Agata Kristi has created its unique style incorporating post-punk / new wave music with decadent poetry in their lyrics and made a great contribution to Russian rock. They achieved the Grand-Prix at festival of young European groups "Open du Rock" (France, 1991), premium "World Music Awards" as the most popular Russian music band (Monte-Carlo, 1997), four national premiums "Овация (Ovation)", in 2000 it was voted the best Russian group of the 90s.
The founders of the band - Vadim Samoylov (born in Sverdlovsk, 3 October 1964), Aleksandr Kozlov (born in Asbest, 25 September 1961) and Petr Mai - were schoolmates, they played together in a school band. In 1985 they (together with Vadim's younger brother Gleb Samoylov, who was born in Asbest, August 4, 1970) created a music band named "ВИА РТФ УПИ" (which literally stands for: vocal-instrumental ensemble of Radioengineering faculty of Ural Polytechnical Institute). The original band comprises:
Глеб Самойлов (Gleb Samoylov) - vocals, guitar, bass, lyrics, adaptation, keyboard
Вадим Самойлов (Vadim Samoylov) - vocals, guitar, bass, lyrics, adaptation, keyboard
Петр Май (Petr Mai) -- drums, percussion
Александр Козлов (Aleksandr Kozlov) - keyboard, composer/lyrics (now deceased)
They released several tape albums: "Если (If)", "Свет (Light)", and others. In the same year they changed the name of the band to "Agata Kristi" (the way Agatha Christie's name is pronounced in Russian). The name was chosen allegedly as best reflecting the band's sound style, a mysterious, eccentric, and at times sadistically spooky mix of glam, goth rock, and techno-like electronics.
The official birthday of "Agata Kristi" is February 20, 1988, the day of their first concert and the release of the first official album "Второй Фронт" (Vtoroj Front - Second Front). In 1988-1989 "Agata Kristi" played at several rock festivals and was beginning to attract attention. Still, two more albums to follow -- "Коварство и любовь" (Kovarstvo i Lubov - Craft and Love) and "Декаданс" (Dekadans - Decadence) -- seemed overly theatrical and pompous to many. There were also some internal tensions in the band: Petr Mai left and was replaced by Альберт Потапкин (Albert Potapkin), and then by Андрей Котов (Andrey Kotov) (born in Sverdlovsk, April 3, 1963).
In 1993 the band released a much more focused and balanced album: "Позорная Звезда" (Pozornaya Zvezda - Shameful Star), which marked a shift from the guitar-driven glam rock of the previous albums to a synth-based post-punk with a more subdued vocal delivery. The next album "Опиум" (Opium) enjoyed considerable success. "Agata Kristi" quickly became a popular act. Two songs from "Opium" -- "Сказочная Тайга" (Fairy Taiga) and "Опиум для Никого" (Opium for Nobody) became hits. The next albums - "Ураган" (Uragan - Hurricane) and "Чудеса" (Chudesa - Miracles) -- were gloomy, even depressive, and loaded with electronics, a move which was not well-recieved by many of the band's fans. 2000's "Майн Кайф?" (Main Kaif? - a word-play derived from Mein Kampf (Hitler's autobiography) and the Russian word "Kaif", meaning 'bliss' - featured sound no less gloomy and bleak than its predecessors, but received critical praise because of its unorthodox composition and song structures. In 2001, the founding keyboardist, Alexander Kozlov, died, which is said to be the reason for prolonged creative stagnation. Only in 2004 did the Samoylovs release the next album: "Триллер Часть 1" (Triller Chast' 1 - Thriller Part 1). It was a significant stylistic deviation from the band's trademark murky electronic sound. This lean, heavier, hard rock-infused album was generally well received by critics, that have found a likeness with the "Opium" album, and it has divided listeners & fans in two: those who stayed with the band, and those who didn't accept the new style. Several songs from this album made it to the top of the charts in Russia and made appearances on the radio.
While being less prolific in the 2000s, Agata Kristi has proved to be quite a long-lasting project. Over their history, the band explored a variety of styles, from the synth-pop of Depeche Mode and Freddie Mercury's extravaganza to the gloomy post-punk of The Cure and The Damned. Unlike the majority of the Russian rock scene, which historically adhered to the guitar-driven rock, Agata Kristi embraced a hefty share of synthesizer rhythms and drums, which, together with the characteristic vocals switching from a suggestive whisper to hysterical shrieks, makes their style easily recognizable.
Starting officially on 11.10.2008, after Andrey Kotov was driven out of the band - Agata Kristi was comprised of the Samoylov brothers and the following new members:
Дмитрий "Снэйк" Хакимов (Dmitry "Snake" Khakimov) - drums, percussion
Константин Бекрев (Konstantin Bekrev) - keyboard, bass
As for now the band does not give and live concerts anymore. Their last and final album "Epilogue" is announced to be released in spring 2010.
