AVTOGRAF

The eyes of the world have been on the Soviet Union in the wake of the almost miraculous recent events there. And now, with the release of TEAR DOWN THE BORDER, the debut American album by AVTOGRAF, the U.S.S.R.'s premier rock band, the ears of the world will also be focused on the music that has made the group superstars in their homeland.

The prophetically-titled album - on Bizarre/Straight Records - proves that the spirit of glasnost and perestroika have helped make rock and roll the truly universal language. This is rock delivered with both precision and passion -the musical embodiment of the Russian spirit that has brought freedom and democracy to the Soviet Union.

In their own way, Avtograf have helped lead the charge that has brought the U.S.S.R. out of totalitarianism and into spiritual solidarity with the rest of the Western world. For over a decade, the group has entertained millions in their homeland. In 1985, they were the only Russian act to appear - live via satellite from a Moscow TV studio - on the worldwide Live Aid broadcast. In 1986, they released their debut album in the U.S.S.R., and the groundswell of public support they'd built through years of concerts resulted in astounding sales of six million copies. The following year, they appeared at the Moscow Festival for Peace with such American stars as the Doobie Brothers and Santana. Then in 1988, they were the first Soviet rock band to tour the United States to acclaim from the press and the delight of audiences. For Avtograf, according to lead singer Arthur Berkut, in a way, it's only the beginning. "Coming over here and seeing how people live and hearing all the music that's here has been very exciting," says Berkut. "You start to think differently and see things differently."

Arthur grew up in Moscow, not far from Red Square, and from the earliest age, "had a dream of being a musician. But back then, even though the kids loved rock and roll, we were not able to listen to it - there were no records, no tapes, no groups. The government said it was evil, but if you say to somebody, 'Don't touch it,' they want it even more."

That dream became a reality when a friend suggested Arthur audition for Avtograf. The band, founded two years earlier, had already triumphed at the first Soviet rock festival, held in the republic of Georgia. Soon after Arthur joined the group, Avtograf started touring the Eastern Bloc and Western Europe, but the frustration of being Soviet rockers made their triumphs tarnished by struggles. "Promoters would pay the government for us to come and play, and we wouldn't get any of it. We had no money to get the equipment we needed."

It took the band a number of years to finally release an album on the state-owned Melodiya label. "It was more comfortable for us to play live concerts - even if you sell records, you make nothing," Berkut explains. When the band finally released its album and it sold over six million copies, Berkut still made a mere 104 rubles for his efforts and talents.

Nonetheless, Avtograf continued to play large concerts in Europe and Canada, where they shared the bill with acts like Chicago. Fate finally intervened when they played a German rock festival where they were introduced to Herb Cohen of Bizarre/Straight Records. Cohen, who over the years had signed such acts as Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, and Linda Ronstadt, encouraged the band to come and record in America, and ultimately signed them to his label. With the help of American songwriters, the group started writing songs in English. The excitement of Avtograf s experience can be heard on TEAR DOWN THE BORDER. NOW Avtograf is ready to show how the Russian spirit that has rocked the world politically is ready to do the same musically. So when Arthur Berkut talks about the amazing changes in his homeland, it's almost as if his comments are an analogy for the triumph his band has achieved with their first American album release!

Set To Run Public Relations - Telephone 213-574-3918 / FAX 213-574-3920

BIZARRE/STRAIGHT RECORDS - Telephone (213) 935-4444 / FAX (213)936-6354

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