200 Po Vstrechnoy

200 Po Vstrechnoy
Original release cover.
Studio album by t.A.T.u.
Released	21 May 2001
Recorded	1999-2000
Genre	Electronic music
Length	43:04
Label	Neformat Universal Music Russia
Producer	Ivan Shapovalov
t.A.T.u. chronology
200 Po Vstrechnoy (2001) 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002)
Singles from 200 Po Vstrechnoy
"Ya Soshla s Uma" Released: December 2000 "Nas Ne Dogonyat" Released: April 2001 "30 Minut" Released: September 2001
Alternative cover
Re-release cover.

200 Po Vstrechnoy (Cyrillic: 200 По Встречной; translation: 200 [km/h] Against the Traffic) is the debut studio and Russian language album by Taty, a previous name of the Russian female duo t.A.T.u. It was released by Nerformat Records and Universal Music Russia on 21 May 2001 in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland, and was re-released by Universal Music Russia worldwide on 23 June 2003. A re-released version featured new tracks and a new artwork, which was released on 15 February 2002. Created by manager and producer Ivan Shapovalov after the success of members Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina in the band Neposedy, the group managed to sign a deal with Universal Music Russia to produce their first album. It was recorded between 1999 and 2000, and was produced and co-composed by Shapovalov.

Musically, 200 Po Vstrechnoy is an electronic album that incorporates elements of pop rock, and lyrically focuses on themes of love, teenage sex, and lesbianism. Upon its release, the album received mixed reaction from critics and the public; majority of the criticism was aimed at the lyrical content and the image, whilst some highlighted the singles as some of their best work. Commercially, it was a success in Eastern Europe, which sold over one million units as recognised by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Worldwide, it managed to sell over four million units. Three singles were promoted from the album; "Ya Soshla s Uma", "Nas Ne Dogonyat", and "30 Minut". The group commenced their concert tour of the same name as the album in early 2001 and finished in November that same year.

Background and composition

t.A.T.u. members Yulia Volkova and Elena Katina had originally worked for the Russian children musical group Neposedi, but Volkova was dismissed due to volatile behaviour. Katina was also accused by Russian journalism of bad behaviour, and left not long after.^[1] Russian music manager Ivan Shapovalov held a casting call for a solo singer to be managed by him, and selected Katina out of several other girls. Him and his ex-wife, Elena Kiper, then decided to create and manage a duo, and selected Volkova as the second act to the group.^[2] They signed to their Russian label Neformat Records, and eventually scouted to look for another label; they signed a deal with Universal Music Russia in early 2000.^[3] They begun recording the album after finishing the track "Ya Soshla s Uma" in 1999, and finished recording it during mid-2000. The album was produced solely by Shapovalov, whilst the album was composed and written by: Aleksandr Vulikh, Valeriy Polienko, Kiper, Sergio Galoyan, Roman Ryabtsev, Anna Karasyova, and Vadim Stepantsov.^[3]

Musically, 200 Po Vstrechnoy is an electronic album that incorporates elements of pop rock.^[4] According to Edmond J Coleman and Theo Sandfort, who wrote the book Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia (2005), they noticed that majority of the albums content, particularly "Ya Soshla s Uma" and "Nas Ne Dogonyat", were influenced by techno music; both Coleman and Sandfort believed the sound was influenced by the techno revolution in the late 1990s.^[5] The album focuses on themes such as love, teenage sex, and lesbianism.^[5]

Release

200 Po Vstrechnoy was released by Neformat and Universal Music Russia in Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic and Poland regions on 21 May 2001.^[3][6][7][8] The album contains nine tracks in both physical and digital formats, with three bonus remixes, and has an cover sleeve that is displays as of a criminal case dossier, with biographies of the girls, fingerprints and partial lyrics in the liner booklet; some versions only issued a four page booklet.^[3] A cassette tape was distributed by Neformat in the Ukraine, which features the nine original tracks but two remixes instead of three.^[9] On 15 February 2002, after beginning work on English-language material, Universal Music Russia re-released the album that featured a new track titled "Klouny", and a remix for the songs "30 Minut" and "Malchik-Gey".^[10] This version included a new artwork and booklet information with illustrations of a clown that reflected the track "Klouny" ("Klouny" is the Russian word to the English word "Clowns").^[10] After the success of their album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane in 2002, Universal Music Russia distributed the album in other parts of Europe, Japan and Taiwan on 21 September 2003.^[11][12][13]

