The Soviet Union’s Underground Rock Scene in the 1970s (History of Soviet Rock Part 1)

Building a music scene is difficult without any radio airplay, commercial recording studios, or paid gigs. Not to mention the KGB breathing down your neck.
Check out part 2 here: • Soviet Punk & New Wave...
And part 2.5 (a new follow-up video) is free on Patreon: / bandsplaining
Songs featured in this video:
0:24 Kino - "Close The Door Behind Me, I'm Leaving"
1:45 Benny Goodman - "Stompin' at The Savoy"
2:35 Jimmy Kennedy & Nat Simon - "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"
3:34 VIA Poyushchiye Gitary (Singing Guitars) - "The Cyclists"
3:45 Ariel (Ариэль) - Любите струны гитар
4:00 Tsvety - "Do Not"
5:24 Plastic People of the Universe - Jam at a public practice
5:40 Sipoli - "Medijums"
5:48 Time Machine - "Puppets"
5:56 Akvarium - Jam from Tbilisi '80
6:21 Yuri Morozov - "Inexplicable (pt 4)"
7:50 Yuri Morozov - "Machine Dancing"
8:11 Akvarium - "Bljuz NTR"
8:39 Akvarium - Scene from Иванов (Ivanov)
8:49 Akvarium - "Railway Water"
10:25 Gunesh - Live at Tbilisi '80
10:53 Magnetic Band - Live at Tbilisi '80
11:03 Time Machine - Live at Tbilisi '80
11:06 Autograph - Live at Tbilisi '80
11:10 Интеграл (Integral) - Live at Tbilisi '80
11:22 Akavarium - Live at Tbilisi '80
12:23 Time Machine - Candle (Live at Tbilisi '80)
A special thanks to those below for the inspiration/footage/knowledge:
Nikita Lane for recommending this topic
"Rock-Monoloque" by Kozlov Vladimir
"Free to Rock" by Jim Brown
"Back in the USSR: The True Story of Rock in Russia" by Artemy Troitsky
"Punk in Russia" by Gololobov, Pilkington & Steinholt
Bone Record images are credited to the The X-Ray Audio Project - check out their interactive exhibit at www.x-rayaudio.com

[@Kosackk]

My mom was in this underground scene in Leningrad during her teenage years, she told me all this and how illegal it was! She saw KINO live several times before he died

[@kqr1]

Viktor Тsoi is still alive, in our hearts. Цой жив!

[@Fishtory]

best video yet!

[@MySuver]

Nice! Congrats and thanks!

[@saraivatoledo1842]

I bet Vladimir Putin was , secretely , a huge Kino fan in the 80/90s .

[@MaskingAutism88]

5:51 - That guy looks like Weird Al lol

[@nohappypills]

Pen pals were a big deal in the USSR. It went so far that kids in Yugoslavian elementary schools got addresses of their USSR peers to write to them and practice their Russian, which was taught in most schools, at least in Serbia. My mom had multiple pen pals, and one of them had built a gramophone from parts he got from his numerous pen pals from Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. She also sent him English and American records all the time, since it was a little easier to get them here. Dmitrii, you were ahead of your time.

[@erikaarnold4780]

Wow, that is one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard! I am obsessed with early recording equipment. When I have more space, I am going to dedicate a whole space to my own private vintage collection. Tracking down the pieces is the fun part, but to actually build one is some next level nerd power! 😱

[@aw2584]

​@@erikaarnold4780when I was a kid I found an old soviet record player from the 50s/60s in my grandma's house and fix it up, despite its age it worked as normal (even tho the needle was literally NEVER changed). Unfortunately it stayed in Poland while I moved out to UK 7 years ago, otherwise I would send it to you lmao I've got so much soviet equipment back home including black and white TV and piano from 50s both working perfectly fine that I don't need more

[@mohitrahaman]

I saw Viktor Tsoi in the thumbnail and I'm here.

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Here is a song that celebrates bands that risked life 4 🎶🎸🎙 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@alexandralaba8784]

same here tho

[@ml-fy8fb]

Same

[@willywonka3050]

Kino is one of a few bands where I fell in love with the music after hearing just one song

[@m3chanist]

Ditto

[@callespringer9718]

Gotta mention that jazz was actually quite popular in the USSR, from the 1920's to the 1940's, and then because of Stalins post-war policies and the so-called "fight against cosmopolitanism", such musical expressions were severely curtailed until Stalins death in 1953. Once Stalin was gone and Khrushchev denounced him and his legacy, among other massive changes to Soviet society that occured during that so-called "Khrushchev thaw", jazz again started to thrive and even though there's a severe lack of recordings (it was mostly performed live, and the means of recording things weren't easy to come by), you'll find that for example Soviet movie scores from the late 50's into the 60's and 70's were very jazzy. These scores often even incorporated electronical synthesizers, and some prolific Soviet composers started turning it into some kind of electro jazz funk fusion by the 1970's. The genre itself is mostly instrumental, and with a lack of lyrics there was nothing particularly censor-worthy, and as a result, with the exception of the immediate post-war Stalinist period, jazz was fine. The legendary Moscow jazz club Sinyaya Ptitsa (Blue Bird) opened in 1963 and pretty much had daily performances and jam sessions by guest jazz musicians far into the night. It closed up shop in 2010, due to the premises being sold to a fast food chain. Sad.

