location. Bajaga i Instruktori opened the concert, however, after some time, the police started to beat the ecstatic audience, and the concert was interrupted by the Soviet officials, so Bijelo Dugme did not have the opportunity to go out on the stage. Fearing new riots, the Moscow authorities scheduled the second concert in Dinamo Hall, and the third one in the Moscow Green Theatre. The first one, held on 30 July, was attended by about 2,000 uninterested factory workers, and the second one, held on 2 August and also featuring British bands Misty in Roots and Everything but the Girl, by about 10,000 young activists with special passes. During their staying in Moscow, Bajaga i Instruktori also performed in Pioneers Home and Vakhtangov Theatre.
After the group returned to Yugoslavia, they continued Sa druge strane jastuka tour, during which they held more than 120 concerts. During the year they also performed on the rock evening of the Intertalent Festival in Prague. At the end of 1985 in the magazine Rock Bajaga i Instruktori were polled by the critics the Rock Band of the Year, Bajagić was polled the Rock Musician of the Year, "Zažmuri" was polled the Song of the Year, and Sa druge strane jastuka was polled the Album of the Year. By the end of the year the album was sold in more than 350,000 copies, Bajaga i Instruktori becoming one of best-selling Yugoslav acts and teen idols. At the end of the year the band was awarded with the 25 May Plaque by the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia. After the tour ended, the band went on a break, during which Lokner and Golubović performed in jazz clubs with jazz musicians Stjepko Gut (trumpet), Miša Krstić (piano) and Nenad Petrović (saxophone).