by Dmitriy Tselikov Although Boris Grebenshikov and Aquarium musicians did a lot to beef up Kino's debut, it would be no point without Viktor Tsoi's delicate taste and naughtiness. He based his lyrics and music on city folklore but avoided vulgarity and roughness. 45 had much in common with early Soviet bard music in the terms of romantization everything in the sight of view of an urban guy. But it's not about crime or rubbish. Tsoi's hero is not just an idler, his soul is full of affecting poetry ("Tree") and merry irony ("My Friends) against his and his friends' way of life. Vocals are changing from deliberate rude intonations sarcastically imitating a "cool" manner of speech on the city streets to the touching open-hearted confessions. However musical footing is very simple, acouctic guitars (Boris Grebenshikov and Alexei Rybin), flute (Andrei Romanov and Andrei Tropillo), and cello (Vsevolod Gakkel) create an incredible variety of lively, vivid, bright pictures even if unsophisticated. 45 demonstrates Tsoi and Grebenshikov as skillful melodists. Aquarium brought to the recording all their fertile Akustika [Acoustica] experience to make 45 fresh and beautiful in its ingenuous ingenuity. Sometimes tunes and beats are rather primitive referring somehow to Merseybeat era, and while one can regard it as a flaw, another can consider it as a method to deliver atmosphere of headache in the stinking filthy suburban train early in the morning or despair of an impecunious lad. One will say arrangements are too naïve and rude, another will state this unripeness and crudity are great means to reproduce aura of the early 80-s' underground rock movement. Anyway 45 along with Aquarium's Sinii Albom [The Blue Album] or Akustika [Acoustica] signified a turning point in Russian rock to much more independent and imaginative music and mature lyrics.