Official website: http://agata.ru
Триллер
Агата Кристи Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Оно нам прилетело от любви
И мы, как дураки, смеялись в небо
В ответ не слыша смех из под земли
О, если б ты поняла
С каким огнём играла
Но ты не понимаешь
Теперь ты можешь знать, что мы летали
Ныряя со смертельной высоты
И колокол стонал, а мы играли
Я падал, падал, падала и ты
А если б ты поняла
С каким огнём играла
Но ты не понимаешь
С каким огнём играешь
Кого теперь ты любишь
Когда всё понимаешь?
Кого теперь ты дуришь
Когда ты не играешь?
Когда ты не играешь
И для меня не будет больше света
Не будет больше неба и земли
Чем помнишь, это было прошлым летом?
Оно нам прилетело от любви
Кого теперь ты любишь
Когда всё понимаешь?
Кого теперь ты дуришь
Когда ты не играешь?
Кого теперь ты любишь
Когда всё понимаешь?
Кого теперь ты дуришь
Когда ты не играешь?
The song "Триллер" by Агата Кристи talks about a past love affair, which arrived in the lives of the singer and their partner last summer. The love they shared was so intense that they felt like they were flying high up in the sky, and the sound of their laughter echoed everywhere. They were oblivious to the world around them, so they didn't hear the sound of the laughter coming from below the ground. The singer wishes their partner could understand the intensity of their love and how it consumed them.
The singer then describes the dangerous and exciting adventures they had with their lover, diving from deadly heights, and playing while the bell rang. They were so lost in each other that they were oblivious to the dangers that went along with their actions. The singer requests their partner to understand the level of passion they shared but also notes that they might still not understand the intensity of what they had.
In the last verse, the singer expresses that their world has now ended since their lover has left. The summer of love has gone, and it was the only thing that illuminated their lives. The singer then repeats the same questions that they asked earlier, asking who their partner loves and fools when they are not playing games.
Line by Line Meaning
Помнишь, это было прошлым летом
Remember, it was last summer
Оно нам прилетело от любви
It came to us from love
И мы, как дураки, смеялись в небо
And we laughed into the sky like fools
В ответ не слыша смех из под земли
In return, we heard no laughter from under the ground
О, если б ты поняла
Oh, if only you understood
С каким огнём играла
With what fire you played
Но ты не понимаешь
But you don't understand
С каким огнём играешь
With what fire you play
Теперь ты можешь знать, что мы летали
Now you can know that we flew
Ныряя со смертельной высоты
Diving from deadly heights
И колокол стонал, а мы играли
And the bell groaned, but we played
Я падал, падал, падала и ты
I fell, fell, fell, and you
Кого теперь ты любишь
Whom do you love now
Когда всё понимаешь?
When you understand everything?
Кого теперь ты дуришь
Whom do you fool now
Когда ты не играешь?
When you're not playing?
И для меня не будет больше света
And for me there will be no more light
Не будет больше неба и земли
There will be no more sky and earth
Чем помнишь, это было прошлым летом?
Than to remember, it was last summer?
Оно нам прилетело от любви
It came to us from love
Кого теперь ты любишь
Whom do you love now
Когда всё понимаешь?
When you understand everything?
Кого теперь ты дуришь
Whom do you fool now
Когда ты не играешь?
When you're not playing?
Кого теперь ты любишь
Whom do you love now
Когда всё понимаешь?
When you understand everything?
Кого теперь ты дуришь
Whom do you fool now
Когда ты не играешь?
When you're not playing?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gleb Samojlov
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Виктор Кузнецов
Помню как вышел этот клип. Интересное наблюдение, разница между "Моряком" и "Триллером" 8 лет. Помню на тот момент, это казалось, что столько много времени прошло! Теперь же, "Триллеру" 16 лет. Вы только вдумайтесь "Триллеру" 16 лет!!! Это два по 8! А как будто бы, ну реально до сих пор, что-то новое из Агаты, ну как будто бы, пару лет прошло.... Парадокс времени
Peter Shield
Уже 18. Пойду набухаюсь!
Flajerder
Не согласен, клип выглядит устаревшим. Но песня сама очень классная, и я не думаю что она устареет.
Игорь Севастополь
Виктор,вы вдумайтесь группа основана в 88году если не ошибаюсь.Вот тут есть куда вдуматься🖐Мужикам уже за полтос😀
To IS SIMPLY Fiction
а продолжения "Веселый мир".
Александр
Уже почти 18 лет прошло,купил альбом в конце 2004 года,по ощущениям как будто вчера))
Randig Tvättbjörn
А вот и голова из клипа моряк нашлась)
Татьяна Запольских
Ну да. Осталось только ещё планету от зайцев спасти!
Flajerder
Насчёт этого можно было целый фильм сделать.
Игорь Г
Нашлась то она нашлась, но да: а оно тебе надо? Ха ха ха!!!!!