Mashina Vremeni
Encyclopedia
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock
band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrei Makarevich
- the founder, principal singer-songwriter and the band's public persona, Alexander Kutikov
- the bass player and producer/sound engineer, and guitarist/songwriter Yevgeny Margulis.
form imitating The Beatles, Rolling Stones etc.) The most significant founders included Sergey Kavagoe and Andrey Makarevich. The band's repertoire consisted of eleven songs in English
, now lost.
. Margulis is one of the Russia's best known bluesmen, his songs are usually blues rock ballads.
All the band's lyrics are written by Makarevich. They are usually metaphorical fables that make allegorical puns on contemporary life.
Mashina Vremeni is one of the best selling artists in Russia, but due to raging computer piracy, most of CDs sold are not legal CDs released by recording companies.
Russian rock
Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia or in the Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s , when the Soviet underground rock bands...
band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer in Soviet rock music, and remains one of the oldest still active rock bands in Russia. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrei Makarevich
Andrei Makarevich
Andrey Vadimovich Makarevich is a Soviet and Russian rock musician, founder of the Russia's oldest still active rock band Mashina Vremeni .-Biography:Makarevich was born in Moscow to the parents of Belarusian and Jewish origin...
- the founder, principal singer-songwriter and the band's public persona, Alexander Kutikov
Alexander Kutikov
Alexander Kutikov is a Soviet/Russian musician, producer, and businessman, of Jewish background. He was an avid fan of groups such as the Beatles during his secondary school years. He later became the bass-guitarist and one of the singers of the Soviet rock band Mashina Vremeni, from 1971-1976...
- the bass player and producer/sound engineer, and guitarist/songwriter Yevgeny Margulis.
History
The first band Andrei Makarevich was involved in was a school band which consisted of two guitarists and two girls on vocals singing American folk songs. Serious attempts began in 1968 when Andrei Makarevich heard songs by The Beatles. The band was reformed and called The Kids. After some time the girls were removed from the squad and the band began to be called Mashiny Vremeni (Time Machines - in pluralPlural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
form imitating The Beatles, Rolling Stones etc.) The most significant founders included Sergey Kavagoe and Andrey Makarevich. The band's repertoire consisted of eleven songs in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, now lost.
- 1971 - Alexander Kutikov becomes the bass player, introducing more of buoyant rock-n-roll into the band's material
- 1972 - Line-up losses in the band as several members are drafted into service (which to this day is compulsory in Russia)
- 1973 - Tensions between Sergey Kavagoe and Alexander Kutikov; the latter leaves the band for a hard rock outfit Visokosnoe Leto (Leap Year Summer)
- 1974 - Sergey Kavagoe leaves, Alexander Kutikov returns. However, Kavagoe also returns after about six months. The band performs with the following line-up: Andrei Makarevich, Alexander Kutikov, Sergey Kavagoe, and Alexey Romanov (future leader of another prominent Russian band VoskreseniyeVoskreseniyeVoskreseniye is a classic Russian rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1979 by ex-members of Mashina Vremeni, and immediately gained a lot of popularity. After releasing the albums Voskreseniye 1 and Voskreseniye 2, which were a success, the band went on a hiatus, and returned only in 1994...
("Resurrection" or "Sunday")) - 1975 - Romanov and Kutikov suddenly depart. Evgeny Margulis joins on guitar
- 1976 - Mashina Vremeni is invited to a festival "Songs of youth in TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
- 76" and performs there with a great success. Many people join (including couple of violinists) and leave after some time during this year. - 1978 - First studio record of Mashina Vremeni. Alexander Kutikov, though playing in Visokosnoe Leto, was also working in sound-recording studio in order to help the band gain access to good equipment. The record is now known as "Eto bylo tak davno" ("It was so long ago").
