Ekatarina Velika
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2009) |
Ekatarina Velika Екатарина Велика | |
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Background information | |
Also known as |
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Origin | SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
Genres | |
Years active | 1982–1994 |
Labels |
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Spinoff of | Šarlo Akrobata |
Past members | see the members section |
Ekatarina Velika (Serbian Cyrillic: Екатарина Велика, lit. 'Catherine the Great'), sometimes referred to as EKV (Serbian Cyrillic: ЕКВ) for short, was a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential Yugoslav music acts.
Initially called Katarina II (Serbian Cyrillic: Катарина II, lit. 'Catherine II'), the band had built up a devoted following that greatly intensified and expanded after the death of its frontman Milan Mladenović in 1994, which caused the band to dissolve. The group's core consisted of singer and guitarist Milan Mladenović, keyboardist Margita Stefanović and bassist Bojan Pečar, with other members mostly remaining for comparatively shorter periods.
History
Post-punk years (1982–1986)
Katarina II
In February 1982, following the disbandment of Šarlo Akrobata, 24-year-old guitarist and vocalist Milan Mladenović decided to form a new band with an old friend — 22-year-old guitarist Gagi Mihajlović. Playing music together again after being bandmates a few years earlier at Limunovo Drvo, Mladenović and Mihajlović decided to name their new band Katarina II after Mihajlović's unrequited love — a girl named Katarina. Rounding out Katarina II's inaugural lineup were Dušan Dejanović (another former Limunovo Drvo member) on drums and Zoran "Švaba" Radomirović on bass guitar.
During late 1982, after their performance at the Topčiderska zvezda cinema, the band was joined by the 23-year-old classically trained pianist
The vacant drummer position was filled by Branko "Mango" Kuštrin (formerly of Grupa I), but after he left within a month, Milan's former bandmate from Šarlo Akrobata Ivan "VD" Vdović became the new drummer. At the same time, in early 1983, Bojan Pečar (former VIA Talas bassist) joined on bass. In spring 1983, the band took part in Zagreb Biennale, receiving positive reviews. Their material for the debut album material was recorded soon after, featuring guest appearance by actor Svetislav Goncić on tin whistles. The recording sessions for the material were completed in Enco Lesić's Druga Maca studio, however, the material was unusable due to a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with the studio's inferior technical equipment.
The following year, the band took the offer from fellow musician and
Soon after their debut album, the band went through more lineup changes amid disagreements and personality clashes between Mladenović and Mihajlović. Mihajlović also ran afoul of the law — a transgression that got him a jail stint — and after serving the punishment got informed by the rest of the band he was no longer a Katarina II member. However, since Mihajlović claimed rights to the "Katarina II" name, he forced the band into using another one. Later he collaborated with
, and occasional TV spots, the band's popularity had gradually grown.Ekatarina Velika
In early 1985, the band recorded their second studio album at SIM studio in Zagreb. Produced by Vladimir Smolec featuring guest appearances by Massimo Savić as well as Karlowy Wary member and SIM studio co-owner Tomo in der Mühlen, Ekatarina Velika gave the band with its first bona fide hits, "Oči boje meda" ("Honey Colored Eyes"), "Modro i zeleno" ("Indigo and Green") and "Tattoo". In keeping with the theme of the "Tattoo" track, the album cover arranged by Dušan Gerzić features the band members painted in Native American ritual body art. After the album release on 22 March 1985, they played outside of Yugoslavia for the first time, making a positive impression at Culture Days in Turin, Italy. Another memorable concert took place in Zagreb as part of Bolje vas našli Belgrade-Zagreb band exchange.
