Oliver Mandić

Oliver Mandić
Born	13 July 1953 (1953-07-13) (age 58) Titovo Užice, FPR Yugoslavia
Origin	Belgrade, Serbia
Genres	Jazz, Pop, Dance
Years active	1971–1985 sporadic since
Labels	PGP-RTB, Jugoton, Komuna
Associated acts	Pop Mašina, Dušan Prelević, Riblja Čorba

Oliver Mandić (Serbian Cyrillic: Оливер Мандић; born 13 July 1953 in Titovo Užice, Serbia, Yugoslavia) is a Serbian pop musician, composer, and producer - very prominent and popular throughout the 1980s.

Early biography

Musically involved from a young age, he first started playing the accordion before taking up the piano. In his early youth, Mandić's family moved to the capital Belgrade where he pursued a career of a pianist after getting accepted at highly reputable Kornelije Stanković musical high school. However, despite a lot of promise, he left school in 1969 to try to branch out into pop music.

Early career

Towards the end of 1971 he started playing in a jazz-rock band Oliver with members of Pop Mašina along with Dušan Prelević on vocal and Miroslav Ristanovic-Rista on guitar. The group performed only once - 2 January 1972 at Hala sportova. Mandić then played with Pop Mašina several times, and was in talks to join YU grupa and Time, but neither transfer took place. Around the same time, he took part in his first studio recording (made with Dušan Prelević): single "Tajna" / "Prošlo je sve".

Mandić's next notable outing came during the 1976 BOOM festival at Tašmajdan Stadium where he led the especially assembled group called Oliverova Beogradska Reprezentacija. The ad-hoc band included some notable musicians of the time: bassist Robert Nemeček, guitarist Zoran Božinović, drummer Lazar Tošić, trumpet player Stjepko Gut, and saxophonists Jovan Maljoković and Ivan Švager. That gig brought Mandić his first eccentric episode in public, something he would become known for later on, as he smashed his synthesizer on stage and walked out in the middle of performing unhappy with the level of commitment his fellow musicians were putting forth.

Solo career

1970s

Mandić's solo performing career began almost by chance in 1978 with "Ljuljaj me nežno" single. He composed that song, with text supplied by Marina Tucaković, for singer Maja Odžaklijevska, but since she failed to show up in Split studio Tetrapak for a booked recording session, Mandić was persuaded by producer Enco Lesić to record it himself. The material was released the same year as a 2-side single "Ljuljaj me nežno" / "Šuma" by PGP-RTB, garnering positive reactions both commercially and critically. A year later, Mandić put out another successful single release with "Sutra imam prazan stan" and effective ballad "Osloni se na mene", cementing his place on the scene.

Zdravko Čolić came calling next, inviting Mandić as guest on his country-wide tour that included stadiums and sports arenas. Mandić's part in the show consisted of coming out in the middle of Čolić's performance and doing only "Ljuljaj me nežno", which had by that time become a sizable hit.

In 1979 he wrote and recorded a track "Cvećke i zloće", which was included in Goran Marković's movie Nacionalna klasa.

1980s

Probaj me

Mandić then took some time off to concentrate on his debut album Probaj me (Try Me) which came out in 1980, featuring hit "Samo nebo zna (Poludeću)" and a re-recorded "Osloni se na mene". The record was promoted somewhat unconventionally - through TV show Beograd noću (Belgrade by Night) directed by Stanko Crnobrnja. The ambitiously avantgarde programme even won Rose d'Or award at the 1981 Montreux TV festival. Mandić's controversial image on the show, created by conceptual artist Kosta Bunuševac, raised quite a public furor due to the singer's cross-dressing and aggressive makeup. It was noted at the time that a viewer from Zemun smashed his TV set at the sight of Mandić in high heels and tight mini-skirt.^[1]

Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen

In 1982, second album Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen (I Would Break Rocks for You) came out, delivering a new batch of hits: "Smejem se, a plakao bih", "Neverne bebe", and controversial disco track "Sve su seke jebene" ("All The Girls Are Fucked"), using motives from Crven ban, book of erotic folk poetry collected by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić. Recorded in Switzerland and produced by Mandić and Peter Taggart, the album featured Nenad Stefanović on bass, Điđi Jankelić on drums, Srđan Miodragović on guitar, Laza Ristovski on organ, Mića Marković on saxophone, Stjepko Gut on trumpet, while Bebi Dol provided the backing vocals. In addition to singing, Mandić played the acoustic and electric piano.

In the mid-1980s Mandić incorporated slight folk and world music elements into his sound. In late 1984 he won top prize at the inaugural MESAM festival with the Japanese sounding "Pitaju me pitaju, oko moje" written by Marina Tucaković.

Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime

Next year, in 1985, he triumphed at the same festival again with another folkish track "Pomagajte drugovi". He used the widely publicized festival appearance to promote his third album Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime (I Feel like Screaming Your Name), produced again by Peter Taggart. In addition to the title track, the album brought further hits that flirt with folk. The same year also saw him take part in YU Rock Misija, Yugoslav contribution to Bob Geldof's Band Aid.

For all intents and purposes, this is when Mandić's solo recording career ended, at least in the classic album-tour-album sense, as he began keeping a noticeably lower profile on the pop scene. He got an executive job at the PGP-RTB record label, where he stayed for most of 1986 and 1987, before releasing a greatest hits compilation Sve najbolje (All the Best) that marked the 10th anniversary of his solo career. The same year, 1987, saw Mandić team up with Nikša Bratoš to produce Boris Novković's second album Jači od sudbine, which sold very well. Mandić also received an offer to produce Plavi Orkestar's second album Smrt fašizmu, but turned it down.

For the remainder of the decade Mandić recorded an album of children's music Deca bez adrese (Children without an Address) with popular children's entertainer and TV personality Branko Kockica, and in 1989 he again collaborated with his old friend Dušan Prelević who wrote a screenplay for the movie Poslednji krug u Monci. Mandić recorded the movie's title track "Odlazim, a volim te", which became a sizable commercial hit. The song, along with some other material that Mandić used in the movie, all came from the recordings he made with different musicians such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny while staying in the United States during the late 1980s.

1990s and 2000s

The beginning of the new decade saw Mandić appear with Marina Perazić on the Jugoton-released 12-track various artists collection of duets called 12 popularnih dueta - udvoje je najljepše. Their track, recorded some years earlier (1984.), was "Mandarina i banana".

Around a year later, towards the end of 1991, he took part in an interesting project - becoming in essence an extended member of hard rock band Riblja Čorba. The idea was to include Mandić in the creative process of the band's planned farewell album Labudova pesma by having him write and compose half of the songs, and later, upon its release, tour as their keyboards player. The material was recorded in Vienna, but as it was being prepared for wide release a huge row erupted between Mandić and band leader Bora Đorđević. As a result, Mandić demanded that all his tracks be removed, and even obtained a court-ordered junction prohibiting their release. In the end, the album's released version contained only eight tracks - half of the originally planned number, and it also ended up not being Riblja čorba's last as they soon changed their minds, deciding to continue playing and recording. On the other hand, raw studio versions of Mandić's unreleased tracks have since then become rare and valuable collecter's items.

Over the next period Mandić placed music on the back-burner completely, choosing to live off releasing greatest hits compilations. First Smejem se a plakao bih (I'm Laughing but I Feel like Crying) in 1993 which sold surprisingly well in the hyperinflation-ridden FR Yugoslavia, followed by The Best of in 1994, which included the previously never officially released, although already widely played hit track "Odlazim, a volim te".

He then composed a couple of songs for his friend Serbian paramilitary Željko Ražnatović Arkan's new girlfriend and later bride Svetlana "Ceca" Veličković, including the Marina Tucaković-written "Lavlje srce", and even appeared as guest at her Pionir Hall concert in 1994 along with Knez, Željko Šašić and Mira Škorić.

In 1997 Mandić finally ventured back into music, recording the album Kad ljubav ubije. In addition to the material he recorded in the United States during his late-1980s stay, it featured fresh music with Freddie Hubbard, Vlatko Stefanovski, Bebi Dol, and Radomir Mihailović Točak among the guests. However, the material was never released due to never fully explained reasons. Initially, Mandić was not satisfied with the financial terms and promotional commitment record companies were offering, but after some time the whole thing fell into oblivion and the material is still unreleased. The material is currently owned by Maksa Catovic's Komuna record label, and in early 2008 he indicated that they might release it.^[2]

Coming years brought more musical inactivity for Mandić, only briefly interrupted in 2002 when City Records decided to re-release the 1994's Best Of compilation with a bonus track - previously unheard and unreleased "Ako lažem tu me seci". After almost fifteen years, Mandić even shot a video to accompany the song, appearing in traditional Serbian attire with Ksenija Pajčin as dancing eye candy.

In early 2006 Banca Intesa's Serbian subsidiary used his song "Osloni se na mene" in a series of TV spots as part of their credit loan marketing campaign.