- 1979 - Band in crisis. Sergey Kavagoe and Evgeny Margulis leaves the band and join Voskresenie. At this time, Andrei Makarevich writes one of the band's most enduring and popular songs: "Poka gorit svecha" ("As long as the candle burns"), as a statement of his not giving up. After some time of frustration, Alexander Kutikov saves the situation by leaving the Visokosnoe Leto band and bringing Valeriy Efremov (also from Visokosnoe Leto) as drummer and Petr Podgorodetskiy on the keyboards.
- 1980 - The beginning of the golden era of Mashina Vremeni. The band wins the festival "Spring Rhythms 80"Tbilisi Rock Festival (1980)The Spring Rhythms. Tbilisi-80 was a musical event held in Tbilisi, capital of the Georgian SSR, Soviet Union, from March 8 to March 16, 1980. It was the first official rock festival in the Soviet Union and is frequently considered the turning point in the history of Soviet and Russian rock...
main award and continues its concert tour. However, they are only allowed this because of musical freedom indulgences given in light of 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. - 1981 - The song "Povorot" ("The turning point") stays on the top of charts for 18 months. The band composes the soundtrack to the popular movie Dusha, starring Sofia RotaruSofia RotaruSofia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru known as Sofia Rotaru is a Soviet and Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian/Moldavian heritage....
watched by more than 57 million cinema-goers in the Soviet Union. - 1982 - Repressions begin in earnest with a denouncing article "'Blue Bird' ragout" ("Blue Bird" was a popular song of the band) which describes the band's output as depressive and ideologically unsound. A nationwide wave of protest against the denunciation sends thousands of fan letters to newspaper editors. Petr Podgorodetskiy leaves; Alexandr Zaitsev replaces him.
- 1986 - "Best songs 1979-1985" compilation is recorded. Album "V dobriy chas" ("Good Luck") is recorded.
- 1987 - "Reki i Mosty" ("Rivers and Bridges") album recorded. It is considered Mashina Vremeni's first official album (all the previous ones were recorded illegally, for underground distribution. First appearances on the television. The band performs at Live Aid 2 festival in Japan.
- 1988 - First international tours - USA, Canada, Greece, Spain and Bulgaria.
- 1989 - "V kruge sveta" ("In the circle of light") album is released.
- 1990 - Alexandr Zaitsev leaves and Evgeny Margulis and Petr Podgorodetsky join the band once again.
- 1991 - "Medlennaya khoroshaya muzyka" ("Slow good music") album is released.
- 1993 - Alexander Kutikov's company "Sintez Records" releases retro albums "Best songs 1979-1985" and "That was so long ago". Album "Vneshtatniy komandir Zemli" ("Part-time commander of the Earth") is released.
- 1994 - Acoustic live album "Unplugged" is recorded and released. 25th anniversary is celebrated in 7 hours concert on the Red SquareRed SquareRed Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
- 1995 - Compilation of old unpublished songs is released. This compilation is known as "Kovo ty hotiel udivit?" ("Whom did you expect to surprise?"), after one of Alexander Kutikov's most acclaimed songs.
- 1996 - "Kartonniye krylia lubvi" ("Cardboard wings of love") album is released.
- 1996 - "20 let spustya" ("20 years later") album is released.
- 1997 - "Otryvayas" ("Breaking away") album is released.
- 1999 - The 30th anniversary of the band. A massive concert, usually considered to be the band's best ever, takes place in the main stadium of "sport-complex Olympiyskiy" im MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. "Chasy i znaki" ("Hours and signs") album is released. Petr Podgorodetskiy leaves due to tensions. Andrey Derzhavin takes his place on the keyboard. - 2001 - "Mesto gde svet" ("The place where there's light") album is released.
- 2004 - 35th anniversary of the band. A concert featuring 35 selected songs is played at the Red Square. "Mashinalno" ("Mechanically") album is released.
- 2005 - Live album "Kremlin rocks" is released. The band performed with the Kremlin chamber orchestra "Kremlin".
