This is not New Orleans, playing the saxophone in the St. Petersburg courtyard requires more courage than fiddling in the courtyard of Odessa. The first five years are especially difficult, until you manage to blow something out of Gershwin with a gangster flair for the first time without mistakes. Only then will the neighbors’ views acquire condescension with a syncopated share of belonging. It’s easier for a drummer to cry and bang on the same pillow at first. Well, the easiest thing is for a guitarist, on whom society immediately places hope, they say, he will get over it, become a doctor or a lawyer, and Rosenbaum’s “Rosicrucian Sonata” will be played for friends on holidays, occasionally at fruit and berry festivals. There is a constant debate among juvenile psychologists and exhausted police officers about how children grow up to be double bass players.
But rock is cruel to the layman, one day a guitarist and a drummer meet… The continuation of the joke is the story of the formation of most Russian rockabilly bands. Where the double bass player comes from in the group is not a detective mystery, but rather a metaphysical one. Perhaps this is how The Millions appeared in St. Petersburg in 1995, led to this day by guitarist Denis Dan and drummer Vladislav Lyashchuk.
Most accomplished gentlemen have a schoolboy with a passion for history, archaeology, and Great Geographical Discoveries. Following the lead of the inner school, many performers, initially focused on rockabilly, begin to uncover the cultural layers of pop music, finding those archaic trends of the twentieth century that rock and roll squeezed dry. Some people immerse themselves in pre-war jazz, while others simply make freshly discovered genres elements of their style. The Millions are guided by the artifacts of the 1950s, these strange pearls are peppered with their new album Hot! Hot! Hot! (2023). Like his colleagues from the bands Mr. Twister and The Shakers, Vlad combines drumming with lead vocals, Denis and double bassist Sergey Voedilo sing along with him, Nikolai Ordanovsky talks through a saxophone. The quartet has prepared a spicy dish with a dozen ingredients for your tortured retro receptors, Moon Dogs. Let’s get started!
Happy Baby is probably Bill Haley’s best song, not counting the well-known hit. Performed by Millions, it’s still the same western swing pretending to be jump blues. Moderately fervent, moderately academic. The saxophonist even portrays Stan Getz. He portrays it well.
Pointed Toe Shoes largely repeats the original by Carl Perkins, but the tex-mex riff hints that girls and tequila are essential. However, to the Flabby tequila!
You Are The One For Me is a number by New Orleans guitarist Rudy Green, performed with due fervor, but with a simplified arrangement. Nevertheless, it is good. Dance the girl to this number and the girl will dance you.
Rock Calypso Mambo Cha was composed for a burlesque show. Our heroes didn’t give a damn about it, but they changed their minds. Their version also contains guitar passages in the spirit of Bo Diddley and other borrowings inherent in the original version of the Sam Low Orchestra. But swing is cooler.
Your True Love is probably one of the best songs on the record, and indeed the most magnificent reading of Carl Perkins’ most teenage song. Rockabilly shuffle without compromise and other antics.
Rock Calypso Joe was written by the Trenier twins. Even then, the song sounded stupid. The Lord is their judge.
Bertha Lou starts obviously, but in the middle it turns into noir, and this is one of the best finds of the album. There is a lack of all-encompassing reverberation that would turn the narrative into a definitive drama with happy endings in water/concrete.
(Everytime I Hear) That Roy Montrell’s Mellow Saxophone is stuck between the teeth of every music lover. What did The Millions bring? Nothing but a tiny voodoo and a Russian accent.
Pink Pedal Pushers was good in its minor key, but The Millions took Perkins’ later version as a basis. And they added some pimping.
Just Go Wild Of Rock’n’roll is a boogie patter once uttered by Bobby Dean, repeated by The Blue Cats. It resembles songs from Soviet movies designed to show the absurdity of modern Western pop music. Residents of St. Petersburg adhere to the basic outline. It completes the record.
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I should complain about the somewhat simplistic approach to the overall sound and the lack of original material, but I believe that this album is just a milestone on the way to something grand. After all, at their concerts, the guys burn rags and laugh all over Ivanovskaya. Being an onslaught in the hero city of Leningrad, do not miss their next grand concert. The night is turning tail, Moon Dogs!