To promote the album, three singles were release. The first single was Ya Soshla S Uma", released on 19 December 2000; the song later gained the English-language version "All The Things She Said".^[14] It was a critical success in Europe; In early 2001, Universal Music Group hosted a poll for the audience to vote on which song was the best from 200 Po Vstrechnoy; as a result, "Ya Soshla s Uma" came first place.^[15] The single won the MTV Video Music Award for the Russian entry of 2000.^[16] In 2001, "Ya Soshla S Uma" won the 100 Pound Hit awarded by Hit FM Russia; they performed the song that same night.^[17] As of January 2010, "Ya Soshla s Uma" sold over 50,000 units, and over 200,000 illegal copies.^[18] The second single was "Nas Ne Dogonyat", released in 2001.^[19] The title of the track was included on the 2006 Russian Dictionary of Modern Quotes (Slovar sovremennykh tsitat).^[20] The third and final single was "30 Minut"; it was released as an airplay track, and featured an accompanying music video that was directed by Shapovalov.^[21]

Reception

Drago Bonacich from American music publication AllMusic selected "Ya Soshla s Uma", "Nas Ne Dagonyat", and "30 Minut" amongst some of the bands best work.^[22] However, the album's critical reviews were generally shaded by the success, yet controversial period of their single "Ya Soshla s Uma", alongside its English version "All The Things She Said"; according to Bonacich, the single was one of the most heavily rotated tracks throughout MTV Europe during its release. The Russian version, prior to the release of "All The Things She Said" at the end of 2002, also received strong attention on MTV throughout the Western world.^[23] However, an editor from The Telegraph commented that reviews in Russia were generally favourable and "catapult[ed] the duo to local stardom."^[24]

Commercially, 200 Po Vstrechnoy was a success in Eastern Europe. On 22 July 2002, it debuted at number 23 on the Polish Music Charts, one of the highest debuts on that week end.^[25] It rose to number 11 the following week, and reached the top ten during its third week.^[26][26] After five weeks, it reached the top spot, making t.A.T.u. the first Russian act to do so.^[27] On 14 October, it was certified gold by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV) for shipments of 10,000 units; it lasted a total of 39 weeks in the chart, and was certified Platinum by the ZPAV for shipments of 20,000 units.^[28][29] Despite the album not entering any record charts in Japan, it was certified Million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of one million units.^[30] It was certified Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of one million units in Europe, making t.A.T.u. the first group to achieve a Platinum certification on two separate bilingual language albums; the other being the English language adaption 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane (2002). They also received the distinction to be the first Eastern European act to achieve a Platinum award; both Volkova and Katina attended the awarding in Moscow, Russia.^[31][32]

In Russia, there were no prominent music charts at the time of the albums release; despite this, it sold 500,000 units inside a two-month period.^[33] By the end of the 2001, it sold approximately 850,000 units, which was described by an editor at The Telegraph as "an astonishing number in a country where piracy is estimated to account for some 95 per cent of all sales...".^[24] As of August 2016, the album has sold over one million copies in Russia, and has been illegally purchased more than four million units, making it the groups highest selling Russian-language album and one of the highest selling albums in that region.^[34]

Promotion

To promote the album, t.A.T.u. commenced their Russian concert tour that used the albums title as its official promotional campaign. The girls prepared in 2000 where they wanted the choreography "precise", to a point where one segment featured the girls stripping off their clothes; this was scrapped from the original plan.^[35] The group performed all over Russia and visited the Ukraine, all between February to November 2001.^[36] After the re-release of the album, the group extended the tour in regions such as Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland, amongst other destinations.^[37] In July 2015, the group uploaded an official unreleased teaser of their single "Ya Soshla s Uma" to their YouTube channel to commemorate the singles 15th anniversary; with its release date on 19 December, it remained unreleased.^[38] However, between June–August 2016, the group uploaded unreleased footage and remixed versions of their singles "Ya Soshla s Uma", "Nas Ne Dogoynat", and "30 Minut".^[39][40][41]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	English Title	Length
1.	"Zachem ya"	Aleksandr Vulikh Ivan Shapovalov Valeriy Polienko	Aleksander Voitinskiy	Why Am I?	4:07
2.	"Ya Soshla S Uma"	Elena Kiper Polienko	Sergio Galoyan Shapovalov	I've Lost My Mind	3:30
3.	"Nas Ne Dogonyat"	Kiper Shapovalov Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov	They Won't Catch Us	4:38
4.	"Doschitay do sta"	Polienko	Aleksandr Voitinskiy	Count to 100	4:37
5.	"30 Minut"	Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov	30 Minutes	3:17
6.	"Ya Tvoy Vrag"	Roman Ryabtsev	Ryabtsev	I'm Your Enemy	4:06
7.	"Ya Tvoya Ne Pervaya"	Polienko	Galoyan	I'm Not Your First	4:17
8.	"Robot"	Polienko	Voitinskiy	Robot	3:53
9.	"Malchik-Gey"	Anna Karasyova Vadim Stepantsov	Galoyan Shapovalov	Gay Boy	3:18
10.	"Nas Ne Dogonyat" (HarDrum Remix)	Kiper Shapovalov Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov		3:50
11.	"30 Minut" (HarDrum Remix)	Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov		4:02
Total length:					43:04

