Mashina Vremeni (Russian: Машина времени, lit. 'Time Machine') is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and bard's song. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrei Makarevich (founder, principal singer-songwriter, public face of the band), Alexander Kutikov (bass player and producer/sound engineer), and Evgeny Margulis (guitarist/songwriter).[1]
History
Andrei MakarevichAlexander KutikovEvgeny MargulisMashina Vremeni meet Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in 2008. L-R: Medvedev, Yefremov, Margulis, MakarevichMashina Vremeni performing at the band's 40th anniversary concert
Andrei Makarevich's musical career can be traced to a school band called The Kids, which was made up of two male guitarists and two female vocalists. The group sang mostly English-language folk songs and performed primarily at talent shows put on in Moscow schools. According to Makarevich, the momentous event in his musical career came when the Soviet group VIA Atlanty (Russian: ВИА «Атланты») visited his school and allowed him to play a couple of songs on their equipment during a break in the performance. On the heels of this experience, Makarevich joined with other musically talented students from his school and another school to form Mashiny Vremeni (Russian: Машины времени, lit. 'Time Machines' – in plural form imitating The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.). The most significant founding members included Sergey Kawagoe and Andrey Makarevich. The band's repertoire consisted of eleven songs in English, now lost.
Mashina Vremeni started playing during the last years of the Brezhnev era, but could not get official bookings as a professional band.[2] In 1979 Makarevich signed the band up with Rosconcert, becoming legitimate in the State music system.[3]
Timeline
1971 – Alexander Kutikov becomes the bass player, introducing more of buoyant rock-n-roll into the band's material[4]
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 Kawagoe and Alexander Kutikov; the latter leaves the band for a hard rock outfit Visokosnoe Leto (Leap Year Summer)
1974 – Sergey Kawagoe leaves, Alexander Kutikov returns. However, Kawagoe also returns after about six months. The band performs with the following line-up: Andrei Makarevich, Alexander Kutikov, Sergey Kawagoe, and Alexey Romanov (future leader of another prominent Russian band Voskreseniye ("Resurrection" or "Sunday"))
1975 – Romanov and Kutikov suddenly depart. Evgeny Margulis joins on guitar
1978 – First studio record of Mashina Vremeni. Alexander Kutikov, though playing in Vis
1979 – Band in crisis. Sergey Kawagoe and Evgeny Margulis leave 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 Pyotr Podgorodetsky on the keyboards.[5]
1981 – The song "Povorot" (Russian: Поворот, lit. 'The Turning Point') stays on the top of charts for 18 months. The band composes the soundtrack to the popular movie Dusha, starring Sofia Rotaru watched by more than 57 million cinema-goers in the Soviet Union.[6][unreliable source?]
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. Pyotr Podgorodetsky 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.[7][8]
1990 – Alexandr Zaitsev leaves and Evgeny Margulis and Pyotr 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.
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 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 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.
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 Studios.
2007 – The group releases the Time machine album.
2010 – The band continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a seven-stop North American tour[9]
Musical style
Mashina Vremeni's sound is eclectic and incorporates multiple different genres. Contributions to song composition have been made by almost every band member, and often reflect each member's particular stylistic preferences. Makarevich is a fan of The Beatles, and many of his songs reflect the Beatles' influence. He is also influenced by blues music and Soviet singer-songwriters, the so-called "bards". Kutikov is a quintessential rocker, he composes guitar-oriented hard rock. Margulis is one of the Russia's best known bluesmen, and his songs are usually blues rock ballads.[citation needed]
The majority of the band's lyrics are written by Makarevich.[citation needed]
Albums
Year
Russian
Translit
English
Notes
1978
Это было так давно
Eto bylo tak davno
It was so long ago
Self-released tape album. Released by an official label only in 1992
During the Russo-Ukrainian War frontman Andrey Makarevich denounced Russian military intervention in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Other people associated with the band kept a low profile in the matter through 2014, but in 2015 it became known that at least Kutikov was against Russian policy in Ukraine, while Derzhavin and director/manager Vladimir Sapunov sided with President Vladimir Putin's policies.[citation needed]
^Leslie Woodhead How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin 2013 – 1408840421 "But Time Machine were still totally unofficial, with no possibility of becoming a professional group. “Soviet officials understood that something was happening,” Andrei said, “but they didn't know what to do about it.” "
^Woodhead 2013 "... proceeds from their cassettes, Makarevich signed up with the state promotion agency, Rosconcert. After a decade of surviving on the edge, Time Machine became legitimate. It meant they could rely on national publicity and a steady income."
