Crvena jabuka

Crvena jabuka is a Bosnian pop rock band formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1985. Since then, they had great success and are still very popular. They were a part of the New primitives movement that started during the 80s.

Formed at the height of the New Primitives movement, the band had endured numerous line-up changes. Their first lineup featured lead guitarist/vocalist Dražen Ričl, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter Zlatko Arslanagić, drummer Darko "Cunja Jelčić, bass player Aljoša Buha, and keyboardist/backing vocalist Dražen "Žera" Žerić. In autumn 1986, the band suffered a setback after Buha and Zijo were killed in a road accident. The band then went into the studio to record their second album with Žera permanently becoming the lead vocalist. Though Cunja and Žera were originally permanent members of the band, with Cunja's ousting in 2017, Žera is the only member of the original band now.

The band achieved much success with Zlaja-penned hits – notably with their albums "Sanjati" (1988), and "Tamo gdje ljubav počinje" (1989). Zlaja soon became disinterested in the band with 1991's "Nekako s proljeća," and eventually quit in 1992. Despite this, in 1995 Žera reconstructed the band and released a comeback boosting a reinvented image.

1985-87: Formation and early years
Each of the five original members: drummer Darko Jelčić, lead guitarist/singer Dražen Ričl "Zijo", bassist Aljoša Buha, rhythm guitarist/lead songwriter Zlatko Arslanagić "Zlaja", and keyboardist/vocalist Dražen Žerić "Žera, played in various bands prior to Crvena Jabuka's formation. Zlaja and Zijo had been in a band called Ozbiljno Pitanje (The Serious Question) before Zijo left for Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors where he served as lead guitarist and backing vocalist until 1985. Cunja and Buha had been in bands that failed before taking off – Buha in Kongres (Congress) and Cunja in Flott. Žera was in Tina i dr. (Tina and the Doctor).

In 1985, Zijo was sacked from Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors and decided to contact Zlaja about launching a new project. The band's first recruits were drummer Darko Jelčić - Cunja who recommended his friend and neighbour Aljoša Buha on bass. The two had lived in the same apartment building for some time. Finally, Dražen Žerić - Žera was the last member to join – on keyboards and backing vocals, and the first lineup of the band was complete.

The band decided upon the name Crvena Jabuka (Red Apple) as a possible homage to The Beatles' Apple Records – the Beatles being the band members' biggest idols. After trying for and failing an audition with Sarajevo's Diskoton, they auditioned for and signed a deal with Zagreb-based Jugoton. They released their self-titled debut album in 1986, and it was an instant success. The album contained singles such as "Bježi kišo s prozora", "S tvojih usana", and perhaps their signature song, "Dirlija". The appointed producer was ex-Metak Željko Brodarić - Jappa. The band quickly gained popularity all over former SFR Yugoslavia, and feeling the pressure, began to work on their second album over the summer. In this time, the band also made TV appearances and opened for Neno Belan's group - Đavoli.

Crvena Jabuka then scheduled their first tour to establish solidarity and grow their fan base commencing with a concert on September 18, 1986, in Mostar. The show did not get past the scheduling phase, however. The band took two cars to the concert – with Aljoša Buha, Zlaja, and Zijo traveling in Zlaja's Fiat 500. Passing through Jablanica, the car was involved in an accident. Buha died within minutes due to severe injuries, while Zijo was transferred to a Belgrade area hospital. Though many expected him to survive, Zijo was pronounced dead on 1 October 1986.

In tribute of this tragic moment, a concert was held in Skenderija palace in Sarajevo in Jablanica in which musicians and bands from all generations performed. Crvena jabuka would end with their work. However, because the material for 1987's "Za sve ove godine" was ready, the band decided to first record that before undergoing a one-year hiatus. The band decided to stay a trio with Dražen Žerić (who originally sang backup vocals) taking on lead vocal duties. Guitarist Zlatko Arslanagić also switched to mostly lead/bass guitar, and Darko Jelcic decided to remain on drums. To accommodate the shortage of manpower, producer Željko Brodarić - Jappa assisted on some of the instrumentation. There was no promotion or tour for the album, at the request of the three surviving members. Naturally, the album did not fare as well as their debut.

1988-91 "Sanjati," "Tamo gjde ljubav počinje," and expansion
At this point, many began to wonder what would become of Crvena Jabuka. They had lost Dražen Ričl - Zijo, who was the purification of the band, and despite wanting to disband, many fans wanted to see them together again. By now, Žera had permanently taken over lead vocal duties, after failed auditions with several candidates – including Valentino's Suad Jakirlić Jaka, who had recently come back from his mandatory military stint. Decades later, Žera had become the backbone of Crvena Jabuka and easily recognisable thanks to his spkey hair.

It was 1988's "Sanjati" that proved the band's commercial success – earning a gold reward for selling over 250,000 copies. "Sanjati" generated four singles, including a cover of "Twist and Shout." While the album was recorded in the same fashion as Za sve ove godine, the band brought in two more musicians, bassist Srđan Serberdžija (who joined towards the end of recording), and keyboardist Zlatko Volarević - Dilajla, who joined before the tour. This allowed Zera to focus primarily on vocals, and Zlaja to go to just lead guitar in a live setup. The album sold 250,000 copies, and following its release, Crvena Jabuka embarked on a 180 concert tour.

The expanding lineup was not all that had changed. First, the band worked in Rockoko studios in Zagreb. They would record every future album there. Secondly, the band dropped producer Željko Brodarić (who had produced their first two albums), and got Niksa Bratos, who eventually became a secondary guitarist. Not only was Bratos a producer, but a multi-instrumentalist (there's a popular joke that he can play "too many instruments to list on a sheet of paper"). He could put all the band's ideas to work, and even did string arrangements. He would be put on rhythm guitar, and would also play many woodwind instruments on future albums.

January 1989 was when the recording contract for the band's fourth album called Tamo gdje ljubav počinje was signed. Šerbedžija, having grown tired of touring with the band, quit right after the first session and was replaced by professional guitarist/bassist Branko Sauka. Immediately after this release, the band once again toured for 260 dates. During the tour, Bratoš was not available but suggested a good friend of his, Igor Ivanovic. The significant moment was at the Sports Arena in Zagreb where a double album was recorded live called "Uzmi me (kad hoćeš ti)".

1991-94: "Nekako s proljeća," Zlaja quits, and extended hiatus
In 1991, the band released their fifth studio album, Nekako s proljeća, and had the singles "Moje najmilije", "Da nije ljubavi", and the title track, which was the band's first collaboration – featuring Kemal Monteno on acoustic guitar and vocals. With Zlaja mostly writing on this album, so Zoran "Zoka" Šerbedžija was recruited.

As with the previous two albums, the band organized a tour lasting into 1992, but it never materialised due to the wars in Croatia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. In the end, the band played for Yutel za Mir – an anti-war concert held at Zetra. The internal conflicts, combined with the destabilizing political climate, prompted the longest hiatus by the band to this day.

After this album, Zlatko Arslanagić left the band to move to London in the summer of 1992, and eventually moved to Toronto in 1995. Žera opened his new cafe in Sarajevo called "Broj jedan" (Number one). Even the remaining members parted ways. Nikša moved to Zagreb so he could concentrate on working with various rising stars of the day; Dilajla moved back to his hometown, Markovići; Igor Ivanovic moved to Slovenia and Zoran Serberdia to Germany.

The newly formed Croatia Records released, in 1993, an 18-hit compilation entitled Ima nesto od srca do srca. The album was put into chronological order, but for unknown reasons, omitted both "Bježi kišo s prozora", and a cover of Bacila je sve niz rijeku (a hit for Indexi in 1974). Due to limitations of mastering, cassette variants for the album featured four fewer songs. Inside the album was a message for the fans translated to thank them for their love and support. This once again raised questions about Crvena Jabuka's longevity.

1994-2000: Reformation and comeback tour, "U tvojim očima," and "Svijet je lopta šarena"
In April 1994, Žera travelled to Zagreb to re-unite with Nikša Bratoš and Dilajla, who now was to play on every album, and most shows. Cunja, initially not interested, was persuaded to come to Zagreb in August after the quartet could not find a suitable drummer. By then, the band had recruited Krešimir Kaštelan on bass. In 1995, it was unanimously decided to reform Crvena Jabuka. Mario Vukušić – Jimmy became the new secondary guitarist, and Danijel Lastrić, second to Dilajla on keyboards.

