Tsvety

The Flowers
Stas Namin & The Flowers (2009)
Background information
OriginMoscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Genresrock, progressive rock, blues, ethno rock, rhythm-n-blues, pop-rock
Years active1969–present
MembersOleg Predtechensky
Valery Diorditsa
Alexander Gretsinin
Yury Vilnin
Alan Aslamazov
Andrey Shatunovsky
Stas Namin
Past membersAlexander Losev (1949-2004)
Websiteflowersrock.ru

Tsvety (Russian: Цветы, lit. 'The Flowers') is a Soviet and Russian rock band that, according to Itogi magazine,[1] "started all Russian alternative culture".[2] It was one of the first bands to introduce rock music to the Soviet show business.[3][4]

Established in 1969 by the frontman Stas Namin, releasing flexi discs throughout 1973 with the label Melodiya and sold over seven million copies. Their song "Happiness" was a hit in the USSR for 3 years in the 1980s.[5]

After their successful tour in the USSR in 1974, the band dissolved in 1975 with a conflict with the Philharmonic Society,[6] and with the banning of the band by the government. As a result, they changed their names to The Stas Namin Group in 1976, before changing back to its original name at the Perestroika period.[7]

History

Stas Namin started his first rock band,[8][1] The Magicians, at a military school in 1964. Then, in 1967, he formed the band Politbureau with his cousin and some friends.[9]

And in 1969, at the Institute of Foreign Languages,[10] he formed the band Flowers, inspired by the Woodstock Festival and hippie movement, who called themselves Children of Flowers. According to the media, Flowers "started the whole Russian musical non-format",[11] they were called "the Russian Beatles",[12] and several generations grew up on their songs.[13]

The Flowers is one of few bands that has been around for over 55 years, and its songs are known and sung by millions of people. In the first 10 years, Melodiya record label sold over 60 million of the band’s records, earning huge profits without paying the musicians for sales.[11][14]

Stas Namin became famous in the USSR when Melodiya record label released the first flexi disc by the student band Flowers in 1973, selling 7 million copies. The Flowers immediately gained immense popularity despite being banned by central media and not recognised by the authorities.[15] In 1974, the band began tour professionally, but soon the authorities banned even the name “Flowers” as hippie propaganda. When Namin revived the band in 1977, he was forced to change the name to Stas Namin’s Band.[16]

After participating in a rock festival in Armenia, Time magazine wrote about The Flowers, and the band remained banned until Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1986. In the autumn of that year, the band went on a 45-day tour of the United States and Canada, during which Yoko Ono attended a press conference before a concert on John Lennon’s birthday. After that, she invited Stas to her home in Dakota and introduced him to famous New York musicians. In December of the same year, at the invitation of Peter Gabriel, The Flowers participated in the Japan Aid festival.[17]

Over the next three years, the band went on a big world tour, playing in more than fifty countries on every continent. In 1988, musicians from The Flowers (Namin and Voronov) were invited by Keith Richards to participate in recording his solo album Talk is Cheap.[1] In 1990, some musicians of The Flowers regrouped to form the band Gorky Park, which was recorded by Polygram Records. It entered the Billboard charts and gained worldwide fame.[18]

At the request of Scorpions, Stas Namin wrote Russian lyrics for their song Wind of Change, which was created at The Flowers’ recording studio in Gorky Park. Mikhail Gorbachev, who loved The Flowers, was moved to tears when he heard the song at one of the band’s concerts.[19] In 1999, The Flowers participated in the creation of rock musical Hair and rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The band played an anniversary concert, The Flowers — 30 Years, and continued to tour the world.[20]

In 2009, their 40th anniversary year, The Flowers recorded two albums at Abbey Road Studios: Back to the USSR, featuring their greatest hits from the 1970s, and Open the Window to Freedom, featuring banned songs from the 1980s that could not be released under Soviet censorship.[21] The Society of Sound, founded by Peter Gabriel, recognised this album as the most interesting work of 2011 and included it in its catalogue.[22] One of the Flowers’ most socially significant songs, Light and Joy, created as part of the One World Freedom project, was performed by The Flowers at the 36th UNESCO General Conference in Paris as a symbol of unity among nations. The song Feast During the Plague was written in response to the outbreak of military conflict in Ukraine.[23][24]

