Azra was a Croatian 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 Wales ...

band that was one of the most popular acts of the

Yugoslav new wave music New wave in Yugoslavia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Нови талас, Novi talas; hr, Novi val; sl, Novi val; mk, Нов бран) was the new wave music scene of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As its counterparts, the British and the Amer ...

of the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman

Branimir "Johnny" Štulić Branimir () is a Slavic male given name. It is a combination of the ( Slavic) verb ''braniti'' ("to defend") and the noun ''mir'' ("the world" or "peace" in Old Slavic), and hence means "the one who defends the world/peace". It is especially common ...

. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

) and Boris Leiner (

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s). The band is named after a verse "''Und der Sklave sprach: “Ich heiße Mohamet, ich bin aus Yemen, Und mein Stamm sind jene Asra, Welche sterben, wenn sie lieben.”''" (trans. "''My name is El Muhamed/From the tribe of the old Azras/who die for love/And die when they kiss!''") from "Der Asra" by

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of '' Lied ...

. They are considered to be one of the most influential bands from the Yugoslav new wave rock era and the Yugoslav rock scene in general. They released their first single in 1979 with songs "Balkan" and "A šta da radim" design by Mirko Ilic. The first album named ''

Azra Azra was a Croatian and Yugoslav rock band that was one of the most popular acts of the Yugoslav new wave music of the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were ...

'' was published in 1980 and achieved commercial success and popularized Azra in Yugoslavia. Their second album was released in 1981. Azra recorded its last studio album ''Između krajnosti'' (''Between the Extremes'') in 1987. In 1988 the band recorded 4LP live album under the name ''Zadovoljština'' (''Satisfaction''), after which Štulić disbanded the band. Štulić recorded three more solo albums since moving to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where he lives in seclusion. A 2003

documentary, '' Sretno dijete'' depicts Azra as the focus of the rock scene in Yugoslavia during the 1980s, along with

Bijelo dugme Bijelo Dugme (trans. ''White Button'') was a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. Bijelo Dugme is widely co ...

. Even today, Azra remains very popular among youth in the countries of the former Yugoslavia. In 1998, the music critics compiled a list of 100 best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music. Five Azra albums were included, three of them in top 10. On the Radio B92's list of 100 greatest songs of former Yugoslavia, four Azra songs were included, all of them in top 20. Boris Leiner

Members

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Branko Matun –

(1977) *Paolo Sfeci –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(1977) *Mladen Jurčić – guitar (1977–1978) *Branko Hromatko – drums (1977–1978) *Marino Pelajić – bass (1977–1978) *

Jura Stublić Jurislav "Jura" Stublić (born 19 December 1953) is a Croatian singer-songwriter. References 1950s births Singers from Sarajevo Living people Croatian rock musicians 20th-century Croatian male singers Bosnia and Herzegovina rock sin ...

– vocals (1978) *Boris Leiner (ex Kanibali) – drums, vocals (from 1979) *Mišo Hrnjak – bass (1979–1982) * Jurica Pađen – guitars (1983–1984, from 1987) *Stephen Kipp – bass (from 1986)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:850 height:auto barincrement:23 PlotArea = left:110 bottom:100 top:5 right:5 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1991 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1977 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1977 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 Colors = id:band value:yellow legend:Band id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:lines value:black legend:Studio_album id:lines2 value:gray(0.65) legend:Live_album id:bars value:gray(0.92) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = color:black layer:back at:05/01/1980 at:06/01/1981 at:07/01/1982 at:02/10/1983 at:02/15/1984 at:03/01/1986 at:09/01/1987 at:03/08/1989 at:06/18/1990 color:lines2 layer:back at:03/01/1982 at:03/30/1988 BarData = bar:Azra text:"Azra" bar:Sevdah text:"Sevdah Shuttle Band" bar:Štulić text:"Branimir Štulić" bar:Stublić text:"Jura Stublić" bar:Jurčić text:"Mladen Jurčić" bar:Pađen text:"Jurica Pađen" bar:Matun text:"Branko Matun" bar:Marino text:"Marino Pelajić" bar:Hrnjak text:"Mišo Hrnjak" bar:Cartagine text:"Remo Cartagine" bar:Kipp text:"Stephen Kipp" bar:Šojat text:"Tomislav Šojat" bar:Sfeci text:"Paolo Sfeci" bar:Hromatko text:"Branko Hromatko" bar:Leiner text:"Boris Leiner" bar:Antonioli text:"Srećko Antonioli" bar:Knežević text:"Branko Knežević" PlotData= width:13 bar:Azra from:03/01/1977 till:10/01/1988 color:band bar:Sevdah from:10/01/1988 till:08/15/1990 color:band bar:Štulić from:03/01/1977 till:08/15/1990 color:guitar bar:Štulić from:03/01/1977 till:08/15/1990 color:vocals width:3 bar:Štulić from:07/01/1982 till:12/01/1983 color:bass width:7 bar:Stublić from:01/01/1978 till:01/01/1979 color:vocals bar:Jurčić from:03/01/1977 till:01/01/1979 color:guitar bar:Jurčić from:03/01/1977 till:01/01/1979 color:backing width:3 bar:Jurčić from:01/01/1979 till:04/01/1981 color:backing width:3 bar:Pađen from:12/01/1983 till:03/01/1984 color:guitar bar:Pađen from:12/01/1983 till:03/01/1984 color:backing width:3 bar:Pađen from:01/01/1987 till:08/15/1990 color:guitar bar:Pađen from:01/01/1987 till:08/15/1990 color:backing width:3 bar:Matun from:03/01/1977 till:09/01/1977 color:bass bar:Marino from:09/01/1977 till:01/01/1979 color:bass bar:Hrnjak from:07/01/1979 till:07/01/1982 color:bass bar:Cartagine from:12/01/1983 till:03/01/1984 color:bass bar:Kipp from:01/01/1986 till:03/08/1989 color:bass bar:Šojat from:02/25/1990 till:08/15/1990 color:bass bar:Sfeci from:03/01/1977 till:09/01/1977 color:drums bar:Hromatko from:09/01/1977 till:01/01/1979 color:drums bar:Leiner from:05/01/1979 till:07/01/1982 color:drums bar:Leiner from:05/01/1979 till:07/01/1982 color:vocals width:3 bar:Leiner from:10/01/1983 till:10/01/1988 color:drums bar:Leiner from:10/01/1983 till:10/01/1988 color:backing width:3 bar:Antonioli from:01/15/1983 till:01/25/1983 color:drums bar:Knežević from:02/25/1990 till:08/15/1990 color:drums

