Lačni Franz (trans. ''Hungry Franz'') was a
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
n 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 Wale ...
band formed in
Maribor
Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
in 1979. The band is considered one of the most prominent acts of the
Yugoslav new wave scene, as well as one of the most prominent acts of the
Yugoslav rock scene
Popular music in Yugoslavia includes the pop and rock music of the former SFR Yugoslavia, including all their genres and subgenres. The scene included the constituent republics: SR Slovenia, SR Croatia, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Montenegr ...
in general.
The band was formed by vocalist
Zoran Predin
Zoran Predin (born 16 June 1958) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter from Maribor. In the 1980s, he was the front man of the new wave rock band ''Lačni Franz''. He also writes music for film, television, and theatre.
In the late 1990s and early 20 ...
, guitarist Oto Rimele, bass guitarist Zoran Stjepanovič, drummer Andrej Pinterič and keyboardist Mirko Kosi. With their 1981 debut album ''Ikebana'' the band joined in on the exuberant Yugoslav new wave scene, marking the direction of their future releases with Predin's
metaphorical
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
lyrics filled with
irony
Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...
and
dark humor, with topics ranging from love over social issues to political
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
. The band's early releases gained large attention of the Yugoslav audience and media, despite complex sound and
Slovene language
Slovene ( or ) or Slovenian ( ; ) is a South Slavic languages, South Slavic language of the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. Most of its 2.5 million speakers are the ...
lyrics. Their third studio album, ''Ne mi dihat za ovratnik'', released in 1983, was the band's first major mainstream success. After the release of the commercially highly successful album ''Na svoji strani'' in 1986, Rimele left the group and was replaced by Milan Prislan. The new lineup moved towards mainstream rock sound with their late 1980s releases. Following the release of the album ''Tiha voda'' in 1989, the group went on a long hiatus, during which the members dedicated themselves to other activities. In 1994, the group released the farewell album ''Zadnja večerja''. They officially disbanded in 1997, Predin continuing his career as a successful
singer-songwriter
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk- acoustic tradition with a guitar, although this role has ...
.
In 2000, Stjepanovič, Pinterič, Kosi and Prislan briefly reunited and recorded the album ''V peni sprememb'' with vocalist Boštjan Velkavrh. In 2005, the band reunited with Predin, holding a series of concerts across former Yugoslavia. In 2014, Predin reformed Lačni Franz with a group of younger musicians. The new incarnation of the group recorded three studio albums (two of them featuring Lačni Franz's old songs in acoustic arrangements and with new,
Croatian language
Croatian (; ) is the standard language, standardised Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language mainly used by Croats. It is the national official language and literary standard of Croatia, o ...
lyrics) and a live album, before holding a series of farewell concerts in 2022.
History
Formation and first releases (1979–1982)
Before the forming of Lačni Franz, the band's frontman
Zoran Predin
Zoran Predin (born 16 June 1958) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter from Maribor. In the 1980s, he was the front man of the new wave rock band ''Lačni Franz''. He also writes music for film, television, and theatre.
In the late 1990s and early 20 ...
had little on-stage experience. As a high school student, he wrote poetry, and was persuaded by the members of the Maribor band Rdeči Dečki (''Red Boys'') to write lyrics for their songs.
However, as he was satisfied with the written lyrics, he opted not to give them to Rdeči Dečki, but to try and compose music on them.
In June 1979, on Predin's birthday party on
Pohorje
Pohorje (), also known as the Pohorje Massif or the Pohorje Mountains (, ''Bacherngebirge'' or often simply ''Bachern''), is a mostly wooded, medium-high mountain range south of the Drava River in northeastern Slovenia. According to the traditio ...
, he was heard singing by Oto Rimele, who was at the time the guitarist in the band Zevs (''
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
'').
As Zevs lacked a vocalist, Rimele invited Predin to the band's rehearsal. On the informal audition, Predin was asked to sing the standards "Feelings" and "
Yesterday" that they performed, but his vocals did not fit well into the band's repertoire.
