The legendary “Crvena jabuka”, which we have loved since Yugoslavia, seems to be going down in history, and a new/old “Jabuka” is coming, which will soon start concerts in the region.
Drummer of a legendary band Red AppleDarko Jelčić Cunja, revealed that he plans to found his own band, which will be named after the legendary group – “Cunja and Crvena jabuka”, and it will be in Toronto, Canada.
A few years ago, Jelčić parted ways with the legendary band he co-founded, due to, as he says, financial reasons. He also said that he was against the famous singer Dražena Žerić Žere leads several proceedings in courts throughout Croatia.
“Honestly, for a long time many of us in the band were dissatisfied. We were not getting royalties, and Žera turned to an almost folk sound, for example the song Jazz ba, which was not at all in the spirit of the band that people had loved for years. But, well, we worked, expecting things to change. Then in 2017 I decided that the cooperation had come to an end,” Cunja tells Jutarnji.
“We came to a figure of more than fifty unpaid bills. Žera would charge for the concerts, but I didn’t see a dinar. Sometimes our fee would be 500, 700, 1,000 euros… He reduced it, but he didn’t pay for it either,” he says. he. He also says that Žera was only a singer in the band all the time, and that he did not participate in the creative processes.
“The most important people in the history of Jabuka are certainly our first producer Željko Brodarić Jappa, the late Davor Papić, the graphic designer of our LP and CD album covers and the photographer of our best pictures since 1985, and Gane Pecikoza, the band’s manager from 1988 to 1992, and our friend, producer and musician on numerous instruments, with us through 30 years of the group’s work, Nikša Bratoš. All members of the band before and after the war: Branko Sauka, Srđan and Zoran Šerbedžija, Zlatko Volarević, Igor Ivanović… and since 1994…Daniel Lastrić keyboards, Saša Zalepugin guitar, late Stjepan Vukušić Jimmy – guitar, Damir Gonz – guitar, Josip Andrić – keyboards, Zlatko Bebek – guitar, Josip Krželj Rocky – guitar, Marko Belošević – keyboards, Igor Matković – keyboards, Tomislav Škrak Tommy – guitar…”, the drummer enumerates, but states that he will talk about the large number of changed band members on another occasion.
The new band already has contracted concerts across Canada, they are booked in October and November, and a tour in Serbia, BiH and Croatia is planned for the beginning of the next year, although there is a possibility that some concerts will be held earlier.
Since 1985, when the “real” group Crvena Jabuka was founded, none of the founders of the band has owned the copyright to the band’s name.
“We found out that a cafe was called Crvena jabuka in 1985, just when we started, so we couldn’t even call the company that. Until seven years ago, Žera was the owner of the seal, but that seal expired. In fact, no one is the owner the name of the band,” says Jelčić. “I took over the management from 2000 to 2010. I tried to control the business and everything that was happening. Then Žera decided that his wife’s marketing agency would take over the business, with which the other gang members agreed in good faith.”
However, after that there were several lawsuits, and today Jelčić does not like to go back to the past, but talks about the “old-new” band.
“Žera leaned towards so-called light notes, and we as a band were never like that. We want to return to the songs that marked ‘Jabuka’. On the other hand, he doesn’t have any of his own songs. He doesn’t have any copyrights. So we can perform our own songs without any problems songs, Arslanagić gave us full support. We have nothing against Žerina Crvena jabuka doing concerts, performances… But we are glad that we will have a singer who does not mutter, but sings“, said Cunja.
Crvena jabuka is a band that marked the former Yugoslavia, so it is a bit sad that the story of a legendary band ends in this way. Are we going to be divided now, so listen to Žerina’s ‘Jabuka’ or Cunjina, it may sound unbelievable, but the most important songs for the audience are certainly the songs that they still enjoy listening to and singing at various celebrations, radio stations, television…
(MONDO/Jutarnji.hr)