Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni (
Маши́на вре́мени,
Russian for
Time Machine) is a legendary
Russian rock group formed in the late 1960s in the
Soviet Union. It achieved the
cult status among several generations.
While originally inspired by
The Beatles, Mashina Vremeni has developed a unique voice throughout the years, often changing its style. They have written and recorded songs in nearly every genre that bares a remote relation to
Rock and roll. In their musical arrangements, traditional rock instruments are often accompanied or replaced by orchestral or folk instruments.
Mashina Vremeni's best known members are
Andrei Makarevich and
Alexander Kutikov. Other members have come and gone throughout the years.
The band members suffered persecution from state officials for releasing lyrics that very subtly pointed out some things that the government would rather not call attention to. Mashina Vremeni's songs have found their way into Soviet movie hits of the 1970s and 1980s and popular theatrical plays.
The first group Andrei Makarevich was involved into was school band which consisted of two guitars and two girls on vocals singing Amrerican
folk songs. Serious attempts began in 1968 when Andrei Makarevich heard The Beatles songs. 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
plural form imitating
The Beatles,
Rolling Stones etc.) The most significant founders included Sergey Kavagoe and Andrei Makarevich. The band's repertoire consisted of eleven songs in
English language, now lost.
* 1971 - Alexander Kutikov became a bass-guitarist of the group introducing more of buoyant rock-n-roll into songs of the group.
* 1972 - Many loses in the band. Several members are drafted to army.
* 1973 - Because of tensions between Sergey Kavagoe and Alexander Kutikov the former leaves the band joining hard rock band Visokosnoe Leto (Leap Summer).
* 1974 - Sergey Kavagoe leaves, while Alexander Kutikov returns. However, Kavagoe returns after about a half-year. The band performs in the following complement - Andrei Makarevich, Alexander Kutikov, Sergey Kavagoe, Alexey Romanov (future leader of another famous Russian rock band
Voskresenie (The Resurrection))
* 1975 - Romanov and Alexander Kutikov suddenly leave. Evgeny Margulis joins.
* 1976 - Mashina Vremeni is invited to a festival "Songs of youth in Tallinn - 76" and performed there with a great success. Many people join (including couple of violinists) and leave after some time during this year.
* 1978 - The first studio record of Mashina Vremeni. Alexander Kutikov while playing in Visokosnoe Leto was also working in sound-recording sturdio help the band with access to a good equipment. The record is now known as "Eto bylo tak davno" ("That was so long ago").
* 1979 - A crisis of the group. Sergey Kavagoe and Evgeny Margulis leaves the group joining Voskresenie of Alexey Romanov. This time one of the most popular songs of the group was written by Andrei Makarevich - "Poka gorit svecha" ("Until the candle burns") as a sign of his not giving up. After some time of frustration Alexander Kutikov saves the situation 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. Group wins the festival "Spring Rhythms 80" main award and continues its concert tour. However, that was allowed only because of music freedom indulgences given in light of Olympic Games 1980 in Moscow.
* 1981 - The song "Povorot" ("The turning point") stays on the top of charts for 18 monthes.
* 1982 - Repressions starts again with a slashing article "Ragout out of Blue bird" ("Blue Bird" was a popular song of the band) noting depressive and non-ideological songs of the group. However country-wide wave of protest against those repressions raised and thousands letters are sent to the editores of the newspapers. Petr Podgorodetskiy leaves and Alexandr Zaitsev substitutes 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 is issued. That album is considered as first released album (all the previous were just recorded for the 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 well-known 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 - Accustic live album "Unplugged" is recorded and released. 25th anniversary is celebrated in 7 hours concert on the
Red Square* 1995 - Compilation of old unpublished songs is released. This compilation is known as "Kogo ty khotel udivit?" ("Whom did you want to surprise?"). It was called after one of the most successful songs of Alexander Kutikov.
* 1996 - "Kartonniye krylia lubvi" ("Paper wings of love") album is released.
* 1996 - "20 let spustya" ("20 years after") album is released.
* 1997 - "Otryvayas" ("Breaking away") album is released.
* 1999 - The 30th anniversary of the band. Great concert, which is usually considered to be the best concert of Mashina Vremeni, is carried out in the main stadium of "sport-complex Olympiyskiy" im
Moscow. "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 with a light") album is released.
|
Mashina Vremeni's latest CD, Mashinalno |
* 2004 - 35th anniversary of the group. Great concert consisting of 35 selected songs is played at the
Red Square. "Mashinalno" ("Mechanically") album is released.
