Kino (, , ) is a Russian rock band formed in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1981. The band was co-founded and headed by Viktor Tsoi, who wrote the music and lyrics for almost all of the band's songs, until his death in 1990. Over the course of eight years, Kino released over ninety songs spanning over seven studio albums, as well as releasing a few compilations and live albums. During the days of the Soviet Union, the band's music was also widely circulated in the form of bootleg recordings through the underground magnitizdat distribution scene. Viktor Tsoi died in a car accident in 1990. Shortly after his death, the band broke up after releasing their final album, consisting of songs that Tsoi and the group were working on in the months before his death.
In 2019, the band announced a reunion with concerts planned in late 2020 for the first time in 30 years; however, they were later postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band has been active since 2019.
History
Early years Kino was formed in 1981 by the members of two earlier groups from Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Palata No. 6 and Piligrimy. They initially called themselves Garin i giperboloidy () after Aleksei Tolstoi's novel The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin. The group consisted of Viktor Tsoi, guitarist , and drummer . They began rehearsing, but Valinsky was drafted and had to leave the band. In the spring of 1982, they began to perform at the Leningrad Rock Club and met with the influential underground musician Boris Grebenshchikov. It was around this time that they changed the band's name to Kino.Rybin, Aleksey V. Kino S Samogo Na?ala I Do Samogo Konca. Moscow: Feniks, 2001. Print. The name was chosen because it was considered short and "synthetic", and the band members took pride in that it had only two syllables and was easy to pronounce by speakers all over the world.Victor Tsoi. Illustrated History of the life and work of Viktor Tsoi and "Kino". – M .: ANTA, 2005. – Pp. 332, 334, 337, 342. – Tsoi and Rybin later said that they had the idea for the name after seeing a bright cinema sign.Victor Tsoi. Illustrated History of the life and work of Viktor Tsoi and "Kino". – M .: ANTA, 2005. – S. 346. –
45 and the beginning of a career (1982) Kino released their debut album, 45, in 1982. Since the band only consisted of two members, Grebenshchikov suggested that members of his band Aquarium assist Kino in recording the album. These included cellist Vsevolod Gakkel, flautist , and bassist . Since they had no drummer at the time, they used a drum machine. This simple line-up made the album sound lively and bright. Lyrically, it resembled earlier Soviet bard music for its romanticism of city life and the use of poetic language. The album consisted of thirteen songs and was named 45 in reference to its length. The group's popularity was rather limited at the time, so the album was not considered much of a success. Tsoi later stated that the record had come out crudely and he should have recorded it differently.Kushnir, Alexander. 100 Great Albums of Soviet Rock. Moscow: Kraft+, 2003. Print.
In between (late 1982–1984) In late 1982, Kino attempted to record a second album at the studio of the Maly Drama Theatre, along with drummer (who later joined Zoopark) and sound designer Andrey Kuskov. However, Tsoi lost interest in the project and they ceased recording. In the winter of 1983, they played several shows in Leningrad and Moscow and were sometimes accompanied by Aquarium drummer . Rybin was replaced by rehearsal bassist Maksim Kolosov and later, guitarist Yuri Kasparyan. According to Grebenshchikov, Kasparyan was a poor guitar player initially, but he quickly progressed and eventually became the second most important member of Kino.Boris Grebenshikov. We were both pilots in the neighboring fighters. Kinoman.net With Kolosov and Kasparyan, Kino performed their second concert at the Leningrad Rock Club.Rybin, Chapter 7.
The band's responsibilities were split evenly between Tsoi and Rybin. Tsoi was in charge of the creative component, writing music and lyrics, while Rybin did all the administrative work, such as organizing concerts, rehearsals and recording sessions. In March 1983, a serious conflict broke out between them, the culmination of multiple differences between the two musicians. Tsoi was particularly annoyed that Rybin performed his songs, and not his own writing, while Rybin did not like Tsoi's unconditional leadership of the group.Alexey Rybin . "And the fish and meat" – Interview with Aleksei Rybin. – Roxy, No. 6, 1983. Eventually, the two stopped talking, and Rybin left the band.Rybin, Chapter 8.
The only audio document from this period was a bootleg called 46, which consisted of demos of new songs by Tsoi. These songs continued with the romanticism of 45, but also had darker undertones. Tsoi dismissed the recording as "only a rehearsal tape," but many fans viewed it as Kino's second record. Nonetheless, it has never been recognized as a legitimate album by the band.
Nachalnik Kamchatki and growing fame (1984–1985) In 1984, Kino released their second album, Nachalnik Kamchatki (). The title was inspired by Tsoi's job as a boiler plant operator (nachalnik means 'chief' or 'boss,' and Kamchatka is slang for 'a very faraway place' – but also a folk name for the boiler plant where Tsoi worked, now his museum), as well as a reference to the 1967 Soviet comedy Nachalnik Chukotki. Again, Grebenshchikov served as a producer and brought many of his friends to help with the record. Among them were Alexander Titov (bass guitar), Sergey Kuryokhin (keyboards), Pyotr Troshchenkov (drums), Vsevolod Gakkel (cello), Igor Butman (sax), and Andrey Radchenko (drums). Grebenshchikov played a small keyboard instrument. The album was minimalist in style, with sparse arrangements and usage of fuzz effects on Kasparyan's guitar. "The album was electric and somewhat experimental in sound and form. I cannot say that the sound and style orientation turned out the way we'd like to see it, but from the point of view of the experiment, it looked interesting," said Tsoi later.Andrew Burlaka. Volume II. Kino / / Rock Encyclopedia. Popular Music in Leningrad-St Petersburg 1965–2005 . – M.: Amphora, 2007. – 416 p. –
After the album was finished, Tsoi formed the electric section of Kino, which included Kasparyan on lead guitar, Titov on bass guitar, and Georgy Guryanov on percussion, and in May 1984, they began to actively rehearse a new concert program. Kino then performed at II Festival at the Leningrad Rock Club, where they were highly acclaimed and began to take off in popularity. The group soon became famous and started to tour the Soviet Union. In the summer, they participated in a critically acclaimed joint performance with Aquarium and other bands held in the Moscow suburb of under the close supervision of the state security forces. In 1985, Kino released their third album, Eto ne lyubov....