[@rixnax21]

Could you recommend some fusion Soviet bands?

[@lkindustries7071]

A jazz club founded under communist rule ends by getting bought by a capitalist fast food chain, ironic.

[@ИльяГранат-н9щ]

@@rixnax21 Fusion? What do you mean? And what time do you need, 1960s, 1980s?

[@rixnax21]

Jazz fusion, from the 60s 70s or 80s. I already know SBB and Niemen

[@СергейГражданский]

Jazz was so severely curtailed in Stalin's times, that they even had a first jazz festival in 1949 and jazz orchestra gave concerts in Moscow.

[@pug1man]

It's great to see that people outside of the Soviet Union know about Soviet/ Post-Soviet rock and appreciate it. Being of Russian decent, I am a big fan of the music. A couple of anecdotes I wanted to add are : 1. The Trololo song by Eduard Khil was originally about an American cowboy and obviously the lyrics were censored. Khil decided to change them to lololololo and it became the legendary meme song we all know and love. 2. A Belarusian band called Pesniary (or Pesniari) which announced it's music as traditional Belarusian music (folk/traditional music was one of the only styles allowed at the time) wrote a rock song called Косил ясь конюшину (Kosil yas' konyushinu) and got away with it that way. Most of their other songs fit the folk/traditional description though and were very popular (I don't like them as much). Great vids! I would love to see more!

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hi Ivan. Last year, when visiting St. Petersburg, I had the pleasure of stumbling across the first Russian rock museum. Perhaps this video would be of interest to you? Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@harry.tallbelt6707]

Wow, I remember the comment about Soviet rock bands someone left you, and you actually made a video! That's so cool! I'll just share a random fun fact about Soviet heavy metal. There's this band called Ария (Aria) and they have a song called Здесь куют металл (Metal is Forged Here) which is definitely about making metal music, but the text is obscure enough, that for years they managed to pass every state commission by persuading them that the song's actually about praising all the hard work Soviet metallurgy workers are doing.

[@butlaoctu4464]

We can only imagine what would happen If they would write "I'm in love with my car"

[@nohappypills]

This reminds me of Maljčiki (Mальчиков) by the Yugoslavian band Idoli, which was satire describing youth work actions with *a little too much* enthusiasm. It was banned and un-banned multiple times :D

[@hickorymccay2994]

@@nohappypills What does that song title mean?

[@nohappypills]

@@hickorymccay2994 "Young men" in Russian. The lyrics are from the perspective of young factory workers who are *so happy* to work all day, and the the communist dream is more important to them than their livelihoods or the fact they are overworked, basically.

[@SatelliteSoundLab]

Respect. Nostrovia!

[@Shaketetess]

As a Russian I really appreciate you making this video. It is so heart-warming to see people outside of former USSR talking about our culture. Can't wait for part two!

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hi Taysia. Last year I had the pleasure of stumbling across the first Russian rock museum in St. Petersburg. Perhaps this video would be interest to you? Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@ВикторФирсов-е9ф]

It's hard to imagine something more metal then recordings on bone scans

[@slolet]

Очень здорово, что русскоязычная музыка интересна хоть кому-то вне России)

[@Alexeim4]

@Multorum Unum * интересна мне/ интересует меня

[@Mr1122dada]

Да нихера не музыка, а политика, в видео чисто политота как тяжело было в совке и тд. О самой музыке и ее сравнении ничего

[@musikalniyfanboichik]

ну как бы постпанк русский даже более популярен в Бразилии, США и Европе, чем в снг

[@dbf_91]

Если вы посмотрите в комменты то девять из десяти людей здесь из рашки. Если вы дарите свой девушке диск Аркадия Укупника, то вы Аркадий Укупник. Никому русские не нужны

[@slolet]

@@dbf_91 ну да, никому, поэтому вот на англоязычном канале видос про русскоязычную музыку

[@stargazernsk]

As someone knowledgeable in this topic, I can say that your knowledge is impressive. But trying to fit a decade into such a succinct format leaves behind a lot of details, names and events. Especially the eighties and early nineties. The Soviet and Russian underground of this period are several independent scenes, many genres and musical directions. All of them deserve separate consideration. I'm looking forward to the second part.

[@jojo-lp4rd]

Totally agree - and the music must be heard from the artists themselves.

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hi Stanislav. I had the pleasure last year of visiting the first Russian rock museum in St. Petersburg. Perhaps you would appreciate this video. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@williamvonschenk2273]

I wrote a song about the Soviet era rock bands and their views kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@jojo-lp4rd]

@@williamvonschenk2273 Dude, your song is awesome! Sounds great! Terrific work!

[@williamvonschenk2273]

@@jojo-lp4rd Thank you! I love the spirit of music for music sake....and, when you risk your life to do it...extra points!!!