Instead, he offered them his songs, and the band gradually started working on the new repertoire, consisting exclusively of their own material.
Officially formed in June 1979, the band's first lineup featured Zoran Predin (vocals), Oto Rimele (guitar), Zoran Stjepanovič (bass guitar), Andrej Pinterič (drums) and Mirko Kosi (keyboards).
At the time of the band formation, all the members of the band, with the exception of Predin, were in their teens or their twenties, with Rimele being only 16.
Predin was the only one who was married and had a child, and prior to the band formation had taken numerous jobs to support his family: he worked as a postman, a night guard, an insurance company agent, a records salesman and a secretary in Maribor's Youth Cultural Center.
At the time of the band formation, he worked as a
superintendent in the building in which he lived.
On the idea of Predin, the band was named Lačni Franz (''Hungry Franz''), the name being directly inspired by the character
Hungry Joe from
Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel '' Catch-22'', a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for ...
's novel ''
Catch-22
''Catch-22'' is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. It was his debut novel. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century, it ...
''.
The adjective ''lačni'', in the words of the members, signified their hunger for rock in the era of
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
, and the name ''Franc'' was chosen as a common name in the
Štajerska region.
The band changed the last letter of the name from ''c'' to ''z'' out of, as they explained themselves, ''zezanje'' (
slang
A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...
expression from
South Slavic languages
The South Slavic languages are one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches (West Slavic la ...
, trans. ''screwing around'').
Due to uncommunicative sound and the fact that their lyrics were in
Slovene language
Slovene ( or ) or Slovenian ( ; ) is a South Slavic languages, South Slavic language of the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. Most of its 2.5 million speakers are the ...
(whereas predominant language in Yugoslavia was
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
), the band initially had difficulties in reaching broader audience, so Predin introduced long monologues into the band's live performances, translating his lyrics into Serbo-Croatian and telling anecdotes.
These monologues led to Predin being dubbed the "Yugoslav
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...
" by a part of the Yugoslav music press.
The band had their first large success with their appearance on the 1981
Subotica Youth Festival, winning the Best Interpretation Award.
The recording of their performance of the song "Šankrok" ("
Bar Rock") from the festival would appear 42 years later on the compilation album ''60 godina festival Omladina'' (''60 Years of the Youth Festival'').
Soon after their performance at the festival, they released their debut album, entitled ''Ikebana''.
The album was produced by
Boris Bele of the band
Buldožer
Buldožer (meaning "bulldozer") was a Yugoslav-Slovenian progressive rock band from the 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist Yugoslavia that could be considered Avant-prog, and forefathers of the Yugoslav new wave. ...
and recorded in only 36 hours.
As Pintarič was at the time of the album recording serving his mandatory stint in the
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
, the drums on the recording were played by Damjan Likavec.
The record was marked by the band's specific style, with complex compositions and Predin's metaphorical lyrics filled with dark humor.
It brought well-received songs "Praslovan" ("
Early Slav
The early Slavs were speakers of Indo-European dialects
who lived during the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages (approximately from the 5th to the 10th centuries AD) in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe and established the foundati ...
"), "Stari vojak" ("Old Soldier"), "Šankrok", "Bitles" ("
Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
") and "Bog nima telefona" ("God Doesn't Have a Phone").
"Praslovan" and "Stari vojak" featured Stjepanovič playing the accordion, and he sang lead vocals in the song "Ja sam sam" ("I Am Alone") written by him.
"Stari vojak" was the first song ever composed by Predin, while he was still in high school.
For the song lyrics, he used the poem from the ending of
James Jones' novel ''
From Here to Eternity
''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American romantic Drama (film and television)#War drama, war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 From Here to Eternity (novel), novel of the same name by J ...
''.