Noch and nationwide recognition (1985–1986)
In early 1985, Kino attempted to record another album, but Tsoi did not like producer Andrei Tropillo's interference in his work, and the project was left unfinished.
In November 1985, Titov decided to leave Kino in favour of Aquarium, of which he was also a member. He was replaced by jazz guitarist , who remained part of Kino's "classic lineup" until its end.
In January 1986, Tropillo released the unfinished record the band had recorded in his studio a few months earlier. The album, entitled Noch () sold two million copies, making the group famous far beyond the rock community. However, the band had an extremely negative view of the release of this album. They received very little money from the sales of the record, and the underground rock press also criticized the album.
In the spring the band performed at the IV Festival Rock Club, where they received the grand prize for the song "Dalshe deystvovat budem my" (). In the summer, they traveled to Kiev to make a film with Sergei Lysenko called Konets Kanikul, "End of Summer Break." The film consists of a story line that sequences three of Kino's songs followed by the aforementioned song. In July, they performed at the Moscow Palace of Culture Engineering along with Aquarium and Alisa. Afterwards, the three bands released a compilation called Red Wave. The album sold 10,000 copies in California, becoming the first release of Soviet rock music in the West.Всеволод Гаккель . Аквариум как способ ухода за теннисным кортом. M.: Amphora, 2007. – S. 322. – 416 p. –
Gruppa krovi and critical acclaim (1986–1988) From 1986 to 1988, Tsoi began to act in more movies and continued to write songs for Kino. The film The Needle (), which he starred in, brought the band to even more prominence, and their 1988 album Gruppa krovi () brought them to the pinnacle of their popularity. Kasparyan had married the American Joanna Stingray, who brought the group high-quality equipment from abroad. Thus, the technical equipment Kino used on this album far exceeded the equipment they had access to on their earlier albums, and it was their first record technically on par with European and American recordings.Foss, Richard. Gruppa krovi. AllMusic Russian journalist Alexander Zhitinsky called Gruppa krovi one of the best works of Russian music and said that it elevated Russian rock to a new level.Alexander Zhytynsky. From the review of the album "Gruppa krovi". – Roxy, № 14, 1988. The album was also acclaimed in the West, where it was released in 1989 by Capitol Records and lauded by American critic Robert Christgau.Groupa Kroovy (Blood Type) review by Robert Christgau. At the request of a U.S. fan the song "Gruppa krovi" was even translated by Tsoi and recorded with English lyrics by the band in Moscow in January 1988. Noch was also released on vinyl by Melodiya in 1988.
Kino performed on central television in the Soviet Union, and Assa, a 1987 film featuring Russian rock, showed Tsoi performing "Khochu peremen!" () in front of a crowd of thousands. After this, Kino's popularity swept the country, and their music captured the minds of the Soviet youth of the 1980s.
Zvezda po imeni Solntse and global popularity (1989–1990) Soon after gaining national fame, Kino began to receive invitations to perform from all over the Eastern Bloc and even from some foreign countries. They participated in a charity contest in Denmark to raise money for relief from the earthquake in Armenia and performed at the largest French rock festival in Bourges and at the Soviet-Italian festival Back in the U.S.S.R. in Melpignano. In 1989, they travelled to New York and held a premiere of The Needle, as well as a small concert.
In 1989, they released Zvezda po imeni Solntse (), which was lonely, introspective, and sad, despite the fame the band was enjoying. Kino appeared on the popular Soviet television program Vzglyad and attempted to record several video clips. While Tsoi was unsatisfied with them and insisted that they be removed, they were nonetheless shown frequently on television.Marianne Tsoi, Alexander Zhytynsky Viktor Tsoi. Poems. Documents.Memories . – Issue 1. – St. Petersburg: New Helicon, 1991. – S. 291. – 368 p. – (Stars of Rock 'n' Roll). –
Around this time, the band decided to create a separate pop band to perform their more light-hearted songs to balance the pop songs that helped them gain popularity with Tsoi's introspective musings.Anton Chernin. Our music. – St. Petersburg: Amphora in 2006. – S. 304–305. – 638 p. – (Stogoff project).
In 1990, Kino performed at Luzhniki Stadium, where the organizers lit the Olympic flame, which had been lit only four times before (at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, the World Festival of Youth and Students in 1985, the Goodwill Games in 1986, and the Moscow International Peace Festival 1989.)Arthur Gasparyan. "We remember a wonderful moment ...", "Moskovsky Komsomolets" 29 June 1990