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"Akvarium" redirects here. It is also a nickname for a building at the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)

The Foreign Intelligence Service Unlike the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the SVR is responsible for intelligence and espionage activities outside the Russian Federation....
, or that secret service
Secret service

Because of both the secrecy of secret services and the controversial nature of the issues involved, there is some difficulty in separating the definitions of secret service, secret police, intelligence agency etc....
 as an organization.


Aquarium is a Russian rock
Russian rock

Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia and/or in Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots....
 group, formed in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov
Boris Grebenshchikov

Boris Grebenshchikov also known as Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov, is one of the most prominent members of the generation which is widely considered the "founding fathers" of Russian rock music....
, then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly (George) Gunitsky
Anatoly Gunitsky

Anatoly Avgustovich Gunitsky also known as George and Stariy Rocker is a Russian writer, journalist and poet, one of the founders of "Aquarium " rock group....
, then a playwright and absurdist poet.

he 1970s and early 1980's, rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 was strictly regulated in the Soviet Union and,only a few artists managed to be approved and signed by the government record label Melodiya
Melodiya

Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major Record industry of the Soviet Union....
, and Aquarium's usual concert venues were private apartments while facing many years of fierce competition to land a spot in the label.






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Encyclopedia


"Akvarium" redirects here. It is also a nickname for a building at the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)

The Foreign Intelligence Service Unlike the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the SVR is responsible for intelligence and espionage activities outside the Russian Federation....
, or that secret service
Secret service

Because of both the secrecy of secret services and the controversial nature of the issues involved, there is some difficulty in separating the definitions of secret service, secret police, intelligence agency etc....
 as an organization.


Aquarium is a Russian rock
Russian rock

Russian rock refers to rock music made in Russia and/or in Russian language. Rock and roll became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its western roots....
 group, formed in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a types of inhabited localities in Russia and a federal subjects of Russia of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea....
 in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov
Boris Grebenshchikov

Boris Grebenshchikov also known as Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov, is one of the most prominent members of the generation which is widely considered the "founding fathers" of Russian rock music....
, then a student of Applied Mathematics at Leningrad State University, and Anatoly (George) Gunitsky
Anatoly Gunitsky

Anatoly Avgustovich Gunitsky also known as George and Stariy Rocker is a Russian writer, journalist and poet, one of the founders of "Aquarium " rock group....
, then a playwright and absurdist poet.

History

In the 1970s and early 1980's, rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 was strictly regulated in the Soviet Union and,only a few artists managed to be approved and signed by the government record label Melodiya
Melodiya

Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major Record industry of the Soviet Union....
, and Aquarium's usual concert venues were private apartments while facing many years of fierce competition to land a spot in the label. These "apartment concerts" (???????????) were a unique Soviet phenomenon, created by underground musicians. They were usually "unplugged", as noise would cause the neighbors to alert the authorities. The limited space fostered an atmosphere of intimacy between the group and its audience, listening with bated breath, with perhaps someone recording it on a simple tape recorder. This was similar to the concepts of the Russian bards
Bard (Soviet Union)

The term bard came to be used in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, and continues to be used in Russia today, to refer to singer-songwriters who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment....
, however Aquarium were admittedly much more influenced by Western rock music, particularly by The Beatles
The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
, Bob Dylan, David Bowie
David Bowie

David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s....
,T.Rex, progressive rock
Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." The term "art rock" is often used interchangeably with "progressive rock", but while there are crossovers between the two genres, they are not identical....
 acts Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)

Jethro Tull are a United Kingdom rock music group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the songs, vocals and flute work of Ian Anderson , who has led the band since its founding, and guitarist Martin Barre, who has #Lineups....
, King Crimson
King Crimson

King Crimson are an English progressive rock band founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969.They have typically been categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, although they incorporate diverse influences ranging from jazz, European classical music and experimental music to psychedelic music, New Wave mu...
 and Roxy Music
Roxy Music

Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry . The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson ....
 and also new wave
New Wave music

New Wave is a genre of rock music which originated from the late 1970s. It emerged from punk rock as a reaction against the popular music of the 1970s....
 and reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
 artists. Thus their compositions were considerably more complex and their lyrics covered a broader range of topics, showcasing Grebenshchikov's notable erudition in Celt
Celt

Celts , is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic languages. The term is also used in a wider sense to describe the Modern Celts of those peoples, notably those who participate in a Celtic culture....
ic and India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n cultures, among other things.

