JB had played in a couple of bands with Garry but eventually hung up his leather trousers and Telecaster and went to live in Sweden. Miki (Miroslav) and Joce (Jovan) played in the same band in Belgrade. Sasha produced their first CD.

Garry met Djura at a concert in Belgrade. Djura said that his friend Sasha was living in Brighton. They met.

Garry had recorded some songs in San Diego with Joey Harris. Sasha heard the songs and thought that they would sound good with a band playing them. Though musically he agreed with Sasha, too many years of deranged bass players, drunken drummers, goat powered PAs, tepid kebabs and broken down vehicles had taken its toll on him – his solo career seemed a far better arrangement.

Miki and Joce played in London, Sasha introduced Garry to them.

Sasha eventually persuaded Garry to record with a band and suggested working in Belgrade with Miki and Joce. When Garry got home there was a message from JB who was in town for a day. Garry phoned Sasha saying if JB will play guitar, then the band is on. They went to a pub, JB said yes.

Recording

After considering various studios or locations in London, Belgrade and Mostar, they ended up taking recording equipment down to a theatre in the village of Rudnik in Serbia. They stayed in a house that was a mere 3000 metres from the theatre, what Sasha hadn’t told the rest of the party was that it was 3000 metres in altitude. All of the “backing tracks” were recorded in Rudnik. Zoki and his parents provided devastating food and hospitality whenever the band crawled up the mountain.

The rest of the recording was completed in England where François Craig added some pedal steel guitar and Nick Stuart added some backing vocals and the chorus to “Baby’s Crazy.” Dzoni and Zmo also added some BVs to “You Don’t Want Me” at Strip Studios in Konjarnik (Belgrade.)

The tracks were then mixed by Roger Tebbutt and Garry at the Esselle Beat Company in Brighton.

Trivia

Basically JB plays rhythm guitar, though the summer in Serbia was a bit hot for him to wear his leather trousers. Miki plays bass (a custom built bass) and overdubbed a bit of acoustic bass on the outro of “Break the Chain.” Garry plays guitar, lap steel, Bass VI and Hammond organ. He also shouts, much to Sasha’s frustration as Sasha is trying to get him to sing. Joce plays drums which he gets for free and it is at this point that he should thank the company whose products he endorses. Sasha records the good things we do and somehow manages to lose the sections that don’t sound so good. He spends hours slumped over mixing consoles, only stopping to take occasional calls from supermodels who are in town, which of course is the least his dashing “good looks” deserve.

Randy Fuelle says “Behold the Pelican” at the beginning of the CD. We have no idea what it means but saw it on a car window in California. Any ideas?

Nick Makasis co-wrote “Baby’s Crazy” with Garry. Nick is a fabulous artist and fronts “Cheeseburger” where he sings and plays a silver glitter guitar.

El Cajon is a town close to San Diego where the some of the songs were recorded by “J. Iscariot” (one of Garry’s pseudonymes.)

Kalenić is an area in central Belgrade where Joce, Sasha and Miki live.