Alternative rock: bands born in the USSR that received the status of cult

Cold war was the reason (the Western and Soviet music industry developed almost separately), or the case in a special Russian mentality - but in Russia, or rather, in the Soviet Union, formed its approach to alternative music, called "Russian rock." Alternative Russian rock - what is this current in music and what bands come from the USSR are still worried about the hearts of fans?

What is Russian Rock?

Like any "Western" music, alternative rock was considered a "persona non grata" in the USSR. Maybe that's why Soviet bands came up with this "Russian" prefix to the name of the style in which they played. After all, in fact, if we talk about the musical structure of songs - Russian rock does not differ much from the American or European.

However, until the 80's, playing in the Soviet Union, alternative rock, the band, frankly, a little risk. In this case, the prefix "Russian" partially gave some security guarantees - they say, the domestic product.

But in Russian rock there are still some distinctive features. First, it is a special attention to texts filled with "bitter Russian philosophy". Secondly, a disregard for all sorts of marketing tricks (it's no secret that in the West rock music has long turned into a successful business and rock musicians do not always realize the ideas that they would like - rather, those that are fashionable and in demand). In this regard, Russian alternative rock, bands and their members do not focus on any business at all. Perhaps this is what bribes many Russian listeners who, while now having access to the work of any Western collective, continue to be fans of the groups that appeared in the Soviet Union. This is "Cinema", "Nautilus", "Alice", "Agatha Christie", etc.

"Cinema"

Playing alternative rock, Russian bands were often cultivated in the minds of people and became national heroes. This happened with the "Kino" group.

The collective was founded in Leningrad in 1982 and lasted only 8 years, but during this period it managed to stir up the whole country. The central figure in the group was Viktor Tsoi, in fact, his death and entailed the collapse of the project.

Creativity of the "Kino" group attracted the listeners' attention not only with "bottom-hole" texts (the song "Blood Group" is still a visiting card of Russian rock), but also a modern approach to arrangements: for example, in some compositions, musicians used a drum machine instead of percussion , Thus giving the music a little dance character. And although such experiments do not correspond to the classical standards of Russian rock, nevertheless it did not stop "Kino" from collecting entire stadiums and calling such a "kinomaniya", which in the West is comparable only with "cobainomania" (meaning the work of Kurt Cobain).

"Alice"

"Alice" appeared about the same time with "Kino". According to a recent poll conducted by Komsomolskaya Pravda among the audience listening to alternative rock, the group is more influential than Alisa in Russia. This is evidenced by 19 officially released albums, 2 unofficial editions of songs, a huge number of compilations, video clips and an army of fans.

Konstantin Kinchev - the project leader - and his entire creative team have been successfully operating on the Russian rock scene for 32 years. The secret of the band's frenzied popularity is, most likely, not only in talented music, but also in talentedly organized PR companies. After all, Alice even in those far 90s already had its own fan club, published the newspaper "Sabbat", for some time released its own program on the radio, appeared in the movie as a cameo - in short, "promotion" was held in the best traditions of the show -business. Most likely, "Alice" will keep its position for a long time in the world of Russian alternative music.

"Agatha Christie"

"Agatha Christie" - the creation of the Samoylov brothers (Vadim and Gleb) is a very interesting phenomenon on the domestic stage. The catchy name, the decadent mood of the compositions, the dramatic manner of performance and the intriguing headlines of the main hits ("Hysterics", "As in the War", "The Secret") - these are the business cards of the project.

"Agatha Christie" is famous for its musical experiments: that sound reminds symphonic rock, then the collective turns to electronic effects and drum machines. The project simultaneously wrote music by three composers, who created a unique musical quintessence. Perhaps, therefore, the style of "Agatha Christie" is easily recognizable by ear among the works of thousands of other collectives.

The group broke up in 2010, but in 2015 again announced the beginning of concert activity.

"Nautilus Pompilius"

The Nautilus group in the late 1980s attracted the attention of music lovers with a halo of "mystery" created around the project: not always clear, like encrypted texts, a mysterious and laconic leader - Vyacheslav Butusov, a restrained manner of execution.

For the entire period of its existence (until 1997), the group released 12 studio albums, its composition changed so often that about 20 people are enrolled in the list of former participants. Playing alternative rock, bands often turn to other styles - and "Nautilus" once attributed to the art-rock, a new wave, post-punk.

The most memorable hits of the project are "Goodbye, America ...", "I want to be with you", "Bound with one chain", "Walking on the water", etc. Many modern rock bands note that the Nautilus Pompilius had a huge impact on their musical style.

Playing alternative rock, Russian groups turned creativity into a method of expressing their social position. According to some critics, although Russian rock and emphasizes texts - poems for songs do not always correspond to literary standards and are not always highly moral, but they cling to their sincerity and ingenuity.