In the summer of 1995, the band went on a massive comeback tour with the newly formed lineup. The tour took them across all former Yugoslav states: Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, and by the autumn, their first shows in Macedonia. In the years to come, Crvena Jabuka would branch out to other European countries, mostly playing in diaspora-heavy areas.

With the tour winding down, the band also went into the studio in the fall of 1995 to work on their next album. Their second gold-achieving album, U tvojim očima, was released in mid-January 1996. With Zlaja officially out of the band by now, Crvena Jabuka turned to contracting with external songwriters. Notable mainstays were Zlatan Fazlić - Fazla, Saša Lošić - Loša, and several others. Even Žera finished the lyrics to the song "Sanjam Te" – a composition of Ričl, which Ričl had started working on just before his death. As with 1991's Nekako s proljeća, the album also featured two collaborations on vocals. Loša, who had written three songs for the album, guested on the band's cover of "White Christmas," Bijeli Božić." The album also featured "Vraćam Se Tebi, Seko," a duet with then rising Croatian star Alen Vitasović, written in collaboration with his primary writer, Livon Masomir.

To promote the new album, Crvena Jabuka organized and announced a free concert at a 15,000 private venue. Backing vocalists at their shows at the time were Erliha Hadžović, Marija Husar, Darija Hodnik, and Ivana Husar The band would continue to tour in the next months, but Dilajla and Jimmy – the latter of which had developed stage anxiety, quit the band. Ivanovic was once again brought on to assist on guitar, next to Bratoš. The band once again toured Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and expanded to Germany, Austria, and Denmark. On 12 December 1996, the band played their tenth anniversary show (commemorating their 1986 debut). By now, Plavi orkestar's Saša Zalepugin permanently replaced Jimmy. Ivanovic remained in the touring band as Bratoš had to commit to working with other musicians.

Crvena Jabuka continued touring in the spring of 1997 – culminating with shows in Tuzla and Skenderija in Sarajevo on 16 and 17 May respectively. That summer the band officially recognized Makarska as their base of operations. Upon being asked "why?" The members expressed their love of the city, the people, the view of the Adriatic Sea, and that the newly opened Stardust and Rockoko studios were located there.

The autumn of 1997 also saw the release of the album "Svijet je lopta šarena". As with "U tvojim očima, the band once again contracted with outside songwriters, working with Fazla and Loša again. This was another bestselling album of the band. Svijet je lopta šarena also existed as a limited edition with a second disk containing photos and music videos which could be viewed in a computer's CD-ROM. The band was inactive for the better part of 1998, although there were several minor releases, another live album, and Moje najmilije. Zalepugin had to commit to Plavi Orkestar; so, in 1999, son of Željko Bebek, Zlatko Bebek became the band's new guitarist.

On 13 and 14 March 1999, Crvena Jabuka played at Zagreb's OTV Amphitheatre. The shows were captured and released later that year as Riznice sjećanja – Unplugged. Klapa Nostalgija was among the backing vocalists on the album as were Darija Hodnik, Jana Nemeček, and Mirza Treterac. Also, for the first time in 1999, the band toured North America – catering to diaspora-heavy areas in the US and Canada.

2000-04: "Sve što sanjam," "Tvojim željama vođen," and departures of Bebek and Lastrić
In 2000, the band released Sve što sanjam. Most of the songs on this album were written by Dino Šaran, with whom the band would work regularly, and who would do most of their songwriting. The track "Niko nije lud da spava" features Klapa Nostalgija singing "Naše Malo Misto. Even though Nikša Bratoš produced the album, by now he was no longer a full-time member, only playing on the side. In 2001, the band did a New Year's show in Podgorica to ring in 2002.

In 2002, Crvena jabuka returned with Tvojim željama vođen. After recording this album, guitarist Zlatko Bebek, and keyboard player Danijel Lastrić left the band. The band added Damir Gönz on guitar, and Josip Andrić was hired on keyboards for the 2002-03 tour, which saw the band playing in the US and Canada again, as well as several European countries.

In 2004, Crvena Jabuka released an updated compilation Zlatna Kolekcija. Released as a double-album, it included hits dating back to their self-titled debut of 1986, to the recent Tvojim željama vođen of 2002. That very year, Andrić was replaced by Marko Belošević.