Towards the end of 1985, Fece left the band to serve his mandatory
After the album release, the band toured extensively all over former Yugoslavia, and the recording of one of the five sold-out performances at the Zagreb club
Alternative rock years (1987–1991)
During the summer of 1987, the band released the album
In January 1989, the band finished the recording sessions for the album
The sixth studio album
Mainstream rock years (1992–1994)
During the middle of 1992 the band toured with the new bassist Dragiša Uskoković "Ćima", with whom they recorded the final studio album
After the album release, in September of the same year, Ekatarina Velika,
Breakup and post-breakup
The band resumed their activities when Mladenović returned to Serbia. There were plans to make a new album, tentatively titled Ponovo zajedno (Together Again), but the idea was shelved because of Milan's health problems. EKV played what would turn out to be their last ever show on 24 August 1994 in Budva at the Pjesma Mediterana festival. The very next day Milan was held in a hospital, and it was soon discovered that he had pancreatic cancer. Barely a few months later, on 5 November 1994, Milan Mladenović died in Belgrade, at the age of 36, thus Ekatarina Velika ceased to exist.
Margita Stefanović continued working as a musician, for a short period of time performing with the cover band Kurajberi. In 1995, with Vladimir Stojanović, as an
During the early 1997, a posthumous live album entitled Live '88 was released, featuring the recordings of the performances from Zagreb and Novi Sad held during the 1988 tour. The Zagreb recordings, made at the Kulušić club, were announced by the rock critic Dražen Vrdoljak and featured Theodore Yanni on guest guitar. The live recordings were owned by Fece who initiated the album release. During the same year, Margita Stefanović founded the record label EKV Records and started reissuing EKV studio album with bonus material. The Ljubav reissue featured live bonus material made at the Belgrade Dom Omladine on 13 November 1991 and the 1988 Novi Sad SNP performance, Samo par godina za nas featured the live bonus tracks from the Avala fest held in September 1990 and Dum dum featured alternate and demo recordings and the 1991 Dom Omladine live tracks.
In 2017, Mascom Records released the double live album Krug (The Circle), featuring the recording of Mladenović's and Stefanović's unplugged performance held in
Ivan Vdović died of
Legacy
Ekatarina Velika is considered one of the top and most influential acts of the
In 2003, a tribute album to Mladenović entitled Kao da je bilo nekad... Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću (Like It Happened Someday... Dedicated to Milan Mladenović) was released. The album consists of 15 covers of Mladenović's songs (14 EKV and one Šarlo Akrobata song) by a range of musicians, spanning from rock veteran Dado Topić, over EKV contemporaries like Električni Orgazam, Darko Rundek, Partibrejkers, Miško Plavi, Vlada Divljan, Del Arno Band, and Tanja Jovićević, to younger acts, like Jarboli, Darkwood Dub, Novembar, Night Shift, Block Out, and VROOM. Mladenović's former Šarlo Akrobata bandmate Dušan Kojić also appeared on the album under the pseudonym Crni Zub, participating in the cover of "Zemlja".[7]
Another tribute album, released in 2003, was a
The book
The Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list, published in 2000, featured five songs by Ekatarina Velika: "Krug" (polled No.3), "Par godina za nas" (polled No.11), "Ti si sav moj bol" (polled No.41), "Zemlja" (polled No.54) and "7 dana" (polled No.86).[13] In November 2006, "Par godina za nas" was polled the Best Yugoslav Popular Music Song on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.[14] In 2011, the songs "Krug" and "Par godina za nas" were polled, by the listeners of Radio 202, two of 60 greatest songs released by PGP-RTB/PGP-RTS during the sixty years of the label's existence.[15]
The lyrics of 15 songs by the band were featured in Petar Janjatović's book Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007 (Songs of Brotherhood, Childhood & Offspring: Anthology of Ex YU Rock Poetry 1967 - 2007).[16]
