Biography
The group "Zoo" existed only 10 years (1981-1991), but during this time the repertoire of Leningrad musicians became a cult, and the leader and founder of the team Mike Naumenko - an idol of domestic rock music, whose name stands in one row with legends - Viktor Tsoem, Boris Greeschikov. The work of T-shirt and the group "Zoo" had an impact on entire generations of rock musicians.History of the group and composition
The official group "Zoo" was created in the fall of 1980. However, her history begins long before: from the moment the 16-year-old Misha Naumenko, a boy from the intelligent Leningrad family, took the guitar and a tape recorder, donated for a birthday.
Fasciating the works of Rolling Stones, Doors, Bob Dilan, David Bowie, the young man began to study the game on the guitar, writing the first songs in English. Naumenko's language knew perfectly - he studied at a special school with an in-depth knowledge of foreign. In the same place, he received the second name - Mike, which subsequently took for the stage pseudonym.
Before creating his own group, Mike Naumenko managed to play in the composition of the Aquarium Group, "overhaul" and a number of other teams. Even the first album "Sweet N and others" recorded. But I didn't want to continue solo creativity, I was looking for those who would help realize the idea of an insane symbiosis: rock and roll 50s in electrical execution and texts in Russian.
Like-minded people were found in the 1980s. United, the musicians created a group "Zoo". On the question of the meaning of the name Mike, preferably launched:
"Is the bad word? I generally love animals! "Mother of the musician Galina Naumenko explained like this:
"He (Mike) is extremely acute and somehow painfully felt in non-free; He felt like drunk in a cage, from which he would passionately wanted to escape. And the cell for him was both bans on books, and persecution for music, and study at the institute, and routine work ... "The first performances of the group were held as part of: Mike Naumenko (vocals and bass guitar), Alexander Khrubunov (guitar), Andrei Danilov (drums), Ilya Kulikov (bass). The original composition has undergone changes in 1984. Danilov graduated from the institute and left to work on distribution, Kulikov left because of drug problems, and later he was in prison.
From the beginning and to the end in the group only Naumenko and Hubnov played, the rest of the participants came and went at different times. The most striking trace in the history of the team was left: Eugene Guberman (drums), Nail Kadyrov (bass guitar), Valery Kirillov (drums), Alexander Don (keys).
In the spring of 1987, the team disintegrates, but in the fall, it is collected again and proceeds to the tour. The biography of the Zoo ends with the death of Mike Naumenko in 1991.
Music
Rock music of the early 80s. It was the time of "aquarium", "Time Machines", "Avtograf" and other teams, but Mike's songs were so distinguished from the styles and directions reigned at that time, which immediately attracted the attention of the audience. The symbiosis of an old good rock and roll with rhythm-n-bluz motifs imposed on clean, understandable, devoid of metaphor and allegory text - all this has become a business card group.
With the work of Mike and his groups, Nevsky Underground meets in 1981, when Zoo, playing the season as part of the Leningrad Rock Club, presented the first concert program. After that, the team began to perform a lot in Leningrad, ride on tour to Moscow. In the same year, the first album "Blues de Moscou" saw the light. The design of the cover with a stylized photo and the famous Logo "Zoo" created a friend of Mike, the artist Igor (ISH) Petrovsky.
Again, in 1981, Mike is acquaintance with Viktor Tsoem, and soon Naumenko as a guest musician already plays in the debut acoustic concert of the "Cinema" group. Joint creativity Naumenko and Tsoi - the game in Seishnach and apartment in Moscow and Leningrad - will continue until 1985.
In the 1982th Zoo produces the second album "LV", which translated "55" - the year of the birth of Frontman. The plate turned out unusual, some compositions Mike wrote in a parody style, dedicated to the musicians to the musicians - Viktor Tsoyu, Boris Grebenchikov, Andrei Panov.
The third album of the "county city N" group is considered the best in discography. It includes hits "Dryan", "suburban blues", "if you want", "major rock and roll" and others.
Already then the creativity of the Zoo has become a flagship for many young rock teams. On the second Leningrad rock festival, the song "Airst Rock and Roll" was performed by the "Secret" group, which received the main prize. But the "zoo", also participated in the program, was only the owner of the prize of spectator sympathies.
This manifested in 1982 by the Ministry of Culture of the campaign against rock-amateur in 1982, especially in this "ideological" struggle "Zoo", which is why the musicians are forced to go underground for almost a year, but before they released the third studio album with the optimistic name "White Stripe".
During the period of temporary leaving the scene, the group decided and questions with the composition, the search for suitable musicians were searched. Experiments with participants led to the fact that in 1986, a whole soloing team appeared in the Zoo: Alexander Donskoy, Natalia Shishkin, Galina Skigina. In such an unexpected format, the group spoke at the fourth rock festival, who first won the main prize.
After a break in the work, in the summer of 1987, the Zoo began to tour, the musicians were protected by the whole alliance. On a trip to the Far East, Naumenko gets acquainted with a talented musician Alexander Demin, a big fan of the creativity of the Zoo.
"I'm a rooy tunnel through the entire Union - Mike! Give me your blues! .. ", he wrote in dedication to the group.Musicians helped Demin. Write the album "Shut up and Dance" in the 1990s. Alexander until the latter (died in 2002) remained a devotee of Mike's memory, supported friendly relations with the remaining musicians, the former wife Naumenko - Natalia.
Active tour entailed a burst of the popularity of the Zoo. About the group even remove the documentary "Bugi-WGOG every day" (1990). For this picture, musicians write new songs. Subsequently, they will enter the album "Music for the film" (1991), released after decay.
Group "Zoo" now
After the death of Mike in 1991, from hemorrhage to the brain (the circumstances of the happening so remain unexplained) the group ceased to exist. However, the creative heritage of the iconic team is still relevant and the attention of modern performers.
It is unlikely that any of the other domestic rock bands can boast of the number of remakes - songs and clips made on the work from their repertoire. And attempts to revive the legendary group were several.
Alexander Donskoy in 1998 tried first: gathered a team called "Zoo-Park" and recorded Remike disk, in which, besides Hits Naumenko, they entered the songs of Don.
In 2000, under the label "Department" Exit "released a collection of" Illusions "with 13 Zoo Studio Records 1984-1987.
A large project on "reincarnation" "Zoo" belongs to Andrei Tropillo - the owner of the "Anthrop" studio, where the group recorded albums. In 2015, Tropillo collected the "New ZooPark", inviting the guitarist Alexander Harbunova and Basist Naila Kadyrov. By the 60th anniversary of Mike recorded a tribute album, which entered the classic hits of the Zoo in the new version.
The musician and TV presenter Dmitry Dibrov, also not indifferent to the work of the Zoo, released the album of Caveres in 2002. In the disk entered the hits "Rum and Pepsi-Cola", "I forget", "Dryan", "Goodbye, Baby."
Discography
- 1981 - "BLUES DE MOSCOU"
- 1983 - "County City N"
- 1984 - "White Strip"
- 1991 - "Music for the film"