- 2006 - Sintez Records releases a compilation called "Mashina vremeni - chast' 1" ("Time Machine - Part 1"). The band records a new album (which is called in English "Time machine") at famous Studio 2 at Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
. - 2007 - The group releases the Time machine album.
- 2009 - The band celebrates its 40th anniversary with a large concert.
- 2010 - The band continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a seven stop North American tour
Musical style
Mashina Vremeni's sound is eclectic and incorporates many different genres. Songs are composed by almost every band's member, and reflect each one's style. Makarevich is a renowned fan of The Beatles, and many of his songs reflect Beatles' influence. But he's also influenced by blues music and Soviet singers-songwriters, the so-called "bards". Kutikov is a quintessential rocker, he composes guitar-oriented hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
. Margulis is one of the Russia's best known bluesmen, his songs are usually blues rock ballads.
All the band's lyrics are written by Makarevich. They are usually metaphorical fables that make allegorical puns on contemporary life.
Albums
| Year | Russian | Translit | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Это было так давно | Eto bylo tak davno | That was so long ago | Self-released tape album. Released by an official label only in 1990 |
| 1979 | Маленький принц | Malenkiy printz | The Little Prince The Little Prince The Little Prince , first published in 1943, is a novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry .... |
live album with inter-song quotations from the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award... book |
| 1986 | В добрый час | V dobriy chas | Good luck | |
| 1987 | Реки и мосты | Reki i mosty | Rivers and bridges | |
| 1989 | В круге света | V kruge sveta | In the circle of light | |
| 1991 | Медленная хорошая музыка | Medlennaya khoroshaya muzyka | Slow good music | |
| 1993 | Внештатный командиръ Земли | Vneshtatniy komandir Zemli | Part-time commander of the Earth | |
| 1994 | Кого ты хотел удивить? | Kogo ty khotel udivit | Whom did you want to astound? | old unpublished song compilation |
| 1994 | Unplugged | live acoustic album | ||
| 1996 | Megamix | remixes of some popular songs in electronic music manner | ||
| 1996 | Картонные крылья любви | Kartonniye kryliya lubvi | Cardboard wings of love | |
| 1996 | Неизданное | Neizdannoe | Unpublished | some rare songs of early 70s |
| 1997 | Отрываясь | Otryvayas | Breaking away | |
| 1999 | ХХХ лет МВ | 30 years of Mashina Vremeni | XXX anniversary concert | live album |
| 1999 | Часы и Знаки | Chasy i znaki | Hours and signs | |
| 2000 | 50 на двоих | 50 na dvoikh | 50 for two | Joint concert of Mashina Vremeni and Voskresenie |
| 2001 | Место, где свет | Mesto gde svet | Place where there is light | |
| 2004 | Машинально | Mashinalno Mashinalno (Album) Mashinalno - is an album released in 2004 by the company Sintez Records which consists of 12 songs by the popular Russian rock band Mashina Vremeni . The name of the album was chosen by means of competition... |
Mechanically | |
| 2005 | Kremlin Rocks! | A concert of Mashina Vremeni with chamber orchestra Kremlin | ||
| 2007 | Time machine | |||
| 2009 | Машины не парковать | Mashiny ne parkovat | No parking for cars |
Mashina Vremeni is one of the best selling artists in Russia, but due to raging computer piracy, most of CDs sold are not legal CDs released by recording companies.
Current line-up
- Andrey Makarevich - guitar, vocals
- Alexander Kutikov - bass-guitar, vocals
- Valeriy Efremov - drums, percussion
- Evgeny Margulis - guitar, bass-guitar, vocals
- Andrei Derzhavin - keyboard, vocals
- Sergey Ostroumov - additional percussions (regular on live performances since 2004)
- Alexandr Ditkovsky - trumpet (regular on live performances since 2004)
Related
- Mashina Vremeni at Wikipedia Russia
- Mashina Vremeni category at Wikipedia Russia
- Photos