[@OlgaLight13]

90s soviet rock is the ultimate doomer music

[@eldareldar3554]

Россия для грустных хуле

[@Povilaz]

As a person that grew up in a post-soviet country from the early 2000s - this music makes me cry from nostalgia. Since I grew up without a computer or internet (until I was 13 (late 2016)) my uncle always listened to tapes, vinyls, cds etc. of rock and metal music. Mostly non Russian/Soviet rock or metal but still. I am from Lithuania if anyone wonders.

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Here is a music video about the scene your uncle loved! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@zsupersaiyan]

Just want to point out homosexuality wasn't illegal 'for the entire duration of the soviet union'. It was explicitly decriminalised in the 1922 legal code because they believed workers had a right to do whatever they want in their personal life. It was made illegal by Stalin in 1934, under the influence of ideologue Maxim Gorky. On the other hand one of Lenin's right hand men was gay.

[@gerarddalbon]

Actually homosexuality was legal before that too because the October revolution abolished all Tsarist laws including antisemitic and homophobic ones, it was only after 1934 that homosexuality was criminalized again

[@zanderrose]

Which of Lenin’s friends was gay? I knew he decriminalized homosexuality, but I didn’t know about the personal connection

[@kookamunga2458]

I bet there were gays in the Kremlin and kgb in soviet times but they had to be very careful about it .

[@OlavLadnav]

dave schulz they are still there

[@kookamunga2458]

@@OlavLadnav that's good to know thanks .

[@19ThreeLions97]

Kino really is getting popular again in post Soviet countries. Several stations are playing their songs again, Belarussians are singing Peremen. Great.

[@matthewjenkins5436]

One of the most important channels on youtube, you’re doing great work my guy!

[@DissectingtheDisco]

100% agreed!

[@samsonsasshair]

Я согласен с вами, товарищи комрады!

[@williamvonschenk2273]

This video pays homage to rockers behind the iron curtain kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@sassoy3370]

Viktor Tsoi and Igor Letov are legends they live on in our hearts and minds

[@beeragainsthumanity1420]

A friend of mine's father is an astrophysicist and participated in scientist exchanges in the 70s. He would go to the USSR with him and pack as many cassette tapes as he could...he felt it was his duty to give them out to whomever he could. Black Sabbath, RUSH, Rainbow, UFO...etc. He's always been proud of that.

[@boskodelic8907]

There were Yugoslav bands that came to the USSR to perform, for example the band Elektricni Orgazam had a live album Warszawa '81 recorded live in, you guessed it, Warsaw or the band Bajaga i Instruktori that held a 2 month tour in the USSR during the mid 80s and participating in the Moscow Youth Festival of 1985 along with Bijelo Dugme (another Yugoslav band), Everything But A Girl and Bob Dylan

[@harry.tallbelt6707]

Elektricni Orgazam is quite a name :D

[@isteinbergli3510]

The Paket Aranzman album, with music by Elektricni orgazam, Sarlo akrobata and Idoli is definitely an essential record for people interested in these scenes. But my favorite yugoslavian bands are probably Begnagrad and Disciplina Kicme’s early records.

[@boskodelic8907]

@@isteinbergli3510 for me, in terms of new wave, no bands come close to Azra and Ekaterina Velika(EKV) and talking about prog/avant-garde first 2 albums by Buldožer, no doubt in my mind Lyrics play an important role in music by these bands and that is hard for non native speakers to comprehend I guess

[@isteinbergli3510]

While not my favorites, I do like those bands as well. My favorite project by Milan Mladenovic is probably Angel’s Breath, which I really love. Haven’t by far heard everything by EKV, though.

[@kevinwhitman8796]

Fun fact about Flowers (Цветы), one of their more important member is a man who now goes by the name of Stas Namin. His birth name is Anastas Mikoyan. His grandfather, also named Anastas Mikoyan, was an old Bolshevik and one of the Caucaus Trio who remained in power from the time of Lenin until the early Brezhnev era. His granduncle Artem founded the MiG design bureau. Perhaps this played a role in allowing the band to become "official."

[@Symphonicrockfran]

Amazing! Here in Latin America, Rock music also developed during dictatorships. Musicians were censored, arrested and assasinated. Lots of them fled their countries during this time.

[@shano1587]

We need a videp

[@soportetecnicohigoversomas3451]

Some bands in Chile like Pinochet Boys and Electrodomésticos need more recognition!

[@soportetecnicohigoversomas3451]

Also not 100% rock but congreso is a great band that made music during dictatorship in chile

[@felipekuzma]

I know Peru had some rock juice with Pax and some more, here in Brazil things were crazy musically in the 60s and 70s

[@imokin86]

A Soviet pop-rock composer and singer, Alexander Gradsky, wrote a rock opera called The Stadium (Стадион) about the infamous killings at a football stadium in Chile. His work was officially recognized because the Soviets were hard against Pinochet.

[@r3dum877]

Tsoi Zhiv. Oh.. Yeah, its in next episode

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Here is a tune paying homage to the 80's Russian rock scene: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@alexbradford9973]

I can just imagine a Soviet nuclear submarine cruising under an American fleet while the crew is listening to Soviet psychedelic music

[@richardwhiterose5655]

Yeah and now imagine a full fleet of stoner submarines XD

[@dougbennett8592]

@@richardwhiterose5655 We all live in a nuclear submarine, a nuclear submarine, a nuclear submarine!"