2005-09: "Oprosti što je ljubavna," "Duša Sarajeva," and more touring.
In 2005, Žera reformed the band. The result was Oprosti što je ljubavna. The album's success was mediocre, akin to 1987's Za sve ove godine. The album, once again, saw the band collaborate, this time with Arsen Dedić and Tarik Filipović, and included songs Zarjavele Trobente and a re-recording of Tugo, Nesrećo, in memory of Aljoša Buha and Dražen Ričl.

2005 was also the band's 20th anniversary. To celebrate it, the band performed in major former Yugoslav cities with surprise appearances by former members. Severina, with whom Žera recorded one of her hits in 1995, also appeared performing Bježi kišo s prozora and Twist and Shout. Then the band traveled for a few dates in North America in early 2006.

In 2007, Crvena jabuka released another album called Duša Sarajeva. As with the 2005 album, this new album did not fare too well despite generating several hits. It was produced by Žera with help of former associate Igor Ivanovic. Despite the album's bad success, the band toured Canada and USA through the first half of 2008. The setlist did not feature many songs from Duša Sarajeva, opting to focus on holder hits, following the tour Dražen Žerić-Žera got married in October 2008. Between the album and the tour, Žera recorded the song Dok Miljacka protice with Hari Mata Hari.

2009-2014: "Volim te," "Za tvoju ljubav," and "Nek bude ljubav"
In 2009, Crvena Jabuka returned with Volim te. For this album, Žera produced the album alongside Branimir Mihaljević who also assisted on keyboards and backing vocals. The music on Volim te is focused more on the older sound of the band, and once again featured the band collaborating with various other artists. Jazz.ba, the lead single, features vocals from Enis Bešlagić and Antimon, while Godinama features notorious folk singer Halid Bešlić. The album also closes out with Voljelo se dvoje mladih, a traditional also known as Zute dunje, with Dalmatian tambourine orchestra Lira, with whom the band worked on Duša Sarajeva, and would continue working with into the next decade. The album is also notorious for featuring Žera as the sole official band member. Even Cunja and Krešo did not play, as they were replaced by session musicians. The two would rejoin the band for the ensuing 2009-10 tour. This cumulated with a 25th Anniversary celebration at Skenderija on April 24, 2010.

The 2011 album, Za tvoju ljubav, was recorded in the same fashion as Volim Te with Mihaljević producing. Do neba was the lead single from the album and a major hit. The band also collaborated with J.O.K.S. on Gigi@Migi, Željko Bebek on Kletva, and Saša Lošić on Ljubav je jaka. This was the first song penned by Lošić for the band since 1997, and the second time he featured with the band (the first time being in 1996).

18 September, 2011 marked 25 years since the road accident that killed Aljoša Buha and Dražen Ričl. In their memory, Crvena Jabuka leaked demos of Zijo singing on songs for 1987's Za sve ove godine. The demos were well-received by fans.

By the beginning of 2012, Žera decided to revert to a quintet. Keeping Cunja and Krešo in place, the band expanded to include guitarist Tomislav Skrak and keyboardist Igor Matković - Mate. In this lineup, the band released 2013's Nek bude ljubav. The album included the new song Imam neke fore and saw the band collaborating with Kemal Monteno again, for the first time since 1991, on Crveni poljubci. Neverne Bebe also featured on Ovo je kraj, while the song Vjerujem features Hari Mata Hari's Karlo Martinović.

2014-2019: Death of Mario Vuković-Jimmy, "Bivše Djevojčice, Bivši Dječaci - Unplugged Live U Lisinskom," 2016 double album, Cunja ousted, and "Nokturno"
The band opened 2014 on a tour of Europe and the US. On 29 September, 2014, guitarist (between 1995 and 1998) Mario Vukušić-Jimmy died following a long illness. The band continud touring through 2014 and 2015. Earlier in 2014, the band played in Lisinski, and recorded their second unplugged album, Bivši Dječaci - Unplugged Live U Lisinskom, a follow-up to their 1999 live album Riznice sjećanja. Guests on the album were Kemal Monteno, Klapa Luka Ploče, Željko Bebek with whom the band performed the Bijelo Dugme hit Ima neka tajna veza, and Saša Lošić, with whom the band performed a medley of Plavi Orkestar hits, Bolje biti pijan nego star, and Suada.

