Search - Aquarium, Akvarium :: Cuhuu Alboom

Blue Album

06/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A truly landmark album, first released and disseminated on "magnitizdat" tapes (the recorded equivalent of samizdat: illegal underground self-publishing) in 1981, this is the first mature album from what has since emerged as one of the great careers in rock 'n' roll, that of Boris Grebenschikov and Akvarium.Musically "Sini Albom" is one of Akvarium's sparest: little more than guitar, bongos, harmonica, with an understated cello on some tracks, a flute or piano on others. Grebenschikov's early Dylan influence looms large, especially on the Highway 61 Revisted-ish "Zheleznodorozhnaya Voda" (Railroad Water)and "V Podobnuyu Noch" (On Another Night); but for all of that the album still mangages to cover a surprising amount of musical territory: from the gentle, lullabye-like "Gost" (Guest) to the haunting, droning "Ploskost'" (Plain) to the acoustic-boogie of "Reka" (River) to the goofy pseudo-gamelon of "Rutman." And if you do know or study Russian, the lyrics on "Elektricheskii Pyos" (Electric Dog) are nothing short of genius--unsurpassed and probably unsurpassable. Admittedly Akvarium's greatest albums were still to come ("Acoustics," "Russian Album," "Tabu" and "Navigator" are among my favorites in their enormous ouevre) but I couldn't think of giving a Akvarium album less than five stars. If you have any interest in Russia, Russian rock, or just want to own an album from one of the unsung greats of rock history (unsung in the West, that is: in the former Soviet Union Grebenschikov has as much name-recognition as John Lennon) I strongly recommend this album."

A blue perl.

D.M. | Ohio, US | 12/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The album has been concieved in 1980, when notion of "Russian Rock" was pretty much an oxumoron. In USSR itself it was, moreover a thing frowned upon. This album is the first "official" one from AQUARIUM and the fourth in total (if one is to count three rather obscure outings). A great amalgam of wide range of musical influences of which celtic music is dominating, and really beautiful and emotional lyrics, all enshrouded in underground aura of "late night kitchen" of Soviet Union of late 70s. While at the first sight it is not as consistent as its follow-up, "Taboo", this album is an essential listen and must-have to everybody into pre-perestroika Russian rock and everybody who simply enjoys intelligent art beyond cliches and grunts of mass culture."