SMAK

The Best of Smak ($16)
Crna Dama ($16)
The Yugoslavian scene has been sadly neglected until recently. Dealers are scooping up all kinds of 70's Yugo albums and passing them off as the next big thing. Some of the bands are actually great - Smak is one of the oldest and best. The band was led by the extraordinary guitarist R.M. Tocak and the keyboards of Laza Ristovski. This disc takes the band's first album and fills it out with lots of single tracks. The sound is peppered with tasty guitar and Hammond/Mellotron bits. Naturally the standout track is the 19 minute "Put Od Balona". "Crna Dama" is the band's second and far more progressive effort. It's a conceptual album that again showcases Tocak and Ristovski.

The Laser's Edge - Progressive Rock Catalog, S - PROGRESSIVE ROCK - S SAND Ultrasonic Seraphim ($34) The definitive collection of material from this totally obscure German band, as compiled by David Tibet and Stephen Stapleton for World Serpent. A 2 CD set collects their original album from 1974..
--http://www.circle4.com/~lasercd/progrock/s.html

Smak [Yugoslavia]

Smak (75), Crna Dama (77), Ulazak u Harem (77, English language version: Black Lady), Stranice Naseg Vremena (78, English language version Smak Dab In The Middle), Rock Cirkus (80), Zasto Ne Volim Sneg (81), Hitopadeza (78, EP), Nevidljive Terazije (78, EP)

Their first two albums are reputed to be outstanding prog, replete with side-long pieces. The only one I have heard is Black Lady, the English version of Ulazak u Harem, recorded in London, and featuring a guest spot by percussion maestro Morris Pert (of Brand X). Much of what's here is superb: energetic fusion-tinged prog, with some low-key spaciness resembling the lighter moments of Tako. Unfortunately, not everything is as high-quality as "Domestic Lesson" or "Hello". There are also some rather mainstream bluesy rock tunes, which apparently make up the bulk of their subsequent output. The '80s albums are said not to be prog at all. -- Mike Ohman

Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock Entry For Smak
this is the Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock entry for the Yugoslav prog band Smak