Hibiskus / Hibiscus

Here They Come

How did Mr. Stanojlovic rejoin "The Last Step" remains obscure and it will stay so for a prolonged period of time. It was a quantum leap as for improving the quality of the band's playing. With Mr. Stanojlovic came all what was needed and being waited for so long after Mr. Grancarsky had left the band.

Then, a hard work during rehearsals took place in the famous building of the old fire department. Mr. Stanojlovic and Chichibichy made a powerful music machine, which brings freedom to the others to play in more relaxed a manner. Additionally, D.R.Phantom decided to play only for the sake of composing new songs and during rehearsals. On the stage, he kept himself in charge of singing and the communication with the audience, and, of course, reminding Chichibichy about which song is the first in the queue to be played out.

Sometimes, they did so well discouraging other bands to be a part of the program.

On one of such occasions, local Army Club invited the band to enrich the program of the evening (Liberalization was in the full swing in  former Yugoslavia. At that time, it was possible to play songs from the West and sing in English.). Three or four bands were invited. "The Last Step" was scheduled to be on the stage just before the band of the occasion. Surprisingly, having been impressed by the performance of "The Last Step," the stars of the show refused to produce themselves on the stage where they were expected to be seen with a comment like this one, "We are not in a mood of playing to this bunch of countryside dummies." An idle DJ was found hanging around and the people who organized the concert saved the night. Eventually, after a couple of hours, the stars of the show climbed on the stage - perhaps encouraged with a couple of bottles of brandy - producing the worst effect possible.

Another time "The Last Step" played on an open stage settled across the Main Street of Bela Crkva before a massive audience. The audience was honored by the presence of Mr. Bicady, who, listening to his friends, renewed his eagerness to dust his keyboards. The rest is history. The dump vault was exchanged for a tiny parlor on the first floor of the same old fire department building. Full of energy, the band start working  on a new set of songs.

Again, it was many months of a hard work. After a while (say, a year), the band yielded first results. "The Last Step" played here and there usually impressing public to the extent at which the audience was at the cross to applaud frantically or to stay perfectly mum. The music of "The Last Step" was something too different from they expected to hear and able to swallow.