RSS:

	Статьи
	Периодика

Beatles.ru в Telegram:

Beatlemania hits the city

Kolya Vasin, self-styled as "Russia's biggest Beatles fan" and the man behind almost everything which has anything to do with the Beatles in St Petersburg, will celebrate his 50th birthday with a big concert on Friday.

This performance, which will feature some of the city's top performers, will start an eventful "Beatles week."

Nothing could compete with the Beatles in Russia -- not Elvis, nor the Rolling Stones.

Even today many people, both young and not so young, still keep their Beatles' posters on their apartment walls. No new Western trend -- be it punk, new wave or acid house -- can replace Russia's eternal love for the Liverpool foursome.

Russia's best known rock critic, Artemy Troitsky, once tried to explain this phenomena to Westerners in the book "Back in the USSR" which he wrote for the English market in the late 1980s. He wrote of a "spiritual closeness" Russians felt for the Beatles.

"The Beatles had melodies and for the Russian ear this is mandatory..." he wrote. "The Beatles' happy, harmonious vocal choir proved to be just the voice for which our confused generation was waiting, but was unable to create for itself. Liverpool delivered the solution.

"The well-known phrase "they must be Russians" would have suited the Beatles splendidly -- as indicated by the phenomenal response to their music by our entire youth audience. I've often heard one and the same phrase from many different people; the Beatles hit the bullseye."

Vasin, who promotes Beatles' music by organizing special events celebrating every particular Beatles birthday just for his love for them, is finally going to get something material in return.

Following the lead of top Russian band DDT, a series of musicians will perform for free at 50th birthday celebration, donating their profits to help Vasin to solve his apartment problem.

The proceeds are unlikely to buy Vasin an apartment, but organizers think it should cover the cost of a room in a communal apartment.

Russia's coarse-voiced folk poet Yuri Shevchuk will front his hard-rocking band DDT on October 6. But he has to leave for the United States before October 9, so the band will play without him that day. DDT's management said the band will perform for at least 30 minutes at the first concert, but was vague about whether any Beatles songs will be covered.

Despite the popular band Auktsion being billed as taking part in both concerts, its leader Leonid Fyodorov, who sings and plays guitar, said the group's contribution will be minimal. "Oleg [Garkusha, Auktsion's showman and back-up vocalist] and I will come and sing a few songs, but the full line-up will not appear," he said.

Also planned for the week will be two "Beatleteques," special dancing nights featuring exclusively Beatle music. The nights will be held at the Lensoveta disco (see the address of the Lensoveta Palace of Culture below) on Saturday and Sunday, from 6pm to 11pm. The door charge fee will be 15,000 roubles.

Some of the performers involved in the Beatles' Week will also gather at the Volkhov Casino on 28 Liteiny Prospect for a more intimate acoustic Beatles' Night, next Wednesday (October 11). The Beatles Night will start at 7pm and run until 11pm.

"Kolya Vasin is 50"

Benefit Concert featuring DDT, Auktsion, Chizh, Opasnye Sosedi, Spokoinoy Nochi, Tambourine, Alexander Lyapin, Leonid Tikhomirov, and Marina Kapuro

WHEN: Friday, October 6. 7pm

WHERE: Zhelezhnodorozhnikov Dvorets Kultury (Palace of Culture). 63 Tambovskaya Ulitsa

NEAREST METRO: Ligovsky Prospect

COST: 20,000-30,000 roubles

---

John Lennon's 55th Birthday Anniversary

Concert featuring Auktsion, Chizh, Opasnye Sosedi, Spokoinoy Nochi, Tambourine, Alexander Lyapin, Leonid Tikhomirov, Marina Kapuro, Zarok, Televizor, NEP

WHEN: Monday, October 9. 6pm

WHERE: Lensoveta Dvorets Kultury (Palace of Culture). 42 Kamennoostrovsky Prospect

NEAREST METRO: Petrogradskaya

COST: 15,000 roubles

You can get information about any of the Beatles' Week events by telephoning the organizers at 164-52-60

 P.S. Точная дата номера неизвестна (Jupiterian)