One of the oldest rock bands from the Soviet Union is Aquarium. The group’s composer has changed several times, with only the band’s lead singer, Boris Grebenshchikov, remaining in place. He also served as an ideological inspiration to the band and was nicknamed “the godfather of Russian rock.” Anatoly has been a part of the group since the founding in 1972, and we couldn’t be more pleased that he’s still with us today.
Grebenshchikov’s contribution to Russian rock music was invaluable. There was no well-developed vocabulary of this type before he started influencing its development. Furthermore, the band managed to cling to such a way of raising its fame as constant release of its own music. Andrey Tropillo’s decision to work with Aquarium has had a big impact on their success. The group has been around for a long time and they’ve gone through many changes, but they’re still just as popular today.
The first magnetic album was recorded in 1974. Musicians used a series of ordinary household items like a blender and electric skillet to create the recording, called ‘The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium.’ It wasn’t officially released until 1997. This album also features entries from “The Parables of Count Diffuser” (1974) and “On the Other Side of the Mirror Glass” (1976). It’s believed that in 1975 the musicians recorded another work, “The Minuet to the Farmer”.
The beginning of studio activity.
In 1979, Grebenshchikov met the Leningrad sound engineer, Andrei Tropillo. This legendary man is famous for having recorded all the first albums of the Leningrad Rock Club. He recorded Kino’s albums, Alisa’s album and more. All these albums were recorded in his studio.
The band began its career in the studio with “The Blue Album” in 1981, followed by “Triangle” in 1983. Both albums are considered to be Russian rock classics. In March of the same year, the Aquarium joined the newly-founded Leningrad Rock Club which helped them to legitimize. In 1982 with an expanded line-up, the group recorded its debut album “Taboo”. A year later – “Radio Africa”.
“Blue Album” 1981
If you like reggae, then this album will be right up your street. There’s a couple of tracks that make mention to the genre and the track “Rutilman”, named after Ras Michael, is worth a listen. Boris Grebenshchikov believes this to be a special album as it was the first album where he had plenty of creative freedom and was also very successful because of its ‘raw’ nature. Here, he was able to make an authentic-sounding album that really stood out. I wanted the listener to feel like they were on a train ride, or lost in the woods. These are places that usually evoke certain associations and emotions. The intent was to paint a picture by means of atmosphere – a postcard from autumn and winter. All songs are connected with those experiences.
The album cover has no story but was created organically. There was a photo shoot in the elevator shaft of one of the buildings on Liteiny Prospekt, where they go to visit their former sound engineer, Marat Hayrapetyan. The pictures, which were attached to the tapes with Moment glue, had bled all over the tapes. I could see exactly what happened. The album was manually recorded on vinyl as an outer end of boxes was sealed with blue stripes cut from construction paper.
“Radio Silence” 1989
The album was first released in 1989 and recorded in the US, the UK, and Canada. It has been at 198 on the Billboard 200 charts for a while now.
The music in this album feels like it would fit right in with the rock songs and pop music that were popular during the 1980’s. Ten of the 12 songs on Radio Silence are in English, which is very unexpected- most bands write all their songs in their native language. Despite all the success that BG had on Letterman’s TV show, The album was not a commercially successful hit – interestingly enough, it’s worth listening to now. He wrote some great songs in foreign languages, and his relentless style is still the same at a time when computers and synthesizers replaced it.
Boris Grebenshchikov about the album: “Critics in Russia don’t like Radio Silence because it doesn’t take the first place everywhere and doesn’t look like Aquarium, thus confirming the primacy of Soviet rock over everything else. They’re right.” The RS actually ruined itself from its own success, since the fall of 1986.
“Russian album” 1992
The album is not just a rock record. Folk themes are also prominent on the disc. The most famous songs on it – ‘Nikita Ryazansky’, ‘Burlak’ and ‘The Empress’-are heavy with Russian soul and history, making them instantly relatable to listeners all around the world. The album was released during an uncertain time in the country and the pain of losing a loved one is audible on many of the tracks. Songs like “The Empress”, “Horses of Lawlessness” and 8-minute long “Wolves and Crows” throw listeners into turmoil, so it’s best not to listen to this if you have a sensitive disposition.
“Careless Russian tramp” 2006
“Careless Russian Tramp” by Aquarium was released in 2006 and features a mix of genres – from ballads to dance. It offers listeners a varied musical experience. Many critics argue that the Aquarium operates as a luxurious musical palette in “The Careless Russian Tramp” and is full of images- from finished, but still thought-provoking alcoholics.
The album features about 30 different musical instruments. For example, guitars and violins were used in compositions, as well as exotic instruments like the duduk, congas and more.
Boris Grebenshchikov: “At the Tramp, the Aquarium freely experiments, without being tied to genres and styles. Therefore, there are also Celtic melodies; electronics; surreal humor; and everything that they always loved. For various reasons.”
“Mom, I can’t drink anymore” – “Glasses” – as these songs loved by the people are already decades old, let’s remember that they came out relatively recently. Among their beloved hits is also the most beautiful song “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”
Aquarium was one of the earliest rock bands in the USSR and had a great influence on a whole generation. Grebenshchikov’s figure turned into a cult figure for some people. The lyrics of “Aquarium” are often discussed in literature, print media, etc.