There are slim chances that you’ve heard about Korni Grupa if you’re not from ex-Yugoslavia. There is also very little chance that you’ll believe me that they played one the best and most innovative progressive rock at the time it started to surface in the West as a genre. Luckily, there is evidence. Their 1972 self-titled album contains their essential prog-rock songs. Although all the songs on the record are beyond great, the landmark of the release is the epic “Put za Istok” (The Road to the East.) The song is structured in four movements: The First Day, The Second Day, Dilemma, and Land (or Soil.) It shifts from hard rock riffs, through avant-garde music, to jazz flavored prog-rock. The lyrics tell the story of a man headed East to find enlightenment, but never got to the ‘promised land’ and stayed instead somewhere along the road, in a land he fell in love with. The song is a fine example of a rock symphony, lasting over 14 minutes, affirming Kornelije Kovac (the leader of the band) as an exceptional composing talent. It is arranged so tastefully that it doesn’t get boring even after several consecutive listens. I’m sure that the song would be interesting even to listeners who don’t understand Serbian language but are fans of long progressive rock anthems.
The rest of the album is also magnificent. Another strong musical statement is the hard rock driven “Bezglave Ja-Ha horde” (The Headless Ya Ha Hordes.) The rhythm section' is excellent throughout the song, Kornelije recorded a fantastic electric piano part, while Zlatko Pejakovic gives one of his best vocal performances ever. The jazz oriented “Moj Bol” (My Pain) and the jazzy hard rock ballad “"Glas sa obale boja" (A Voice from the Coast of Colors) are solid compositions which enrich the album in their own way, while the closing tune “Tata Ko i mama Spo” (Father Ko and Mamma Spo) sees the band in a more commercial Blues Rock style. One of the hallmarks of the record is guitarist Josip Bocek, who provided some exciting and highly original guitar parts. I recommend this album to all progressive rock fans, especially those who are interested in the more exotic, Eastern European sound.
Korni Grupa was a Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, also known as the Kornelyans, the name which they used during a short-lived foray into the international market. Formed in 1968, Korni Grupa was one of the first Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity and the first Yugoslav supergroup. Korni Grupa is considered to be one of the most prominent and influential bands in the history of rock music in Yugoslavia. Since the beginning of their career, the band had developed a two-way musical development, one of commercial pop rock music aimed for mainstream popularity, and the other, an artistically influenced progressive rock sound crossed with influences of psychedelic, folk, jazz and symphonic rock music. The band was led by keyboard player Kornelije Kovač who with the bassist Bojan Hreljac and drummer Vladimir Furduj and guitarist Velibor Kacl formed the band. After changing several vocalists, Miroslava Kojadinović, Dušan Prelević and Dalibor Brun, and releasing several singles, the band's vocalist became Dado Topić who brought along his former bandmate Josip Boček as the replacement for Kacl. The lineup recorded an album's worth material, released posthumously as 1941., before Topić's departure. His substitute was Zdravko Čolić who after a six-month period left the spot to Zlatko Pejaković.
