Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots. 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. ...

History

The early '60s

Bulat Okudjava, a pioneer of the bard genre

Prior to the late sixties, music in the Soviet Union was divided into two groups: music published by the Melodya, and everything else. Under this second group were the bards, underground folk singer-songwriters. Bards such as Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava created the style that is referred to as "author's song" (avtorskaya pesnya), mostly played on unaccompanied acoustic guitar and characterized by a strong accent on lyrics that sometimes carried a subversive meaning. Their music was often suppressed by the government, and yet enjoyed massive popularity, with Vysotsky becoming a highly popular movie actor and an iconic figure of the times. Meanwhile, some Western music was either being smuggled across the border or released by Melodya as part of what essentially was state-run pirating of records, with the Beatles taking a firm place in Soviet popular culture, and artists such as Elton John, T-Rex and Deep Purple completing a somewhat distorted picture of Western music. Pre-1972 Soviet-era photo of Bulat Okudzhava File links The following pages link to this file: Bulat Okudzhava ... Pre-1972 Soviet-era photo of Bulat Okudzhava File links The following pages link to this file: Bulat Okudzhava ... Melodya (or Melodiya) was a state-owned recording and broadcasting agency of the Soviet Union. ... Bulat Okudzhava, a pioneer of the Bard genre For other meanings of the word, see Bard (disambiguation). ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Vladimir Vysotsky Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky (Влади́мир Семёнович Высо́цкий) (January 25, 1938 – July 25, 1980) was a Russian singer, song-writer, poet, and actor, whose career has had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. ... 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). ... The Beatles were an English pop and rock music group from Liverpool, who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their ground-breaking role in the history of popular music. ... Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE[1] (born March 25, 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Binomial name Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn, 1905 For the rock group Tyrannosaurus Rex, see T. Rex (band). ... This article is about the rock group. ...

First rock bands in Soviet Union appeared on the scene in early -and mid sixties in Tallinn, Estonian Soviet Republic. First of them - Virmalised was formed by four highschool students, as a copy of the Beatels. Virmalised as the first and only one gained quickly large popularity despite the lack of official recognitsion. Rock music was seen - just like jazz in 30s - as evil thing from the west. Virmalised launched a huge amount of bands, most remaining unknown, some like Optimistid and Mikronid being known as the classics.

The late '60s and '70s

The first native bands appeared around 1966, and grew popular in spite of governmental restrictions. This continued into the 1980s, when amateur bands gained some success, but were still hampered by state regulators, who did not allow them to officially recorded. There were also restrictions on lyrical content. Underground bands evolved during this time, including Pojuschie Gitary (the singing guitars) and almost the same time Mashina Vremeni and Akvarium. This was the band that started the VIA movement, and were followed by Tcvety, Golubiye Gitary, Pesniary and Sinyaya Ptica. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Pojuschie Gitary (Поющие гитары, The singing Guitarists) Were The Soviet Unions first offical rock band. ... The band, from the book All is very simple Mashina Vremeni (Маши́на вре́мени, Russian for Time Machine) is a legendary Russian rock group formed in the late 1960s in the Soviet Union. ... Akvarium is a, Russian rock-group, the central in the Russian rock of 1970s-1990s. ... There are four companies that go by the name VIA: VIA Technologies, a Taiwanese manufacturer of integrated circuits VIA Rail, a Canadian passenger rail company Via, a New York based media collective Via Training, an e-learning and blended training development company based in Portland, Oregon VIA is also an... Tcvety (Цветы,Tsveti(alternate), flowers) were an early russian rock group. ... Pesniary LP Cover Volahda Pesniary (alt. ...

In the early 1970s, artists like Yuri Morozov invented a kind of Russian psychedelic rock, using elements of progressive rock as well. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Psychedelic music draws its inspiration from the experience of mind-altering drugs such as cannabis, psilocybin, mescaline, ecstasy and especially LSD. Characteristic features of the style include modal melodies, lengthy instrumental solos, esoteric lyrics and trippy special effects such as reversed, distorted, delayed and/or phased sounds. ... Progressive rock (sometimes shortened to prog rock or prog) is a subgenre of rock music which arose in the late 1960s, reached the peak of its popularity in the 1970s, and continues as a musical form to this day. ...