On the insistence of the band's record label,
Helidon, Predin was forced to alter the "Praslovan" verse "Zajebali vse kar se je zajebat dalo" ("Fucked up everything which could be fucked up"), and to use the word ''zabelili'' (''spiced up'') instead of the word ''zajebali''.
On the band's concerts, he performed the song with original lyrics.
At the end of 1981, the band recorded their second studio album, ''Adijo pamet'' (''Goodbye Mind'').
As on its predecessor, the drums where played by Likavec.
The album was stylistically similar to their debut, bringing well-received tracks "Vaterpolist" ("
Water Polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
Player"), "Lent 1980." (named after Lent, the impoverished area of Maribor inhabited predominately by
Romanis), and "Miss Evrope" ("
Miss Europe
Miss Europe is a beauty pageant for women from all over Europe. It was established in February 1927 by , the European distributor of Paramount, as a one-off event where the winner was to star in a film directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. A ...
").
After the album recording, the group went on hiatus, as part of members were drafted to serve their mandatory army stins.
The album was released at the beginning of 1982, but was not promoted on live performances.
Nevertheless, the band's debut led to Lačni Franz being polled in the annual poll organized by the music magazine ''
Džuboks
''Džuboks'' ( sr-cyr, italic=no, Џубокс, trans. ''Jukebox'') was a Yugoslav music magazine. Launched in 1966, it was the first magazine in SFR Yugoslavia dedicated predominantly to rock music and the first rock music magazine to be publish ...
'' as the second on the list of the Bands of the Year 1981 (sharing the place with
Riblja Čorba
Riblja Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Рибља Чорба, pronounced ; ) is a Serbian and former Yugoslav Rock music, rock band formed in Belgrade in 1978. The band has been one of the most popular and most influential acts of the Popular music in the So ...
), Predin was polled the Composer of the Year and the Singer of the Year, and Rimele was polled the second on the list of the Best Guitarists of the Year.
At the same time, they were awarded the Seven Secretaries of SKOJ Award by the
League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia
The League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ) was the youth movement, member organisation of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ). Membership stood at more than 3.6 million individuals in 1983. It was originally est ...
.
Mainstream success (1983–1989)
The band resumed their activities in 1983, with the release of their third studio album ''Ne mi dihat za ovratnik'' (''Don't Breathe Down My Neck'').
The album featured less complex, more communicative sound, bringing
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
–oriented tracks "Prosim, pazi da mi ne pohodiš podočnjakov" ("Please, Be Careful Not to Step on the Bags Under My Eyes"), "Prvi maj" ("May 1") and the elegiac "Lipa zelenela je" ("The Linden Tree Turned Green"),
as well as the band's first major hit, the title track.
Following the album release, Predin acted in
Karpo Godina
Karpo Ačimović Godina (born 26 June 1943) is a Slovenian cinematographer and film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guid ...
's film ''Red Boogie''.
On their December 1983 concerts in Maribor and
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
, the band recorded the live album ''Slišiš, školjka poje ti'' (''Listen, the Shell Sings to You'').
Beside the songs released on their studio albums, the album featured a new song, humorous
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
-oriented tune "Naša Lidija je pri vojakih" ("Our Lidija Is With the Soldier"), inspired by the appearance of first female soldiers in Yugoslav People's Army.
On the album, as the authors of the song the band signed Top Zizi (a pun inspired by the name of the American rock band
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...
);
at the time, the band would often disguise themselves and perform as their own opening act under this name.
"Naša Lidija je pri vojakih" gained large popularity in
SR Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia (, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Socialist Slovenia or simply Slovenia, was one ...
, and the band, until then maintaining large fanbase in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
and
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
only, started performing across their home republic.
The band's work was especially well received in Sarajevo, enjoying popularity among the fans of the
New Primitivist bands
Zabranjeno Pušenje
Zabranjeno Pušenje () is a Bosnian Rock music, rock band formed in Sarajevo in 1980. The group's musical style primarily consists of a distinctive garage rock sound with Bosnian folk music, folk influences, often featuring innovative production a ...
and
Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors.
