Whether the Cold War was the reason (the Western and Soviet music industry developed almost separately), or is it because of the special Russian mentality - but in Russia, or rather, in the Soviet Union, its own approach to alternative music, called "Russian rock", was formed. Alternative Russian rock - what is this trend in music and which bands from the USSR still care about the hearts of fans?
What is Russian rock?
Like any “western” music, alternative rock was considered “persona non grata” in the USSR. Maybe that’s why the Soviet teams came up with this prefix “Russian” to the name of the style in which they played. Indeed, in fact, if we talk about the musical structure of songs, Russian rock is no different from American or European.
However, until the 80s, playing alternative rock in the Soviet Union , the groups, frankly, took a little risk. In this case, the prefix “Russian” partially gave some security guarantees - they say, a domestic product.
But in Russian rock there are still several distinctive features. Firstly, this is a special attention to texts filled with “bitter Russian philosophy”. Secondly, it does not give a damn about all kinds of marketing gadgets (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 they would like - rather, those that are fashionable and in demand). In this regard, Russian alternative rock, groups and their members do not focus on any business at all. Perhaps this is what captivates many domestic listeners, who, having access to the work of any Western collective now, continue to be fans of groups that appeared in the Soviet Union. These are “Cinema”, “Nautilus”, “Alice”, “Agatha Christie”, etc.
"Movie"
Playing alternative rock, Russian groups were often cultivated in the minds of people and became national heroes. This happened with the Kino group.
The team was founded in Leningrad in 1982 and lasted only 8 years, but during this period managed to stir up the whole country. The central figure in the group remained Viktor Tsoi, in fact, his death and led to the collapse of the project.
The work of the Kino group attracted the attention of listeners not only with “downhole” lyrics (the song “Blood Group” is still a visiting card of Russian rock), but also with a fairly modern approach to arrangements: for example, in some compositions, musicians used a drum machine instead of drums , thereby giving the music a bit of a dance character. And although such experiments do not meet the classical standards of Russian rock, nevertheless, this did not prevent Kino from gathering whole stadiums and causing such a “movie addiction” that in the West is comparable only to “kobeinomaniya” (meaning Kurt Cobain’s work).
"Alice"
Alice appeared at about the same time as Kino. According to a recent poll conducted by Komsomolskaya Pravda among the audience listening to alternative rock, there are no more influential groups than Alice in Russia. This is evidenced by 19 officially released albums, 2 unofficial editions of songs, a huge number of collections, video clips and an army of fans.
Konstantin Kinchev - the project leader - and his entire creative team successfully exist on the Russian rock scene for 32 years. The secret of the band’s wild popularity is most likely not only in talented music, but also in talentedly organized PR companies. After all, “Alice” even in those distant 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, the “promotion” was held in the best traditions of the show business. Most likely, “Alice” will for a long time hold its position in the world of Russian alternative music.
"Agatha Christie"
“Agatha Christie” - the creation of the Samoilov brothers (Vadim and Gleb) - is a very interesting phenomenon on the domestic stage. The catchy title, decadent mood of the compositions, the dramatic manner of performance and the intriguing headlines of the main hits (“Tantrum”, “Like in War”, “Secret”) are the visiting cards of the project.
“Agatha Christie” is famous for her musical experiments: either the sound resembles symphonic rock, or the collective turns to electronic effects and drum machines. Three composers who created a unique musical quintessence simultaneously wrote music in the project. Perhaps that is why the style of "Agatha Christie" is easily recognizable by ear among the works of thousands of other groups.
The group broke up in 2010, but in 2015 again announced the beginning of concert activity.
"Nautilus Pompilius"
The Nautilus group in the late 80s attracted the attention of music lovers with the halo of “mystery” created around the project: not always clear, as if encrypted texts, a mysterious and laconic leader - Vyacheslav Butusov, restrained manner of execution.
Over the entire period of existence (until 1997), the group released 12 studio albums, its composition changed so often that about 20 people will be typed in the list of former members. Playing alternative rock, groups often turn to other styles as well, and “Nautilus” once ranked as art rock, new wave, post-punk.
The most memorable hits of the project are “Goodbye, America ...”, “I want to be with you”, “Chained together”, “Walking on water”, etc. Many modern rock bands note that 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, even though Russian rock focuses on lyrics, lyrics for songs do not always correspond to literary standards and are not always highly moral, but they catch on with their sincerity and ingenuity.