[@AlexanderKorotkov42]

Thank you for this. My grandparents were Rock musicians in the 1980's I cherish the recordings they brought out with them. I only have 2 records and a tape of a live performance but I remember stories my grandmother told me about smuggling records when on tour in Poland

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Here is a music video about the scene your parents loved-- kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@jan_Travis]

YES YOU MENTIONED THE PLASTIC PEOPLE. Such an underrated group. Americans really need to listen to their stuff and stuff like that. You may not understand what they're saying but their playing is so powerful and emotional.

[@TheEliera]

They are so cool! These are my favorite from underground scene here.

[@jan_Travis]

@@TheEliera love em to death! The Plastics are amazing!

[@nicholasscott350]

In 1972 I was working for the United States Information Agency as an employee for the Research and Development USA exhibit in Volgograd and Kazan. We were supplied with dozens of LP records for free distribution to anyone who came to the exhibit. All were by American music groups including the Jefferson Airplane. The Russians were disappointed to learn that we did not have any British albums, which were very popular due to the BBC broadcasting music over short wave radio.

[@Pumpahuvudet]

Homosexuality was not illegal in the USSR until Stalin enacted a new law in 1933, the law also only mentioned men.

[@Bandsplaining]

You're right, that was my mistake. Lenin apparently didn't have the same concerns about homosexuality as Stalin.

[@ivanivan3228]

please don't forget to say about Yanka Dyagileva (Янка Дягилева). I think that she was very close to delta blues.. i mean the conception of her music, vocals and lyrics.. the period of time was difficult.. and her fate was terrifying.. btw love your content

[@Sofi.794]

Да, ее редко вспоминают

[@williamvonschenk2273]

This tune/video pays homage to the Russian rockers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@ernstevideosfurernstemensc8602]

Love yanka such an sad story behind her and her Musik tho 😔 her music is amazing

[@ranjanbiswas3233]

Wait? Delta Blues aka Southern Blues in Soviet times? 😲That's so freaking cool. 😲😲

[@imokin86]

The VIA at 3:45 is Ariel (Ариэль), one of my faves! A unique blend of prog and traditional folk music, worth checking out. The song name is Любите струны гитар - Appreciate (lit. love) the Guitar Strings.

[@imanofaction]

My fav is Гражданская Оборона (Grazdanskaya Oborona) or GROB for short which means coffin. They play punk rock/trash will surely appear in the next episode. Thanks to the abstract lyrics their song are still popular.

[@dinamobabel]

Why did I just discover this channel today? I discovered Zamrock thanks to your video, and it's so cool to find out couple videos about two things I love such as Tuareg blues rock and Soviet rock. Would be interested in knowing more about Yugorock, Turkisch psychedelic rock and Vietnamese rock'n'roll. Yeah, that sounds just like the lyrics from Joe Strummer's Global a Go Go.

[@mikolasstrajt3874]

There is dedicated channel for Turkish rock called "Anatolian rock revival project". Also, some of the eastern electronic music (mainly synthpop) is (among other things) collected at "Are Sounds Elektrik?" channel.

[@Artur_M.]

Awesome! Can't wait for the part two. You definitely have a new subscriber in me. It would be great to see a similar video about Poland and maybe other countries of the "Eastern Block".

[@sorrycharlie5773]

Pretty frkn cool 😎

[@АндрейИванов-х8ю5и]

Thank you, from Russia with love

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Hey! I wrote a song/video about the Soviet rock scene... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@baronsaturday9529]

Here in Holland there's this band called 'Soviet Sex', does anybody in Russia know it? I know NL is tiny against your country, but who knows....?

[@mu-soguy]

Good video, but you left out a very important part of the story: Jazz-Rock Ensemble Arsenal. Starting in Moscow in late '73, they would perform jazz instrumentals as well as music from Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, and selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar". That's right, _Jesus Christ Superstar_ in 1970's USSR. Story goes they got so popular with the youth scene that after a riot at one of their shows in '74 they were banned from performing in Moscow. Later in '76 they were offered an official position as the Kaliningrad Philharmonic's jazz orchestra, and sometime near the end of the decade their ban from Moscow was lifted. Although at this time their show had become solely instrumental and less typical rock music. I think they were a massive part of Soviet rock and are totally left out of this video.

[@nikitalane5543]

Arsenal are my favorite Jazz-Rock/Fusion band from the Soviet Union. The story of Soviet Rock is really big so it is very easy to leave out many great bands (that is why I am currently working on a list).

[@mu-soguy]

@@nikitalane5543 I also think Arsenal are amazing, maybe one of the top 10 bands I've ever heard. Not only for the fact that their origin story is so admirable, the compositional style of the members and the way the group evolved as a dynamo fusion/prog ensemble are an absolute gem to behold. Especially their stuff from '77-'80 is insane. Here's a playlist I made of all the Arsenal tracks available on KZbin from 1974-1982: kzbin.info/aero/PLNydF6feEkZpXITRFezQ5xbq-I7o9gAK9

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

There's a joke circulating the Russian internet nowadays, it goes something like this: In the Soviet days three bands were forbidden by the authorities: Aquarium, Time Machine and DDT. The same three bands are forbidden nowadays too!