In early 2008, Mandić made another partial comeback with a song "Vreme za ljubav ističe" featuring Svetlana "Ceca" Ražnatović. The song was already recorded during the 1995–1996 period for Mandić's eventually unreleased album Kad ljubav ubije. For his latest comeback, Mandić originally wanted to come up with a brand new song, but in the end decided to use the updated version of the unreleased track - the only difference being that Ceca now appears in the re-recorded chorus line. Promoting the release of "Vreme za ljubav ističe" on 24 January 2008 in Belgrade's Ruski car restaurant, Mandić made it clear that this does not mean he is returning to a full singing career that ended in 1985. Among other things he also touched on the unreleased album: "I've got people like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Freddie Hubbard, and Michael Baker playing on that album - the absolute cream of the crop in the world of jazz - however I can't make any dough with them. The only person I can do that with is Ceca".^[2]

Personal life, public image and controversy

Mandić's outrageous transvestite image, which the Yugoslav audience found especially shocking in the early 1980s, attracted considerable media scrutiny.^[3] Rumours of homosexuality persisted early in his career, followed by reports of heavy drug use.

He also holds a longstanding reputation of being difficult and fussy to work with. His various in-studio and on-stage temper tantrums are well documented, painting him as an arrogant perfectionist.

He occasionally gave outspoken and opinionated interviews in which he viciously went after certain fellow performers whose abilities and music he considered substandard. Some of his favourite targets in the 1980s included Sarajevo populist pop/rock bands such as Merlin, Hari Mata Hari, Crvena Jabuka and Plavi Orkestar, which he collectively referred to as abortus rock.^[4] He also frequently called out Goran Bregović for his complete lack of formal musical education and a practice of "borrowing/stealing and re-arranging riffs and bars from foreign hits". On the other hand Mandić often praised the work of Korni Grupa, Josipa Lisac, Indexi, Time, and even Zdravko Čolić.

In the early 1990s, he became involved with Serbian paramilitary Željko Ražnatović Arkan whom he knew since childhood. Mandić was often seen wearing the Serbian Volunteer Guard uniform around Belgrade and even made a couple of trips to the front-lines in Slavonia where according to most accounts his role was distributing food and cigarettes in the Guard's Erdut headquarters.^[5]

In the mid-1990s Mandić moved to his cottage in the village of Zaovine in the Tara Mountain. For a while he entertained the idea of building a theme park named Oliwood there, but soon abandoned it due to lack of funds.

Since the late 1990s Mandić has been active as a club owner and restaurateur. He still owns multiple nightspots in downtown Belgrade including a cafe named Jazz on Obilićev Venac Street, as well as Kuća umetnosti club on Zmaja od Noćaja Street.

During mid 2000s, Mandić was mentioned in several reports in the Serbian tabloids. In one of them his neighbours at the Zaovine village accused him of arrogant, borderline psychopathic behavior, including shooting their sheep with a rifle.^[6] Another described him as being fond of masked orgies.^[7]

On 27 December 2010, Mandić's partner Maja Kozlica gave birth to their baby daughter.^[8]

Discography

Studio albums

• Probaj me (1980)
• Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen (1982)
• Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime (1985)
• Deca bez adrese (1988, with Branko Kockica)

Compilations

• Sve najbolje (1987)
• Smejem se a plakao bih (1993)
• The Best Of (1994)

Singles

• "Tajna" / "Prošlo je sve" (1972, with Dušan Prelević)
• "Ljuljaj me nežno" / "Šuma" (1978)
• "Sutra imam prazan stan" / "Osloni se na mene" (1979)
• "Mandarina i banana" (1990, with Marina Perazić)
• "Vreme za ljubav ističe" (2008, with Ceca Ražnatović)
• "Probudi se za cas" (24.01.2010, Sang for Toshe Proeski in Skopje, Macedonia)

References

1. ^ http://www.leksikon-yu-mitologije.net/read.php?id=649
2. ^ ^{a b} "Oliver Mandić promovisao novu pesmu" (in Serbian). Press. Beta. 2008-01-24. http://www.pressonline.co.rs/sr/vesti/vesti_dana/story/28431. Retrieved 2010-11-30. 
3. ^ Ramet, Sabrina P. (2002). Balkan babel: the disintegration of Yugoslavia from the death of Tito to the fall of Milošević. Westview Press. p. 134. ISBN 9780813339054. http://books.google.com/books?id=7IK8us1frhAC&pg=PA134. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
4. ^ http://www.balkanmedia.com/magazin/dzungla/9/index.html
5. ^ http://www.vreme.com/arhiva_html/472/07.html
6. ^ http://arhiva.kurir-info.rs/Arhiva/2005/oktobar/08-09/ST-01-08102005.shtml
7. ^ http://www.svet.rs/?state=3&izdanje=2&broj=446&clanak=8866
8. ^ Oliver Mandić dobio ćerku!!!;Alo!, 28 December 2010

External links

• "Moja draga voli Kurosawu" video
• Vreme za ljubav istice

Persondata
Name	Mandic, Oliver
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1953-07-13
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death