In July 2011, the hardscape area in front of the Belgrade Youth Center was named the Milan Mladenović Place.[17] In 2012, a street in Zagreb, Milan Mladenović's city of birth, was named after him.[18]
In 2016, Serbian weekly news magazine Nedeljnik pronounced Milan Mladenović one of 100 people that changed Serbia forever.[19]
Members
- Milan Mladenović — vocals, guitar (February 1982 - summer 1994) (died 1994)
- Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi" — guitar (February 1982 - sometime in 1984)
- Zoran Radomirović "Švaba" — bass guitar (February 1982 - late 1982)
- Dušan Dejanović — drums (February 1982 - late 1982) (died 2000)
- Margita Stefanović "Magi" - keyboards, backing vocals (late 1982 - summer 1994) (died 2002)
- Branko Kuštrin "Mango" — drums (late 1982 - early 1983)
- Bojan Pečar — bass guitar (early 1983 - early 1990) (died 1998)
- Ivan Vdović "VD" — drums (early 1983 - fall 1984) (died 1992)
- Ivan Fece "Firchie" — drums (fall 1984 - late 1985), (early 1988 - May 1988)
- Ivan Ranković "Raka" — drums (late 1985 - early 1987)
- Srđan Todorović "Žika" — drums (early 1987 - early 1988), (May 1988 - early 1990)
- Marko Milivojević — drums (early 1990 - summer 1994)
- Miško Petrović "Plavi" — bass guitar (early 1990 - spring 1991)
- Dušan Petrović — bass guitar (spring 1991 - fall 1991)
- Bata Božanić — bass guitar (spring 1991 - fall 1991)
- Dragiša Uskoković "Ćima" — bass guitar (fall 1991 - late 1993)
- Boško Stanojević "Bole" — bass guitar (summer 1994)
Timeline
Discography
- Katarina II(1984)
- Ekatarina Velika (1985)
- S' vetrom uz lice(1986)
- Ljubav (1987)
- Samo par godina za nas(1989)
- Dum Dum(1991)
- Neko nas posmatra(1993)
References
- ^ a b "Intervju #9". Solair.eunet.rs. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
- ^ "Manje pucaj, više tucaj". Buka. 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Sećanje na antiratni pokret u Jugoslaviji početkom 1990-ih". globalvoices.org. 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Nikada objavljeni snimak Ekatarine Velike: Zatvaranje ‘Kruga’", Rockomotiva.com
- ^ ""Đule: Živim kao sav normalan svet", interview with Zvonimir Đukić". Blic.rs. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
- ^ Interview with Zvonimir Đukić, nadlanu.com[dead link]
- ^ Kao da je bilo nekad... Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću at Discogs
- ^ Antonić, Duško; Štrbac, Danilo (1998). YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike. Belgrade: YU Rock Press.
- ^ "Rolling Stone - Specijalno izdanje: 100 najboljih albuma 1955 - 2015". Rolling Stone (in Croatian). No. Special editidon. Zagreb: S3 Mediji. p. 34.
- ^ "Rolling Stone - Specijalno izdanje: 100 najboljih albuma 1955 - 2015". Rolling Stone (in Croatian). No. Special editidon. Zagreb: S3 Mediji. p. 57.
- ^ "Rolling Stone - Specijalno izdanje: 100 najboljih albuma 1955 - 2015". Rolling Stone (in Croatian). No. Special editidon. Zagreb: S3 Mediji. p. 68.
- ^ Janjatović, Petar; Lokner, Branimir (1987). YU legende uživo. Belgrade: Rock. p. 14.
- ^ "100 najboljih pesama svih vremena YU rocka". Rock Express (in Serbian) (25). Belgrade.
- ^ 100 najboljih domačih - konačan plasman at Radio B92 (Retrieved: 16 August 2009)
- ^ 60 хитова емисије ПГП на 202!, facebook.com
- ^ Janjatović, Petar (2008). Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007. Belgrade: Vega media.
- ^ "Otvoren "Plato Milana Mladenovića"". B92.net. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
- ^ "Milan Mladenović dobio ulicu u Zagrebu", blic.rs
- ^ "100 ljudi koji su promenili Srbiju". Nedeljnik (in Serbian) (special edition). Belgrade: 63.
- EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006, Janjatović Petar; ISBN 978-86-905317-1-4
External links
- Band's Biography at Official Website
- Ekatarina Velika at Discogs
- Ekatarina Velika at Spotify
- Ekatarina Velika at Apple Music
- Ekatarina Velika at Facebook
- Ekatarina Velika at YouTube
- Ekatarina Velika at Rateyourmusic
- Ekatarina Velika at Last.fm
- Ekatarina Velika at B92.fm