Psihomodo Pop is a Croatian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Zagreb in 1982.
Psihomodo Pop gained the attention of Yugoslav public and media in the mid-1980s with their Ramones-influenced punk rock sound, energetic live performances, and cross-dressing image of their frontman Davor Gobac. The band released their debut album Godina zmaja in 1988, achieving nationwide popularity. During 1989 and 1990, the band performed abroad, attracting the attention of international media. Their second studio album Sexy magazin, released in 1990, repeated the success of their debut and maintained their mainstream popularity in Yugoslavia. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the band continued their activity in independent Croatia by releasing several commercially successful albums, turning towards garage and alternative rock. On their recent releases, the band returned towards their early rock and roll-influenced sound. Psihomodo Pop has released 12 studio albums up to date, featuring a number of popular covers of songs by international artists, and has maintained a cult following in all former Yugoslav republics.
History Formation and rise to prominence (1982–1988) Psihomodo Pop was formed in 1982 from the remnants of bands Neron (Nero), Rokfeler (Rockefeller) and Klinska Pomora (Cas Ghamber). The original lineup of the band featured vocalist Davor Gobac, guitarist Neven Kepenski (at the time also a journalist for the magazine Polet), bass guitarist Smiljan Paradiš "Šparka", drummer Tigran Kalebota and saxophonist Branko Banjeglav, all of them 18 years old at the time. They chose the band name after the album The Psychomodo by Cockney Rebel, adding Pop to the name in reference to Iggy Pop.
By the mid-1980s, the band has reached the status of an attractive live act, entering the finals of the YU Rock Moment festival, although the members' mandatory stints in the Yugoslav army caused discontinuity in their work. In 1985, the group made their discographic debut, appearing on PGP-RTB various artists compilation Demo Top Vol.3 with the song "Nema nje (Zauvijek)" ("She's Gone (Forever)"). The song featured brass section, Film member Mladen Juričić on guitar, and actresses Mira Furlan, Dubravka Ostojić and Stjepka Kavurić on backing vocals. The long period of breaking through had an effect on the group's lineup, with Banjeglav and Kepenski leaving the band, the latter dedicating himself to his journalistic career. For a short period of time, the band worked on their demo recording with writer and former Buldožer member Davor Slamnig playing the guitar, before they were, in 1985, joined by guitarists Saša Novak Radulović, formerly of Nužni Izlaz (Emergency Exit), and Vlatko Ćavar "Brada", formerly of Ritam s Ovoga Svijeta (Rhythm of This World). The new lineup changed their musical expression, turning to Ramones-influenced punk rock. At the time, Gobac gained significant popularity owing to his role of Milan Blenton in the musical TV show Stereovizija (Stereovision), for which he recorded the song "Grički izotop" ("Grič Isotope").
Breakthrough and nationwide popularity, attention of international media (1988–1991)
In 1988, Psihomodo Pop released their debut album entitled Godina zmaja (Year of the Dragon). The album was produced by Ivan "Piko" Stančić and brought a number of nationwide hits – "Kad sam imao 16" ("When I Was 16"), "Frida" (written by Slamnig during his short-time stint with the band), "Ja volim samo sebe" ("I Love Only Myself") and the new version of "Nema nje (Zauvijek)". The album also featured a cover of Ramones songs "Ramona" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", the latter entitled "Hej djevojko" ("Hey Girl"), a cover of Velvet Underground song "Sunday Morning", entitled "Rano jutro" ("Early Morning"), and a cover of T. Rex song "Telegram Sam".
The long-awaited popularity gave them an opportunity to perform on a concert of most popular Zagreb-based bands at the time alongside Parni Valjak, Prljavo Kazalište and Film, the recording of their performances being released on the double live album ZG Rock Forces in 1989. The band held a series of concerts across Yugoslavia, on which Gobac often appeared dressed in female clothes. After concerts in Yugoslavia, the group—although already a popular act in their home country—participated in a battle of the bands in Netherlands, entitled The Great Prize of the Netherlands, followed by their performances in clubs across the country. Their performances attracted the attention of MTV, which made a report about the group. The recordings from their shows in Dutch clubs Paradiso, held on 30 November 1988, and Melkweg, held on 5 February 1989, were released in Yugoslavia on the live album Live in Amsterdam. On both concerts the band was announced by MTV host Marcel Vanthilt. The album featured previously unreleased song "Polako polako" ("Slowly, Slowly"), a cover of The Stooges song ""No Fun", and the English language version of "Ja volim samo sebe" entitled "I'm in Love with Gorbac", in reference to both Davor Gobac and Mikhail Gorbachev. At the beginning of 1990, the band spent two and a half months performing in the Soviet Union, holding 60 joint concerts with Soviet electropop band Electroclub.
Upon their return to Yugoslavia, the band recorded and released their second studio album Sexy magazin (Sexy Magazine). The album was, as the band's debut, produced by Piko Stančić. Stančić also played drums on some of the album tracks and was credited as Sime Kopola on the album cover. Sexy magazin featured the studio version of "Polako polako" and the song "Bomba" ("Bomb"), the latter featuring samples from songs by Ramones, The Pretenders, Led Zeppelin and other acts. For the album cover, Gobac posed in female lingerie. The album brought the hits "Sexy magazin", "Sve je propalo" ("Everything Failed") and "Ona odlazi" ("She's Leaving"). Following the album release, the band members made a guest appearance on the album Ja mnogo bolje letim sam (I Fly Much Better by Myself) by Sarajevo-based band Bombaj Štampa, in the song "Šarene ulice" ("Colorful Streets"), co-written by Gobac and Bombaj Štampa frontman Branko Đurić. In November 1990, Psihomodo Pop performed as the opening act on Ramones concerts in Ljubljana and Zagreb. During the same year, the band released the VHS Briljant video-pop (Brilliant Video Pop), featuring their music videos and concert recordings.
