Opus ( sr-cyr, Опус) was a Yugoslav

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band formed in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

in 1973. Opus was a prominent act of the 1970s Yugoslav rock scene. Formed and led by former

YU Grupa YU Grupa (trans. '' YU Group'') is a Serbian (former Yugoslav) rock band. A pioneer in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU Grupa is credited with being the longest-lasting Serbian rock band.

keyboardist Miodrag "Mive" Okrugić, the band went through several lineup changes, its various lineups featuring notable musicians like guitarist Miodrag "Bata" Kostić, vocalist

Dušan Prelević Dušan Prelević "Prele" (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Прелевић Преле; November 11, 1948 – July 28, 2007) was a Serbian singer, journalist, and writer. During his career Prelević released three solo albums and a large number of 7 ...

and guitarist Vidoja "Džindžer" Božinović. The band released only one studio album, ending their activity in 1979.

Band history

The band was formed in

in 1973 by Miodrag "Mive" Okrugić (a former

member, keyboards), Miodrag "Bata" Kostić (a former Terusi and YU Grupa member, guitar) and Dušan Ćućuz (a former

Džentlmeni Džentlmeni ( sr-Cyrl, Џентлмени, lit=The Gentlemen) were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1966. A year after the formation, the band split into two factions. The first faction featured original rhythm guitarist Milan Buza, a ...

member, bass guitar). The band chose their name after the song "Opus No. 1", which was written by Okrugić's during his work with YU Grupa. The song was often performed by YU Grupa, but never recorded. However, soon after it was formed, Opus disbanded and Ćućuz formed the symphonic rock band Tako. In 1975, Okrugić reformed Opus. The new lineup featured Slobodan Orlić (a former

Plamenih 5 Plamenih 5 ( sr-Cyrl, Пламених 5, trans. ''The Flaming 5'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1964. Despite having no official releases, the band are notable as one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene. History 1964 ...

, Siluete, Bitnici and Moira member, bass guitar), Ljubomir Jerković (drums) and

(a former Korni Grupa member, vocals). This lineup released the album '' Opus 1''. The album, released in luxurious sleeve designed by Dragan S. Stefanović, featured symphonic rock-oriented songs. The album featured "Opus No. 1", renamed to "Opus \ Žena tame" ("Opus \ Woman of Darkness"), the songs "Dolina bisera" ("Valley of Pearls") and "Viđenje po Grigu" ("Seeing by Grieg"), released on the

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

, and the song "Memento Mori", which featured Dah member Zlatko Manojlović on vocals. However, the album was not well received, as the critics expected more from the band on the basis of their live performances, and Opus disbanded once again. In 1977, Okrugić once again reformed Opus. The lineup featured Okrugić, Orlić, Želimir Vasić (drums) and Milan Matić (guitar). After the reunion, the band released the single "Ne dam da budeš srećna" ("I Won't Let You Be Happy") and went through numerous lineup changes. The last lineup featured Okrugić, Orlić, Vladan Dokić (drums), Zoran Dašić (guitar), Vidoja "Džindžer" Božinović (a former

Pop Mašina Pop Mašina ( sr-cyr, Поп Машина; trans. ''Pop Machine'') was a Yugoslav progressive rock band formed in Belgrade in 1972. Pop Mašina was one of the most notable bands of the Yugoslav rock scene in the 1970s. Pop Mašina was formed by ...

member, guitar), and Dragan Baletić (a former

Crni Biseri Crni Biseri ( sr-cyr, Црни Бисери, trans. ''The Black Pearls'') were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1963. The band were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav rock scene. The band started their career performing beat music, b ...

member, vocals). The band finally ended their activity in 1979. In 2013, ''Opus 1'' was reissued on both CD and vinyl by

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n record label Atlantide.''Opus 1'' at Discogs
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Discography

Studio albums

*'' Opus 1'' (1975)

Singles

*"Veče" / "Sam" (1974) *"Dolina bisera" / "Viđenje po Grigu" (1975) *"Ne dam da budeš srećna" / "Ona je dama" (1977)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Opus
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. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Opus
at Prog Archives Serbian progressive rock groups Yugoslav progressive rock groups Musical groups from Belgrade Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 1979