Grazhdanskaya Oborona | Artist
Grazhdanskaya Oborona was a Russian rock band formed 1984 in Omsk, Siberia, by Yegor Letov (vocals, guitar, bass, drums, noise, tapes) and Konstantin Ryabinov (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, noise, tapes). The band (name translates to "Civil Defence") was one of the earliest Soviet rock bands, which subsequently influenced Russian bands after the dissolution of the USSR. Initially a punk/post-punk band, their music evolved towards psychedelic rock and shoegaze from the 1990's. Band leader and poet Yegor Letov's lyrics evolved from being stridently political, towards a more metaphysical direction over time. From the outset the band faced the oppression of Soviet authority. When preparing to record a debut album, their anti-authoritarian stance and overtly political lyrics made them an easy target for the KGB. The mother of their second guitarist Babenko, who was a party official, went to the KGB and reported her son for anti-Soviet activities. As a result, Letov was committed to a mental ward, and Ryabinov was forcibly drafted into the army. Letov was released in March 1986 and immediately began to write and record music. Letov often recorded on his own, and other musicians and collaborators went under pseudonyms as Letov remained under the watch of Soviet authorities. In 1986–87 he recorded several cassette albums, playing all instruments himself, and released them through magnitizdat under the name of Grazhdanskaya Oborona. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Grazhdanskaya Oborona reformed and began playing live again, but no new material was released until 1997. In 1996, their entire discography was remastered and given an official cassette issue for the first time on the fledgling XOP label. Standout albums include Zdorovo i vechno "Great and Eternal" (1989), Russkoe pole eksperimentov "Russian Field of Experiments" (1989), Dolgaya schaslivaya zhizn' "A Long Happy Life" (2004), Lunnyy perevarot "Lunar Reversal" (2005), Reanimatsiya "Resusitacion" (2004), Snosnaya tyazhest' nebytiya "The Bearable Weight of Nothingness" (2005), and Zachem snyatsa sny? "Why do you Dream?" (2007). In the 2000s, Grazhdanskaya Oborona's music became more brighter, incorporating shoegaze and psychedelic rock elements, even verging on art rock. Letov was a big fan of 60s garage and psychedelic rock and named Love as his favourite band, along with The Seeds, The Monks and other favourites such as Butthole Surfers, The Residents, Sonic Youth, Psychic TV, and CBGB artists Ramones and Television. He referred to Mark E. Smith (The Fall), Bob Dylan, Arthur Lee and Patti Smith as his favourite rock lyricists. In the late 1980s, Letov was romantically involved with fellow poet and musical maveric Yanka Dyagileva. From 1991 to 1997, Letov was married to musician Anna Volkova, and in 1997 he married Natalia Chumakova, who also joined Grazhdanskaya Oborona as bass guitarist. Yegor Letov died of heart failure in his sleep on 19 February 2008 at his home in Omsk, aged 43 years. He was buried on 21 February 2008 in Omsk at the Staro-Vostochnoye Cemetery, next to his mother's grave.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Grazhdanskaya_Oborona
Featured Albums: Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Related Artists: Yegor Letov, Yanka Dyagileva, Konstantin Ryabinov