In the last couple of years before my emigration from the USSR, I used to frequent the sole Rostov synagogue. Not out of any sort of religious interest, mind you, but purely for social reasons. Perestroika brought some measure of respite to formerly suppressed ethnic identities within the empire, and…
Even a person who never seeks thrills, always drives under the speed limit and avoids the smallest possibility of appearing adventurous can probably name a few “close calls”, situations that had the potential of ending up with unpleasant consequences where it concerned his life and limb. Off the top of…
I first heard this song not in its original form but as a Russian language “remix” by Sergej Minaev, whose repertoire in late 80’s consisted largely of jocular takes on popular “foreign” songs. Not translations to any degree, his numbers normally used only a key refrain or an image from…
Around the time that I was entering high school, breakdance was all the rage. The guys my age were always trying to outdo one another and impress the girls with their moves in discotheques. Breakdance carried the aura of rebellion – I don’t think that it was officially prohibited, but…
Back to obscure European pop of the 70’s and the 80’s for this series. I’ve been hearing this particular song fairly regularly over the last couple of years, as it features on the Euro collection disk that we like to play in the car on long drives. I have not…
One of my camp summers happened after I just turned ten, on the Black Sea coast near Anapa. For reasons not exactly clear to me, the placement committee at the beginning of the camp term assigned me to a “force” of mostly 12-year-olds. Thinking back, I wonder if it was…
I mentioned a few times in this series the notion of my own very first cassette tape. In fact, there were two of them. Both were recorded for me by my Uncle, who owned a Sharp dual-deck stereo recorder – a rarity in those days. While he was aware of…
I’ve only noticed in passing that I am not a very willing dancer. At any given party, when the dancing floor becomes the focus of the celebration, I am still more likely to be found at a seat by the table, hopefully with a similarly-minded friend, spending time in idle…
Towards the very end of the 80’s, the Soviet television started incorporating little bits of Western culture into its late-night programming. Among the teenage crowd, Saturday night MTV hit-parade quickly became a must-see event. I’m pretty sure that the charts were European, rather than American, but the difference mattered little…
One of the most important dates in my life is the day I met Natasha. We were really young then, yet somehow managed to recognize that we were meant for each other, if not at first sight, then definitely at the second one. We actually saw one another for the…
This is not, as it were, a memory. I am a singing person. I sing when I walk, hum when I’m idle, and frequently burst into vocalization when I’m at home (oh yes, I always sing in the shower!). I know lyrics to thousands of songs – mostly Russian, but…
The other day we went with friends for a dinner to a trendy place in Mayfair. The meal itself was exceptional, the company was extraordinary, and live entertainment – first a virtuoso keyboardist and then a belly dancer – made the evening all the more fun. Among the songs played…
Back to more obscure stuff for the American-born audience, here is a guy who enjoyed a cult status when I was growing up. Aside from being a pretty good crooner – and he could move, too, – Adriano Celentano starred in several French and Italian movies that were tremendously popular…
Following up on a comment by my good friend Artyom, here is an offshoot of one of my favorite Euro-pop bands, Modern Talking. Dieter Bohlen, the blond “backup” of the duo, was actually the composer of all of their material. He also groomed and wrote songs for CC Catch, among…
Another one of my stand-alone favorites. I’m lukewarm about the movie, I’d be hard pressed to name another song by Bryan Adams that I know and like, but You know it’s true: Everything I do, I do it for you struck a chord with me the first time I heard…
As a professed fan of The Beatles, I am actually quite lukewarm towards anything that the Fab Four produced in their solo careers after their break-up. Lennon’s Imagine is probably the closest a song by a former Beatle comes to being a favorite of mine. My most vivid memory associated…
Another one of my long-standing favorites. Curiously, I never bothered with any other songs by Stevie Wonder. The only other of his works that I am even aware of is Ebony and Ivory by him and Paul McCartney. My most vivid memory associated with this melodic and evocative love ballad…
Back to our regular light programming, here is one of my all-time favorites. For some reason, the strongest recollections of this song put me inside my Dad’s old Pontiac, driving the length of Ocean Parkway and loudly singing along. I believe they come from the time when Natasha worked cash…
And now, returning to our regular programming, here is another of the discotheque favorites in my high-school DJ’ing time. Can’t think of any specific memories associated with Pet Shop Boys, besides their popularity (for a short period of time) and the search for a perfect translation of their band name…
Come Together does not break into my 30 Favorite Beatles’ songs, but it has the distinction of being the very first song by the group that I heard while being actively aware that I was listening to the Beatles. My uncle, who had a dual-deck tape recorder (a tremendous rarity…