November 27, 2013

Boris Grebenshikov, a Founding Father of Soviet Rock


Boris Grebenshikov, a Founding Father of Soviet Rock

Happy birthday to Boris Grebenshikov! The singer and songwriter for the rock band Aquarium turns 60 today (November 26, 2013).

As far as rock-and-roll goes, the Soviet public was a little late to the game. The Iron Curtain was not hermetically sealed, so recordings of the Beatles and Rolling Stones trickled through, bringing with them not only new musical styles, but also hippie culture and other crazy new ideas. Unfortunately, crazy new ideas were poisonous to Soviet leadership, and, under the weight of bans and harsh criticism, these “bourgeois-degenerate” recordings took some time to build up to widespread popular appeal.

The Beatles had already broken up by the time some of the USSR’s most prominent rock musicians started forming bands and experimenting with the new style. One of the most famous experimenters, Boris Grebenshikov, formed the legendary Aquarium in 1972, on the Bob Marley-inspired principle that whoever wanted to join the band could take part. Like other such bands of the time, Aquarium started out singing the Beatles before gradually finding their own voice and beginning to perform with their own songs. For Aquarium, “own songs” meant Grebenshikov’s compositions with their heavy dose of Western influence.

The band’s fans split its Soviet-era history into two distinct periods: “history” and “pre-history.” Roughly speaking, the divide marks when Aquarium became a “real” band, with its own shows and albums. In the backward world of Soviet underground music, the shift came after the band was officially banned in 1980, for a supposedly scandalous performance at a music festival in Tbilisi. Grebenshikov, as the front man, got hit the hardest: he lost his job and was forced out of the Komsomol (to add insult to injury, the scandal may have pushed his wife to file for divorce).

Grebenshikov (2nd from right) with other leading figures of underground Soviet culture.

Even as their popularity gained, and as rock became more and more familiar to Soviet audiences, there remained the sense of being late to the party. “Rock and roll is dead,” Grebenshikov sings in 1983, “but I’m not yet.” But even if rock and roll was dead (a questionable proposition, in any case), there remained a wealth of other genres and styles – including the tried and true method of weaving in Eastern religion and exotic instrumentation.

Oddly enough, for all his contributions to Soviet and Russian rock, Grebenshikov is probably most remembered for Aquarium’s rendition of a completely not-rock song, Gorod Zolotoy (“The Golden City,” or just “City”). Written by poet Anri Volokhonsky to match a Renaissance-style lute tune, the song is full of Biblical imagery of a heavenly city, and general lyricism: “he who loves is loved; he who is full of light is holy.” Grebenshikov and Aquarium continue to write and sing to this day, and we continue to listen to them, remember them: be it for the calm philosophy of the Golden City or for the youthful despair of “Rock and Roll is Dead.”

Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955