Loading details…
Artist
Gorky Park
12+ albums
hard rockrockrussianglam rockrussian rock
about
Gorky Park (international title) or "Парк Горького" (Russian title) was a Soviet Russian glam metal band that gained short-lived mainstream popularity in the USA during the Perestroika times. Gorky Park is famous for its kitsch use of Western stereotypes of Russians, such as pseudo-traditional clothing, balalaika-like guitar design, and the hammer and sickle as their logo. It was the first Russian band to be aired on MTV. In 1987 guitarist Alexey Belov, vocalist Nikolay Noskov, bassist Alexander "Big Sasha" Minkov, guitarist Jan Janenkov, and drummer Alexander Lvov (formerly from Aria) came together to form Gorky Park. Stas Namin, a famous 70's Soviet musician and a leader of Tsvety, became the band's manager. Since Gorbachev lifted the censorship, many underground rock bands, including Gorky Park, have become able to receive more widespread popularity. Later that year, the band left Russia for the USA in search of a record deal. In the U.S., the band soon made some connections in the record business. One of the first people to notice was the famous guitarist Frank Zappa. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora helped them secure a deal with Mercury Records. The band released a self-titled debut album in 1989, featuring the initials GP stylized as a hammer and sickle on the cover. With the fall of the Iron Curtain and growing interest in the Soviet Union in Western countries, Gorky Park became widely known. The band seemed to be a kind of symbol of American-Russian friendship. The
