This is almost impossible to find, even in Estonia. The first solo release of former Ruja bassist S P Gulliver, the stage name of Slava Petchnikov. The very limited release cassette shows off some of what Petchnikov can do away from the bass -- hinting at his future exploits. Though most of the material is very poppy and not very prog, there are some moments where the intrigue comes out. It also features some of the top prog artists as guests.

The first track, "Kornelia," is a typical pop song with a hint of prog background. It's very AOR-pop, which fits the vocals of famous pop-rock singer Erich Krieger very well. Some of the keyboard-generated bits reminds of Phil Collins and his horns. It also features a nice little guitar solo from Raul Jaanson of Linnu Tee and a cool little bass line from Petchnikov. The next song is "Oseniy menuet" (Autumnal Minuet) which again features Krieger and his distinct voice. The song has a bit of a Data flavour about it, though it still sits in the pop realm solidly. There is a fun little prog section during the instrumental middle. Nice piano bits at the end as well.

Following that is "Ledyanoi pokoi" (Icy Rest) is a bit of a style and sound change. First of all, former Noor Eesti front man Tajo Kadajas puts his more-than-unique voice to the song. Pop-rock guitarist Mihkel Raud add some flavour to this electronic song. The instrumental section is ultra cheesy, however, though saved only by a catchy bass line by Petchnikov.

Finishing side A is the proggy track "Uus maailm" (New World). There are several versions of this song going around, and this version features excellent little guitar bits by Nevil Blumberg (of Radar and Synopsis fame). Erich Krieger also sounds good singing this, doing his best Urmas Alender impression it seems. He also sounds more at ease singing in Estonian -- this being one of two songs with lyrics on this recording in Estonian. Some of the chord progressions are really good, though the programming does havoc with parts of the song.

The second side starts with "Obnovleniy mir" (Renewed World) immediately sounds different with the powerful sharper vocals of Indrek Patte (of Linnu Tee). This song actually sounds a bit like Linnu Tee in many ways, but the guitar by former Ruja band mate Jaanus Nõgisto brings a very interesting dimension to this song. Good pop-prog piece, with a nice middle section and an unmistakable keyboard solo by another Ruja veteran Igor Garshnek. This is followed by the Estonian-lyric "Tasakaal" (Equilibrium). This again reunites Petchnikov with former Ruja mate singer Urmas Alender. Alender brings a unique quality to the song. Again it's a pop bit, which almost sounds like Data in many ways.

The next song is "Kak mnogo slov" (So Many Words), which brings back Kreiger to the lead vocal position. Pretty typical pop song, nothing very special. The saxophone adds a little bit of intrigue into this normal song.

Finally, the cassette ends with the best piece on the album, "Platsebo" (Placebo). The instrumental piece brings together many of the ideas that the poppish songs could not express. It starts off guitar-heavy, with the nice sounds of Raul Jaanson, which complements the complex sections in the middle of the piece. The real drums of Arvo Urb brings the piece to life, as most of the cassette is plagued by programming. Good way to end the cassette.

This very limited release is mostly pop of the times, but has a few areas where the writing skills of Petchnikov comes out and shines. Some nice music work among the otherwise normal stuff.

Mel Huang
Tallinn, Estonia
11 August 1999

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