PUSHKING
''THE WORLD AS WE LOVE IT''
JANUARY 31 2011
78:59
1 - Intro/0:14
2 - Nightrider featuring Billy F Gibbons/3:35
3 - It'll Be OK featuring Billy F Gibbons, Nuno Bettencourt/4:14
4 - Troubled Love featuring Alice Cooper, Keri Kelli/4:10
5 - Stranger's Song featuring John Lawton, Steve Stevens/4:11
6 - Cut The Wire featuring Paul Stanley, Stevie Salas/4:17
7 - My Reflections After Seeing The Schindler's List Movie featuring Steve Vai/4:15
8 - God Made Us Free featuring Graham Bonnet/3:48
9 - Why Don't You featuring Glenn Hughes/4:55
10 - I Believe featuring Jeff Scott Soto/3:52
11 - Tonight featuring Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa/5:57
12 - Private Own featuring Glenn Hughes, Matt Filippini/4:17
13 - Open Letter To God featuring Eric Martin/4:44
14 - Nature's Child featuring Udo Dirkschneider/4:01
15 - I Love You featuring Dan McCafferty/4:41
16 - Head Shooter featuring Joe Lynn Turner/3:29
17 - Heroin featuring Jorn Lande/4:54
18 - My Simple Song featuring Dan McCafferty/4:34
19 - Kukarracha featuring Paul Stanley, Graham Bonnet, Glenn Hughes, Eric Martin, Joe Lynn Turner, Steve Lukather/4:15
Nuno Bettencourt/Guitar
Joe Bonamassa/Guitar
Oleg "Ivanich" Bondaletov/Clavinet, Keyboards
Graham Bonnet/Vocals
Alice Cooper/Vocals
Andrey Deykov
Udo Dirkschneider/Vocals
Matt Filippini/Guitar
Billy Gibbons/Guitar, Vocals
Fabrizio Grossi/Bass
Glenn Hughes/Vocals
Keri Kelli/Guitar
Konstantin Kokorin/Bass
Konstantin Koleshonok/Saxophone
Andrey "Drunia" Kruglov/Drums
Jørn Lande/Vocals
John Lawton/Vocals
Andrey Lobanov/Orchestral Arrangements
Dmitriy "Mitya" Losev/Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Slide Guitar
Steve Lukather/Guitar
Eric Martin/Vocals
Dan McCafferty/Vocals
Vladimir Molodstov/Pipe
Roman Nevelev/Bass
Tony Paoletta/Guitar (Steel)
Al Perkins/Dobro
Eric Ragno/Hammond B3, Piano
Alex De Rosso/Guitar
Stevie Salas/Guitar
Iliya Sergeenko /Trumpet
Konstantin "Koha" Shustarev/Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Arrangement, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Wind Arrangements
Jeff Scott Soto/Vocals
Paul Stanley/Vocals
Steve Stevens/Guitar
Joe Lynn Turner/Vocals
Steve Vai/Guitar
Anton Vishnyakov/Trombone
REVIEW
by Greg Prato
Star-studded rock albums can be a dicey affair, as quite often they can lack cohesion. But the set-up for the 2011 studio effort by Russian rockers Pushking, The World as We Love It, is an intriguing and promising one. The group is supposedly popular in their homeland, but hasn't caused a ripple elsewhere. Hence, the plan was to re-record some of the group's best tunes from their discography, with some of hard rock/heavy metal's biggest names dropping by and doing their thing (including Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Billy Gibbons, Steve Vai, Glenn Hughes, etc.). It turns out that the style of rock that Pushking specialize in is that of the commercial/mainstream variety, with an unmistakable '80s flair. After an annoying 15-second intro/screamfest (imaginatively titled "Intro"), we're treated to what may be the best track on the whole album, a blues-pop workout that features Gibbons on vocals and guitar, "Nightrider." But the majority of the selections here are highly commercial attempts at radio acceptance (that is, if these tunes were released in 1988), as evidenced by "I Believe" and "I Love You." And to title a tune "Heroin" and not have it be a reading of the Velvet Underground classic is a bit of an ill-advised move (what's next, borrowing the title "Blitzkrieg Bop" for a new composition?). For fans of rockers of the early 21st century who still greatly admire the big '80s, Pushking's World as We Love It contains all the bombast and studio gloss you could possibly want.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
Although originally formed in 1994, it was not until 2011 that Russian rockers Pushking released an album officially released in the U.S. Despite bandmembers coming and going over the years, the main constant of Pushking has been Konstantin "Koha" Shustarev, who has been the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter from the get-go. Specializing in a sound that leans toward mainstream rock (with a metallic edge), the band has issued countless releases over the years in their homeland, including such titles as Keepers of the Nature and Art, Poka Ja Zhivoy (English translation: "While I Am Alive"), and No Comment, among others. Additionally, the group became a major concert draw in their homeland, as evidenced by a performance in 2000 in Gorky Park in front of 50,000 concert goers. But despite all the regional success, Pushking went largely unnoticed in other parts of the world, until the release of 2011's The World as We Love It. Produced by Fabrizio Grossi and released on the Armoury label, the album was an undeniably calculated move to try and break the band in the U.S., as the album featured re-recordings of Pushking's best material, while each track featured a renowned hard rock guest (including Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Billy Gibbons, Steve Vai, and others).