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' ( Jugoton, 1980) *'' Sunčana strana ulice'' (Jugoton, 1981) *'' Filigranski pločnici'' (Jugoton, 1982) *''

Kad fazani lete ''Kad fazani lete'' is the fourth studio album of the rock band Azra, released through Jugoton in 1983. It was recorded in Germany without two original members Mišo Hrnjak and Boris Leiner, who went to serve compulsory military service. Leiner w ...

'' (Jugoton, 1983) *'' Krivo srastanje'' (Jugoton, 1984) *'' It Ain't Like In The Movies At All'' (

Diskoton ''Diskoton'' was a major record label in SFR Yugoslavia, based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company ceased to exist in 1992, with the outbreak of the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The studio was destroyed along ...

, 1986) *''Između krajnosti'' (Jugoton, 1987)

Live albums

* ''

Ravno do dna ''Ravno do dna'' is a live album of the Yugoslavian rock band Azra, released through Jugoton in 1982 on triple album, triple vinyl. It was recorded in club Kulušić, Zagreb on October 21, 1981. ''Ravno do dna'' has been described as the best liv ...

'' (Jugoton, 1982) * ''Zadovoljština'' (Jugoton, 1988)

Compilation albums

* ''

Singl ploče 1979-1982 ''Singl ploče 1979-1982'' is a compilation album by the Croatian rock band Azra, released through Jugoton in 1982. It collects ten tracks originally released between 1979 and 1982 as part of four non-album singles. Songs "Đoni, budi dobar" and ...

'' (Jugoton, 1982) * ''Kao i jučer – singl ploče 1983-1986'' (Jugoton, 1986) * ''Nikom nije lepše'' (Hi-Fi Centar, 1998) * ''The Ultimate Collection'' ( Croatia Records, 2007)

Singles

* "Balkan" (''The Balkans'') / "A šta da radim" (''And What Should I Do?'') – ( suzy 1979) * "Lijepe žene prolaze kroz grad" (''Pretty Women Passing Through Town''), "Poziv na ples" (''An Invitation to Dance'') / "Suzy F". – (Jugoton, 1980) * "Đoni, budi dobar" (''Johnny Be Good'') / "Teško vrijeme" (''Hard Time'') – (Jugoton 1982) * "E, pa što" (''So What'') / "Sloboda" (''Freedom'') / "Gluperde lutaju daleko" (''Jerks Wander Far'') – (Jugoton 1982) * "Nemir i strast" (''Restlessness and Passion'') / "Doviđenja na Vlaškom drumu" (''Farewell on the Valachian Road'') – (Jugoton 1983) * Klinček stoji pod oblokom (A Carnation Grows Under the Window ) / Flash (Jugoton 1983.) from the album "Krivo srastanje" * Mon ami / Duboko u tebi (My Love/Deep Inside You) (Jugoton 1984.) from the album "Krivo srastanje" * "The Balkans" / "Pretty Women Passing Through Town" / "Vondel Park" (Marginal Face Production 1985)

Videography

* ''Zadovoljština'' (Zagreb, live concert, 1988) * ''Klincek stoji pod oblokom'' (Video compilation, 1990) * ''Das Ist Johnny'' (Sarajevo, live film, 1991)

References

External links

– Azra YouTube Channel {{DEFAULTSORT:Azra Croatian rock music groups Croatian new wave musical groups Yugoslav rock music groups Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 Musicians from Zagreb