"Lyube" (Lyube) is a famous Russian rock band, whose originality and originality won even Vladimir Putin over. He called them among his favorite bands and personally attended concerts more than once. The baritone of their permanent leader Nikolai Rastorguev, national-patriotic lyrics, choral backing vocals and folk motifs captivated the audience after the first song. Igor Matvienko, the group's producer, played a huge role in such popularity. It was he who owned the idea of creating the collective.
History of the formation of "Lyube"
Variety of the 80s was monotonous: sweet voices, "caramel" images, pop motifs. Igor Matvienko, an aspiring producer and composer, realized that the public needed something new. For two years he developed the concept of a project that would be radically different from the other bands. Military-patriotic themes, elements of folk and folk style, some lyrics and author's songs, choral sound on backing vocals and rock musical accompaniment - this is how Matvienko envisioned the new band.
Together with the poet Alexander Shaganov, he wrote a few songs, then started looking for members. They needed a performer with strong vocals and a charismatic appearance. They arranged an audition. Nikolai Rastorguev, who already had a decent experience in ensembles and collectives, at first the producer did not like it. But the singer was able to convince him of his necessity, and the team actively began to record compositions.
On January 14, 1989, the first two songs "Batko Makhno" and "Lyubertsy" were ready. This day is considered the date of the foundation of the group. Rastorguev claims that the interpretation of the name of the collective can be different. According to the first version, it appeared in honor of his native city of Lyubertsy. According to the second, the word has Ukrainian roots and means "any, any".
The first composition of "Lyube" included:
- Nikolai Rastorguev (vocals);
- Alexander Nikolaev (bassist);
- Vyacheslav Tereshonok (guitar);
- Rinat Bakhteev (drums);
- Alexander Davydov (keyboards).
In the creative biography of the band the replacement of the line-up happened quite often. Some members left, others came. Only Nikolay Rastorguev has remained at the head of the group for more than 30 years.
Creative path
The debut songs of "Lyube" were liked by listeners. But the band was in no hurry to go on tour. It began to give its first concerts in 1989. In December, Alla Pugacheva's invitation to participate in "Christmas Meetings" was accepted. After a successful performance, the stage image of the soloist (many considered Rastorguev for a retired officer) was remembered by listeners. The band immediately became popular. At the height of fame, they released their first studio album.
With the beginning of the 90s, the musical group began to appear on television, their songs were played on the radio, the artists were often invited to concerts and festivals. They began to shoot music videos. In 1992 the format of performance changed to a more serious one. There was more rock, deep lyrics, and extended choral parts were added. Albums were released less often now, but they were of higher quality, more elaborate, with complex arrangements.
There were many significant events in the history of the band. It gathered SC "Olympiysky", performed on Red Square, gave grandiose concerts in honor of Victory Day, received awards at international festivals, repeatedly won in the nomination "Song of the Year", collected a collection of 10 "Golden Gramophones".
Their compositions often became soundtracks to famous movies and TV series. "Participant", "Border. Taiga Romance", "Killing Force" and in 30 more movies sound songs of the group. Many of them can be deservedly called nationwide hits.
"Atas", "There, behind the fogs, "Horse", "Road", "For you, Motherland Motherland!", "Kombat" - these songs have become iconic for a whole generation. They are imbued with love for their country. The band became a frequent guest at events, annually performing at concerts for Victory Day, Defender of the Fatherland Day and similar thematic holidays.
In 2006 the group "Lube" was recognized as the best pop band, although they mainly perform in the genre of rock. They managed to surpass even the mega-popular VIA Gru.
In 2010, Nikolai Rastorguev became a deputy and a member of the State Duma Committee on Culture. He often took part in various actions. At the same time, he had enough time to record new works, and to shoot clips, and on his personal life (Nikolai was twice married, raises two sons).
The love and recognition of the public resulted in the creation of a monument in honor of the group: in 2015 in Lyubertsy installed a sculpture "Dusya-aggregate".
In the same year, after a 6-year break, they released the last album in their discography. It was timed to coincide with two dates at once: the 25th anniversary of Lyube and the 55th anniversary of the founder and producer Igor Matvienko.
Today the main members are Nikolay Rastorguev, Vitaly Loktev, Alexander Erokhin, Sergey Pereguda, Dmitry Streltsov, Alexey Tarasov, Pavel Suchkov and Alexey Kantur.
The collective continues to be active. Their touring schedule is planned for a year in advance with the calculation of 10-12 concerts per month. For more than 30 years they manage to stay in the ranks of favorites of the Russian variety. About further successes of "Lyube" on the creative field read in the catalog of artists on the website kontramarka.de.
Discography:
1989 - "Atas"
1992 - "Who said we lived badly?"
1994 - "Lube Zone"
1996 - "Kombat"
1997 - "Songs About People"
2000 - "Half Stops"
2002 - "Let's for..."
2005 - "Rasseya"
2009 - "Our Own"
2015 - "For You, Motherland!"