In 1984, Predin cooperated with the Sarajevo-based band
Kongres, appearing in two songs on their album ''Zarjavele trobente'' (''Rusty Trumpets''), "Zabava" ("Entertainment") and the title track, as vocalist and co-author of the lyrics.
In 1984, the band released their fourth studio album, ''Slon med porcelanom'' (''Elephant in a China Shop'').
The song "Jutri bom pujsa razbil" ("Tomorrow I Will Break the Pig") featured the refrain from "Zarjavele trobente".
The album brought the crisis within the band; Predin, Rimele and Stjepanovič authored different songs on the album, and the dilemma about the future direction of the band arose.
Rimele decided to record one more album with Lačni Franz and to leave the group after its release.
In 1985, the band took part in the
YU Rock Misija
YU Rock Misija (known in English as YU Rock Mission) was the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's contribution to Bob Geldof's Band Aid campaign, which culminated with the Live Aid concert. It consisted of recording the "Za milion godina" ...
project, a Yugoslav contribution to
Live Aid
Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...
, Predin contributing vocals to the charity song "
Za Milion Godina
YU Rock Misija (known in English as YU Rock Mission) was the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's contribution to Bob Geldof's Band Aid campaign, which culminated with the Live Aid concert. It consisted of recording the "Za milion godina" ...
", and the band performing at the corresponding charity concert held at the
Red Star Stadium
The Rajko Mitić Stadium (, ), previously known as Stadion Crvene zvezde (), also known as Marakana ( sr-Cyrl, Маракана), is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia which has been the home ground of Red Star Belgrade, Crvena zvezda sinc ...
in Belgrade.
The last album recorded by the original lineup, ''Na svoji strani'' (''On Our Own Side''), was produced by the band themselves and released in 1986, turned out to be the band's biggest commercial success up to that point.
Stylistically diverse, featuring a
brass section
The brass section of the orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble consist of brass instruments, and is one of the main sections in all three ensembles. The British brass band, British-style brass band contains only brass and percussion instrume ...
in some of the songs, the album brought the hits "Naj ti poljub nariše usnice" ("May a Kiss Paint Your Lips"), "Ko si rdeče zvezde šivala" ("When You Sewed Red Stars"), "Čuvstveno stanje mlade krave" ("The Emotional State of a Young Cow") and "Na svoji strani".
During the promotional tour, the band performed in Belgrade's
Student's Cultural Center and were joined on stage by
Riblja Čorba
Riblja Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Рибља Чорба, pronounced ; ) is a Serbian and former Yugoslav Rock music, rock band formed in Belgrade in 1978. The band has been one of the most popular and most influential acts of the Popular music in the So ...
frontman
Bora Đorđević
Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; 1 November 1952 – 4 September 2024), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Бора Чорба), was a Serbian singer-songwriter and poet. He was best known as th ...
, who played harmonica in the song "Nasvidenje na plaži" ("Goodbye on the Beach").
At the time, Predin was invited by the Zagreb band
Animatori to make a guest appearance on their album ''Dok ležim cijeli dan u sjeni'' (''While I'm Lying in the Shade All Day''). Predin wrote the Slovene language lyrics for the track "Bijeg" ("Escape") and sang the song with Animatori frontman Krešimir Blažević.
After the promotional tour for ''Na svoji strani'', Rimele left the band, joining
Laibach
Laibach () is a Slovenian and Yugoslav avant-garde music group associated with the industrial, martial, and neoclassical genres. Formed in 1980 in the mining town of Trbovlje, Slovenia, at the time a constituent republic within Socialist Fede ...
and dedicating himself to painting.
In the following decades he would hold a number of
solo exhibition
A solo show or solo exhibition is an art exhibition, exhibition of the work of only one artist. Rather than a group of artists who collaborate to form an exhibition. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photogr ...
s, release two solo albums—''Oto Rimele, pjesme'' (''Oto Rimele, The Songs'', 1998) and ''Waving'' (2021)—and become a professor at the
Maribor Faculty of Education.
