Boa -

Boa was a Yugoslav new wave band from Zagreb in modern-day Croatia. They released three albums in 1982/83 on the Suzy label, then reunited after a seven-year break.

Members: Mladen Puljiz (keyboards, vocals), Slavko Remenarić (guitar), Igor Šoštarić (drums, 1979-89), Damir Košpić (bass, 1979-89), Zvonimir Bučević (bass, 1989-94), Paolo Sfeci (drums, 1989-94), Gojko Tomljanović (keyboards, 1993-94)

Background

Boa formed in 1979 in Zagreb when singer-keyboardist Mladen Puljiz and guitarist Slavko Remenarić adopted the name for their group from the Maksimir district. The two school friends first partnered in 1974, initially on acoustic instruments.

Remenarić, born in Bjelovar, grew up in Zagreb and took private classical guitar lessons. Puljiz also studied guitar and later switched to organ. The pair recorded acoustic passages and electronic effects on a four-track Grundig tape recorder. Remenarić derived the group name from the boa constrictor while visiting Zagreb Zoo. Neighborhood drummer Igor Šoštarić joined as the musicians adopted electric instruments. They tried several bassists before the 1980 arrival of Damir Košpić, a student from Zadar who lived in Zagreb.

Boa initially played neighborhood community centers and appeared in January 1981 at the Zagreb Studentski centar. They branched out to the Lapidarij and Jabuka clubs with an originals setlist. Parni Valjak drummer Paolo Sfeci attended the Studentski centar concert and offered stage-sound advice. Boa demoed three tracks at Radio Zagreb with engineer Hrvoje Hegedušić: “Stol,” “Živjeti od mraka,” and “Noćne sjene.”

That autumn, “Stol” reached No. 1 on the chart of Belgrade radio station Studio B. Boa signed with Suzy and entered Tiva Recording Studios in Torsby, Sweden, with producer Tinnie Varga.

Discography:

Boa (1982)
Ritam strasti (1982)
Govor tijela (1983)
Prvi val (1990)

References and notes

Boa: Poruke se šalju poštom / Noćne sjene uz Polanskog — Contemporary interviews from August 1981 and January 1982, reproduced from period music publications. Details the early acoustic experiments, lineup changes, Zagreb concerts, Radio Zagreb demos, Paolo Sfeci, and Tinnie Varga. (Zagrebački Memento)
Slavko Remenarić Interview — Hrvoje Bubić, May 3, 2023. Remenarić recalls his childhood in Maksimir, classical-guitar lessons, the four-track Grundig recorder, the origin of the group name, and the recruitment of Šoštarić and Košpić. (Solin Live)
Glazbeno smo uvijek bili nešto posebno – nikoga nismo kopirali — Zlatko Turkalj, January 11, 2025. Interview with Mladen Puljiz covering his musical education, the transition from acoustic instruments to electric instrumentation, early performances, Sfeci, and the Radio Zagreb recordings. (HRT)
Mladen Puljiz: Danas sve više vrijedi pravilo »tu potpiši i ti si moj zauvijek« — Interview covering the 1974 partnership, early acoustic lineup, neighborhood connections, and the arrival of Košpić. (Novi list)
Tri desetljeća art rocka — D. Jagatić, May 16, 2012. Interview with Slavko Remenarić concerning the formal establishment of Boa in 1979, the founding lineup, and the first Suzy recordings. (tportal)
Boa – Boa (1981.) — March 2, 2017. Retrospective with the 1980 lineup, Zagreb club appearances, Suzy contract, Studio B chart placement, and Swedish sessions. (Novosti / Radio Vinkovci)
Boa — Original LP Credits — Suzy LP 366, with musician credits, Tinnie Varga production credit, and November–December 1981 recording dates at Tiva Recording Studios, Torsby. (EZOP Antikvarijat)