The '80s and '90s

In the 1980s an underground scene of rock artists emerged that based their style on a mix of Western rock music (in particular the Beatles) and the Russian bard tradition. Such bands as Agata Kristi, Kino, Mashina Vremeni, Nautilus Pompilius, Aquarium, Krematorij, Grazhdanskaya Oborona and DDT were influential in the development of the genre, with the consequent artists copying their style. MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The Beatles were an English pop and rock music group from Liverpool, who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their ground-breaking role in the history of popular music. ... Agata Kristi (Cyrillic: Агата Кристи) is a Russian rock group that was established in Sverdlovsk in 1988. ... Kino (Russian: Кино́, often written uppercase) was a Russian rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. ... The band, from the book All is very simple Mashina Vremeni (Маши́на вре́мени, Russian for Time Machine) is a legendary Russian rock group formed in the late 1960s in the Soviet Union. ... Nautilus Pompilius (Cyrillic: Наутилиус Помпилиус), frequently abbreviated as Nau, was a legendary Russian rock band active between 1987 and 1997. ... Andrei Romanov, BG, Billy Bragg, 1989 For the water tank, see Aquarium; for the album by the Danish pop-dance group Aqua see Aquarium (album). ... (Крематорий) - Russian rock group. ... Grazhdanskaya Oborona in Red Square Grazhdanskaya Oborona or GrOb (Russian: Гражданская Оборона, ГрОб) is one of the earliest and most famous Russian punk bands. ... DDT, 1987 For other uses: see DDT (disambiguation). ...

In the early and middle 80-es several so-called "rock-clubs" were founded in Moscow, Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). These three cities had their own rock music scene, many artists were friends and collaborated with each other now and then. The Leningrad scene was probably the biggest one, featuring "classic Russian rock" by Aquarium, Kino, Zoopark. Bands from Sverdlovsk, as Nautilus Pompilius and Agata Kristi, were more melodical with strong presence of keyboards and synthesizers in music. Moscow rock bands, such as Center and Zvuki Mu, were rather different from the others and sometimes more discreet. Government Russia District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuri Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Photograph of snow-covered Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburgs Church on the Blood, built on the spot where the Tsar and his family were murdered. ... Snow-covered statue of Sverdlov in Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburgs Church on the Blood built on the spot where the Tsar and his family were executed. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Andrei Romanov, BG, Billy Bragg, 1989 For the water tank, see Aquarium; for the album by the Danish pop-dance group Aqua see Aquarium (album). ... Kino (Russian: Кино́, often written uppercase) was a Russian rock band headed by Viktor Tsoi. ... Photograph of snow-covered Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburgs Church on the Blood, built on the spot where the Tsar and his family were murdered. ... Nautilus Pompilius (Russian: ), sometimes abbreviated as Nau (Russian: ), was a prominent Russian rock band formed in Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinburg) and active between 1983 and 1997. ... Agata Kristi (Cyrillic: Агата Кристи) is a Russian rock group that was established in Sverdlovsk in 1988. ... Center (or Tsentr, Russian: Центр) is a Russian-speaking band, which can be described as eclectic and experimental. ... Russian rock band founded in Moscow in the early 1980s. ...

Special rock music scene appeared in the 1980-es in Siberia with such songwrtiers as Egor Letov (Grazhdanskaya Oborona, Omsk) and Yanka Dyagileva. Music varied from simple lo-fi punk to indie rock (sometimes unplugged), and the core of their songs were the lyrics. Many albums were first self-released and distributed among the fans via trading, then officially re-released years later. These siberian artists created siberian punk, with protest and punk's anarchistic spirit. The lyrics often featured obscene words. Musicians had major problems with the soviet administration and KGB. Siberia is also an album by Echo & The Bunnymen. ... Egor Letov (Russian: Егор Летов) is the creator and singer of the Russian punk band Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Russian: Гражданская Оборона). ... Grazhdanskaya Oborona in Red Square Grazhdanskaya Oborona or GrOb (Russian: Гражданская Оборона, ГрОб) is one of the earliest and most famous Russian punk bands. ... Serafimo-Alekseevskaya chapel, Oktyabr (formerly Rossiya) hotel, and Organ music hall Omsk (Russian: ) is a city in southwest Siberia in Russia, the administrative center of Omsk Oblast. ... Yanka Dyagileva (full name Yana Stanislavovna Dyagileva, Russian: ) (born September 4, 1966 in Novosibirsk - died May 9(?), 1991) is a Russian poet and singer. ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language abbreviation for State Security Committee, (Russian: ; Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ...