Hidden track
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	English Title	Length
12.	"Ya Soshla s Uma" (HarDrum Remix)	Kiper Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov		4:13
Total length:					4:13

Re-release
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Translation	Length
1.	"Klouny"	Valeriy Polienko	Ivan Shapovalov Evgeniy Kuritsyn	Clowns	3:32
2.	"30 Minut"	Shapovalov	Sergio Galoyan Polienko	30 Minutes	3:20
3.	"Doschitay Do Sta"	Polienko	Aleksandr Voitinskiy	Count Up to 100	4:38
4.	"Zachem Ya"	Aleksandr Vulikh Shapovalov Polienko	Voitinskiy	Why Am I?	4:10
5.	"Nas Ne Dogonyat"	Kiper Shapovalov Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov	They Won't Catch Us	4:39
6.	"Ya Tvoya Ne Pervaya"	Polienko	Galoyan	I'm Not Your First	4:19
7.	"Robot"	Polienko	Voitinskiy	Robot	3:54
8.	"Malchik-Gey"	Anna Karasyova Vadim Stepantsov	Galoyan Shapovalov	Gay Boy	3:20
9.	"Ya Tvog Vrag"	Roman Ryabtsev	Ryabtsev	I'm Your Enemy	4:19
10.	"Ya Soshla S Uma"	Kiper Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov	I've Lost My Mind	3:33
11.	"30 Minut" (Moscow Grooves Institute Remix)	Polienko	Galoyan Shapovalov		5:58
12.	"Malchik-Gey" (That Black Remix)	Anna Karasyova Vadim Stepantsov	Galoyan Shapovalov		5:05

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the CD liner notes of 20 Po Vstrechnoy;^[3]

Recording

• Mixed and recorded at Neformat Studios by Ivan Shapovalov and Sergio Galoyan in Moscow, Russian.

Personnel

Yulia Volkova – vocals Elena Katina – vocals Eugene Kuritsyn – arrangement Ivan Shapovalov – producer, music video director, composing, songwriting Aleksandr Vulikh – songwriting Valeriy Polienko – songwriting, composing

Elena Kiper – songwriting, composing Roman Ryabtsev – songwriting, composing Anna Karasyova – songwriting Vadim Stepantsov – songwriting Neformat – management, record label Universal Music Russia – management, record label

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak position Polish Albums Chart (ZPAV)[27] 1

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Japan (RIAJ)[30] Million 1,000,000^^ Poland (ZPAV)[29] Platinum 100,000^* Summaries Europe (IFPI)[42] Platinum 1,000,000^* ^*sales figures based on certification alone Sales Region Certification Certified units/Sales Russia (NFPF) 1,000,000[34] Worldwide 4,000,000[34] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Russia[3]	21 May 2001	CD	Neformat Universal Music Russia
Ukraine[7]
Poland[6]
Czech Republic[8]
Ukraine[9]		Cassette tape
Australia[43]	1 January 2002	Digital download	Universal Music Russia
New Zealand[44]
United Kingdom[45]
Ireland[46]
Germany[47]
Spain[48]
France[49]
Italy[50]
Taiwan[51]
Russia[10]	15 February 2002	Enhanced CD	Neformat Universal Music Russia
Europe[11]	21 September 2003
Japan[12]
Taiwan[13]