Career in independent Croatia (1991–present) At the beginning of 1991, the band recorded the album Tko je ubio Mickey Mousea? (Who Killed Mickey Mouse?), featuring unusual combination of punk rock and children's music. However, due to the outbreak of Yugoslav Wars, the album remained unreleased until 1992. Upon album release, the songs "Volim crtane filmove" ("I Love Cartoons"), "Da nam živi rad" ("Long Live Work") and "Wunderkind" became minor hits. During the Croatian War of Independence, for the 1992 album of patriotic songs Rock za Hrvatsku (Rock for Croatia), the band recorded the song "Hrvatska mora pobjediti" ("Croatia Must Win"), musically inspired by Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen", and "Pobjeda" ("Victory"). Both songs also appeared on the band's maxi single dedicated to Croatian Home Guard, alongside songs "Victory" and "Croatia & Freedom". A part of former Yugoslav public, especially in Serbia, perceived the band's patriotic tunes as nationalistic, and contrasted the band's support for Croatian war efforts to anti-war rock songs of the time, recorded by acts like KUD Idijoti and Rimtutituki. Simultaneously with recording "Hrvatska mora pobjediti" and "Pobjeda" with the band, Saša Novak Radulović with Piko Stančić, under the name Novak & Kopola, recorded patriotic songs "Bang – Bang! Vukovar", "Lijepa naša" ("Our Beatufil (Homeland)") and "Hrvatine" ("Die-Hard Croats"), also released on Rock za Hrvatsku.
In 1993, the band released the album Srebrne svinje (Silver Pigs). The album, marked by the band's experimentation with Pink Floyd-influenced psychedelic rock, brought successful song "Osjećam se haj, mozak baj baj" ("I Feel High, Brain, Bye Bye") and "Ako umrem mlad" ("If I Die Young"). The album also featured a cover of the Rolling Stones song "Starfucker". The title track featured Dubravko Merlić, host of the popular TV show Slikom na sliku (Picture on Picture), reading the introductory text. At the time of album recording, Šparka and Ćavar simultaneously worked with the band Matchless Gift. At the end of 1993, the band went on a short tour across France. In mid-1994, Croatian magazine Globus published the band members' nude photos, which were originally shot for the Yugoslav sex magazine Erotika as a part of Sexy magazin promotion, but remained unpublished. Psihomodo Pop sued Globus, asking for 50,000 DM compensation. The band won the court case, but never received any money from the magazine.
In 1994, the band released acoustic versions of their old songs for the album Unpljugd (a word play based on the word unplugged and Croatian slang word pljuga, meaning cigarette). The album also included the band's versions of the Hill country blues song "You Gotta Move" and Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man". At the time of the album release, Saša Novak Radulović left the band, moving to Germany—where he would cooperate with electronic musician and composer Hans-Joachim Roedelius—and the group was joined by saxophonist and keyboardist Jurij "Kuzma" Novoselić, formerly of Film, Disciplina Kičme and Dee Dee Mellow.
At the end of 1997, the band released the album Sextasy. The album was released with a bonus CD with interviews and other media. The album featured the song "Zagrebačka noć" ("Zagreb Night"), written by Film frontman Jura Stublić in 1979, but previously unrecorded. Despite the album reviews being generally negative, with critics describing the production as aseptic, Sextasy brought the hits "Bože čuvaj Psihomodo Pop" ("God Save Psihomodo Pop") and "Mila". Sextasy was followed by the 1998 live album Das Beste Aus Der Grossen Hit Parade (Die Shonen Melodien '98) (German for The Best of the Big Hit Parade (The Shonen Melodies '98)), recorded on the band's concerts held in ŠTUK club in Maribor, Slovenia on 5 and 6 November 1998. Alongside the energetic live versions of their old songs, the album featured an instrumental cover of Frankie Laine's "El Diablo".
The band recorded their 2000 studio album Debakl (Debacle) with numerous guests – their former collaborator Davor Slamnig, singer Dino Dvornik, drummer Dražen Šolc (of Parni Valjak), guitarist Davor Rodik (of Majke), trumpeter Igor Pavlica (formerly of Haustor), and others. The album was produced by brothers Gordan and Berko Muratović. Alongside band's new songs, the album included a cover of Slamnig's old song "Uspavanka" ("Lullaby"), a cover of Lou Reed's "Hangin' 'Round", entitled "Boby", and a cover of The Beatles song "Hey Bulldog", entitled "Buldog". In March 2001, following the October 2000 overthrow of Slobodan Milošević, the band performed in Serbia for the first time since 1991, holding concerts in Novi Sad, Belgrade and Subotica. In 2003, they celebrated their twentieth anniversary with the release of the compilation album Tekućih 20 (Current 20). Alongside their old songs, the album featured previously unreleased songs and demo recordings. The band also released the DVD entitled Tekućih 20 with career-spanning selection of music videos and TV appearances.