Tag: 1980s
-
Aquarium — The Triangle (1981)
When you want something—not consciously, but with your whole being—it comes true. In the spring and summer of 1981, in a studio that quite literally fell from the sky into…
-
Ole Lukkoye
The experimental band Ole Lukkøye (often just “Ole Lukoje”) formed in 1989 by keyboardist Boris Bardash and bassist Andrei Lavrinenko after their stint in the art-rock group Season of Rain.…
-
The “Archive of Popular Music” Series
The series started in 1987 with a little-known line called “Rock Archive,” which had just three LPs: Deep Purple — Smoke on the Water, Elton John — Your Song, and…
-
Aquarium — Radio Africa (1983)
Two summers had already gone by with mass late-night bike rides through the then-popular resort of Solnechnoye (see Music of the Silver Spokes). That’s how the album began — first in…
-
Aquarium — Thirst (1987)
One of the first 7-inch rock albums legally published on Melodiya, recorded by Tropillo. About a year after 10 arrows, Alexander Florensky was asked to design another record — this…
-
Aquarium — 10 Arrows (1986)
The studio went under renovation (as it turned out later—forever), but the songs demanded immediate recording. (Maybe I’m wrong, but it always seemed to me that if a song is…
-
Alexander Florensky — Artist & Designer
Painter, illustrator, and co-founder of the St. Petersburg group “Mitki,” Alexander Florensky grew up on traded tapes, hosted an early Viktor Tsoi living-room show (which he taped), came up with…
-
Aquarium — Blue Album (1981)
In the summer of 1980, a barely familiar figure named Andrey Tropillo appeared out of nowhere and said, “I’ll help you.” The first sign of that help was a homemade…
-
Andrey Usov: Photographer and Cover Designer of Soviet Rock
In the Soviet underground, album art wasn’t just for show—it was a key part of getting music out there. Striking covers and band portraits helped bootleg reels travel, stick in…
-
Zoopark (The Zoo)
Zoopark was one of the most influential bands to come out of the Soviet rock underground, and its leader, singer-songwriter Mike Naumenko, is still a huge figure in Russian rock…