Liube: Checkered Pants (1987)
Lead singer: Nikolai Rastorguev
Description: Liube arose from Liubertsy itself, and sprang to instant and long-lasting fame in the late 1980s. The rough, masculine voice of lead singer Rastorguev is associated with a long string of hits. "Checkered Pants," a hymn to the checkered plaid pants favored by Liubers, was embraced as a second -- a more benevolent -- anthem for these young men. Despite attracting fans from among Russia's most nationalist and sometimes violent groups, Liube's song are distinguished by deft word play and a gentle sense of humor that was a beacon in the dark days of the 1990s.