Dobri Isak (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Добри Исак; trans. ''Kind

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

'') was a Yugoslav

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

darkwave Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, ro ...

band formed in

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

in 1983. Dobri Isak existed for only a couple years, releasing only one studio album, '' Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara'' (1984), before disbanding in 1986. During the following decades the band's only album enjoyed a

cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...

, and after it was reissued in 2009, it gained new attention from audiences and recognition from music critics in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and other former Yugoslav republics.

History

1983 - 1986

In late 1983 Predrag Cvetičanin (guitar, vocals), along with Zoran Đorđević (guitar), Branko (bass guitar) and Boban (drums), formed Dobri Isak. Having performed at minor local clubs, the band recorded a home-made demo, however, the lineup dissolved during the summer of the following year. After several months, Cvetičanin, with bass guitarist Miloš Miladinović and drummer Saša Marković "Markiz", reformed the band. Soon after that, Nenad Cvetičanin, Predrag's brother, also became a member of the band. He joined the band while his own, Arnold Layne, was on hiatus. The band recorded their first and only studio album '' Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara'' (''We Cry Behind Dark Glasses''), released in 1984 by the Niš Students' Cultural Center (SKC), being the first release of the Center's Studentkult production, which issued an array of musical and literary releases. The album, released on

compact cassette The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch company ...

only and printed in a limited number of 100 copies, had been distributed by the

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

Students' Cultural Center, and rapidly sold out. The band presented their new material to the Niš audience, also performing at the 1985 Serbian Youth Festival in

Knjaževac Knjaževac ( sr-cyr, Књажевац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zaječar District of the Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. As of 2022, the municipality has a population of 25,341 inhabitants, while the town has 16,350 ...

, winning the Best Performance Award, and gaining the opportunity to appear at the ''Dani'' ''Novih Omladinskih Novina'' (''Days of New Youth Magazine'') in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

during the summer of the same year. After the Split performance, the band performed with several other Niš bands at the ''Pozdrav iz Niša'' (''Greetings from Niš'') manifestation in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

. In a short time period, the band had another performance in Skopje, appearing as guests at the first solo concert of the band Padot na Vizantija. During late 1985, the band performed at the Rock Bands Festival held at the

Belgrade Youth Center Belgrade Youth Center (; abbr. DOB) is a cultural center in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, dedicated primarily to youth. History At the corner of the ''Dečanska'' and ''Makedonska'' streets, where the youth center is today, was the locati ...

, and in early 1986 the band had two appearances at the

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

festival Yu Rock Moment, during March in the semi-final, and in May at the festival finale, held at the Republic Square, performing with Let 3, Oktobar 1864, and

Mizar Mizar is a second-magnitude star in the handle of the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation of Ursa Major. It has the Bayer designation ζ Ursae Majoris ( Latinised as Zeta Ursae Majoris). It forms a well-known naked eye d ...

. During 1986 Predrag Cvetičanin produced the recordings for the Niš

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

band Romantične Boje (''Romantic Colours''), singing part of the lead vocals on the track "San" ("A Dream"), but the recordings were never released due to the unsuccessful negotiations with

PGP-RTB PGP-RTB ( sh-Cyrl, Продукција грамофонских плоча Радио телевизије Београд, translit=Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Beograd ) was a major state-owned record label and chain record ...

. Dobri Isak performed until June 1986, when they held their last concert, performing with Arnold Layne and Mizar at Niš Synagogue, after which they decided to split up.

Post-breakup

During the 1990s and the 2000s Dobri Isak's only album ejoyed a

. In December 2009 the

indie record label Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

PMK Records re-released ''Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara'' with seven additional bonus tracks consisting of unreleased material. The album reissue brought the new attention of the audience and recognition from music critics in Serbia and other former Yugoslav republics. In June 2010 PMK Records released the 150 copies limited edition reissue of the album, featuring an alternate album cover, with the band logo written in red, and a black CD. In 2015 the album was released on

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...

for the first time by the same record label. During the same year, the label issued the 100 copies limited vinyl edition of the album on transparent red vinyl.

Legacy

In 2016 PMK Records released the

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

''I mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara'' (''We Too Cry Behind Dark Glasses''), featuring 11 covers of Dobri Isak songs by the bands Asphalt Chant, Iv/an, Figurative Theatre, Cyborgs on Crack, Pod,

Novembar Novembar ( sr-Cyrl, Новембар; ) is a Serbian punk rock band from Niš. History Studeni Studeni, band formation (1986–1991) During the late 1980s, one of the most promising former Yugoslav bands from Zagreb, Studeni Studeni (trans. ...

, Language.Sex.Violence, Paydo Komma, Baden-Baden, Katabazija, Plazma Maschina, Šlagvort Na Kraju, Psihokratija, Plastic Sunday, Horkestar and t.O.F.

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band Mlijeko covered "Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara" in 2010. The 2012 documentary about Niš rock scene directed by Marijan Cvetanović and Velimir Stojanović was entitled ''Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara''."Dokumentarac o niškoj rok sceni", Popboks.com
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Discography

Studio albums

* '' Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara'' (1984)

References

{{reflist

External links

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Serbian post-punk music groups Serbian dark wave musical groups Serbian gothic rock groups Yugoslav gothic rock groups Musical groups from Niš Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1986