"Flowers" is a Soviet and later Russian rock band that began to storm the scene in the late 1960s. The talented Stanislav Namin stands at the origins of the group. This is one of the most controversial groups in the USSR. The authorities did not like the work of the collective. As a result, they could not block the "oxygen" for the musicians, and the group enriched the discography with a significant number of worthy LPs.
The history of the creation and composition of the rock group "Flowers"
The team was formed in the capital of the Russian Federation in 1969 by musician Stas Namin. It was not his first child. The guitarist has already tried several times to form his own band. But all attempts to create a unique team in the end were “failed”.
Stas created the first group back in the mid-1960s. We are talking about the team "Magicians", a few years later he presented a new project. His offspring was called the Politburo. In the late 1960s, Namin took the place of the guitarist in the Bliki group.
Stanislav focused on foreign artists. He is a "fanate" from cult groups The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin. Impressed by foreign colleagues, the musician created the group "Flowers". This is the first successful musical project of Stanislav, in which he managed to realize his creative potential.
The new team at first was content with performing at small venues. The musicians of the group "Flowers" played mini-concerts in clubs and discos. Gradually, they gained their first fans and enjoyed little popularity.
The band's repertoire was filled with tracks by foreign musicians for a long time. They created cover versions of compositions by foreign artists.
New members
Elena Kovalevskaya became the first vocalist of the new group. Vladimir Chugreev played percussion instruments. Interestingly, the guy was self-taught, despite this, he did an excellent job with his work. Alexander Solovyov took the place of the keyboard player. The leader of the band, Stas Namin, played the lead guitar. The team did not have a permanent backing guitarist, so Malashenkov performed this role.
When Stanislav transferred to Moscow State University, the team began to be listed as a student ensemble. In the early 1970s, the composition of the rock band was updated a bit. New members joined him: Alexander Chinenkov, Vladimir Nilov, and Vladimir Okolzdaev. The guys performed at university evenings and discos.
Soon Alexei Kozlov, who played the saxophone, as well as the drummer Zasedatelev, joined the line-up. The musicians rehearsed at the Energetik House of Culture.
Stas Namin for a long time remained dissatisfied with the sound of the compositions. He soon decided to work in classic rock. He excluded from the group of musicians who played wind instruments. Now Yury Fokin was sitting behind the drum kit.
The creative path and music of the group "Flowers"
In the early 1970s, the musicians recorded their first single at the Melodiya studio. It was an experiment, and the band members did not even imagine that the record would sell over 7 million copies. A year later, the musicians recorded another collection.
In support of the new collection, the musicians went on a tour around the country. They performed from the Moscow Regional Philharmonic, as a group of VIA "Flowers". It is noteworthy that the Philharmonic earned good money from young musicians. On the day, the group "Flowers" could perform several concerts.
After a grueling tour, the atmosphere in the group became very tense. In addition, the leadership of the Philharmonic accused the musicians. They wanted to take away their name. There was real chaos in the team. The team "Flowers" actually ceased to exist in 1975.
Then the musicians of the group "Flowers" in their popularity were not inferior to the legendary group The Beatles. The only difference was that domestic musicians were popular in the USSR. In the mid-1970s, the team was on the so-called "black list".
Reincarnation of the group "Flowers"
Stas in 1976 took the musicians under his wing. They decided to abandon the creative pseudonym "Flowers". And now the guys performed as the “Stas Namin Group”. Soon the band members presented new compositions: "Old Piano", "Early to Say Goodbye" and "Summer Evening".
Critics doubted that Stas Namin and his team would be able to maintain popularity. Most of the fans, after changing the creative pseudonym, ceased to be interested in the work of the musicians. But the Stas Namin Group group not only managed to repeat the success of the Flowers team, but also surpassed it. Soon, the musicians' tracks began to hit the Soundtrack chart.
In the early 1980s, the musicians released a full-length debut LP. The disc was called "Hymn to the Sun". At the same time, the musicians first starred in the film "Fantasy on the theme of love." They were also shown on local television.
They have been hard at work on new albums. Soon the musicians presented two records at once. In 1982, the presentation of the collection "Reggae-Disco-Rock" took place, and a year later "Surprise for Monsieur Legrand".
Around the same period of time, Stanislav Namin graduated from directing courses. Soon he shot a professional video clip for his brainchild "Old New Year". It was not reproduced through the channels of the Soviet Union, but the work got on the music channels of America.
In the mid-1980s, the group's discography was replenished with another full-length album, "We wish you happiness!".
With the change of power, there has been a change. Stas Namin and David Woolcomb managed to complete work on the musical "Child of the World" (1986). The musicians of the Soviet rock band participated in the filming of the work. A real "breakthrough" for the Stas Namin Group was a one and a half month tour of the United States of America.
Creation of a new team
During a large-scale tour of America, Stanislav wanted to create another musical group that would perform for a foreign audience. Soon it became known about Namin's new project "Gorky Park".
Stanislav did not think long about which musicians to include in the Gorky Park group. In his new project, he called the soloists of the Stas Namin Group.
Thus, on the basis of the group, legendary teams were created "Gorky Park" and "blues league". In addition, the musicians of the Stas Namin Group became members of the Moral Code,DDT" and "Sounds of Mu". At the end of 1990, Stanislav told his fans that he was disbanding the lineup.
Former members took up the implementation of a solo career, and Stanislav worked on new projects. During the period of disintegration, the musicians got together only once. This event took place in 1996. The guys went on a political rock tour around the country.
Team reunion
In 1999, Stanislav informed his fans about the reunion of the legendary Stas Namin Group. A few years later, the musicians played an anniversary concert dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the band's creation.
For a long time, fans perceived the reunion of the group as a formality. The musicians did not release new collections, did not tour and did not please with the release of video clips. The guys worked in the capital's theater.
Only in 2009 the group's discography was replenished with a new album. The disc "Back to the USSR" was recorded specifically for the solemn day. The team is 40 years old. The longplay includes long-loved compositions. The disc included songs that were released between 1969 and 1983. The compilation was recorded at London's Abbey Road recording studio. The musicians celebrated the anniversary in Moscow, in the concert hall "Crocus City Hall". A year later, another LP was presented. We are talking about the collection "Open Your Window".
In 2014, the band held another concert at Arena Moscow. The musicians pleased the fans of their work with the performance of immortal hits. In addition, they presented several new compositions on stage.
Interesting facts about the Stas Namin Group team
- Few people know that Stanislav Namin was inspired to create the "Flowers" band by the American festival "Woodstock". He was fascinated by the festival and decided to form his own band.
- The main composition of the team has not changed for the past two decades.
- Several of the band's LPs were recorded at Abbey Road Recording Studios in London.
- The visiting card of the group is the song "We wish you happiness!". Interestingly, not only the older generation sings it, but also the youth.
- Stas Namin says that the tour that took place in 1986 in the territory of the United States of America was the most memorable tour. Then the musicians toured a little more than a month.
The Stas Namin Group team at the present time
In 2020, the group's discography was replenished with the album "I don't give up", which included 11 tracks. In addition, this year the team of Stas Namin turned 50 years old. The musicians celebrated this significant event with an anniversary concert in the Kremlin. The band's performance was broadcast on Russian television.
