Novi fosili

Novi Fosili (English: The New Fossils) is a Croatian pop band, one of the most popular music acts in the former Yugoslavia.

The group was a phenomenon of Yugoslavian pop music from late 70s until late 80s when they were at the peak of their fame, and were compared to ABBA because of their bright and fun songs with sing-along choruses and contemporary arrangements.

As a group, they released 29 albums (16 studio albums and 13 compilation albums), which have sold millions of copies and they are considered one of the best selling musicians in former Yugoslavia.

The group was formed in Zagreb in 1969, when the drummer Slobodan Momčilović, who, after many years in the supporting bands of famous music stars of the time, invited his bassist (from then at the time band: "Kennedy Boys") Marinko Colnago, to join the new band. The name "Novi" in the name "fosili" was suggested by Arsen Dedić. In the Junferici pastry shop on Teslina Street, a well-known gathering place for musicians until the end of the 70s, they were discussing the name of the band. "The two of us were 27, 28 years old, our saxophonist Kinko 38, and we joked that we were as old as fossils to start a band. Arsen Dedić was listening to us from the other side of the bar, who said: - Then call yourselves Novi Fosili. ". Along with Momčilović and Colnago, the original line-up also included keyboardist Slavomir Cvija and guitarist Milan Čale Čale, and they left behind 13 singles and one LP from 1974, simply called “Novi fosili”. At the turn of 1976 and 1977, the band, along with guitarist Zoran Vlaović, was joined by 22-year-old Rajko Dujmić. That same year, Novi Fosili played at the Split Festival, where their song "Diridonda" soon became a hit throughout the country. Their next several albums sold millions of copies and delivered many hits that are still aired on radios in Croatia today.

After several unsuccessful attempts with female vocalists, in 1976, the band was finally joined by a young singer from Split, Đurđica Barlović, with experience she had gained singing in the group "Batali". She was a student of construction school in Split, and was more interested in music. She took piano and guitar lessons by Croatian composer Đeki Srbljenović. In May 1977, Vladimir Kočiš Zec joined the band instead of Vlaović, although not everything went smoothly: - “Marinko, Moka and Rajko invited me to a café because they needed a singer and guitarist. I flatly refused their offer because they were known as a ‘corny band’. They had the hit ‘Sjedi, Ćiro, navrh grane’ and such nonsense, but, I needed money for my family and after a week I called them and confirmed that I was coming”, recalls Zec.

The first major successes came in 1976, At the Split Festival, they performed "Diridonda", which became a hit throughout Yugoslavia, after the collaboration with Zdenko Runjić, later - "Tko visoko diže nos" by composer Andrej Baša from Zagrebfest followed, on the B-side of which, despite the protests of Jugoton editors, Dujmić's "Sanjaj me" ("Dream of me") was founded, co-authored with Dea Volarić. In 1978, they released second album and first album with Đurđica Barilović as main vocalist: Da te ne volim [hr] ("That I don't love you"). The homonymous song from the album Da te ne volim has sold in 65,000 copies, while the album has reached the circulation of 170,000 copies. Dujmić, along with a number of collaborators, is responsible for the band's string of hits, from "Sanjaj me" ("Dream of me") to "Da te ne volim" ("That I don't love you"), "Najdraže moje" ("My dearest"), to "Šuti moj dječače plavi" ("Be quiet, my blue boy"), "Tonka" and others, earning the band comparisons to the Swedish ABBA. In 1980 they released the third album titled Nedovršene priče [hr] ("Unfinished stories"), with hits like: "Nikad više staro vino” (“Never again old wine”), “Šuti moj dječače plavi” (“Be quiet, my blue boy”). They also had notable performances at foreign competitions in Dresden and Bratislava. They became one of the most popular bands in the former country, and were chosen as the band of the year on several occasions. Their concert repertoire consists exclusively of their own songs, mostly by Dujmić. During that time, they released about 15 singles and 6 LPs. This was followed by tours of the then Soviet Union, United States of America, Canada and the countries of Europe.

In 1981, they released the album Budi uvijek blizu [hr] ("Always be close"), which has sold over 712,000 copies and is one of the best selling albums in Yugoslavia, with most popular songs; "Plava košulja" ("Blue shirt"), "E, moj Saša" ("Oh my Saša"), "Tonka", "Ključ je ispod otirača" ("The key is under the doormat"), which became band's to-day biggest hits and ultimately the biggest hits of Yugoslavia in the 80s. The following year in 1982, they released the last album with Đurđica Barlović as the lead singer titled Za djecu i odrasle [hr] ("For children and adults"). The album has sold in 200,000 units and after that album Đurđica decided to leave the group as her life, of a pop star, under the constant eye of the public, with numerous performances and tours, no longer attracted her. She decided to dedicate herself to her family, husband and sons.

"Đurđica left us when she wanted to sort out her family life, because we were working at a crazy pace. Her family was more important to her than us, more important than any performances or money. She was born to be a mother, a wife, and yet – on the other hand – she was also a top-notch singer, and what a singer! We never canceled a concert because of her, her voice never 'cracked'. She was strong and in stable health. That's why I was surprised by her premature departure. The day she died, believe it or not, all the clocks in my apartment stopped. Later I heard the sad news..."