Alexander Gradsky - Unofficial site
"It's very simple"
Andrei Makarevich
Driving along the waterfront near Raushskaya Mosenergo, I still feel the excitement almost forgotten Valiant - too much, I connected with this place. Palace of Culture "Energetic" nestled in the courtyard in front of the hotel "Russia" in the building with the huge bulls and some electrical slogans on the roof. Many repairs survived the club, and there is no longer the iron gates of the gate, the gate of those which have been knocked down a crowd in 1977, and he was faced with another stone, and I'm afraid to go inside and find nothing there. And then, standing on three steps, and passed the lobby, you can turn right and go down to the basement, where the thundering supergroup "Second Wind" in the Degtyaryuk - Shiryaev - Kapitanovsky (Jimi Hendrix one to one!). They were masterly, highly inaccessible, and we almost did not speak - I have them shy. If you do not go down to the basement, but still have a forward, was detected in the right corner of the door of Number 8. This room was divided, "Buffoons" Gradsky, "Reflections," Stasik and pioneer group "Strawberry Saturday." We entered the fourth in a row occupants. The first wall of the room was fenced communal plywood and divided into four penalchika with doors - they kept the machine. The device was poor. The Pioneers played the amps "Electron-10" (the first attempt of the domestic industry to contribute to the world of electronic music - a bizarre box on legs made of polished wood, resembling more record player, but it sounded much worse). Stasik was powerful at the time the vocal apparatus, constructed by some craftsman, and we had a magical Japanese amp "Ace tone", so it all went together very convincingly. I must say that zhlobsky aspect of the relationship while completely missing, and ask each other apparatus or the guitar was the most common, and no one came to mind to refuse or, God forbid, take the money for it. Or commercial vein has not yet awakened in anyone then, or was it the result of our hippie sentiments. I do not know. But the fact that it was great - I still remember. And the fact that now it does not happen and probably will not be - sorry.
So, on the symbolic penalchiki locked locks - everyone has his own (if you want a plywood wall can be punctured by a finger). Far corner of the room held a piano half-dead, carrying out, except the music, a lot more support functions. Seven days a week divided by four. Those were the days (or rather, nights) rehearsals. They do not share equally - at least, I remember one time we were rehearsing almost every day. I'm not saying that we were more industrious - rehearsals are not perceived as work, but as the most desirable holiday and a day without a rehearsal is lived in vain.
We all turned to the "Energy" for a reason. Sly director of the club was going to save the financial plan with the help of the Moscow rock 'n' roll.
It looked like this: Saturdays and Sundays, the group performed before a session - not in the lobby and straight into the hall to the stage! Hippies cut down the shaft - it was then almost the only place where it is officially in favor of the group. When I heard on this stage "Skomorokhov" - I felt sick. I was all by Meryl Beatle, and it appeared that in all respects "Buffoons" above - Fokin clearly scored on drums Ringo Starr, Gradskij sing like Lennon and McCartney together and chetyrehgolose "Skomorokhov" completely overlap watery Beatles chord. I returned home, and my hand painted picture of herself - "Buffoons" stand on a high pedestal, about how the monument Timiryazev, and from there fly to the top of the lightning in the us, small and thoughtful, at the foot. Do not play or do not want to sing. It was absolutely clear that sound like we will not ever. We just rescued a biological optimism inherent in youth, and even, perhaps, a good attitude to our own "Skomorokhov." Before the first concert in the "Energy" I am very worried - at the entrance to the club hung a handwritten poster with our name. Hastily devised costumes - red jackets and corduroy trousers. I do not remember how was performance: it seems that something broke in the process (I do not know of any seiche in the early years, which would have none of the equipment is not denied).
Before leaving, we discovered that our posters across someone well-written "messy." Bill was placed on a wall inside our locker - for edification.
By this time is the appearance of our team Kutikov. The Japanese are not entered on the first swoop to college, went to work in GDRZ, namely, the State Broadcasting and Recording House, where was with him, that is Kutikov in the same room. He enthusiastically told me that the work is the guy who brings with him a bass guitar, and it does. Sergei was a champion of all regular rehearsals and private lessons.
So Kutikov come to us for a rehearsal and played the bass guitar "Yellow River". It decided the outcome of the case. The bass guitar has two. As for the "Yellow River" - hardly anyone remembers now nemudreny this song. As, however, and a group of "Christy." And in the same year she sang the song the whole country. Apparently, due to an oversight in the process of translation on duty Pop Song Festival in Sopot showed performance of this group - they attended as guests. Outraged comments Eleonora Belyaeva could not fix anything - rock and roll broke through the Soviet television screen. And every drop of that information was caught with ecstasy dying of thirst in the desert. The man who played the bass guitar "Yellow River" one to one, could not be taken to the team. Also played a role Kavagoyskie recommendations. Kutikov immediately brought to the team spirit of serene Majeure rock 'n' roll (the time I wrote a very dark song.) Under his influence, added to the repertoire of joyful songs "Happiness Sold," "Soldier," "From the time the chain broke down," etc. We gradually began to feel more confident. Accustomed to the scene in the "Energy", we are not even very frightened when they learned that perform in a concert with the "clowns" on the eve of February 23.
"Energetic," then there was a huge honor, and this poster has promised an unprecedented audience. But the director of the club too far by announcing free admission - an hour before it became clear that in general all come: at any rate, is my impression when I was trying to smuggle into the hall of some of his friends chuvikhi literally over the heads of osatanevshey public. The crowd filled the whole yard, "Energy" and most of the waterfront. It was clear that not come together, and four of the Palace of Culture. In a panic, had been closed the iron lattice gate. Five minutes later, the scene resembled the courtyard of the Winter of taking from some of our classic film (in my life, as now revealed, it all looked much more modest). People, like ants, climbed through the three-meter gates, fell down, tearing the jeans, the sharp peaks. In the end, the gate collapsed. The turn of the oak doors ... We actually have not seen, because they were behind the scenes. Hall looked like a steam boiler, the pressure is higher than normal, and he was about to explode.
People are hanging on the walls, curtains, hanging in clusters from the balconies, and sometimes fell down. The evening was opened by a colonel. He was given fifteen minutes to talk, and he left the stage, greatly astonished. I still do not understand how it happened that "Buffoons" played in front of us - is contrary to all logic. What was going on in the hall, it is difficult to describe. Now everybody knows how to drag a group of fashion to look at it with dignity - all seen enough videos and mimic the movements seem very western rock 'n' roll fans, including the "goat", lighters, and such things shaking their upraised hands during the slow songs . What happened then, came from within each and merged into one mad rush. I first felt the force sweeps away the rock and roll. I had an absolute fortune and at the same time easy to fear - when you are driven in the backseat of the bike is very fast, and take your breath away, and nothing can be done. Then we heard a recording of our concert - all the songs we played two times faster than normal - this was a plant. On the street in the meantime things were not the best way. In the desperate struggle to get into the fans was thrown at police. But the spirit of rock 'n' roll was stronger. The result - a militia Rafik slashed tires, and motorcycle with sidecar and dropped altogether in the Moscow River. It seems that there were no casualties, and with the one from the other side.
The next day Gradsky with the director of "Energy" was summoned to the city committee of the party (we were then for the people was not considered and therefore not touched).
They returned in a big thought. Ended the era of pink childhood, began the dark days of the Moscow rock.
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