User:Dijxtra/Branimir Štuliæ

hr:Branimir Štulić

Early years
He was born April 11 1953 in Skopje where his father served as JNA officer. Five years later his family moves to Jastrebarsko (a town near Zagreb) and then a bit later to Zagreb.

While studying at Faculty of Philosophy (at Zagreb University), Štulić starts to sing his own songs and songs of other authors and play acoustic guitars, and then starts his first group, naming it "Balkan sevdah band".

Constituted of today unknown players of acoustic instruments and equally unknown female singer, they played everything that can be placed between sevdalinkas and The Beatles, including Štulić's songs that author will later record in completely different manner.

In November of 1977, inspired by verse from sevdalinka "Kraj tanahna šadrvana" (translation of Heinrich Heine song "Der Asra"), Štulić changes name of the group to Azra. Extremely belligerent personality of founder of the group induced frequent changes in groups setup - members of Azra (among others) were Jura Stublić, Marin Pelajić and Mladen Juričić, before they left the group and founded Film.

Štulić suddenly shifts to Parni Valjak, but that impossible transfer lasted only for two weeks. Then he met drummer of Haustor Boris Leiner and while unsuccessfully searching for bassist, recorded first single (songs were "Balkan" and "A šta da radim") in legendary Janko Mlinarić - Truli studio. With Leiner on drums Zlatko Mikšić – Fuma from Parni Valjak played bass guitar and Husein Hasanefendić (also from Parni Valjak) produced singles and played solo guitar.

"Balkan", a song full of influence of sevdah, was written back in 1974, but original text will transform under influence of punk and New wave. First concert of Pankrti in Zagreb will motivate raptured Štulić to cut his long hair and shave his beard, and sing about his change of style in a new version of "Balkan" (Brijem bradu, brkove da ličim na Pankrte, trans. I'm shaving beard, moustaches to resemble Pankrts).

Years of success
Trio was finally formed when Štulić and Leiner are associated with bass guitar player Mišo Hrnjak. Conditions for recording of their first album weren't the best during summer of 1980; Mlinarić's studio was taken, and Hasanefendić who remarkably produced the first single, was on a tour with Parni Valjak. Impatient Štulić nevertheless goes to Jadran Film studio and chooses Zagreb rock dinosaur Drago Mlinarec for a producer.

Final result was lightyears away from what Štulić expected, but audience didn't care not a slightest bit for obvious producing errors. Visitors of numerous Azra concerts finally got a vinyl record of songs they already knew very well, and vague sound of guitars and painful Štulić's vocal in brilliant lyrics recruited an army of new fans in a hip.

Next time they entered studio, in 1980, produced a single "Lijepe žene prolaze kroz grad" (trans Beautiful women are passing through the town). Hasanefendić played the solo guitar and was a producer once again, and B side was occupied by strange instrumental "Suzy F." - three versions of lyrics were discarded at the end because, by Štulić's opinion, they sounded as if they were sung by ''Aco Stojković na ljetnjoj bašti 1938. sa leptir mašnom (trans: Aco Stojković on summer terrace 1938 with a bow tie'').

The single announced double album "Sunčana strana ulice" (trans. "Sunny side of the street") which was produced by Štulić, as well as all of the following records. By incomparably better sound than the debut album, excellent mixture of love songs, intensive and short stories from urban streets and explicitly engaged messages this record will transform Azra to convincingly most significant yugoslav rock'n'roll attraction of that time, and confirm Štulić as informal, but tremendously influential spokesman of urban youth.

On the album (helped by excelent brass section, most of all saxophone player Miroslav Sedak–Benčić), there was also a curiosity: lyrics not written by Štulić ("Pit i to je Amerika", song by Mile Rupčić, written for a monodrama with the same name).

After yugoslavian tour, which lasted, untill late autumn of 1981, Azra plays 7 consecutive and sold out concerts in Zagreb club "Kulušić", and records triple live album "Ravno do dna" (trans. "Streight to the bottom").

Not forgetting the frustrating production of Mlinarac, Štulić republishes all of the songs from the first album and the best songs from the second album, adding lots of unrecorded songs, which were well known to visitors of Azra concerts.

Perfectly trained band, euforic audience and excellent hall are reasons why "Ravno do dna" became most exciting document of all of Zegreb Novi val and an album without which it is impossible to understand the meaning of Azra in 1980s.

New studio album "Filigranski pločnici" was released few months after "Ravno do dna" and quickly became bestselling Azra album. Just like previous studio album, it is filled with tender love songs decorated by Sedmak-Benčić's saxophone, and sharp, sometimes angry political comments.

"Tko to tamo pjeva" id sedicated to Josip Broz, "Gorki okus" was insipred by arrest of Gojko Đoga and ban of his book of poems "Vunena vremena", while "68" is ironic homage downfallen leftists. A song was included which scoffed Jura Stublić, former singer of Azra. It is noticable that on "Filigranskim pločnici" his earlier uncompromising openness was sometimes replaced by more hermetical verses.

Another entrance to studio produces excellent single with songs "E, pa što", "Sloboda" and "Gluperde lutaju daleko", which mark the end of most successfull era of Azra and the end of groups original setup.

Downfall of Azra
Mišo Hrnjak leaves the group and music in general, Boris Leiner leaves to server in the army, and Štulić, in January 1983 with help from Paolo Sfecci on drums records an album "Kad fazani lete". Change of style is fairly visible – heavy giutar thunder is backgrouns for usually completely surrealist images of Štulić's inner world.