''THE WORLD AS WE LOVE IT''
JANUARY 31 2011
78:59
1 - Intro/0:14
2 - Nightrider featuring Billy F Gibbons/3:35
3 - It'll Be OK featuring Billy F Gibbons, Nuno Bettencourt/4:14
4 - Troubled Love featuring Alice Cooper, Keri Kelli/4:10
5 - Stranger's Song featuring John Lawton, Steve Stevens/4:11
6 - Cut The Wire featuring Paul Stanley, Stevie Salas/4:17
7 - My Reflections After Seeing The Schindler's List Movie featuring Steve Vai/4:15
8 - God Made Us Free featuring Graham Bonnet/3:48
9 - Why Don't You featuring Glenn Hughes/4:55
10 - I Believe featuring Jeff Scott Soto/3:52
11 - Tonight featuring Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa/5:57
12 - Private Own featuring Glenn Hughes, Matt Filippini/4:17
13 - Open Letter To God featuring Eric Martin/4:44
14 - Nature's Child featuring Udo Dirkschneider/4:01
15 - I Love You featuring Dan McCafferty/4:41
16 - Head Shooter featuring Joe Lynn Turner/3:29
17 - Heroin featuring Jorn Lande/4:54
18 - My Simple Song featuring Dan McCafferty/4:34
19 - Kukarracha featuring Paul Stanley, Graham Bonnet, Glenn Hughes, Eric Martin, Joe Lynn Turner, Steve Lukather/4:15
Nuno Bettencourt/Guitar
Joe Bonamassa/Guitar
Oleg "Ivanich" Bondaletov/Clavinet, Keyboards
Graham Bonnet/Vocals
Alice Cooper/Vocals
Andrey Deykov
Udo Dirkschneider/Vocals
Matt Filippini/Guitar
Billy Gibbons/Guitar, Vocals
Fabrizio Grossi/Bass
Glenn Hughes/Vocals
Keri Kelli/Guitar
Konstantin Kokorin/Bass
Konstantin Koleshonok/Saxophone
Andrey "Drunia" Kruglov/Drums
Jørn Lande/Vocals
John Lawton/Vocals
Andrey Lobanov/Orchestral Arrangements
Dmitriy "Mitya" Losev/Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Slide Guitar
Steve Lukather/Guitar
Eric Martin/Vocals
Dan McCafferty/Vocals
Vladimir Molodstov/Pipe
Roman Nevelev/Bass
Tony Paoletta/Guitar (Steel)
Al Perkins/Dobro
Eric Ragno/Hammond B3, Piano
Alex De Rosso/Guitar
Stevie Salas/Guitar
Iliya Sergeenko /Trumpet
Konstantin "Koha" Shustarev/Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Arrangement, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Wind Arrangements
Jeff Scott Soto/Vocals
Paul Stanley/Vocals
Steve Stevens/Guitar
Joe Lynn Turner/Vocals
Steve Vai/Guitar
Anton Vishnyakov/Trombone
REVIEW
by Greg Prato
Star-studded rock albums can be a dicey affair, as quite often they can lack cohesion. But the set-up for the 2011 studio effort by Russian rockers Pushking, The World as We Love It, is an intriguing and promising one. The group is supposedly popular in their homeland, but hasn't caused a ripple elsewhere. Hence, the plan was to re-record some of the group's best tunes from their discography, with some of hard rock/heavy metal's biggest names dropping by and doing their thing (including Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Billy Gibbons, Steve Vai, Glenn Hughes, etc.). It turns out that the style of rock that Pushking specialize in is that of the commercial/mainstream variety, with an unmistakable '80s flair. After an annoying 15-second intro/screamfest (imaginatively titled "Intro"), we're treated to what may be the best track on the whole album, a blues-pop workout that features Gibbons on vocals and guitar, "Nightrider." But the majority of the selections here are highly commercial attempts at radio acceptance (that is, if these tunes were released in 1988), as evidenced by "I Believe" and "I Love You." And to title a tune "Heroin" and not have it be a reading of the Velvet Underground classic is a bit of an ill-advised move (what's next, borrowing the title "Blitzkrieg Bop" for a new composition?). For fans of rockers of the early 21st century who still greatly admire the big '80s, Pushking's World as We Love It contains all the bombast and studio gloss you could possibly want.
BIOGRAPHY
by Greg Prato
Although originally formed in 1994, it was not until 2011 that Russian rockers Pushking released an album officially released in the U.S. Despite bandmembers coming and going over the years, the main constant of Pushking has been Konstantin "Koha" Shustarev, who has been the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter from the get-go. Specializing in a sound that leans toward mainstream rock (with a metallic edge), the band has issued countless releases over the years in their homeland, including such titles as Keepers of the Nature and Art, Poka Ja Zhivoy (English translation: "While I Am Alive"), and No Comment, among others. Additionally, the group became a major concert draw in their homeland, as evidenced by a performance in 2000 in Gorky Park in front of 50,000 concert goers. But despite all the regional success, Pushking went largely unnoticed in other parts of the world, until the release of 2011's The World as We Love It. Produced by Fabrizio Grossi and released on the Armoury label, the album was an undeniably calculated move to try and break the band in the U.S., as the album featured re-recordings of Pushking's best material, while each track featured a renowned hard rock guest (including Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Billy Gibbons, Steve Vai, and others).