Aquarium [Аква́риум] is a Russian rock group, formed in Leningrad in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov, then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly "George" Gunitsky, then a playwright and absurdist poet. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Boris Grebenshchikov, 1985 Boris Grebenshchikov (Russian: ) is one of the most prominent members of the generation which is widely considered the founding fathers of Russian rock music. ... Categories: Russia-related stubs | Universities and colleges in Russia | Saint Petersburg ...

In the 1970s and early 1980's, rock and roll was banned in the Soviet Union (exception was given only to a few government-approved artists), and Aquarium's usual concert venues were private apartments. These concerts were a unique Soviet phenomenon, created by underground musicians. They were usually "unplugged", as noise would cause the neighbors to alert the authorities. The limited space fostered an atmosphere of intimacy between the group and its audience, listening with bated breath, with perhaps someone recording it on a simple tape recorder. This was similar to the concepts of the Russian bards, however Aquarium were (admittedly) much more influenced by Western music, particularly by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, progressive rock acts Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Roxy Music and also reggae. Thus their compositions were considerably more complex and their lyrics covered a broader range of topics, showing Grebenshchikov's notable erudition in Celtic and Indian cultures, among other things. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Bulat Okudzhava, a pioneer of the Bard genre For other meanings of the word, see Bard (disambiguation). ... The Beatles were a highly influential English rock band from Liverpool. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English Grammy Winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, producer, arranger and audio engineer whose work spans more than four decades. ... For the unrelated Swedish music movement, see progg. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... King Crimson is an English musical group founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. ... Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Celts redirects here. ...

Until 1987 Aquarium recorded all of their albums in a self-assembled underground studio (several members had engineering education) disguised as a "Young Technicians Club" (for the album Radio Africa (1983) a government-owned mobile studio was secretly used, after bribing a technician). Despite those hard conditions, the recording quality was rather high and Aquarium's albums between 1980 and 1987 are considered by most fans as their best. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The advent of Glasnost in 1985 brought many underground Russian rock musician to public recognition and Aquarium became one of the most popular acts. They were allowed to play in large concert halls, appeared on the state-owned television and recorded soundtracks for several films, most notably ASSA[1]. In 1987 they recorded their first album for the state-owned Melodiya record label. With official backing and legalized distribution the album was a huge hit in USSR, selling well over a million copies within a few months. This was, however, the last album recorded by this Aquarium line-up and the band broke-up shortly afterward. Grebenshchikov released two albums in English and toured with several different backing bands. In 1991 after the break-up of Soviet Union he released under the name BG-Band The Russian Album, a collection of melancholic folk songs influenced by his travels all over Russia and demonstrating a return to his Russian roots. Shortly afterwards BG-Band was renamed Aquarium although most of the musicians were different. This band continued to release more albums and touring extensively all over former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and also appearing before Russian immigrant communities in Germany, Israel and United States. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Melodiya (Russian: Μелодия) was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Although often criticized for departure from their original style and constant line-up changes which make Aquarium essentially a Grebenshchikov solo project, the group still enjoys huge success in Russia - their songs, old and new, get a lot of airplay, they albums sell well, and they tour constantly. Aquarium today consists of Boris Grebenshchikov, Boris Rubekin (keyboards), Andrei Surotdinov (violin), Vladimir Kudryavtsev (bass), Albert Potapkin (drums), Oleg Shar (percussions).

Discography

Studio albums:

• Sinii Albom (The Blue Album), 1981
• Treugolnik (Triangle), 1981
• Elektrichestvo (Electricity): History of Aquarium, Vol. 2, 1981
• Akustika (Acoustics): History of Aquarium, Vol. 1, 1982
• Tabu (Taboo), 1982
• Radio Africa, 1983
• Ikhtiologia (Ichthyology), 1984
• Den’ Serebra (The Day of Silver), 1984
• Deti Dekabrya (The Children of December), 1985
• Desyat’ Strel (Ten Arrows), 1986
• Ravnodenstvie (Equinox), 1987
• Archive: History of Aquarium, Vol. 3, 1991
• Russkii Albom (Russian Album), 1991 (under the name BG-Band)
• Lyubimie Pesni Ramzesa IV (Favorite Songs of Rameses the IV), 1993
• Library of Babylon: History of Aquarium, Vol. 4, 1993
• Kostroma Mon Amour, 1994
• Peski Peterburga (Sands of Petersburg), 1994
• Navigator, 1995
• Snezhnii Lev (Snow Lion), 1996
• Hyperborea, 1997
• Kunstcamera, 1998
• Lilit (Lilith), 1997 (under the name BG and The Band - several members of The Band played on the album; released in the United States under the name Black Moon)
• Psi, 1999
• Akvarium. Territoriya (Aquarium. Territory), 2000
• Sestra Haos (Sister Chaos), 2002
• Pesni Ribaka (Fisherman's Songs), 2003
• Zoom Zoom Zoom, 2005
• Bespechny Russkiy Brodyaga (Carefree Russian Tramp), 2006

Live albums: The Band was an influential Canadian-American rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. ...

• Aroks & Shter, 1982
• Desyat Let (Ten Years), 1982
• Electroshock, 1982
• BG <stikhi, pesni> (BG <poems, songs>), 1984
• Pis'ma Kapitana Voronina (Letters of Captain Voronin), 1993
• Vizit v Moskvu (Visit to Moscow), 1993
• Akvarium na Taganke (Aquarium at Taganka), 1994
• Tsentr Tsiklona (Center of the Cyclone), 1995
• Sezon dlya Zmey (Snake Season), 1996
• Dvadtsat Let Spustya (Twenty Years Later), 1996
• Akvarium-25, Istoriya (Aquarium-25. History), 1997
• Molitva i Post (Prayer and Fasting), 1998

Songs performed by Aquarium Incognito:

• Anna Karenina Quartet, 1994
• Russian-Abyssinian Orchestra “Bardo”, 1997
• Terrarium. "Pyatiugilnii Grekh" (Terrarium. "Pentangular Sin"), 2000

Albums recorded independently by BG:

• Songs by Alexander Vertinskii, 1994
• Chubchik, 1996
• Refuge, 1998
• Songs by Bulat Okudzhava, 1999
• Bardo, 2002

Grebenshchikov's solo albums in English: Russian bard Bulat Okudzhava Bulat Okudzhava Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava (or Boulat Okudjava/Okoudjava/Okoudzhava; Russian: ) (May 9, 1924 - June 12, 1997) was one of the founders of the Russian genre called authors song (авторская песня, avtorskaya pesnya). ...

• Radio Silence, 1989
• Radio London, 1990

Albums (pre-historical) from the 1970's: In telecommunications, radio silence is a status maintained where all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area stop transmitting. ...

• Iskushenie Svyatogo Akvariuma (Temptation of St.Aquarium), 1973
• Menuet Zemledeltsu (Farmer's Minuet), 1973
• Pritchi Grafa Diffuzora (Parables of Count Diffusor), 1974
• S Toy Storony Zerkalnogo Stekla (From The Other Side of Mirror Glass), 1976
• Vse Bratya-Sestry (All Brothers-Sisters), 1978

External links

• The official multilingual site of Akvarium (in Russian, English, French, German and Esperanto)
• Official Russian Akvarium web-site
• Aquarium at MusicBrainz
• Semi-official site with lots of information
• The Bodhisattvas of Babylon, an English-language fan site
• Aquarium-related search

MusicBrainz (MusicBrainz. ...