Until 1987 Aquarium recorded all of their albums in live concerts and in a self-assembled underground studio (several members had engineering education) disguised as a "Young Technicians Club" (for the album Radio Africa (1983) a government-owned mobile studio was secretly used, after bribing a technician). Despite those hard conditions, the recording quality was rather high and Aquarium's albums between 1980 and 1987 are considered by most fans as their best.

The advent of Glasnost
Glasnost

was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of 1980s....
 in 1985 brought many underground Russian rock musicians to public recognition and Aquarium became one of the most popular acts. They were allowed to play in large concert halls, appeared on the state-owned television and recorded soundtracks for several films, most notably ASSA . In 1987 they recorded their first album for the state-owned Melodiya
Melodiya

Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major Record industry of the Soviet Union....
 record label. With official backing and legalized distribution the album was a huge hit in USSR, selling well over a million copies within a few months. This was, however, the last album recorded by this Aquarium line-up and the band broke-up shortly afterward. Grebenshchikov released two albums in English and toured with several different backing bands. In 1991 after the break-up of the Soviet Union he released under the name BG-Band The Russian Album, a collection of melancholic folk songs influenced by his travels all over Russia and demonstrating a return to his Russian roots. Shortly afterwards BG-Band was renamed Aquarium although most of the musicians were different. This band continued to release more albums and touring extensively all over the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and also appearing in front of Russian-speaking immigrant communities in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
 and United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. In 2007 Aquarium for the first time has given a concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
 in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. In 2008 "Aquarium International" (with participation of more than 20 musicians all over the world) project was created.

The release of the 2008 album "Loshad' belaya" (White Horse) featured the same conception as Radiohead
Radiohead

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire. The band is composed of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway ....
's "In Rainbows
In Rainbows

In Rainbows is the seventh album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. It was first released on 10 October 2007 as a digital download, followed by a standard CD release in most countries during the last week of 2007....
" last year. It was offered for free downloading in mp3 format. Each person who downloads it may decide about the sum of money to donate for this download, starting with 0.

Although often criticized for departure from their original style and constant line-up changes which make the later incarnations of Aquarium essentially a Grebenshchikov solo project, the group still enjoys huge success in Russia -- their old and new songs get a lot of airplay, their albums sell well, and they tour constantly. Aquarium today consists of Boris Grebenshchikov, Boris Rubekin (keyboards), Andrey Surotdinov (violin), Igor Timofeyev (guitars, saxophones and flutes), Alexander Titov (bass), Oleg "Shar" Shavkunov (percussion) and Albert Potapkin (drums).

Discography


Studio albums:
  • Sinii Albom (The Blue Album), 1981
  • Treugolnik (Triangle), 1981
  • Elektrichestvo (Electricity): History of Aquarium, Vol. 2, 1981
  • Akustika (Acoustics): History of Aquarium, Vol. 1, 1982
  • Tabu (Taboo), 1982
  • Radio Africa
    Radio Africa

    Radio Africa is an album by the Russian rock band Aquarium .The album's style presents an eclectic mix of influences: 60's Rock 'n Roll, hard rock, art rock, jazz, honky tonk and others....
    , 1983
  • Ikhtiologia (Ichthyology), 1984
  • Den’ Serebra (The Day of Silver), 1984
  • Deti Dekabrya (The Children of December), 1985
  • Desyat’ Strel (Ten Arrows), 1986
  • Ravnodenstvie (Equinox), 1987
  • Archive: History of Aquarium, Vol. 3, 1991
  • Russkii Albom (Russian Album), 1991 (under the name BG-Band)
  • Lyubimie Pesni Ramzesa IV (Favorite Songs of Rameses the IV), 1993
  • Library of Babylon: History of Aquarium, Vol. 4, 1993
  • Kostroma Mon Amour, 1994
  • Peski Peterburga (Sands of Petersburg), 1994
  • Navigator, 1995
  • Snezhnii Lev (Snow Lion), 1996
  • Hyperborea, 1997
  • Kunstcamera, 1998
  • Lilit (Lilith), 1997 (under the name BG and The Band - several members of The Band
    The Band

