Gruppa krovi | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 5 January 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1986–1987 | |||
Studio | Red Wave (Leningrad) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:19 | |||
Label | Self-released via magnitizdat | |||
Producer | Aleksei Vishnya | |||
Kino chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | B+[3] |
Gruppa krovi (Russian: Группа крови [ˈɡrupːə ˈkrovʲɪ], lit. 'blood type'/'blood group') is the sixth studio album by Soviet rock band Kino, first released in 1988. Released at the height of Perestroika and Glasnost, together with a crime thriller titled The Needle released in the same year starring lead vocalist Viktor Tsoi, it would go on to be the band's most popular album both inside and eventually outside the Soviet Union, with songs from the album, including the title track , commonly being listed among top 100 lists of Russian music.[4]
Work on the creation began in 1987. Most of the recording took place with Georgy Guryanov, the work was completed at the studio of Alexey Vishnya. The sound of the recording is overstated compared to the albums, thanks to the use of a modern reverb in the studio.
The album was highly praised by critics upon release and continues to be considered a notable event in the history of Russian music. In 1999, Nashe Radio published list of "100 Best Songs of Russian Rock in the 20th Century", including several songs from this album and giving the song "Blood Type" the first place. In 2007, the editors of the Rolling Stone included the song "Blood Type" in their list of "40 songs that changed the world."
At the end of 1985, bass player Alexander Titov, who was also a member of the band Aquarium, left Kino as it became difficult for him to work in both bands, so Titov chose Aquarium. The musicians rarely commented on Titov's departure, considering it to be a betrayal to some extent. According to Kino drummer Georgy Guryanov, Titov did not fit into their team and always considered himself a member of the Aquarium, working with Tsoi's band only as a guest musician.[5]
After the Soviet release, the album was released in the United States in 1989 by Capitol Records.[6][7] The album's title song "Gruppa krovi" is about the constant selfless struggle for what is right, as well as a kind of anti-war anthem.[8][1] At the request of a U.S. fan, the song was also translated and recorded in English as "Blood Type".[citation needed]
Gruppa krovi’s album cover is reminiscent of the post-war Russian avant-garde and pre-war suprematist movements, and the art of artists such as El Lissitzky. It is directly inspired by the poster of the Russian release of Fritz Lang’s 1922 silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (German: Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, Russian: Доктор Мабузе, игрок, romanized: Doktor Mabuze, igrok).[citation needed]