Smak

Smak is a Serbian rock band from Kragujevac. Guitarist Radomir Mihajlović "Točak" and drummer Slobodan Stojanović "Kepa" met on 23 April 1971, and the band came together that November, taking its name, "Endtime", from a local musical, "Smak sveta", that was never staged. Its music mixed progressive rock, jazz fusion and blues with folk and ethno sounds. The classic line-up was settled by 1975, with bass player Zoran Milanović, singer Boris Aranđelović and keyboard player Laza Ristovski.

The first single, "Živim ja", came out in 1974. In 1975 the instrumental "Ulazak u harem" appeared on two labels at once, and that March Smak opened for Deep Purple in Belgrade. The debut album "Smak" (1975), with "Blues u parku", was followed in 1976 by the double EP "Satelit", with "Satelit" and "Šumadijski blues". Ristovski then left for Bijelo Dugme and was replaced by Miodrag "Miki" Petkovski, later of Leb i Sol. "Crna dama" (1977), produced by Martin Levan in London, went gold and carried the title song and "Daire"; that year Smak sold out Pionir Hall.

Smak recorded English versions of its albums, "Black Lady" and "Dab in the Middle" (1978), and released "Stranice našeg vremena" (1978) and "Rock cirkus" (1980), produced by Dado Topić. After "Zašto ne volim sneg" (1981), with "Zajdi, zajdi", the band said goodbye in June 1981 with a farewell concert at Kalemegdan before about 6,000 fans.

Reunions followed: "Smak 86" (1986), "Bioskop Fox" (1995) and "Egregor" (1999) with singer Dejan Najdanović, and in December 2012 the classic line-up played to about 18,000 people at the Belgrade Arena. Boris Aranđelović's last concert with Smak was at Ušće in June 2015; he died in Rotterdam on 27 August 2015. Since 2022 the band has played with singer Jovan Pantić "Panta", and a monument to Smak was unveiled in Kragujevac in 2023.

"Crna dama" was ranked 40th in the 1998 YU 100 book of the best Yugoslav albums. In the Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times, a poll of readers, critics and musicians published in 2000, Smak had seven songs: "Crna dama" was 5th, "Ulazak u harem" 12th, "Daire" 23rd, "Blues u parku" 47th, "Šumadijski blues" 65th, "Zajdi, zajdi" 82nd and "Satelit" 94th.