DIVLJE JAGODE (CRO) - Divlje Jagode (LP, Jugodisk, 1978)

RATING: 7/10

If one wishes to reach at least a minor knowledge about the heavy rock music going on at the Balkans from the 1970s to the 1990s, it's no less than mandatory to give Divlje Jagode's music at least a few spins. With an eventful and productive career that spans to this day, this Croatian group (though born under the flag of communist Yugoslavia) sure helped pave the way for many new bands to come, and their enduring status as one of the most popular hard/heavy acts of the country is totally justified. Recently, I have learned of original bass player Nihad Jusufhodžić's sad demise in April 2026, and this prompted me to revisit the early music of Divlje Jagode ("Wild Strawberries"), which naturally brought the itch to write something about their music. I'm not sure I will have the determination to sit through their entire discography (it's not exactly gargantuan, but it would surely be time-consuming, and some of their records are not really of my liking to be honest), but the best way to deal with an itch is to scratch it, you know, so let's drop a few lines about at least their classic early releases, as both an homage to Jusufhodžić (that didn't really last the distance as the band's bass player, but nevermind) and a way to show respect to a scene that is still largely unappreciated and under-documented, at least when it comes to the English-speaking side of the metal universe.

Formed in 1977 in Saravejo (now Bosnia, though the band is widely acknowledged as from Croatia and is based there nowadays), as a direct continuation of former acts Zenit and Dobro Ime, the group didn't need much time to capture the imagination of local rock fans, with a handful of singles making the public familiar with their brand of hard/heavy music and prompting Jugodisk to offer the lads the chance to lay down a full-length. By the time the eponymous debut LP hit local shops in 1978, Divlje Jagode were acting as a 5-piece, with band leader Sead 'Zele' Lipovača (G) being assisted by Anto Janković (V), Nihad Jusufhodžić (B), Mustafa 'Muc' Ismailovski (K) and Adonis Dokuzović (D). Though not immediately reaching the explosive success they would enjoy during the mid-1980s, fact is that the group's debut was a very significant release for Yugoslavian heavy music - a scene that, though very open to Western influences (they were never really a part of the Eastern Bloc, you know) and with a significant amount of rock music going on from at least the late 1960s, was still in its infancy when it comes to the heavier side of the rock spectrum. As it's usually the case with nearly all pioneering acts, don't expect "Divlje Jagode" (the album, that is) to be a flawless example of sheer heavy metal genius, but rather part of a learning curve that would give us some genuinely exciting music in later years.

The thing about Divlje Jagode is, oh man, are their songs catchy or what? I mean, with no less than four ballad included on their 9-song debut, one could easily dismiss the record as a disposable display of cheesy semi-metal mediocrity without even listening to it, and that would be a serious mistake, believe. The first two ballads featured, "Krivo Je More" and "Jedina Moja", are immortal classics of the Balkan's heavy music - and, let's be perfectly honest here, both are actually very good! I must admit I have a soft spot for "Krivo Je More", a melancholic tune about remembering a long lost love that, despite its simplicity, does manage to create a very moving atmosphere - but "Jedina Moja" is objectively every bit as good, with a more prominent use of keyboards that, believe me or not, never threaten to become too intrusive and/or overtly emotional. Two truly great songs, I tell you, and the fact that the presence of two ballads doesn't get anywhere near ruining the A side of this LP is quite an indication that we're not dealing with incompetent songwriters around here. 

But, no matter how good the tearjerkers are, we're all here for the hard-hitters, aren't we? And "Divlje Jagode" (the album) have quite a few nice ditties to offer in that department as well. I really like the title-track, for instance, with keyboards arrangements and a solid main riff that, put together, really bring to mind something of a less virtuoso Deep Purple - all with the healthy dose of catchiness I mentioned earlier, including a let's-repeat-the-name-of-the-song chorus (that works beautifully in this particular occasion) and a "lu-lu-lu-lu-lu-luyy" singalong halfway through that, despite being almost silly in nature, is so charming that you can't help yourself but singing along with it. "Bubi" is also nice, with a more typical hard rocking vibe, but I guess the best of the lot is "Želim Da Te Imam", an immensely catchy heavy rocker with nice guitar arrangements and a soaring chorus to die for. Really good stuff, lads.

In fact, if the rest of the package was as good as the first five cuts, we would have a seriously kickass album in our hands, slightly excessive ballads and all. Unfortunately, ballad number three "Mojoj Ljubavi" is a pretty aimless and insipid one, being honestly a letdown and even detrimental to the merits of the whole package. "Čekam Da Sunce Zađe", though mostly nice enough, suffers from an unimaginatively, dull "yeah yeah yeah" chorus that makes no justice to the pretty functional (and reasonably heavy) instrumentation, and Divlje Jagode is seriously risking losing our attention completely by this point. Fortunately, "Vodarica" is another very nice 70's hard/heavy tune with more than a passing resemblance to Rainbow (the most hard-rocking side of Dio's era, that is), so our ears are mostly satisfied when ballad number four (deep breath) "Sjećanja" steps forward. It's not a bad song at all (definitely way better than "Mojoj Ljubavi", no doubt about that), and perhaps even the most 'metallic' of the bunch when it comes to this album, but I guess most listeners will be simply too exhausted of mellow balladry to give this one a fair chance, the temptation to just skip it and move straight to the next record being almost too strong to resist. When it comes to the soft side of the spectrum, I must say that "Krivo Je More" and "Jedina Moja" are more than enough for me, thanks very much.

Many changes would come Divlje Jagode's way after their LP debut was out, and their brand of fairly typical 70s hard-rocking fare would toughen quite a lot in the following years, to the extent that "Divlje Jagode" may even sound a bit non-representative if you happen to first hear the band via their "Motori" or "Čarobnjaci" releases. Still, it's well worth a listen, and it's also the only full-length release to feature Nihad Jusufhodžić's nice, simple-but-confident bass playing (he would leave in 1979, way before record number two "Stakleni Hotel" was out), so give the man a bit of much deserved respect and have a beer or two while spinning this one, right? 

Anto Janković (V), Sead 'Zele' Lipovača (G), Nihad Jusufhodžić (B), Mustafa 'Muc' Ismailovski (K) and Adonis Dokuzović (D). 

The track listing below reflects the original 1978 release. The album's running order may vary from different formats and/or reissues

01. Divlje Jagode (Lipovača) 05:27
02. Krivo Je More (Lipovača, Janković) 04:19
03. Bubi (Lipovača, Janković) 04:26
04. Jedina Moja (Lipovača, Janković) 05:17
05. Želim Da Te Imam (Lipovača, Janković) 02:52
06. Mojoj Ljubavi (Lipovača, Janković) 03:25
07. Čekam Da Sunce Zađe (Lipovača, Janković) 03:53
08. Vodarica (Lipovača, M.Kašaj) 03:03
09. Sjećanja (Ismailovski, Janković) 03:52

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!