"Nikolay Noskov"
The singer Nikolai Noskov has been working on the professional stage for over 30 years: he did hundreds of solo gigs in this country and abroad and has always been successful. Lyricism and romanticism, ethnic tunes and contemporary rhythms - those are the striking traits of Nikolai Noskov's work. Each concert is done with live sound only and shows the highest performing level of both the singer and musicians. Amazing combination of classical and folklore musical instruments, contemporary arrangements and inimitable voice of Nikolai Noskov always help the listener to experience the unique atmosphere of music, romance and philosophy.
Nikolai Noskov is a ex-vocalist and composer of Gorky Park band. He took part in the band’s tour in the US (1990) and the International Rock Festival in Moscow (1989). Noskov recorded duets with John Bon Jovi (1989) and Klaus Meine of Scorpions fame (1990). With Noskov as vocalist, Gorky Park got tremendously successful in the West.
As composer, Nikolai Noskov has written dozens of songs. His song ‘Bang’ topped the radio charts in America; it became The Song of the Year in Scandinavia and the musical video shot for it was third in MTV charts. Gorky Park's eponymous album (released by Polygram USA in 1989) was 81st in Billboard’s 200 Most Popular Albums, and at the same time it became gold in Denmark.
After returning from the US in 1993, Noskov started a solo career. Together with his new band ‘Nikolai’, he recorded the album in English called Mother Russia (released by Polygram Russia in 1994).
In the course of his career, Nikolai Noskov created several concert programs, such as: Breathing the Silence (2000), Ra-Duga (2003) and Waist-Deep in the Sky (2006), which were presented in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses where he was employed as production director.
Such songs made by Noskov as Give Me a Chance, Snow, This Is Great, Paranoia, I Love You and many other became popular.
Several solo albums were recorded, including Whim (released by ORT Records in 1998) and Paranoia (released by ORT Records in 1998), re-released later as I Love You and Glass and Concrete. Breathing the Silence (released by Nox Music in 2000) was recorded with the academic chamber orchestra Musica Viva. Waist-Deep in the Sky was released in 2006, and in 2009 it is planned to release the new album called It Is Worth It!.
Gorky Park History.
During the ‘global warming’ times when the cold war with the West came to an end, musicians got an opportunity to work abroad and to make a band which would be able to conquer the USA. At that time everything Russian and Soviet was considered ‘trendy’ in the West, and it was thought that a Soviet band performing under the slogan ‘sickle, hammer, rock’n’roll’ (only remember Belov’s balalaika-shaped guitar!) would quickly attract a lot of attention. The task was, however, not only to do a couple of gigs in the West, but to become competitive on the Western musical market.
Stas Namin created such a band and invited Alexei Belov and Nikolai Noskov to his new project.
The name Gorky Park was chosen after the most popular recreation park in Moscow, the location of Stas Namin Center’s rehearsal base. It was the time when Noskov wrote ‘Bang’ – the song which became a mega hit, still getting rotation on the world radio stations.
Nikolai Noskov described his work with Gorky Park: When composing ‘Bang’, in the beginning I inserted the Russian folk song ‘Meadow Duck’, and when we performed 'My Generation' (The Who cover), we played 'Rise, Russian People…' theme from 'Alexandr Nevskiy' cantata by Prokofiev. Those Americans just got crazy over it! It was enough to play the very first chords to make Gorky Park’s songs recognized. This was essential. We understood that it would be senseless to play ‘a bit worse than Def Leppard’. It was simply not interesting. And we came there with our own trick.
The young band was ‘baptized by fire’ when working as a warm-up act for Scorpions in Leningrad, in summer 1988. That December, Stas Namin invited Polygram’s President and musicians from Bon Jovi to Moscow. They all had a chance to listen to the new band in the Green Theater of the Gorky Park where the gig was organized.
It was then when a band from Russia concluded a direct contract with the American recording label for the first time in the Soviet/Russian rock history. It was a true BREAKTHROUGH!
Gorky Park spent all spring and most of the summer of 1989 in the studios of Vancouver, Philadelphia and New Jersey where, directed by Bruce Fairbairn (known for his work with such stars as Scorpions, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Poison etc.), the guys worked on their eponymous debut effort which was released in the same August. It is to be noted that the song ‘Peace in Our Time’ was written in collaboration with Bon Jovi and the guitarist of his group - Richie Sambora, who also took part in the recording sessions.
American promoters took one of Gorky Park’s songs and put it on rotation among other British and American numbers. Then a poll was organized while the artists’ names were not revealed. It was ‘Bang’ which won the first place! The Video made for this song reached the third position in the Top 15 of MTV. Gorky Park's first album was 81st in the Billboard's 200 Most Popular Albums list, and in Denmark this album won a gold status. During the very first weeks the album’s sales exceeded 300,000 copies.
The band settled in the USA, and the musicians arrived as the world-known stars to the famous Moscow International Peace Festival which took place in Luzhniki in summer, 1989.
Gorky Park’s performance together with such ‘rock monsters’ as Bon Jovi , Cinderella, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue and Scorpions is still one of the most memorable impressions for those who witnessed the decline of the USSR… The Festival was filmed and released as a documentary where Gorky Park’s records can be found as well.