After the departure of Rimele, Lačni Franz's new guitarist became Milan Prislan, previously a member of the little-known Maribor band Grif.
The new lineup recorded the album ''Sirene tulijo'' (''Sirens Are Wailing''), released in 1987, which marked their shift towards mainstream rock sound.
On the album, Prislan debuted as a composer.
The album's main hit was the song "
Zdravljica
"Zdravljica" (; ) is a '' carmen figuratum'' poem by the 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet France Prešeren, inspired by the ideals of ''Liberté, égalité, fraternité''. It was written in 1844 and published with some changes in 1848. Four ...
" ("A Toast"), a cover of Slovenian
traditional song
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has been ...
on the lyrics of 19th-century
Romantic poet
France Prešeren
France Prešeren () (3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages. .
The song featured guest appearances on vocals by
Pankrti
Pankrti (The ''Bastards'' in Slovene) are a punk rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, active in the late 1970s and 1980s. They were known for provocative and political songs. They billed themselves as ''The First Punk Band Behind The Iron Curtain ...
frontman
Pero Lovšin,
Martin Krpan
Martin Krpan is a fictional character created based on the Inner Carniolan oral tradition by the 19th-century Slovenes, Slovene writer Fran Levstik in the short story ''Martin Krpan from Vrh pri Sveti Trojici'' (). Published in 1858 in the litera ...
frontman
Vlado Kreslin
Vlado Kreslin (born 29 November 1953) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter and folk rock musician.
Life and work
Kreslin was born in the village of Beltinci in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. He began his musical caree ...
,
singer-songwriter
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk- acoustic tradition with a guitar, although this role has ...
Jani Kovačič and actor
Boris Cavazza.
Due to the informal nature of the version, it sparked controversy in Slovenia and was marked as unsuitable for broadcasting by a number of Slovenian media.
Other hits from the album included the ballad "Čakaj me" ("Wait for Me") and the humorous song "Mravljinčarji in čeladarji" ("Anteaters and Helmeters"), the latter with lyrics about characteristic of
circumcisied and uncircumcised penises.
At the beginning of 1989, Predin recorded the album ''Svjedoci priče'' (''Witnesses to the Story'') with renowned singer-songwriter
Arsen Dedić
Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić (; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Yugoslav and Croatian singer-songwriter. He wrote and performed chansons, as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet, and was one of the best-selling poets of former ...
, featuring new versions of Predin's and Dedić's songs.
Their key collaborator on the album was Mirko Vuksanović, keyboardist of the band
Avtomobili.
For the album, Dedić recorded the Serbo-Croatian version of "Čakaj me" (entitled "Čekaj me"), and in the song "Domovina" Dedić and Predin sang with
Bora Đorđević
Borisav "Bora" Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Борисав, Бора Ђорђевић; 1 November 1952 – 4 September 2024), also known as Bora Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Бора Чорба), was a Serbian singer-songwriter and poet. He was best known as th ...
.
After the album release, Dedić, Predin and Đorđević together held a number of poetic-musical evenings.
In September 1989, Lačni Franz performed at the international
EBU
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
Rock Festival in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
, where they represented Yugoslavia together with
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori (Serbian Cyrillic: Бајага и Инструктори; trans. ''Bajaga and the Instructors'') are a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1984. Founded and led by vocalist, guitarist and principal compose ...
and
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika ( sr-Cyrl, Екатарина Велика, lit=Catherine the Great), sometimes referred to as EKV ( sr-Cyrl, ЕКВ) for short, was a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, and was one of the most successful and influ ...
.
At the end of the Year, they released the album ''Tiha voda'' (''Silent Water''), recorded with a new member, percussionist Nino Mureškić.
Half of the songs on the album were composed by Prislan.
