Various: Bloodstains Across Yugoslavia 12″

Description

The majority of the bands on the Novi Punk Val album and this one were from the Slovenian and Croatian scenes, which means that, as an overview, Bloodstains Across Yugoslavia is a little skewed as it doesnt feature many of the Serbian groups of the time. Some of those notably Idoli, Radnika Kontrola and arlo Akrobata were among the best Yugoslav punk/new wave bands of all, but to make up for their absence, Bloodstains.. features a handful of tracks by one of the first and most popular Serbian punk bands, Belgrades Pekinka Patka (Peking Duck.) As their name suggests, Pekinka Patka were not, ideologically speaking, one of the heavier bands of the era, but nevertheless the album opens with a couple of their storming classics. Those two songs are in fact both sides of the bands second single, Bolje Da Nosim Kratku Kosu/Ori Ori from 1980. The A-side is a catchy new wave anthem about the new wave, light-hearted but full of attitude, the gist being that long hair and hard rock is old news and punk is here to stay. Its an energetic, fun record, not unlike UK bands of the time like The Vapors or The Undertones. Ori Ori is more of the same but even more energetic and anthemic, and the two songs provide an easy way into a well-rounded and satisfying album, even if its sometimes mysterious to those of us who dont understand the lyrics. Slovenias Pankrti are a very different prospect, confrontational and political, and their sound is more hard-edged and raw than Pekinka Patkas was. Their Lepi in Prazni (Beautiful and Empty) from 1978 has a blunt, impassioned Clash/Sham 69 kind of sound, but is every bit as catchy as the Pekinka Patka tracks. Likewise, Paraf were one of the first Croatian punk bands and their jagged 1978 single Moj Zivot Je Non Val is another catchy song with pleasant echoes of The Ramones Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World.

On the evidence of Bloodstains The Clash were far more of an influence on Yugoslavian punk than the Sex Pistols and a good proportion of the bands on the compilation clatter and rant through 2-minute bursts of ragged guitars and feral energy. But theres more to it than just first generation punk; Croatian band Prljavo Kazalite certainly have enough energy and attitude to fit easily into the punk pigeonhole, but their Majka (1978) also has echoes of distinctly un-punk bands like Status Quo in its driving rock groove. Problemis ebullient, Buzzcocks-like Grad Izobilja was a highlight of Novi Punk Val and it stands out here too, for its ranting rawness and pop hooks. Termiti were another Novi Punk Val band and they stand out too, thanks to a Seeds/Doors-esque organ that makes them come across more as a supercharged 60s garage band than classic 70s punk. Occasionally, the sequencing of the album leaves a little to be desired: a trio of very similar though all good enough raucous, Clash-like songs by Slovenias Kuzle would have been better spread out over the record instead of together and likewise three songs later on by Pankrti, which again are individually all good, but blur into each other when side by side. When you have the variety that this compilation has where anthems like Lublanski Psis incendiary TV (Ecerna Revolucija) stand out partly because they appear between very different sounding groups it feels like a slightly missed opportunity, assuming that anyone actually listens to a compilation album in sequence these days.

An unlikely highlight is Pekinka Patkas (very) punked-up version of French smooth-crooner Alain Barrires suave 1963 Eurovision cheese-ballad Elle tait si jolie, covered as Bila Je Tako Lijepa, which is great fun, but it wilts somewhat in the face of a pair of authentic punk rock blasts from Paraf and the three even more 1977-sounding (though actually 1980) Pankrti tracks. As if to make up for Bila Je Tako Lijepa, the album gives Pekinka Patka another go, ending with two of their most punk/Oi!-sounding songs; Kratkovidi Magarac and the gritty, Clash/Anti-Nowhere League-flavoured rampage Kontracepcija. In many ways, punk is a genre best explored via compilations and mixtapes and though Bloodstains Across Yugoslavia isnt perfect, its an excellent, exhilarating introduction to one of the most vital punk and new wave scenes of the late 70s and early80s. Its likely to leave newcomers to the delights of Eastern bloc punk wanting more and, luckily, theres a lot out there to explore.