Similar approach was used on next album, "Krivo srastanje", released in 1984, with involvement of Bornis Leiner who returend from the army. Even though reviewers described the album a failure and superficial audience didn't understand it, patient listener will be rewarded with few excelent songs. Song "Krivo srastanje" propheticly predicts breakup of Yugoslavia, "No comment" introduces Azra as a punk band and "Klinček stoji pod oblokom" is first but by far most successful Štulić's adaptation of folk motives.

After that album, Štulić's moved to the Netherlands and in 1986 with triple album "It Ain't Like In The Movies At All", translates his songs to English, and unsuccessfully atempts breakthrough to the international market.

A year later he recorded the album "Između krajnosti" in Zagreb with Leiner, Jurica Pađen on guitar and Stephen Kipp, a bassist from the Netherlands. Dull adaptations of ethno songs, bad translation of the Rolling Stones and a few uninteresting new songs weren't enough for positive review. The record is remembered only for "Bed rok", a song from Azra's early days, and the mediocre "Vaše veličanstvo".

During 1987 this setup of Azra embarked on Yugoslavian tour, and after that, in Zagreb "Dom sportova" hall, recorded the quadruple album "Zadovoljština" with 50 songs. A pale shadow of "Ravno do dna", this live album is composed of routinely performed songs from best days of the band and uninteresting adaptations of rock classics.

Solo career
After "Zadovoljština" Boris Leiner finally leaves the group and Štulić starts solo career which begun with "Balkanska rapsodija" in 1989. Album is a prototype of what will become final form of his solo career: poor arrangements of ethno songs, senseless new songs and occasional funny-sounding bad English. Only rare verses will remind of a once great songwriter.

His second solo album "Balegari ne vjeruju sreći" is a bit more seccessful. It was recorded in 1990 with "Sevdah Shutle Band" (members being: Jurica Pađen, Tomislav Šojat and Branko Knežević) and featured popular "Usne vrele višnje" and few other good songs.

Succesor named "Sevdah za Paulu Horvat" was published in 1995 although recorded few years earlier. Just like "Balkanska rapsodija", the album is far from good. The same is to be said about "Anali".

Štutlić then started work on his own translations of Iliad and Peloponnesian War, and in 1997 he published very weak double album "Balase" under the name of Azra. This was his last studio album, which announced the final end of his career.

Today he lives in a small city Houten near Utrecht, Netherlands. After years of refusing of any contact with public, in January 2005 he for the first time allows journalists to enter his home. This move was a result of growing nostalgia for Novi val and wishes for reincarnation of Azra. He refused to take part in Igor Mirković's documentary Sretno dijete, but allowed jurnalists of one Croatian newspaper to speak with him. This proved to be a wrong step as they broke the promise they won't publis photos of him and published papparazi style photos of him.

Eagerly awaited return of the greatest Croatian poet among musicians is still a dream of many in his homeland, as can be seen on numerous "Pozdrav Azri" (trans. Salutation to Azra) concerts, underaverage performances where former members of the band capitalise the fame of Štulić.

Singles

 * Balkan / A šta da radim (Suzy 1979.)
 * Lijepe žene prolaze kroz grad / Poziv na ples / Suzy F. (Jugoton 1980.)
 * Đoni, budi dobar / Teško vrijeme (Jugoton 1982. koncertni)
 * E pa što / Sloboda / Gluperde lutaju daleko (Jugoton 1982.)
 * Nemir i strast / Doviđenja na vlaškom drumu (Jugoton 1983.)
 * Klinček stoji pod oblokom / Flash
 * Mon Ami / Duboko u tebi
 * Sardisale Lešočkiot manastir / Mamica su štrukle pekli / I to se događa ponekad

Albums

 * Azra (Jugoton 1980.)
 * Sunčana strana ulice (Jugoton 1981. dupli)
 * Ravno do dna (Jugoton 1982. trostruki koncertni)
 * Filigranski pločnici (Jugoton 1982. dvostruki)
 * Singl ploče 1979. - 1982. (Jugoton 1982.)
 * Kad fazani lete (Jugoton 1983.)
 * Krivo srastanje (Jugoton 1984.)
 * It ain't Like In The Movies At All (Diskoton 1986. trostruki)
 * Kao i jučer (Singl ploče 1983-1986)(Jugoton 1987. kompilacija)
 * Između krajnosti (Jugoton 1987.)
 * Zadovoljština (Jugoton 1988. četverostruki koncertni)

Solo albums

 * Balkanska rapsodija (Jugoton 1989.)
 * Balegari ne vjeruju sreći (Jugoton 1990.)
 * Sevdah za Paulu Horvat (Komuna 1995. CD)
 * Anali (Komuna 1995. dvostruki CD)
 * Blase (Hi Fi Centar 1997.)

Azra

 * http://www.seriouspop.com/active%20archive/azra/
 * http://fly.srk.fer.hr/~kbrlek/index.php Azra Home Page
 * http://www.azraweb.com/
 * http://www.azra.co.yu/
 * http://www.yurope.com/people/danko/azra.html
 * http://members.iinet.net.au/~safetman/azra/index.htm

Johnny

 * http://www.dopmagazin.com/file.asp?area=11&pd=20050206_211723&print=print
 * http://www.index.hr/clanak.aspx?id=245979
 * http://www.akordi.co.yu/arhiv/azra/azra2.htm
 * http://www.24sata.hr/articles/view/12695/?style=LTypo
 * http://www.nacional.hr/articles/view/20014/27/
 * http://www.sarajevo-x.com/clanak/050701003
 * http://www.tportal.hr/showtime/glazba/page/2005/12/20/0534006.html