Rock is famous for its informal and free-spirited overtones. This can be seen not only in the behavior of the musicians, but also heard in the lyrics and in the names of the bands. For example, the Serbian band Riblja Corba has an unusual name. Translated, the phrase means "fish soup, or ear." If we take into account the slang meaning of the statement, then we get "menstruation."
Riblja Corba band members
Borisav Djordjevic (guitarist and songwriter) found himself at a crossroads. He has worked in the acoustic rock genre with Zajedno, Suncokret and Rani Mraz. At the same time, the guys from the young SOS band were in a creative crisis: bassist Misha Aleksich. And also drummer Miroslav (Micko) Milatovic and guitarist Rajko Kojic. Sitting in the Sumatovac tavern in Belgrade on August 15, 1978, the musicians hit it off. It was decided to create a joint group that played rock.
The guys have been looking for a suitable name for the team for a long time. Initially, the musicians quickly abandoned the names Bora i Ratnici. Since it sounded very banal and boring. Other proposals included: Popokatepetl and Riblja Corba. In the end, the last option was chosen. It was with this name that the band announced their first concert, which took place on September 8, 1978.
Path to fame
The debut performance did not go unnoticed. Already in November, the team was invited to the radio. A celebratory performance by Radio Belgrade was being prepared here. Riblja Corba performed only a few songs, but touched the hearts of the listeners. Soon the musicians took part in a charity performance, which took place in Sarajevo.
It was followed by the 1978 BOOM festival. Active work helped to draw attention to the work of the team. Already in December, the group recorded their debut single. The hard rock ballad Lutka Sa Naslovne Strane quickly became a hit.
Changes in the Riblja Corba team
Not having managed to achieve huge popularity, the band members were already planning a reshuffle. Borisav Djordjevic (team leader) realized that he wanted change. He had no intention of leaving the group. Momchilo Bayagic became the main acoustic guitarist. Borisav decided to seriously take up vocals.
In addition, two guitars made the sound harder. The first performance of the updated line-up took place on January 7, 1979. The musicians gave a concert in the small town of Yarkovets. Soon on February 28, Riblja Corba performed for the first time in Belgrade.
This led to the organization of a tour. The guys chose Macedonia. Thanks to the tour, the group "untwisted", but the financial result has been disappointing so far. At one of the concerts, the bassist stumbled and fell off the stage, breaking his leg. I had to urgently look for a replacement.
Achieving success
In March 1979, the band's first studio album was released. There were many songs on the Kost U Grlu record that listeners liked. Warm reviews about the debut were received not only from "fans", but also from critics. Despite the popularity of the first version of the album, it had to be re-recorded.
The band's lyrics were initially characterized by harshness and ambiguity.
In the composition of Mirno Spavaj from the new album, they noticed words that were considered drug propaganda. The record was sold in significant circulation, the leader of the group was named the musician of the year in the rock direction. The band performed a concert in support of the album in Belgrade. The musicians made the minimum price for tickets, and popular bands were called to “warm up” the public.
The difficult "army" period of the group's existence
In 1979, Borisav and Raiko had to leave the team for military service. Soon it happened from the bass player. The group did not break up, but only suspended its active activities. In November, the guys participated in a difficult concert in Sarajevo. I had to perform without a vocalist, and the rest of the team did not know all the words by heart. The public had to be actively involved.
In the middle of next year, the guys managed to get together. Borisav received a leave for exemplary behavior in the service, and Raiko ran away. During the night, the guys recorded a new song, which became the basis of the new collection. By the New Year, the musicians gathered in full force. They immediately got down to business, plunging into touring activities thanks to a performance together with Atomsko Skloniste.
Achieving real success
The beginning of 1981 was marked by fruitful work on the new album Mrtva Priroda. Borisav sent texts to the guys from the army in order to immediately record the finished songs upon arrival. The album sold out in significant numbers. In support of the collection, the band performed a concert in Zagreb.
This was followed by performances in Belgrade. The team twice collected venues for 5 thousand spectators. This inspired the guys, confirmed their recognition. Riblja Corba immediately went on tour in Yugoslavia. The group performed with concerts in 59 cities. In the summer, the team was invited to participate in a combined concert in Zagreb as stars.
"Bottlenecks" in the activities of the Riblja Corba team
Mass events encouraged the members of the group to be active, but they became a big responsibility. The audience behaved furiously. Security was not provided enough. Spectators demolished the barriers several times, there were victims, but there were no serious incidents.
The first signal was such a concert in September 1981 in Rokotek. The group tried to ignore the "nuances of success". The new album Mrtva Priroda was released, which broke all records of popularity and was instantly sold out.
The Riblja Corba group has reached the pinnacle of fame. The team went on another tour with an ominous slogan: "Whoever survives will tell." The name became prophetic. At a concert in Zagreb in February 1982, there were more spectators than the venue could accommodate according to the rules. A 14-year-old girl died in the stampede. The incident drew additional attention to the reputation of the team, which was already not distinguished by its impeccability.
Political problems and declining interest in the team
In the lyrics of the songs of the Riblja Corba group, they began to find political overtones even more often. The songs were tried to be banned due to unreliability. Another concert in Ceglie had to be cancelled. Before the performance in Sarajevo, Borisav was forced to write an explanatory note about the submitted songs and lyrics. The situation gradually returned to normal.
In May 1982, the group received an award for their contribution to the education of youth. The next disc again sold out in significant circulation. Despite this, there were disagreements in the team.
Big line-up changes
In 1984, the guitarists left the band. A series of line-up changes followed. The team did not declare itself for a long time. Subsequently, this had to be corrected by numerous tours in small halls, as well as collaborations with other groups. The guys tried to modernize the sound, the presentation of songs. The team continued to release albums, but was no longer very popular.
The collections included songs with politically objectionable meaning. Because of this, tensions with the authorities increased. The group survived the period of hostilities in the country abroad. Borisav did not stop working on political topics, he even released a solo album with songs of this direction. Currently, the group is active, touring, but does not have huge popularity. The Riblja Corba group has made a significant contribution to the musical history of Serbia and has helped the development of many musicians.
