nkalinina@usa.net | Atlanta, Georgia, USA | 08/20/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Vladimir Vissotskiy is Russian Bob Dylan, but this is more than understatement. This is said just for Americans to understand the nature of his art. The statement may sound somewhat blasphemous for Russians. V.Vissotskiy's songs sounded in unison with Russian hearts."
The best!!!
A. Zelikman | New Jersey | 07/02/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"do not bother if you do not understand russian... this is one of the best poets (bards) of 20th century russia, but the music will not impress you..."
I'm not Russian. . .
Kola | San Francisco, CA | 01/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"But, you don't have to be Russian to understand an artist of his caliber. His honesty, dedication to his art comes through in any language. It makes me want to learn russian.
While I'm here I also want to suggest looking for a double disk called "Russian Tangos" by Alesha Dimitryevich (sp)...FANTASTIC, Hard to find!"
Russky
Nancy R. Cappuccilli | Nashville, TN | 04/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Vladimir Vysotsky is amazing, regardless of language. Not being fluent in Russian really has no effect on listening to the music, because in the end, any wonderful artist can give off emotion, and Vysotsky doesn't just do that, he saturates you ears with sound, and with his voice I end up making my own meaning within the words.
I may be slightly biased, though, because I listen to lots of different music in many, many languages, so not understanding lyrics doesn't phase me. However, don't let anyone discourage you from buying a CD of his, because it's not English or German or French, whatever you may speak--he really has a talent for guitar and I can't even really explain it.
But the comparision between him and Bob Dylan is a false one. Bob Dylan is a good artist by American standards, but let's face it, his voice drives us up the wall. Vysotsky's a notch above Dylan in every respect of his music.
(Common themes of his music, which he referred to as "poetry set to rhyme" include everday life, hypocrises of the Soviet Union, etc. I'd suggest reading a couple translations, because most American or British lyrics could never measure up to his beautifully poetic phrases and deep Russian voice.)"