References

1. Whiteley, Shiela, Rycenga, Jennifer (2006). "Queering the Popular Pitch". Taylor and Francis Group; published on Google Books. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
2. Entertainment Africa Staff (2001). "t.A.T.u. Background". Entertainment Africa. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
3. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Russia: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001. 014452-2.
4. AllMusic Staff (21 May 2001). "t.A.T.u. – Russian Version Album". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
5. Coleman, Edmond J; Sandfort, Theo (2005). "Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia". Google Books. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
6. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Poland: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001. 016 656-2.
7. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Ukraine: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001. UR 006-2, 089.
8. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Czech Republic: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001. 016 656-2.
9. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (Cassette Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Ukraine: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001. R 006-4.
10. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (Re-release CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Russia: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001. 014452-9.
11. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Europe: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2003. 014 452-2.
12. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Japan: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2003. UICO-1051.
13. 200 Po Vstrechnoy (CD Album; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Taiwan: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2003. 014 452-2.
14. Ya Soshla s Uma (CD Single; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Russia: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2000. 942.381-1.
15. "На радио и телевидении боятся мальчика-гея". tatysite.net. Adapted from Universal Music Group. 14 July 2001. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
16. "<TV.ru > About 2001". MTV Russia. 2001. Archived from the original on 27 December 2003. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
17. "Group t.A.T.u. at the award ceremony radio "Hit FM" – "Stopudoviy hit" at the State Kremlin Palace.". kommersant.ru. 2 June 2001. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
18. "t.A.T.u. history – Page 3". t.A.T.u. website. 2000. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
19. Nas Ne Dogonyat (CD Single; Liner notes). t.A.T.u. Russia: Neformat, Universal Music Russia. 2001.
20. Konstantin Dushenko. Slovar sovremennykh tsitat, EKSMO, 2006, p. 213 ISBN 5-699-17691-8
21. "t.A.T.u. - 30 Minut [Official Music Video]". t.A.T.u.'s official YouTube channel. 5 February 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
22. Bonacich, Drago (2016). "t.A.T.u. – Songs". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
23. Bonacich, Drago (2016). "t.A.T.u. – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
24. The Telegraph Staff (14 June 2003). "Tatu bad to be true". The Telegraph; published through The Age. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
25. "OLIS Polish Albums Chart". Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaży. 22 July 2002. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
26. "OLIS Polish Albums Chart". Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaży. 27 July 2002. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
27. "OLIS Polish Albums Chart". Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaży. 2 September 2002. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
28. "OLIS Polish Albums Chart". Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaży. 28 April 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
29. "ZPAV Album Certifications of 2002". Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (in Polish). December 2002. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
30. "RIAJ Certifications – 2003". Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). July 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
31. Sexton, Paul (22 June 2002). "Universal Russia's Tatu Wins Eastern Europe's First IFPI Award". Billboard; published through Google Books. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
32. Kruzin, Alekfey (22 June 2002). "RUssian Act t.A.T.u. Nearing US Bow". Billboard; published through Google Books. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
33. Metacritic Staff (2011). "t.A.T.u. Profile". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
34. Whitely, Sheila; Rycenga, Jennifer (2005). "Queering the Popular Pitch". Google Books. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
35. Askmen.com Staff (2001). "t.A.T.u.". Askmen.com. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
36. Tatu Tour Staff (2001). "200 Po Vstriechnoy Tour". Tatu-tour.com. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
37. All My Love Staff (2002). "t.A.T.u. Tour Diary". Allmylove.org. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
38. "t.A.T.u. - Ya Soshla s Uma [Official Teaser]". t.A.T.u.'s official YouTube channel (in Russian). 16 July 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
39. "t.A.T.u. - Ya Soshla s Uma [Fly-Dream Remix]". t.A.T.u.'s official YouTube channel (in Russian). 7 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
40. "t.A.T.u. - Nas Ne Dogonyat [Official Video]". t.A.T.u.'s official YouTube channel (in Russian). 21 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
41. "t.A.T.u. - 30 Minut [Official Video]". t.A.T.u.'s official YouTube channel (in Russian). 27 July 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
42. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2007". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
43. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (Australia). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
44. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (New Zealand). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
45. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (United Kingdom). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
46. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (Ireland). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
47. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (Germany). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
48. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (Spain). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
49. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (France). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
50. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (Italy). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
51. "200 Po Vstrechnoy – Album – by t.A.T.u.". iTunes Store (Taiwan). 1 January 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2016.

External links

• History at t.A.T.u.'s official website. (Russian)