[@addler5342]

wanting for "grazhdanskaja oborona"

[@GhortTheGreat]

Yeah, the plastic world has already won, so just wait for a little bit

[@Rodq]

@YaKefir that's the point

[@reinis2536]

@YaKefir all siberian punk is weird and unique

[@reinis2536]

@YaKefir he is. Just listen albums like poganaja molodhezh, nekrofilija, krasnij albom, tak zakalaljas stalj, toshnota, russkoje pole eksperimentov, and all albums from 85-90.

[@arty5876]

@@reinis2536 maybe because Siberian Punk is a factually Punk Grunge ?

[@GabiGris]

Those soviet official band's lyrics look pretty much like an MC5 lyric 🤣❤️

[@kasparkado7303]

The first real deal "homosexual act" on Soviet television was actually performed by Auktyon (which is a superb band to this day) in 1989, when dancer Vladimir Vesyolkin showed his butt in g-strings to comrades all across the Union. You can check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmiUiI2Qm5mSfKM Vesyolkin was also the one who persuaded most of the rock scene of that time to sign a petition for decriminalization of same sex relationships (excluding Konstantin Kinchev from "Alisa", he always was a douche). And soon after homosexuality stopped being a crime in the early post-Soviet Russia. Can't wait to see Part 2, hope it will include Siberian punk (Letov, Yanka Dyagileva), pure genious Kuryokhin and his Pop-Mekhanika, and maybe lesser-known Komitet Ohrany Tepla with their cold dark reggae: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqG4oJSPp8eSba8 Thanks for the great video, keep it going!

[@Skimeric]

Currently participating in a think tank with a research focus on Soviet Underground music (Primarily Rock). You did an amazing job. Thanks for your quality work.

[@imokin86]

Brilliant job! As a Russian who grew up with this music, I applause your research and your choice of images. The pronunciation of names is quite good, although not perfect. (I'll be happy to help if you need any consultation with names or translations from Russian). Are you going to mention the lyrical style? Russian rock was known for the poetic qualities of its lyrics, sometimes written by "literary" poets rather than bands themselves. And you're right in saying the music is generally not happy. There were very few, if any, songs about sex, money or fast cars. Even love songs were few. It wasn't all doom and gloom, but these people were definitely serious about their messages.

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hi Igor. If you didn't know, in St. Petersburg there is the first Russian rock museum, which I stumbled across last year. Perhaps this video would be of interest to you? Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@imokin86]

@@bordersonbudgets thanks, I've only heard that it exists, never visited it.

[@bordersonbudgets]

@@imokin86 Pleasure. Yes, I stumbled across that museum when stepping inside the Museum of Contemporary Art. After hearing the music, I knew it would be a good film for my channel. Yes, go ahead and watch. Drop a comment too, feedback is always appreciated.

[@MuriloFerreira]

Do one about Brazil's rock scene. It exists

[@ilovevloging100]

KINO is truly my favorite band, a lot of it’s appeal for us Eastern Europe kids came from the slavic vibe that it gave of, in this americanization of all media there is still something truly ours, something that survived after all these years, something entirely slavic. I think that that whole vibe of slavic spirit, the rebellion of the youth and nostalgia is what kept the music alive and beloved for so long.

[@ilovevloging100]

The Hanging Garden his father is a son of a North Korean immigrants who settled in Kazakhstan before his father was even born. Later the singers dad moved to Moscow and got married and that’s how the singer was born. The singer name is Viktor Tsoi and the last name is like a russianized version of common korean last name Choi. He has korean roots but is entirely russian, Russia is a very diverse country considering it’s enormous size. :) I hope this helps 💖

[@weirdofromspace2828]

I don’t think it’s really that Slavic to be honest, you can hear a lot of influence of Cure and Joy Division in KINO music, both British bands, btw, but KINO are truly great. And I think those influences is also what made Kino that good, because both The Cure and Division are iconic legendary bands.

[@ilovevloging100]

Daria Sandulenko yeah I understand the influences other British band had but in my opinion they did make it into something uniquely their own. Slavic vibe isn’t in my opinion as much as the unique music sound rather it is a feeling, the themes of it and how it in a sense represented the picture of its times (and today tbh) that is at the end uniquely our own that westerners cant really replicate. I have no idea if this makes sense to you lol 😂

[@weirdofromspace2828]

Evil bird totally agreed with you on this one, KINO is really a stand alone band, and they always will remain one of my favorite bands. It makes me happy that so many people love or listening KINO.

