Superb compilation of Saban Bajramovic material taken mainly from the now defunct Yugoslavian label Jugoton. Bajramovic recorded with several labels in the 1970s many of which have now disappeared. So this compilation serves us well for the high water mark of Saban's career.
"Saban Bajramovic: For citizens of former Yugoslavia, Saban is, quite simply, the King of the Gypsies. His voice is an eerie instrument, capable of conveying great sorrow and beauty. As a songwriter - well, to the Roma he's Bob Dylan and James Brown in one, a man capable of singing 'last night, another beating from the police' with great conviction."
Garth Cartwright, Independent newspaper
From sleeve notes:
'The recording companies of former Yugoslavia could count on the fidelity of Gypsy troubadour Saban Bajramovic no more than the many stops he made in his life and career in which he wouldn't or couldn't settle down. Traces of his song- writing and singing talents can be found in the archives of virtually all record labels of the time, so if anyone should ever attempt to compile the best of his output on disc, they would face almost insoluble problems of tracing the masters, determining the chronology of the various versions of his songs, not to mention the legal aspect of the whole mess. Jugoton too was caught in the unpredictability of Bajramovic's wanderings, so this CD reminder of his Zagreb vinyl road skips over time, just as his music meandered through styles under the influence of various showbiz strategists. The first ten cuts were originally released as five singles between 1969 and 1979, and later brought together on LP, while the other eight come from the album Sudbina Si Murni (1984).