Although presented as a rock group, Mashina Vremeni can not strictly be called a rock group. Through the stages in its development band played in many styles, beginning with imitations of Western rock leaders and ending with the unique Mashina's style. However, experiments are welcomed even now at the end of fourth decade of the group existence. The last album "Mashinalno" reflects the devotion of band members to the music of 1970s with the sound of the
21st century. Album included some Beatles-like songs,
punk composition, some
blues and some slow
ballads. Actually, each album includes songs of many genres. Blues of Petr Podgorodetskiy, blues compositions of Evgeny Margulis, variety of genres by Andrei Makarevich and
hard rock and fiery
rock-n-roll of Alexandr Kutikov. And yet, this can not be called a rule - all authors contributed almost to every genre.
Most of the charm of their songs is in melody and lyrics - many of the most popular songs in the repertoire are played only with guitar beats or with only one simple guitar solo. But that doesn't reduce their popularity among all age groups of people. It is probably one of couple Russian rock bands on the concert of which one can watch 50-years old bearded
The Beatles fan-from-the-early 1960s as well as teenagers in the crowd.
* "Povorot" - The turning point - almost every person in
Russia who is not a music hater knows at least the chorus of that song. Usually the last but one song on concerts and usually is sang by the crowd.
Soviet censorship was suspicious about that song not knowing what "turning point" was mentioned. Music by A. Kutikov, lyrics by A. Makarevich and is sang by a. Kutikov.
* "Svecha" - "The candle" or "Until the candle burns" - A very touching song which is usually the last concert song. Written and is sang by A. Makarevich.
* "Marionetki" - "The puppets" - another emblem of the band.
* "Mesto gde svet" - "The place with a light" - probably the best song of Mashina Vremeni in 21st century gave the name to the album ("Mesto gde svet", 2001)
* "Kovo ty khotel udivit" - "Whom did you want to surprise" - music written by A. Kutikov and lyrics by A. Makarevich had became the probably the best of
hard rock songs of the band. Performed by A. Kutikov.
Note: The albums are sorted in the order of their recording, not in the order of their releases.
| Year | Russian | Translit | English! Notes | | 1978| Это было так давно | Eto bylo tak davno | That was so long ago |
| 1979| Маленький принц | Malenkiy printz | The Little Prince | live album with inter-song quotations from the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry book |
| 1985| Лучшие песни Машины 'ремени 1979-1985 | Luchshiye Pesni 1979-1985 | Best songs 1979-1985 |
| 1986| ' добрый час | V dobriy chas | Good luck |
| 1987| Реки и мосты | Reki i mosty | Rivers and bridges |
| 1989| ' круге света | V kruge sveta | In the circle of light |
| 1991| Медленная хорошая музыка | Medlennaya khoroshaya muzyka | Slow good music |
| 1993| 'нештатный командиръ земли | Vneshtatniy komandir Zemli | Part-time commander of the Earth |
| 1994| Кого ты хотел удивить? | Kovo ty khotel udivit | Whom did you want to surprise? | old unpublished song compilation |
| 1994 | Unplugged | | live accustic album |
| 1996 | Megamix | | remixes of some popular songs in electronic music manner |
| 1996| Картонные крылья любви | Kartonniye kryliya lubvi | Paper wings of love |
| 1996| Неизданное | Neizdannoe | Unpublished | some rare songs of early 70s |
| 1997| Отрываясь | Otryvayas | Breaking away |
| 1999| ХХХ лет М' | 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 with a light |
| 2004| Машинально | Mashinalno | Mechanically |
| 2005 | Kremlin Rocks! | | A concert of Mashina Vremeni with chamber orchestra Kremlin |
Mashina Vremeni is one of the best selling artists in Russia, but due to a raging of compute piracy, most of CDs sold are not legal CDs released by recording companies.
From the opening credits on the
DVD with the anniversary 30 years concert in
1999:
30 years are::: 10957 days OR:: 15778080 minutes OR:: 4 general secretaries and 2 presidents OR:: 593 songs OR:: 21 albums OR:: 3359 concerts in 173 cities in 27 countries
* Andrei Makarevich - guitar, vocals
* Alexander Kutikov - bass-guitar, vocals
*
Valeriy Efremov - drums, percussion
*
Evgeny Margulis - guitar, bass-guitar, vocals
*
Andrei Derzhavin - keyboard, vocals
*
Photos*
Mashina Vremeni category at Wikipedia Russia*
Mashina Vremeni at Wikipedia Russia*
Official site*
Unofficial site 1*
Unofficial site 2*
Unofficial site 3 