The album featured a guest appearance by
Vlado Kreslin
Vlado Kreslin (born 29 November 1953) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter and folk rock musician.
Life and work
Kreslin was born in the village of Beltinci in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. He began his musical caree ...
on harmonica,
and the album
inner sleeve featured the songs lyrics translated into Serbo-Croatian, which was done by Arsen Dedić.
The album was marked by the songs "Tiha voda (Vzami si čas)" ("Silent Water (Take a Moment)"), "Tam bi rad bio pokopan" ("I Would Gladly Be Buried There"), "Gremo v nebesa" ("We're Going to Heaven") and "Mirno morje Miki Maus" ("Calm Sea
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
").
Long hiatus, ''Zadnja večerja'' and disbandment (1989–1997)
Following the release of ''Tiha voda'', Lačni Franz members dedicated themselves to other activities.
For several years, the band did not perform or record new material, releasing only the compilation albums ''Kaj bi mi brez nas'' (''What Would We Do Without Us'', 1989) and ''Ilegalni pubertetniki'' (''Illegal Adolescents'', 1991).
Predin dedicated himself to composing music for film, TV series and theatre, releasing part of this material in 1992 on his first solo album ''Gate na glavu'' (''Gate on the Head'').
He recorded the album with the band Los Malancanos, gathered for the album recording sessions.
After much deliberation, the members of the band decided to record their farewell album.
The album carried the symbolic title ''Zadnja večerja'' (''
The Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, '' The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic, 700 x 880 cm (22.9 x 28.8 ...
''),
and was recorded without Mureškić, who had left the band in the meantime.
(Mureškić would continue his career as the leader of the drum band Afir Bafir and in 2002 he would release the solo album ''Manas''.) The backing vocals were recorded by Cole Moreti and
Robert Pešut "Magnifico".
The title track used the melody of the "
State Anthem of the Soviet Union
The State Anthem of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing "The Internationale". Its original ...
".
The album brought a number of poetic songs, like "Ambasadorji užitka" ("Ambassadors of Pleasure"), "Vetar iz Kazablanke" ("Wind from
Casablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
"), as well as political songs "Vedno iste face" ("Always the Same Faces") and "Zanzibar".
The song "Azra" was dedicated to the city of Sarajevo.
Following the album release, in November 1994, they held three concerts in Maribor, the recordings from which appeared on the double live album and the
VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
''Lačni Franz v živo'' (''Lačni Franz Live''), released through the band's own record label LF.
The last notable performances by the band were two concerts held in the hall of
Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts in April 1996, four months after the end of
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
.
As all the members with the exception of Predin had obtained employments in various fields, working with the band occasionally only, they agreed to end their activity, and Lačni Franz officially disbanded on 31 December 1997.
After the disbandment, Predin continued his career as a solo artist, achieving large popularity as singer-songwriter.
Reunion without Predin (2000)
In 2000, Prislan, Stjepanovič, Pintarič and Kosi reunited and recorded the album ''V peni sprememb'' (''In the Midst of Change'') with vocalist Boštjan Velkavrh.
Simultaneously, all Lačni Franz studio albums were released on the nine-piece
box set
A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit.
Music
Artists ...
''Kaj bi mi brez nas''.
Reunion with Predin (2005–2008)
In 2004, the compilation album ''Starši vaših radosti'' (''Parents of Your Joys'') was released, featuring a
CD with the band's hits, as well as a
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
with the recordings from the band's concerts held on November 24, 25 and 26, 1994 in the Maribor's Štuk hall.
Following the compilation release, in 2005, Predin, Prislan, Stjepanovič, Pintarič and Kosi reunited, holding a reunion concert at
Križanke Outdoor Theatre in Ljubljana.
The concert was followed by a series of concerts across former Yugoslavia.
The band took part in the tribute concert for
Animatori frontman Krešo Blažević, held in Zagreb club Tvornica on 20 June 2007.
