Laki Pingvini ( sr-Cyrl, Лаки Пингвини; transl. ''The Easy Penguins'') were a

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 ...

n and Yugoslav

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 formed in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

in 1979. Initially a part of the Yugoslav new wave scene, the band later turned towards

synth-pop 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 b ...

and

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

sound. They released two studio albums and had several hit songs before disbanding in 1986. The band's vocalist Đorđe Dragojlović reformed Laki Pingivni in 1995, the band releasing their third studio album and disbanding shortly after. The band's default lineup reunited in 2006 for two live performances.

History

Formation, prominence, breakup (1979-1989)

The band was formed in 1979 and had their first public appearance on November 29 (celebrated in

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

as the

Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially calle ...

), at a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

costume party held at the Pinki club in

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

. At the time, the band had four vocalists and no regular lineup, but as time passed, a steady lineup was formed featuring Đorđe Dragojlović (vocals), Časlav Stanković (guitar), Srđan Đurić (bass guitar), Aleksandar Rodić (keyboards, formerly of the bands Kako and

Piloti Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood, and in e ...

) and Milan Bubalo (drums, formerly of

Beograd Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. The population of the Belgrade metropolitan area is 1,68 ...

). The band started working more consistently in September 1982, and in the following summer released their debut release, the EP, ''Šizika'' (''Crazy Girl''). The EP, beside the title track, featured two more tracks, "Devojka iz svemira" ("A Girl from Outer Space") and "Možda, možda" ("Maybe, Maybe"), and was produced by

Saša Habić Aleksandar "Saša" Habić (Serbian Cyrillic: Саша Хабић; born 17 March 1956) is a Serbian and SFRY, Yugoslav musician, record producer and composer. He's most notable for his music production work. Over his long career as a producer, he ...

. The title track and "Možda, možda" would become the band's first hits. A demo version of the song "Možda, možda" also appeared on the prominent '' Ventilator 202 Demo Top 10'' compilation. In 1984, the band released their debut album, ''Muzika za mlade'' (''Music for the Young Ones''), produced by Slobodan Marković. The album brought the hits "Ne, nisam tvoj heroj" ("No, I'm Not Your Hero"), which was a cover of

John Paul Young John Inglis Young, Order of Australia, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is an Australian pop singer who is best known for having a worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air (song), Love Is in the Air" in 1978. His ...

's song "

Yesterday's Hero ''Yesterday's Hero'' is a 1979 British drama film directed by Neil Leifer and starring Ian McShane, Suzanne Somers, Adam Faith, Paul Nicholas and Cary Elwes (in his film debut). It also features Glynis Barber and Emma Samms in their early perf ...

", and "Moja devojka" ("My Girlfriend"). The track "Baby" featured sampled

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

and

car engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal co ...

sounds, and the whole album featured an analog

drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...

. Having released the album, the band performed at the

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 ...

Music Festival with the song "Ja sam mornar" ("I'm a Sailor") and a cover version of

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

's "Love Me Warm and Tender", with lyrics in

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...

and entitled "Voli me" ("Love Me"), which appeared on the festival's official album ''Split '84''. The following album, ''Striptiz'' (''Striptease''), was released in 1985. It featured the song "Čarobnjaci" ("Wizzards"), composed by

Zoran Simjanović Zoran Simjanović (; 11 May 1946 – 11 April 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav musician, composer and music educator. Simjanović started his career in 1961, as the keyboardist for the rock band Siluete. In 1962, he moved to the band Elipse, w ...

and featuring lyrics written by writer Milan Oklopčić, originally recorded for the TV series ''Ne tako davno'' (''Not So Long Ago''). The album brought the hit "Blago morskih dubina" ("Treasure of the Sea-Depths"), but the public did not show much interest for the rest of the album. "Blago morskih dubina" also appeared as the B-side of the "Cry, Baby, Cry" single, released during the same year. After the album release, the band ended their activity, and vocalist Đorđe Dragojlović started a short-lasting solo career under the alias Super Đoka. He appeared at the MESAM festival in 1986 with the song "Pokreni me" ("Start Me Up"), the song appearing on the festival album ''MESAM – Pop Festival 86.''. In 1988, he took part in the recording of the TV rock operette ''Kreatori i kreature'' (''Creators and Creatures''). The operette was composed by Vladimir Milačić, directed by

Milutin Petrović Milutin Petrović (; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Милутин Петровић; 1791–1861) was one of the ''vojvodas'' (military commanders) of the Serbian Revolutionary forces in the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman ...

and featured, beside Dragojlović, Massimo Savić,

Dejan Cukić Dejan Cukić ( sr-cyr, Дејан Цукић; born November 4, 1959) is a Serbian rock musician, journalist, writer and translator. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cukić was the frontman of the new wave band Bulevar, releasing two al ...