The lyrics of the soviet rock bands often dealt with the darker sides of Soviet life such as domestic violence, alcoholism (an infamous song by Nautilus Pompilius contained the lines "Alain Delon drinks a double bourbon/Alain Delon doesn't drink eau de cologne" as a sarcastic contrast to the alcoholic daughter-raping father described in the song and an indictement of the escapist attitudes of state-run media) and crime, and often carried a hidden political message. These bands were consequently ignored by the mainstream radio and television, often reaching audiences only through word of mouth. Many of the 80s bands are still active and popular among Russian youth. The term Russian rock often refers to the particular sound of these bands. Nautilus Pompilius (Cyrillic: Наутилиус Помпилиус), frequently abbreviated as Nau, was a legendary Russian rock band active between 1987 and 1997. ... Alain Delon Alain Delon (born 8 November 1935) is a French actor, one of the best known outside his native country. ...

Akvarium, considered a classic Russian rock band

During the perestroika era many Russian rock bands toured for the first time in Europe and USA and also got an opportunity to record albums outside Soviet Union. Image File history File links Akvarium1989. ... Image File history File links Akvarium1989. ... Poster showing Mikhail Gorbachev Perestroika ( , Russian: ) is the Russian word (which passed into English) for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ...

Present day

In the mid-late 1990s a more modern Western sound was introduced by Ilya Lagoutenko's Mumiy Troll, who made their records in the UK under the guidance of UK producers. This less lyrically loaded and more energetic style, frequently referred to as rockapops, became prevalent among the younger public, with acts such as Zemfira, Multfilmi and lately Zveri following in the wake. A radiostation Nashe Radio has been created to promote Russian rock artists, broadcasting in all major Russian cities. See also 1990s, the band Seinfeld was a pop cultural phenomenon during the 90s and became one of the most popular TV programs ever. ... Mumiy Troll (Му́мий Тро́лль) is a Russian rock group, which has invented a new rock style named Rockapops - a mix of Rock and Pop styles. ... Poster advertising a Zemfira concert in St Petersburg in November 2005 Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova (Russian: ) is the leader and lead vocalist of the Russian rock group Zemfira (Zемфира, formerly Земфира). The group was formed in 1998 and has been immensely popular in Russia and other former Soviet republics. ... Nashe Radio (Наше Радио) is a rock music station designed to promote Russian musicians (as opposed to pop and Western music that pervades other radio stations). ...

The alternative rock scene is quite small in comparison, although some heavy metal (Ariya), punk rock (Korol i Shut, Naiv) and ska punk (Leningrad) bands have gained mainstream popularity. Fans of these and similar bands would frequently refer to most of the music on Russian MTV dismissively as "popsa", a dichotomy that appeared in the '80s when government controlled radio and TV stations would air only politically harmless music by performers such as Alla Pugachova and Valeriy Leontyev. The lines are still quite clearly drawn, with bands such as Nogu Svelo - who recorded a song with pop-singer Nataliya Vetlickaya - being an anomaly. The terms alternative rock and alternative music[1] were coined in the 1980s to describe punk rock-inspired bands which didnt fit into the mainstream genres of the time. ... Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that emerged as a defined musical style in the 1970s, having its roots in hard rock bands which, between 1967 and 1974, mixed blues and rock to create a hybrid with a thick, heavy, guitar-and-drums-centered sound, characterised by the... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Ska punk or skacore is a musical fusion of Jamaican ska and British and American punk rock. ... Leningrad (Ленинград in Russian) is a Russian ska punk band from Saint Petersburg (former Leningrad). ... Alla on the Star Factory television show, 2004 Alla Borisovna Pugacheva (А́лла Бори́совна Пугачё́ва), pronounced Pougachyova, born April 15, 1949 in Moscow, Russia, is perhaps the best known musical performer in Russia, her career having started in 1965 and continuing to this day. ... A popular Russian rock-band, usually associated with humor and parody as well as accessible and sometimes childishly simple melodies. ...

Characteristics

Russian rock tends to be somewhat less rhythmical and bass-driven than Western rock (one would often speak of "drive" as something that Russian music lacks). Unconventional instruments have always been used in addition to the standard electric guitars and drums. Many songs of the most popular Russian rock bands would not even be classified as rock by Western listeners.

Considering its poetic roots, it is not a big surprise that lyrics play a far larger role in Russian rock than Western rock. Vocal melody is sometimes eschewed in favor of a more impassioned delivery (Viktor Tsoi, the lead singer of Kino, pioneered a characteristically strained, monotonous style of singing that has been imitated by many). The popular Western genre of Christian rock does not exist, but most bands have numerous religious songs, based on the Orthodox faith. The Wall of Tsoi on Arbat street in Moscow. ... Kino may refer to: cinema in several languages. ... Christian rock is a form of rock music played by bands where the musicians are openly Christian. ... Pentecost is considered in Eastern Orthodoxy to be the birth of the Church. ...

External links

• List of Russian bands