On the concert, Predin and Animatori performed "Bijeg" (originally recorded by Predin and Animatori in 1987).
The recordings from the concert, including Lačni Franz's "Ne mi dihat za ovratnik", were released on the 2007 live album ''Ostat će mlad'' (''He'll Stay Young'').
Lačni Franz also took part on the concert held in Tvornica on 2 October 2008 in order to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Yugoslav new wave scene.
The recording of their performance appeared on the double live album ''Sedmorica veličanstvenih'' (''The Magnificent Seven''), alongside the recordings of performances by
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam ( sr-cyr, Електрични Оргазам, lit=Electric Orgasm, translit=) is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of new wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed th ...
,
Darko Rundek
Darko Rundek (born January 30, 1956) is a Croatian rock singer, songwriter, poet, and actor. His music career started in the early 1980s, as the frontman of the world music influenced rock band Haustor. He emigrated to France after the Yugosl ...
,
Vlada Divljan i Nevladina Organizacija,
Jasenko Houra and
Davorin Bogović, and
Peter Lovšin i Španski Borci.
Reformation and disbandment (2014–2022)
In 2014, Predin reformed Lačni Franz with a group of younger musicians: Tine Čas (guitar), Anej Kočevar (bass guitar), Luka Čadež (drums) and Boštjan Artiček (keyboards).
The new lineup recorded the 2016 album ''Lađa norcev'' (''
Ship of Fools''), featuring Predin's new songs, as well as old Lačni Franz songs with new lyrics corresponding with current social and political situation – "Spet na svoji strani" ("On Our Own Side Again"), "Jebiveter Junior" ("Jerk Junior"), "Legendarni Praslovan" ("Legendary Early Slav") and "Naš novi bog" ("Our New God").
The band released the same songs with
Croatian language
Croatian (; ) is the standard language, standardised Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language mainly used by Croats. It is the national official language and literary standard of Croatia, o ...
lyrics on the album entitled ''Svako dobro'' (''All the Best'').
During the same year, the band took part in the
KUD Idijoti
KUD Idijoti was a Croatian and Yugoslav punk rock band formed in Pula in 1981. ''KUD'' in the band's name is the abbreviation for ''Kulturno-umetničko društvo'' (trans. ''Culture and Arts Society''), a common designation for amateur folk danc ...
tribute album ''Za tebe'' (''For You'') with a cover of KUD Idijoti song "Ja sjećam se" ("I Remember").
The album ''Akustična pusa'' (''Acoustic Kiss''), released in 2017, featured the band's old sons in acoustic arrangements and with new, Croatian language lyrics; "Zadnja večerja" was re-recorded as "Da sreli se nismo" ("If We Haven't Met"), "Čuvstveno stanje mlade krave" as "Moj imidž i ja" ("My Image and Me"), "Tiha voda (Vzami si čas)" as "Koji s vjetrom pjevaju" ("The Ones Who Sing With the Wind").
''Akustična pusa'' was followed by ''Nova nebesa'' (''New Heaven''), also released in 2017 and also featuring acoustic versions of the band's old songs with Croatian language lyrics.
In 2020, the band released the double live album ''Tu smo – vaši smo!'' (''We're Here – We're Yours!''), recorded on their concert held on 29 November 2019 in Štuk hall in Maribor.
The band split up at the end of 2022, after a series of farewell concerts.
The band's original drummer Andrej Pintarič died on 23 January 2022.
Legacy
Slovenian band Rock Partyzani covered Lačni Franz songs "Praslovan", "Ne mi dihat za ovratnik" and "Tisoč modrobelih rožic" ("A Thousand Blue-White Roses") on their 2007 album ''Dan zmage!'' (''Victory Day!'').
Serbian
blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...
band
Texas Flood
''Texas Flood'' is the debut studio album by the American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released on June 13, 1983, by Epic Records. The album was named after a cover song featured on the album, " Texas Flood", which wa ...
covered the song "Čekaj me" on their 2019 album ''Tražim ljude kao ja'' (''I'm Looking for the People Like Me'').