, Snežana Jandrlić,

Bora Đorđević Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; 1 November 1952 – 4 September 2024), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Бора Чорба), was a Serbian singer-songwriter and poet. He was best known as th ...

, Goran Čavajda "Čavke",

Zana Nimani Zana Šiškin (; sr-Cyrl, Зана Шишкин, ; born in September 1961) is a Serbian and Yugoslav retired singer and songwriter, best known as the first frontress of the pop rock band Zana. Biography Early life Zana Nimani was born in 1961 ...

, and Amila Sulejmanović.

1994 reunion, 1995 reformation and 2006 reunion

In January 1994, the band reunited to perform at the

unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

festival at

Sava Centar Sava Centar ( sr-cyr, Сава центар) is an international congress, cultural and business center of various multi-functional activities located in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is the largest audience hall in the country and the enti ...

in Belgrade, and the acoustic version of "Šizika", recorded at the festival, was released on the various artists live album '' Bez struje'' (''Unlugged''). The following year, Dragojlović reformed the band in a new lineup, featuring

Galija Galija ( sr-cyr, Галија; ) is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Niš in 1977. The central figures of the band are brothers Nenad Milosavljević (vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica) and Predrag Milosavljević (vocals). A larg ...

guitarist Dragutin Jakovljević, bass guitarist Rade Bulatović, keyboardist Ivan Aleksijević and former

drummer Zoran Obradović "Ćera". The new incarnation of the band released the comeback album ''Stereo''. The album featured newly recorded versions of "Blago morskih dubina", "Kraj" ("The End") and "Pokreni me". The album also featured cover versions of

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

's "

Cantaloupe Island "Cantaloupe Island" is a jazz standard composed by Herbie Hancock and recorded for his 1964 album ''Empyrean Isles'' during his early years as one of the members of Miles Davis' 1960s quintet. Hancock later recorded a version mixing reggae and ...

", entitled "Šta bi dao bre" ("What Would I Give, '' Bre''"),

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

and

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

's "Empty Frame", entitled "Dragan, Marko i Violeta" ("Dragan, Marko and Violeta") and

Pro Arte Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof might also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African retir ...

's "Lola". The album was produced by the band themselves. After the album release, the band split up once again. During 1995, Dragojlović appeared as guest on the cover version of "Šizika", recorded by the

band Ruž on their album ''Kao nekada...'' (''Like It Used to Be...''). On 10 March 2006, the band's original lineup reunited to perform as guests at a Delča i Sklekovi concert, held in 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 ...

on 10 March. On 17 October of the same year, the band had their last appearance, performing as the opening act on

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

concert at

Belgrade Fair The Belgrade Fair () is a large complex of three large domes and a dozen smaller halls which is a venue for major trade fairs in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The complex, colloquially referred to simply as the Sajam, is located in the municipa ...

Post 2006

Časlav Stanković died on 2 October 2012. Milan Bubalo died on 7 December 2023.

Legacy

In 1995, Serbian and Yugoslav pop rock band Ruž covered the song "Šizika" on their album ''Kao nekada...'', with Dragojlović making a guest appearance on the song. In 2011, at the

Mixer festival, the Serbian

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

band

Petrol Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...

performed the album ''Muzika za mlade'' in its entirety. In 2014, Serbian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

band Bata Božanić Kvintet covered the song "Možda, možda" on their album ''Uspomene 2'' (''Memories 2''), with Dragojlović making a guest appearance on the song. In 1998, the various artists compilation '' Ventilator 202 Demo Top 10'', featuring the demo version of the band's song "Možda, možda", appeared on the 100th place on the 100 Greatest Yugoslav Popular Music Albums list, released in the book '' YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike'' (''YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music''). In 2006, the song "Šizika" was polled No.56 on the B92 Top 100 Yugoslav songs list. In 2011, "Šizika" was polled by the listeners of Radio 202 as one of 60 greatest songs released by

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 ...

PGP-RTS PGP-RTS ( sr-Cyrl, Продукција грамофонских плоча Радио телевизије Србије, translit=Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Srbije ) is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is ...

during the sixty years of the label's existence.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Muzika za mlade'' (1984) *''Striptiz'' (1985) *''Stereo'' (1995)

EPs

*''Šizika'' (1983)

Singles

"Cry, Baby, Cry" / "Blago morskih dubina" (1985)

Other appearances

*"Možda, možda" ('' Ventilator 202 Demo Top 10'', 1983) *"Ja sam mornar" / "Voli me" (''Split '84'') *"Šizika" ('' Bez struje'', 1994)

References

External links

Laki Pingvini
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...