VIA Talas
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Bojan Pečar, Mira Mijatović, Dušan Gerzić, Miško Petrović |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Belgrade , Yugoslavia (now Serbia) |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
VIA Talas (; translated as VIE The Wave) was a new wave group originating from the former Yugoslavia, recognized primarily for their involvement in the Artistička radna akcija initiative. The acronym VIA denotes 'vokalno-instrumentalni ansambl' ('vocal-instrumental ensemble'), paying homage to the rock ensembles of 1960s Yugoslavia.
History
The band was established in the early 1980s by ex-BG 5 member Bojan Pečar (handling vocals, bass, guitar, synthesizer, percussion), Mira Mijatović (vocals; daughter of politician Cvijetin Mijatović), Dušan Gerzić "Gera" (saxophone, drums), and Miško Petrović "Plavi" (bass, guitar, backing vocals). They contributed two songs—"Hawai (najljepši kraj)" and "Lilihip (My Boy Lollipop)"—to the Artistička radna akcija compilation and served as the opening act for Idoli during their inaugural performance.
By the release of their 1983 debut album Perfektan dan za banana ribe (A Perfect Day for Bananafish), issued under the name Talas, only Pečar and Mijatović remained as members. Drawing inspiration from J. D. Salinger's short story, the album consisted of eight tracks including the hit "Sama," which attracted nationwide recognition and was featured in Svetislav "Bata" Prelić's film Šećerna vodica. The recording took place at Belgrade's MS studio with production credits to Pečar and Boban Petrović. Released by Sarajevo Disk in a limited edition of 3,000 copies, the album included guest appearances from Milan "Mića" Bubalo (drum machine), Ivan Vdović "Vd" (drums), Milan Mladenović (guitar), and Vuk Vujačić (saxophone).
Their track "Ti" appeared on the Ventilator 202 - Demo top 10 compilation before the group disbanded soon after.
Post-breakup
Mira Mijatović passed away due to a drug overdose.
Dušan Gerzić transitioned into a career as a designer and graphic artist, collaborating with Yugoslav new wave acts such as Haustor, Električni orgazam, Idoli, D' Boys, and Ekatarina Velika. After completing his Applied Arts degree in Belgrade in 1986, he exhibited his work throughout SFR Yugoslavia and internationally. Gerzić worked professionally in Paris, New York City, and Toronto, before returning to Belgrade in 1997, where he died the following year.
Bojan Pečar became a member of Katarina II, which was renamed Ekatarina Velika following their self-titled album. With this band, he released four studio albums and one live album before departing in 1990 to relocate to London and join Mission. Besides music, Pečar engaged in poetry and painting. He died from a heart attack in London on October 16, 1998.
The sole surviving member is Petrović, who played guitar and bass for D' Boys until 1986 before joining Piloti. In 1990, he became part of Ekatarina Velika, contributing the song "Zvezde" to the compilation S' one strane duge. Broadening his musical expertise, he incorporated accordion performances, worked on film soundtracks and solo projects, and in 2003 founded the Miško Plavi Band with musicians from Serbia, India, the UK, and Israel. He took part in the tribute Kao da je bilo nekad... Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću and recorded two studio albums along with a live album with Miško Plavi Band. Petrović has earned two gold records and one platinum record and is affiliated with the Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique as well as the Association of Composers of Serbia.
In 2005, their song "Ti" was re-released on the PGP-RTS compilation titled Specijal 2: Dan zaljubljenih.
In October 2020, “Perfektan Dan Za Banana Ribe” saw a reissue.
Legacy
The compilation album Ventilator 202 vol. 1, released in 1998 and including the track "Ti" by the band, was placed at number 100 in the ranking of the greatest Yugoslav popular music albums featured in the publication YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best Albums of Yugoslav Pop and Rock Music).
In 2006, the track "Sama" achieved the position of number 65 on the list titled B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs.
Studio albums
- Perfektan dan za banana ribe (1983)
Other appearances
- "Hawai (najljepši kraj)" / "Lilihip (My Boy Lollipop)" included on (Artistička radna akcija, 1981)
- "Ti" featured on (Ventilator 202 vol. 1, 1983)
- "Ti" also appeared on (Specijal 2: Dan zaljubljenih, 2005)
See also
Bibliography
- EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006, Janjatović Petar;