[@tomc2788]

Evil bird i don’t really want to mislead you, but you’d be carefull and never forget about this: KINO not only influenced by “The Cure” etc, bat just copied their songs. For example, “Закрой за мной дверь, я ухожу 1986» (KINO) and “Play for Today, 1980” (The Cure); “Перемен 1989” (KINO) and “Barbarism begins at home 1985” (The Smiths). There are actually so much examples of cases of plagiasm in history of KINO. It ok to listen to them, but never forget about it

[@doaa7941]

America in the 1920s: smuggling booze The Soviet Union: smuggling music

[@parkercushingable]

They would've saved the SU by allowing rock music and levi's.

[@parkercushingable]

Oh and pizza hut

[@nikitalane5543]

@@parkercushingable And the Die Hard movies

[@CubensisRecords]

Amazing to have all these footage, thank you for your research, can't wait for part 2.

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Here is a song that celebrates bands risking life 4 🎶🧨🎙❤ kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@bluesdjben]

This channel is really cool. You've done some great research to illuminate these music scenes that we don't know much about in America. I'm always interested to see how music develops in different places.

[@VladimirsSilins]

Yay, even Sipoli were mentioned! BTW, there's a 1993 movie starring Donald Sutherland (angry KGB officer) called Red Hot about early days of R'N'R coming to the USSR, it also has scenes regarding "Rib's music" and the action takes place in my hometown Riga, Latvia (part of USSR back then).

[@sorrycharlie5773]

Good to hear..!!! Will check it out.. thanks..😎

[@ash9280]

I think Lenin actually legalized homosexuality.

[@parasatc8183]

It was made illegal under Stalin and thereafter.

[@johnspooner1403]

Canadian boy here. Time Machine (Mashina Vremeni) were, to my understanding, huge. My wife's favourite band back in the day. When they came through Seattle a few years ago, of course we had to go. Didn't understand a word, but I still got it.

[@ВанечкаЗвезда]

Bewere that Artemy Troitsky has very biased view, in paticular he praises Kino and Akvarium and shits Grazhdanskaya Oborona, i can assure you that the later is as much important and influential to russian people and musicians as Kino

[@modkujs2923]

У Троицкого с годами все больше крыша едет)

[@Bandsplaining]

I did notice that GrOb was completely absent from his book "Back in the USSR", but I made sure to cover them anyway in part 2, along with several others that Troitsky didn't write about. His book was super helpful, especially in how nicely it laid out a timeline of Soviet rock, but it was only one of many sources I ended up using.

[@nikola12nis]

@@Bandsplaining Hey, could you recommend me some books about the whole Soviet rock music thing, as i've been listening to it for the past 4-5 years, and have listened to most of it (Yes, literally, most of it), but I don't speak that much of Russian, being from Serbia, the languages are kinda similar, but differ quite a bit. I want to know the backstory more wholesome than the one read from a random internet article, as this music did play a great part in my life during highschool and university.

[@ИльяГранат-н9щ]

@@Bandsplaining thank you, a lot of work have done

[@Bandsplaining]

@@nikola12nis Sure thing! The aforementioned "Back in the USSR" by Artemy Troitsky is super detailed and helpful to learn about a long list of bands. And you can actually rent the ebook free from archive.org. I also used "What About Tomorrow? An Oral History of Russian Punk," and "Punk in Russia" by Gololobov, Pilkington & Steinholt -- the latter of which is more of an academic paper. Another comment recommended "Rock and Roll in the Rocket City: The West, Identity, and Ideology in Soviet Dniepropetrovsk, 1960-1985," although I have read this one. I'd also recommend checking out the movie Leto from 2018. It's a live action film about the 1980s Leningrad scene, based around Maik Naumenko and Victor Tsoi. It's pretty experimental and takes a lot of creative liberties, but I think it's still fairly realistic with its portrayal of the rock club? Also super fun to watch.

[@spicebag30]

In part two... He does talk about punk at some point doesn't he?

[@parasatc8183]

Punk and post-punk played a gigantic part in the USSR's rock scene, so it will definitely be discussed in the series

[@Ivan-qf1lj]

Egor Letov is literally in the thumbnail of course he will

[@spicebag30]

@@Ivan-qf1lj you can sleep happily tonight knowing that you've made some sad fucks evening slightly better

[@emilycalvert4195]

I love your videos! You can tell there's lots of research and effort behind them. I'm not a musician and have never learned much about the history of music, but you have really sparked my interest with these videos.

[@VKovchik]

Wow, this is really great and well reaserched video. As a Russian and also soviet rock lover, i didn't even see much of the footage of concerts, that you shown. That's really rare, that non-Russian person doesn't fuck up one way or another while talking about Russian culture. Great job, man!

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hi Victor. Last year I had the pleasure of stumbling across Russia's first rock museum in St. Petersburg. Perhaps this video would be of interest to you? Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@geocentrizm9305]

Уже жду рассказа про Егора Летова во второй части...

[@薔薇-k2m]

Про то как он в тайге прятался

[@sabikdaosum]

Hey man, nice to see someone explore music from different corners of the world. On that note, Bangladesh, although a small country has had a rough political history which gave rise to a unique underground rock scene back in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I'd be glad to see you explore bangladeshi rock in a future video. Notable bands include Souls, Feedback, Miles, Warfaze, LRB, Rockstrata, ark etc. These are the more prominent and famous bands. There are several other less famous but amazing bands. As it suggests, I'm a Bangladeshi and would be proud to see someone take an interest in our music.