In fall 2015, the band announced via Facebook, that they were working on their fifteenth studio album. Released in 2016, Crvena Jabuka 2016 was conceived as a double-album. Featuring a tone emphasizing jazz and fok, the album was generally a flop. Still, Crvena Jabuka 2016, being the 30th anniversary of the band's debut, featured collaborations from a lot of previous associates including Igor Ivanovic, Zlatan Fazlić, and Halid Bešlić. Klapa Putamilka also features on four of the album's tracks, and Fazla duets on the song Nostalgia. In the end, the only two big hits from the album were Dolly Bell, and Milka.

In July 2017, it was announced that Darko Jelčić would be quitting after over 30 years of performing and recording with Crvena Jabuka. Several explanations for this have circulated. Jelčić has said himself that Žera had ousted Cunja. Žera had always denied this, stating that Cunja simply elected to leave. For the 2016-17 shows, Divlje jagode's Adrian Borić was brought in as a side percussionist and drummer alongside Cunja. Later in 2017, Borić was permanently recruited as Cunja's replacement.

In 2019 the band released Nokturno. With the title track bookending the album (in an electric full-band intro and an acoustic outro), other hits from the album were Grade moj and Čuj to. With the COVID-19 pandemic halting the band's touring in the spring of 2020, the band compiled and released Sarajevo 1985-2020, a mini-compilation dedicated both to the band's hometown of Sarajevo, and to the band's 35 years of existence. The album featured some older, symbolic songs too, however there are none from the Zlaja years.

2021-Present: "Tvrđava" and "Neka nova jutra"
The band started their touring up again in the fall of 2021. That same year they released their seventeenth studio album, Tvrđava. The title track was the biggest hit of the album as was Gloria. Once again the band collaborated with various artists - this time Josip Pejaković, Alen Hrbinić, and Željko Samardžić. The band toured intensely throughout 2021 and 2022 - mostly due to the COVID pandemic having hindered them.

In July 2022, Žera announced, in an interview, that he was working on the band's next album. In September, the band released a snippet of an unfinished piece of music Neka nova jutra. The title would be used for the band's new album, now credited to Žera & Crvena Jabuka. Neka nova jutra includes the title track, featuring Mirsad Ibišević, the Fazla-penned Baščaršijska, and a cover of Novi fosili's Tonka. Guitarist Tomislav Krak was unavailable for this album, so he was replaced by Dragan "Buca" Todorović. It is unknown whether Krak will be able to tour with the band or not.

Studio albums

 * Crvena Jabuka (Red Apple) March 22, 1986
 * Za sve ove godine (For All These Years), 1987
 * Sanjati (To Dream) June 6, 1988
 * Tamo gdje ljubav počinje (Where Love Begins), January, 1989
 * Nekako s proljeća (In Springtime), 1991
 * U tvojim očima (In Your Eyes) January 17, 1996
 * Svijet je lopta šarena (The World is a Colourful Ball), December 1997
 * Sve što sanjam (Everything I Dream), July 2000
 * Tvojim željama vođen (Led By Your Wishes), December 2002
 * Oprosti što je ljubavna pjesma (Forgive Me for This Love Song), July 2005
 * Duša Sarajeva (The Soul of Sarajevo), 2007
 * Volim te (I Love You), February 2009
 * Za tvoju ljubav (For Your Love), 2011
 * Nek' bude ljubav (Let There Be Love), 2013
 * 2016 (2016), 2016
 * Nocturno (Nocturno), 2018
 * Tvrđava (Fortress), 2020
 * Neka nova jutra (Some New Mornings), 2022

Live albums

 * Uzmi me (kad hoćeš ti)'' Take me (When You Want To) 1990
 * LIVE 1998
 * Riznice sjećanja-unplugged 1999
 * Bivše Djevojčice Bivši Dječaci- unplugged live u Lisinskom 2014

Compilations

 * Ima nešto od srca do srca (There Is Something from Heart to Heart) 1993
 * Moje najmilije (My Dearest) 1996
 * Antologija (Anthology) 2003
 * Zlatna kolekcija (The Golden Collection) 2005
 * Da Nije Ljubavi - 25 Godina (If there's no love) 2010