For the same event, a concert remake of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall was created as a protest against the authoritarian regime, and John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance was performed by the band in Russian, English and Ukrainian.[25] Yoko Ono commented on this performance, saying that ‘John would have been happy to be on stage with you’. The song Open the Window to Freedom performed by The Flowers was included in the American documentary Free to Rock as a message for today.[26][27]

In 2019, The Flowers celebrated their 50th anniversary with a concert at the Kremlin Concert Palace, where once again they performed these songs along with hits, which people have loved for over half a century. And in 2022, they recorded and released Stas Namin’s album To Fly.[28][29]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Moscow Post. «„Цветам“ стукнуло уже 40 лет» Archived 2017-09-02 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Ваш Досуг от 20.01.2010 г. «Юбилей группы „Цветы“»
  3. ^ "Hit “Jurmala” tribe die Stimmung auf die Spitze. Moskauer Rockgruppe “Stas Namin” began Tournee in Lubeck", Lubecker Nachrichten, 7 November 1985.
  4. ^ Комсомольская правда. «Группа „Цветы“ отмечает 40-летие!» Archived 2012-01-27 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Московский Комсомолец от 12.03.2010 г. «Дети „Цветов“»
  6. ^ «Цветы жизни» Archived 2010-03-13 at the Wayback Machine: Интервью со Стасом Наминым в Итоги
  7. ^ "Gorky Park Guru. From rock rebel to counter-culture businessman", AIM, October 1991.
  8. ^ "В Вязники на фестиваль авторской песни приедут группы «Цветы», «Калинов мост», «Черный кофе»". 6 канал — Владимир (in Russian). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Группы «Цветы» и «Калинов мост» выступят на фестивале авторской песни в Вязниках". vedom.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  10. ^ «Намина и Лосева поссорили рэкетиры» Archived 2010-09-03 at the Wayback Machine // Экспресс-газета
  11. ^ a b «„Цветы“ не вянут» Archived 2010-05-01 at the Wayback Machine // Российская газета
  12. ^ Авторская программа «По волне моей памяти» // Первый канал — Зарубежное вещание
  13. ^ "«Мы желаем счастья вам» и «Старый рояль»: рок-группа «Цветы» даст концерт в Светлогорске - Новости Калининграда". klops.ru (in Russian). 16 April 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  14. ^ «Игры самовыражения»: Интервью со Стасом Наминым // Независимая Газета, фев 2010
  15. ^ Новая газета от 26-29.06.2003 г. «Стас Намин: массы любят тех, кто их примитивно развлекает». Интервью со Стасом Наминым.
  16. ^ "Группа «Бонд с кнопкой» и Mirèle спели про «Цветы» — НАШЕ Радио". www.nashe.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  17. ^ «Намина и Лосева поссорили рэкетиры» Archived 2010-09-03 at the Wayback Machine // Экспресс-газета
  18. ^ "Концертная программа "Голубой огонек"". pesnyagoda.my1.ru. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  19. ^ «„Цветы“ ещё не увяли» // Новые известия от 01.02.2001
  20. ^ Радио Культура. «„Действующие лица“: Стас НАМИН» Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Московский Комсомолец от 19.02.2010 г. «„Цветы“ за хиты». Интервью со Стасом Наминым
  22. ^ «Стас Намин: „Трачу деньги на искусство и собственные проекты“» Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine — интервью со Стасом Наминым в Банки.ру
  23. ^ Московский комсомолец от 19 ноября 2012. «Цветы из рок-гербария» Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ Ностальгия по настоящему: 15 знаменитых песен группы «Цветы» Archived 2017-11-18 at the Wayback Machine // Вечерняя Москва, 7 Ноября 2013
  25. ^ Стас Намин: "Мне нравится слушать Басту и «Бумбокс» Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine // Москва 24, 15 Ноября 2013
  26. ^ Новая газета от 12 ноября 2012. Стас Намин: «Мы живем в поколении шариковых»
  27. ^ «Человек разумный» Archived 2016-09-11 at the Wayback Machine // Thank You.ru, 15 Ноября 2013
  28. ^ Цветомузыка Archived 2016-08-17 at the Wayback Machine // Musecube, 18 Ноября 2014
  29. ^ Стас НАМИН & его «Цветы». На круги своя Archived 2014-12-10 at the Wayback Machine. Московская правда, 21 ноября 2014
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