[@Namburiadityasairam2605]

I'd love to see him cover more desi content, South Asia as a whole as I'm from India

[@Thunderous117]

Can’t wait for the sequel and some anthem and kino, Tsoi was the best and it’s a real shame we just lost Oleg Parastaev

[@schniT_T]

I'm assuming аукцЫон will be in part 2

[@comrademanda6326]

Homosexuality wasn't banned in USSR

[@firstlast-pq1tx]

What periods wasnt it banned, because it was banned during one period of the ussr

[@comrademanda6326]

@@firstlast-pq1tx it was banned around ww2 for some time because they called it "fascist"

[@DrikusRoor]

@@firstlast-pq1tx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_history_in_Russia#Soviet_Union

[@amiciprocul8501]

@@comrademanda6326 Ooof

[@EsquireR]

Только выпуск Редакции про рок-клуб посмотрел и подумал, что это рекомендация ютьюба

[@draindroid9980]

Talk about Les Rallies Denudes the bassist hijacked a plane in the 70s and the lead singer has been hiding from authorities due to there connection with the Japanese Red Army. In my opinion they are the best to come out of Japan in the 70s

[@draindroid9980]

Peruano ML my favourite band 🙃

[@gaptooth2164]

waiting to see Kino/Кино́ in part 2

[@Maschinenhersteller]

Виктор Цой 😍🥰 единственное певец и его песни всегда у меня телефоне в машине и в моём мозге.В любом ситуации в любом ауре в любом погоде только можно слушать Цоя.Вот такой легендой был он

[@fyodorx5428]

Whoa, it's not actually telling any story of 1970s Soviet rock *music*. Admittedly, it's difficult to research, because very few recordings survive, and it's difficult to separate from the official VIA scene, but still, just a couple examples. A 1974 heavy psychedelic jam by Удачное Приобретение: wC8Ha_NhW4o A 1977 documentary about rock music, the first two song by Рубиновая атака: gA0AMOmoNXU A 1972 performance by Leonid Berger: BKLGL6JC7Wc This song, with a guitar solo by Konstantin Nikolsky: fXSqQSZIYVI Жар-птица covering Машина времени: 3Zwtmz7ds9Y This compilation album by Alexander Gradsky and Скоморохи: rGCKGdVOoF8

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hi Fyodor. Last year I had the pleasure of stumbling across the first Russian rock museum in St. Petersburg. Here is my video. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@biggerproblems]

Looking forward to/hoping for word on later/perestroika era bands like Агата Кристи, ДДТ, пикник. Also Янка and Игор would be good inclusions. Может быть зоопарка тоже.

[@german_malter]

10:57 Adam Sendler?

[@kamera-snyato]

Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh he is😄😄😄😆

[@andbelov]

Какая музыка на радио Свобода, простите? Там старпёры 24/7 вещали политоту.

[@панькоПасичник]

Это точно некоторые до сих пор там работают

[@kilyaproductions1385]

Ты то откуда знаешь? Лично слушал?

[@marinaprotasova5766]

Dозможно, автор перепутал, и на самом деле радио называлось "Голос Америки". Моя мама в 6 утра по Иркутску крутила тумблер радиолы, чтоб поймать Led Zeppelin

[@deadbread8446]

А где тонны русских комментариев и всё такое

[@gg3675]

“You could make real art and not make a living, or play pop crap that was tightly controlled by a large bureaucratic institution.” That sounds familiar

[@VKovchik]

Zvuki Mu is really something from another planet. Can't wait to see them in part 2.

[@stevekelly2018]

Love Zvuki Mu, have to listen to Rough Sunset every day lol, cleans my head of sleep in the mornings

[@VKovchik]

@@stevekelly2018 Me and my band mate saw their leader Pyotr Mamonov live last November. He was alone and half of the gig he played classic zvuki mu tracks and the other half red his poetry and preached Christianity with almost medieval devotion, which is kinda funny considering his punk lifestyle and zvuki mu lyrics. Anyway it was great to see him doing well at this age.

[@VKovchik]

Did you know by the way that he is a great actor? In Russia he is mostly known as that. Check out films Остров/Island, and Царь/Tsar, where he plays Ivan the Terrible!

[@starley1978]

Песни Петруши Мамонова не все носители русского языка понять способны) Для англоговорящих Звуки Му вообще не переводимы - нет культурно-социальных аналогий. Виктор, не надрывайся так ;)

[@thstguy8023]

Yegor Letov is my guy!!!!

[@atuka9759]

90’s Georgia(not state) was great place for rock bands

[@nikitalane5543]

Retsepti is a great Georgian band, not sure if 80's or 90's though.

[@trainrover]

My favourite researcher with actual news 🍸

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Here is a video inspired by such Iron Curtain bands 🎶🎸 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@epoci]

My dad told me stories that in 1970-1980, late at night he would record songs from western radio stations and then he with friends would play it in school dances. I even have one of those gray boxy machines from start of the video at home. Very interesting to learn that that was the point of those radio stations

[@Feedbackking13]

Manufacturing consent covers why unbiased news and uncensored isn't possible

[@brunoactis1104]

I think you should have explained more about why exactly were they banned. Why were those bands ideologically questionable. You can make Hitler look good using the rethoric of vaguely saying things that support a worldview but no explaining more.

[@sisyphusvasilias3943]

0:25 yeh but what about "sanctioned" pop music? Did you think the Radio/TV stations played exclusively Tchaikovsky and Balalaika Folk Music? Did you think they banned pop and rock bands entirely?..... Genuinely curious...the absurdity of US propaganda about Russia amazes me and it continues or is getting even worse today....I've seen NUMEROUS US Senators/Congresspeople who think Russia is Communist TODAY!!! and even HONEST TRAILERS thinks Russian Censorship is like China's which is laughable as US censorship is significantly more overt and oppressive than Contemporary Russia's

[@nehla3627]

Do you think you could do a video on Indian psychadelic rock in the 70s?

[@ilookedintohiseyesandiseen7320]

Best channel on the tube man

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Yes. Celebrating artists risking lives for 🎶🎸🎙🧨! Listen: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpOvm3yqpZKpr7c

[@starroving6464]

Gulags didn’t exist in 1970s, saying that they’ll go to gulag if they break rules is total bs

[@anfrac3700]

The last gulag closed in 1987.

[@gustavskarlismikelsons4295]

Vinny Gulags were ended during Khruschev. Dissident musicians could still face prison sentences or other punishments, but a gulag was not one of them.

[@mas851]

Really cool video, its so interesting to hear about different music genres and periods from around the world, keep up the good work!!!!

[@carick235]

You should do video about Yugoslav rock scene. Yugo was also communist country but it was, unlike Soviet block, open to the West and their influence, so basically comunist government didn't prevent in any way rock scene development (there were even Punk bands, first in some commie country, type "Pankrti" for a slice of it) many are not aware of so many fantastic bands just because of language barrier.

[@dougjaffray-StMoP-]

Gulags were abolished in 1960. No one wouldve been sent to a gulag. Also gulags were childsplay compared to US prisons.

[@R107]

What can one really say? Absolutely brilliant man

[@roadman_hanzi]

Ngl , once a man said: Better be a pig rather than a fascist. Soviet russia was interesting and for the better or worse offered competition to America which lead to scientific races and stuff

[@Bandsplaining]

Calling it right now, @3:33 the member of singing guitars at the front is totally a long-lost cousin of Bob Odenkirk.

[@r3dum877]

Better call..?

[@globalSchelmuffsky]

nah, his jaw line is too strong

[@TheJulioGulio]

lesson learned: Unsubbed from Grudge and Subbed to Bandsplaining

[@faith-1335]

not sure if this is up your ally but if you could look into doing a video on Les Rallizes Denudes that would cool! there's a lot of mystery surrounding them and they've made some killer records

[@russellst.martin4255]

Needed the red checkmark to be heard back then, now it's blue.

[@the_miracle_aligner]

I was just starting to dip my toes into Russian rock and as always, when I start getting into a specific music scene, You just nail it with these videos which you uncannily release around the same time my obsession with a specific scene is peaking. Keep up the good work mah man, this channel is truly a blessing ❤❤

[@bordersonbudgets]

Hey Miracle. When visiting St. Petersburg last year, I stumbled across the first Russian rock museum. Here is my video. Enjoy! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppKVip9paLqYmMU

[@kafici]

victor tsoi , bandcalled kino and a movie needle

[@SadkoLitsky]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGmWgYasmbiMeKs&feature=emb_logo

[@ranjanbiswas3233]

Hmm, now I understand why people of former soviet states are so wholesome in comment sections of 50s-90s western music videos. They appreciate all sorts of music. 😍😍 I feel like a spoiled brat here 😥

[@classicalroach]

Цвети is pronounced "tsvehti" not "tsveeti" Really nice video though, thanks!

[@pug1man]

I guess you could say it's pronounced tsvety (ы не и), but I guess that's unpronounceable for anyone other than Slavs anyway

[@500wwat]

Дядька а где Сектор Газа? Но зато ты показал группу Цветы, которая относится к року так же, как Арнольд Шварцнеггер к балету.

[@russianfunkerroma]

А к чему?

[@Mudman_mudgrass_mudleaf]

W A I T Y O U W H E R E T R Y I N G T O S A Y Ц В Е Т Ы ? ! It should be pronounced Tsvyety, not Sveeeeeeeteeeeee

[@broodjeal-cohol5033]

11:46 is not true, it was illegal from the time of Stalin till the end but there was a very small timeframe during Lenin's rule when it was legal.

[@ulziitegshrinchinsuren1584]

my father used to live and study in Russia in late 80's he was super fan of Russian post punk music 💜🤘 he still have Gruppa Krovi album💜🤘

[@SadkoLitsky]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGmWgYasmbiMeKs&feature=emb_logo

[@dimitrijefilipovic1537]

Hey man, I like yor videos. I would like you to make a video about the Yugoslav rock scene.