"Time Machine" - "Time Machine" (2007): history, songs, public reaction, awards
"Time Machine." - tenth studio album "Time Machines", which stands out significantly from the background of other disks of the group. It is noteworthy that he recorded on the legendary "Abbey Road." - we are talking about the very studio where they once created their masterpieces The Beatles! Moreover, the “engineers” arrived in the London citadel of music not only for the sake of the record, but also for therapeutic reasons: the atmosphere of the studio helped the musicians to feel the brightest and most incredible feelings! It’s a pity that this didn’t affect the recording - and after all, it cost Makarevich and his team a couple of hundred thousand dollars!
Background and idea
Record an album in Britain is a rather bold idea for a Russian rock band. In the case of "Machine", it was inspired by gatherings with Yuri Verenov. The co-owner of A&T Trade and the representative of Bowers & Wilkins in Russia not only gave his comrades the idea, but also financed its implementation to a greater extent. It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the members of the band have visited the walls of the cult Abbey Road: for the first time it happened in 2004, during a tour - then vocalist Andrei Makarevich and keyboardist Andrei Derzhavin visited the studio.
The team had been preparing for the recording for six months, it was necessary to fix a number of nuances and questions. So, the composer had a great help to the "machinists" Vladimir Matetsky: he not only took over the organizational part, but also found a British producer Hamish Stewartand also co-produced the album. But not everyone liked the idea. Later Evgeny Margulis will say:
“I didn’t like the whole idea from the very beginning! I even made a scandal, because what matters to me is not WHERE, but WHAT to do! I realized that at that time we were not at all ready for such a project. However, we went to London and it was an amazing time! It was a wonderful record."
Recording
Recording and mixing took several months, and the participants of the "Machine" continued to work on the album after their arrival in Moscow. Hamish Stewart demanded a high-quality literary translation, while the sound engineer Peter Henderson I tried not to tell the musicians what to do and how to do it. From memories Alexandra Kutikova:
“For us it was a trip to another planet! The culture of sound, its understanding - everything is ahead by many light years compared to our studios. We worked 12 hour shifts with one 40 minute lunch break. At first it was difficult to get used to such a rhythm, but then we came to the studio as if on an alarm clock! During this time, I learned a lot, although before that I thought that it was hardly possible to surprise me with something ... "
The musician also told how personal ex-manager McCartney told them:
“Many artists are deeply mistaken in thinking that Abbey Road is a magical place. In fact, the result entirely depends on them: it is important to come to the studio as if it were work, to be ready for anything, to have material prepared in advance. Only in this case, the artist will be successful!”
In the process of recording, a variety of instruments were used - from a plastic guitar of the 30s of the last century to an organ! But most notable is the tube microphone. Neumann U47: once they performed their immortal hits behind him Ella Fitzgerald, John Lennon and others.
List of tracks
Having become acquainted with the history and the recording process, we offer you to enjoy the tracks from "Time Machine."!
"Full contact"
"Fly away"
"Old Plane"
"That which is no more"
"Plum"
"Sing"
"Night Behind You"
"Sorry"
"The new spring will kill you"
"Keel-Beal"
"The sky will remind"
"Angel"
"Ships"
Release and critical reception
The album was presented to the general public in the spring 2007 years in "Olympic"! The show turned out to be grandiose, because Stewart came on stage with the group. In the same period, Makarevich held his exhibition "Pictures from Abbey Road", which also sparked audience interest in the upcoming release.
Tracks were the first to hit the radio "Fly away" and "Kil-Beal"that resonated with listeners. Nevertheless, people were not in some kind of wild delight: many noted that although the recording was of high quality, it clearly lacked juiciness and life. "Dry and inexpressive", critics said. Just a song "Ships" pleased the audience with the sound, but nothing outstanding was found.
But, despite the modest success, this work has become an important page in the biography of the group. As said Vladimir Pozner during the presentation to the "drivers" "Golden Gramophone":
“Time changes everything, but there are artists whose sound is eternal: There are The Beatles, there are the Rolling Stones. And we have a "Time Machine"!
