Artist: Fit
Label: Dallas Records
Release: 2008
Length: 1h 11.42
Rating: 4/5
Fit are a legendary pop-rock quartet from Rijeka who just celebrated 20 years of drawing breath (on and off, mind you). So Fit are no spring chickens. Once one of the hottest “items” on the alternative pop-rock scene, they carved out their place among the icons of the third generation of the Yugoslav post-punk movement with two cult albums, Uz Rijeku (1988) and Daj mi ruku (1989). After years of lying low, the guys are back! And this time with an excellent live release, Live uz Rijeku. The recording isn’t exactly ancient, dating back to October 3, 2008, when Fit, in a (nearly) original lineup, stormed the Stereo hall, packed to the last corner, where else but in their hometown of Rijeka!
Live uz Rijeku is a remarkably well-rounded production that brings Fit back to life in grand style. The organic wall of sound that drops over us right along with the crashing opening bars is the “offspring” of the duo Zorko Opačić – Miro Tešević, so this is the work of the band’s own creative machinery, which managed to pour that eruption of “live” stage chemistry onto the recording with real effect. Besides showing off the band’s stunning stage power, the album covers a wide emotional range, with which Fit proudly keep their own legacy alive on stage and stubbornly build on their recognizable sound.
Live uz Rijeku is a credible testament from the champions of charting alternative pop-rock territory. With this first concert document, the Rijeka boys scatter a bit of everything, above all what they’ve learned and cooked up so far. The meaningful lyrics of the Fit classics settled comfortably onto the lips of the Rijeka crowd long ago, and the crowd trades feelings of excitement and admiration with its heroes, often mixed with a pinch of nostalgia. The dialogue between the two is sharp and unconditional, and in any case joyful, just like the performance itself. But that punk-bred briskness isn’t the only ace up the sleeve of Live uz Rijeku. With this album, Fit proudly show off an exceptional knack for forging strong melodic flourishes, which they handle with a heaping dose of boldness on top of that. And that’s where the band’s greatest strength lies. Fit definitely offer an alternative approach to music, with light, pop-leaning inclinations, yet live they don’t skimp on showing off their melodic catchiness, which, with songs like Mačka, Kišno popodne or Makni kosu sa očiju, lends a well-earned dose of timelessness. The more solidly grounded rhythms of U-je, Vrisni, and especially the, so to speak, frantic Uživaj, which in the first half of the album happily tilts the center of gravity toward harder beats and so hands the listener a direct cross-section of the band’s early sound, hint that Fit still owe a debt to rock & roll. A real standout of the album is the likeable Zvoni telefon, a cover of the Blondie classic Hangin’ On The Telephone.
The long-awaited comeback of Fit, which the gentlemen have so vividly captured for all eternity with Live uz Rijeku, speaks volumes about the band’s great but sadly never fully realized potential. After two excellent albums (a third got lost forever somewhere on the road between Rijeka and Belgrade thanks to a tragic turn of events ), they sadly drowned in the blood-drawn puddles of the front lines of a disintegrating Yugoslavia. Luckily for lovers of good music, the gentlemen are already cooking up new studio triumphs, which will surely make the Balkan pop-alternative scene richer by one more musical gem. Welcome back, boys!
Lineup
1. Rijeka
2. U-je
3. Vrisni
4. Uživaj
5. Makni kosu sa očiju
6. Kišno popodne
7. Veliki grad
8. R’n’r je kriv za sve
9. Mačka
10. Daj mi ruku
11. Valovi
12. Bubanj
13. Zvoni telefon
14. Novi dan
15. Zaboravit ću sve
16. Mačka (akustična verzija)
17. Ritam promjene
Production
Zorko Opačić and Miro Tešević
Track list
Davor Lukas: vocals
Zorko Opačić: guitar, backing vocals
Miro Tešević: bass, backing vocals
Siniša Banović: drums, backing vocals