    The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm ....
     played on the album; released in the United States under the name Black Moon)
  • Psi, 1999
  • Akvarium. Territoriya (Aquarium. Territory), 2000
  • Sestra Haos (Sister Chaos), 2002
  • Pesni Ribaka (Fisherman's Songs), 2003
  • Zoom Zoom Zoom, 2005
  • Bespechny Russkiy Brodyaga (Carefree Russian Tramp), 2006
  • Loshad' Belaya (White Horse), 2008


Live albums:
  • Aroks & Shter, 1982
  • Desyat Let (Ten Years), 1982
  • Electroshock, 1982
  • BG (BG ), 1984
  • Pis'ma Kapitana Voronina (Letters of Captain Voronin), 1993
  • Vizit v Moskvu (Visit to Moscow), 1993
  • Akvarium na Taganke (Aquarium at Taganka), 1994
  • Tsentr Tsiklona (Center of the Cyclone), 1995
  • Sezon dlya Zmey (Snake Season), 1996
  • Dvadtsat Let Spustya (Twenty Years Later), 1996
  • Akvarium-25, Istoriya (Aquarium-25. History), 1997
  • Molitva i Post (Prayer and Fasting), 1998
  • The Royal Albert Hall, 2008


Songs performed by Aquarium Incognito:
  • Anna Karenina Quartet, 1994
  • Russian-Abyssinian Orchestra “Bardo”, 1997
  • Terrarium. "Pyatiugilnii Grekh" (Terrarium. "Pentangular Sin"), 2000


Albums recorded independently by BG:
  • Songs by Alexander Vertinskii, 1994
  • Chubchik, 1996
  • Refuge, 1998
  • Songs by Bulat Okudzhava
    Bulat Okudzhava

    Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava was one of the founders of the Russian genre called "author's song" . He was of Georgia origin, born in Moscow and died in Paris....
    , 1999
  • Bardo, 2002


Grebenshchikov's solo albums in English:
  • Radio Silence
    Radio Silence

    Radio Silence is an album by Boris Grebenshchikov, leader of the Russian group Aquarium . The album was recorded in 1989 in studios in the U.S., UK, and Canada, mostly with Western musicians, and produced by David A....
    , 1989
  • Radio London, 1990


Albums (pre-historical) from the 1970's:
  • Iskushenie Svyatogo Akvariuma (Temptation of St.Aquarium), 1973
  • Menuet Zemledeltsu (Farmer's Minuet), 1973
  • Pritchi Grafa Diffuzora (Parables of Count Diffusor), 1974
  • S Toy Storony Zerkalnogo Stekla (From The Other Side of Mirror Glass), 1976
  • Vse Bratya-Sestry (All Brothers-Sisters), 1978


Compilation
  • Red Wave
    Red Wave

    Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the USSR was a split album double album released in 1986 and featuring Russian rock bands Aquarium , Kino , Alisa, and Strange Games, all from Leningrad....
    , 1986


Filmography


Documentary films about "Akvarium" and Grebenshchikov

  • Rok (Rock, 1987), dir. Alexei Uchitel
    Alexei Uchitel

    Alexei Efimovitch Uchitel is a Russian film director.External links*...
    , USSR
  • The Long Way Home (1989), dir. Michael Apted
    Michael Apted

    Michael David Apted, Order of St Michael and St George is an England Film director, Film producer, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up series of documentaries....
    , USA


Soundtracks by "Akvarium"

  • Ivanov (1981), dir. A. Nekhoroshev, A. Ilkhovsky
  • Assa (1987), dir. Sergei Solovyov
    Sergei Solovyov

    Sergei Alexandrovich Solovyov is a Russian Film director, Film producer, screenwriter and actor. He was awarded by the Russian SSR People's Artist title....
  • Zolotoy Son (Golden Dream, 1989), dir. Sergey Debizhev
  • Chernaya roza - emblema pechali, krasnaya roza - emblema lyubvi (The Black rose..., 1989), dir. Sergei Solovyov
    Sergei Solovyov

    Sergei Alexandrovich Solovyov is a Russian Film director, Film producer, screenwriter and actor. He was awarded by the Russian SSR People's Artist title....
  • Dva kapitana - 2 (Two captains - 2, 1992), dir. S. Debizhev


External links

  • *