In 1998, ''Na svoji strani'' was polled No. 72 and ''Adijo pamet'' was polled No. 81 on the list of 100 Greatest Albums of Yugoslav Popular Music in the book ''
YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike'' (''YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music''). In 2015, ''Ne mi dihat za ovratnik'' was polled No. 39 on the list of 100 Greatest Yugoslav Albums published by the Croatian edition of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
''.
In 1987, in ''YU legende uživo'' (''YU Legends Live''), a special publication by ''
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 Wale ...
'' magazine, ''Slišiš, školjka poje ti'' was proclaimed one of 12 best Yugoslav live albums.
In 2006, "Ne mi dihat za ovratnik" was polled No. 64 and "Praslovan" was polled No. 75 on the
B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs 100 najboljih domaćih pesama (''Top 100 Domestic Songs'') was a list compiled by Serbian Radio B92. In 2006, Radio B92 organized the poll for the selection of top 100 Yugoslav songs. The whole list was presented on radio B92 on 5 November 2006. T ...
list.
The B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list at B92 official site
The lyrics of 13 songs by the band, all authored by Predin, were featured in Petar Janjatović's book '' Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007'' (''Songs of Brotherhood, Childhood & Offspring: Anthology of Ex YU Rock Poetry 1967 – 2007'').
Members
Current Members
*Zoran Predin
Zoran Predin (born 16 June 1958) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter from Maribor. In the 1980s, he was the front man of the new wave rock band ''Lačni Franz''. He also writes music for film, television, and theatre.
In the late 1990s and early 20 ...
– vocals (1979–1997, 2005–2008, 2014–2022)
*Oto Rimele – guitar (1979–1985)
*Milan Prislan – guitar (1985–1997, 2000–2001, 2005–2008)
*Zoran Stjepanovič – bass guitar (1979–1997, 2000–2001, 2005–2008)
*Mirko Kosi – keyboards (1979–1997, 2000–2001, 2005–2008)
*Andrej Pintarič – drums (1979–1997, 1982–1997, 2000–2001, 2005–2008)
*Damjan Likavec – drums (1981)
*Nino Mureškič – percussion (1989)
*Tine Čas – guitar (2014–2022)
*Anej Kočevar – bass guitar (2014–2022)
*Luka Čadež – drums (2014–2022)
*Boštjan Artiček – keyboards (2014–2022)
Discography
Studio
*''Ikebana'' (1981)
*''Adijo pamet'' (1982)
*''Ne mi dihat za ovratnik'' (1983)
*''Slon med porcelanom'' (1984)
*''Na svoji strani'' (1986)
*''Sirene tulijo'' (1987)
*''Tiha voda'' (1989)
*''Zadnja večerja'' (1994)
*''V peni sprememb'' (2000)
*''Lađa norcev'' (2016)
*''Akustična pusa'' (2017)
*''Nova nebesa'' (2017)
Live albums
*''Slišiš, školjka poje ti'' (1983)
*''Lačni Franz v živo'' (1994)
*''Tu smo – vaši smo!'' (2020)
Compilation albums
*''Kaj bi mi brez nas'' (1989)
*''Ilegalni pubertetniki'' (1991)
*''Nasvidenje na plaži'' (1995)
*''Starši vaših radosti'' (2004)
*''The Ultimate Collection'' (2011)
Box sets
*''Kaj bi mi brez nas'' (2001)
Video albums
*''Lačni Franz v živo'' (1994)
References
External links
Zoran Predin's official site
Lačni Franz
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. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacni Franz
Slovenian rock music groups
Slovenian new wave musical groups
Yugoslav rock music groups
Yugoslav art rock groups
Musical groups established in 1979
Musical groups disestablished in 1997
Musical groups reestablished in 2000