Parni valjak

Parni valjak
Background information
Origin	Zagreb, Croatia
Genres	Rock, hard rock, pop, reggae
Years active	1975 - 2005 2009 - present
Labels	PGP RTB CBS Records Suzy Jugoton Croatia Records Orfej Esnaf Master Music PGP RTS

Parni valjak (pronounced [pâːrniː ʋǎːʎak]; in Croatian: '= steamroller') is a Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band. They were one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene, and currently one of the top rock-and-roll bands in Croatia.

Parni valjak was founded in 1975. Unlike many rock bands that would come later, their style was becoming more mainstream, becoming closer to pop, especially compared with the bands like Prljavo kazalište or Film.

As years went by, their refusal to change style proved to be the important factor in the band's longevity. They kept a loyal following in 1980s and in 1990s, refusing to allow elements of folk and turbo folk music to become part of their repertoire. Because of that the band enjoys great respect among many Croatian rock critics, being seen as the embodiment of "true" rock and urban culture and many of their songs are considered evergreens in the former Yugoslavia like "Sve još miriše na nju", "Jesen u meni", "Ugasi me" and "Zastave". Parni valjak kept a relatively small but dedicated following for 30 years, and many people tend to gather at their concerts that feature energetic performances, despite advanced age of the band's members: Aki Rahimovski - vocals, Husein Hasanefendić-Hus - guitars, Marijan Brkić Brk - guitars, Berislav Blažević-Bero - keyboards, Zvonimir Bučević-Buč - bass guitar, Dražen Scholz-Šolc - drums, Tina Rupčić - vocal, Anita Mlinarić - sax.

In December 2005, Parni valjak made a farewell tour of Croatia and Slovenia on their 30th birthday. Their last public performance in 2005 was a concert on New Year's Eve in Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb, though they stated that more concerts may be held in future. In November 2009, they began a reunion tour in Croatia.

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