VISOKOSNOE LETO

Eclectic Prog • Russia

Visokosnoe Leto biography

VISOKOSNOE LETO was formed in the summer of 1972 (hence the name of the band, which means "The Leap Summer"). After having started playing Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple covers, the musicians (Alexander Sitkovetsky - vocals and guitar, Kris Kelmi - kybds, Yuriy Titov (then Anatoly Abramov and later Valery Efremov) - drums) turned to composing their own music - an original mixture of Art and Hard Rock (close to early Uriah Heep/Kansas stuff).

Reinforced by MASHINA VREMENI's (a legendary Russian rock-band) bassist and vocalist Alexander Kutikov, who was obsessed with the idea of creating a national rock music culture, VISOKOSNOE LETO began its triumphal performing activity in the Soviet underground (rock music was still prohibited in that time). They were one of the first groups in the USSR who experimented with stage scenery, using disguises and theatrical elements during their shows. In 1978 they recorded an amateur tape version of their legendary prog-rock opera, "Prometheus the Imprisoned"(sadly never re-released on CD), and a number of other songs and epics. A few months later they disbanded, at the very peak of their popularity.

Kutikov and Efremov returned to MASHINA, with whom they're still playing, while Sitkovetsky and Kelmi formed AVTOGRAF, another legendary Art-Rock band from the Soviet Union, more popular and professional, though sadly no longer active.

In 1995 some tape recordings (featuring such classics as "The Slumberthief" and "The Store ,of Wonders") and tracks from the rock opera were released on CD as "The Store of Wonders: 1972-1979". Almost out-of-print now, it gives you a unique chance to experience the music of one of the earliest Art-Rock bands from USSR. Enjoy the classics!

See also Russian band AUTOGRAF, for an additional understanding of what had been done in the former USSR, in terms of prog-rock.

Igor (Prog-jester)

January 2007

Why this artist must be listed in www.progarchives.com :

VISONOSKOE LETO were one of the first prog bands to have been formed in Soviet Russia, whose output clearly shows the influence of the British prog and hard rock groups of the early Seventies.

Discography:

Prometheus the Imprisoned (1978 - recorded on tape, never released as CD)
The Store of Wonders: 1972-79 (1995 - compilation)

Progarchives