Weblog Archipelago: July 2009

Akvarium - the Blue Album

Below is a link to the second installment of my radio show on the history of rock in the Soviet Union:

Part II continues with the grandfathers of Russian rock - the Moscow band Mashina Vremeni - introduces Akvarium (Boris Grebenshikov's band, discussed more in this previous post) and the album Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the USSR.

Playlist for Part II:

Машина Времени (Time Machine) - "Я Сюда Вернусь" ("I will return")

Аквариум (Aquarium) - "Великий Дворник" ("The Great Street Sweeper")

Великий дворник, великий дворник
В полях бесконечной росы,
Великий дворник, великий...

Они догонят нас,
если мы будем бежать,
Они найдут нас,
если мы спрячемся в тень.
Они не властны
над тем, что по праву твое,
Они не тронут тебя, они не тронут тебя...

The great street sweeper, the great street sweeper
In the field of endless dew,
The great street sweeper, the great....

They will catch up to us,
if we will run,
They will find us,
if we hide in the shadows,
They have no power,
over those, that as of right are yours,
They will not touch you, they will not touch you...

Аквариум - "Поездь в Огне" ("The Train is on Fire")

Аквариум - "Рок н Рол Мёртв" ("Rock and Roll is Dead")

Какие нервные лица - быть беде
Я помню, было небо, я не помню где
Мы встретимся снова, мы скажем "Привет", -
В этом есть что-то не то
Рок-н-ролл мертв, а я еще нет,
Рок-н-ролл мертв, а я
Те, что нас любят, смотрят нам вслед.
Рок-н-ролл мертв, а я еще нет.

What nervous faces, trouble's on the way
I remember, there was a sky, I don't remember where
We'll meet again, we'll say "hello"
In all this something's not right
Rock 'n roll's dead, but I'm alive
Rock 'n roll's dead, but I
Those who love us, follow us with their eyes
Rock 'n roll's dead, but I'm alive

Странные Игры (Strange Games) - "Метаморфозы"("Metamorphosis")

There is always more to write about BG. But for now, I will simply share an article from the New York Times archives about the emergence of rock in the Soviet Union. In April of 1987, Bill Keller of the Times wrote about Akvarium and the explosion of underground and officially sanctioned rock and roll under Glasnost. Anxiety about becoming a sell out must be a universal experience for rockers the world 'round.

The band Strange Games, featured on the compilation Red Wave, perform ska to translations of modern European poetry. Of the four bands featured on Red Wave, they are the least well known today, having disbanded in the mid-1980's after the death of one of the group's leaders, Aleksandr Davydov, in 1984. In contrast, the other groups featured on Red Wave -- AlisA, Akvarium, and Kino -- are all well established legends in the pantheon of Soviet rock.

Joanna Stingray, a 23 year old new wave rocker from Los Angeles, went to the Soviet Union in 1984 and was quickly introduced to BG. Stingray was moved by the music and developed close relationships with many of the artists then performing at the Leningrad Rock Club. She decided to share the music with an audience back in the U.S., and thus began the process of recording songs in Leningrad and smuggling the tapes back home to produce the record. The resulting 2 LP compilation caused an international stir and was one of the reasons the Soviets moved to accept (and attempt to coopt) Rock.

For more on Joanna Stingray's incredible journey to the Soviet Union, her marriage to a member of the band Kino, and her production of the album Red Wave, check out this article in the St. Petersburg Times and the following two part documentary: