Russian rock
Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960's and quickly broke free from its western roots.
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History
The early 60's
Prior to the late sixties, music in the Soviet Union was divided into two groups: music published by the Melodia, and everything else. Under this second group were the bards, underground folk singer-songwriters. People such as Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava wrote free and unregulated music. At the same time, some western music (mostly the Beatles) was being smuggled across the border, gaining much popularity.
The late 60's and 70's
The first native bands appeared around 1966, and grew popular in spite of governmental restrictions. This continued into the 1980s, when amateur bands gained some success, but were still hampered by state regulators, who did not allow them to officially recorded. There were also restrictions on lyrical content. Underground bands evolved during this time, including Pojuschie Gitary (the singing guitars). This was the band that started the VIA movement, and were followed by Tcvety, Golubiye Gitary,Pyesnary and Sinyaya Ptica.
In the early 1970s, artists like Yuri Morozov invented a kind of Russian psychedelic rock, using elements of progressive rock as well.
The 80's and 90's
In the 1980s an underground scene of rock artists emerged. Such bands as Kino, Mashina Vremeni, Aquarium and DDT were influential in the development of the genre, with the consequent artists copying their style. Many of the 80s bands are still active and popular among Russian youth. The term Russian rock often refers to the particular sound of these bands.
Present day
In the late 1990s a new wave of pop rock artists (Mumii Troll, Zemfira, Zveri) appeared. A radiostation Nashe Radio has been created to promote Russian rock artists, broadcasting in all major Russian cities.
The alternative rock scene is quite small in comparison, although some heavy metal (Ariya), punk rock (Korol i Shut, Naiv) and ska (Leningrad) bands have gained mainstream popularity.
Characteristics
Russian rock tends to be far lighter and softer than Western rock. Unconventional instruments have always been used in addition to the standard electric guitars and drums. Many songs of the most popular Russian rock bands would not even be classified as rock by Western listeners.
Considering its poetic roots, it is not a big surprise that lyrics play a far larger role in Russian rock than Western rock. The popular Western genre of Christian rock does not exist, but most bands have numerous religious songs, based on the Orthodox faith.
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