Russian Prog Appreciation Thread

^ You're certainly right assuming that i like spacerock (and early krautrock). Indeed i also like jazz rock if  the jazz element doesn't become to dominant. But i also like ELP and other symphonic rock as you can see for instance in the symphonic thread. I've always been a bit allergic to the idea of direction in music, for me it's more about melody.

On the point of introduction you've got a good point , reading you're post i just reacted on that without looking much further my apologies for that. So let's get it right this time:

Welcome to the the forums X, actually i'm very happy to see you here also because there's not that many people here that know of all these bands at all in the first place, i'm happy to agree or agree to disagree with you in the future in good nature .

Dirk wrote: @X, the Gourishankar a pop band? They definitely don't sound like that to me. Actually i feel just the opposite about the bands you mention. I love Gourishankar and i also like Disen Gage a lot ...

Edited by Rivertree - July 17 2007 at 15:18

@X, the Gourishankar a pop band? They definitely don't sound like that to me. Actually i feel just the opposite about the bands you mention. I love Gourishankar and i also like Disen Gage a lot (though their songs resemble each other a bit too much sometimes).

I don't care much for Little tragedies and certainly not for Lost world. Still tastes will always differ .


Edited by Dirk - July 17 2007 at 15:03

erik neuteboom wrote: I am very positive about the recent Russian progrock, last week I succeeded to convince some progheads to buy Apple Pie and all are delighted  And I am looking forward to the new Little Tragedies and hopefully a new Lost World album.

Well, I've read all this thread and I know you are positive)). Like 'I-didn't-remember-who' has already mentioned, this is an appreciation thread, so I would better stick to reviews. I.e. I consider The Gourishankar as a too pop band, I hate BG and Avtograf because of BG (because BG had stolen almost everything from early Elton John, and I don't like thieves ), Kostarev group, Disen Gage, Aviva and, yes-yes, Apple pie deserve much less appreciation and attention than Lost world or Little tragedies, etc. etc. ...

Actually, I would like to see this topic renamed, so we can really discuss the albums, not only say how good are they.

BTW (not addressing all), where do you guys buy such keyboards? My keyboard lacks '!!!' button, I can't show how argumented my opinion is without that button!

Edited by XPEHOPE3KA - July 17 2007 at 11:44

erik neuteboom wrote: Good to see that Dawn Dialogue has been added to Prog Archives, they made prog under very difficult circumstances during the Cold War.

OMG! Damn hell, I found them!! They are legendary, and they are well-known under the name Dialog. They existed during 1969-1992 (under different names), though the most prog music they've written in 1978-1986.
Their unofficial site: http://www.dialog.gfns.net/ It has some mp3s in the discography section (click on different "О нём - подробнее" links). The official site of Kim Breitburg also features some (but mostly pop): http://www.breitburg.ru/artists/index.php?/4/disco/

Well, in the seventies it was time when prog was overpopular. In (post)USSR all the periods are just shifted in time: Dialog wrote several concept albums/rock operas during the eighties and it was very popular (in 1980 in Tbilisi a rock festival "Vesennie ritmy" {"Spring rhythms"} was held, Kim Breiburg appeared to be the best vocalist {his voice IS clear and captivating even on a tape-rips of his concerts of 80-s!} and the group won the third place on the fest). And what we see know: Europe saw prog renaissance in 1990-s and post-USSR saw it in 2000-s. The timeshift is 10 years

If Horizont was USSR's Yes, then Dialog was USSR's Pink Floyd, Supertramp and Genesis altogether! At those times only Bacamarte and Solaris were to reach the same level in symphonic prog/art rock.
BTW, Dialog's popularity is easily explained: their live performances most times consisted of two parts - the first with serious music, and the second with high quality pop (it was like Genesis of that time and of seventies met in one concert). Also since 1982 they always presented unique light shows.

BTW, after prog "started becoming" unneeded by the auditory (P-J had already told why, and I completely agree), Dialog began to experiment - they wrote songs in heavy or pop-like manner, but always they've tried to input some creativity in the music. It looked like Kino decided to become a bit Supertramp sometimes. But they didn't succeed.
Actually they were experimenting before: in 1985/1986 they wrote 13 minute long space rock song 'tol'ko ty' - 10 years before Porcupine tree's "Sky moves sideways" (the two compositions are much alike).

Well, looking in the discography we see that there were some Antology disks released in 2004. Their essential suites are:
1981 Под одним небом (tape rip from 1981 concert)
1982 Я - человек (Antology 1982/1983, CD 1)
1984 Раздели со мной (Antology 1984, CD 1)
1985 Просто (1984 tape rip, also available on this unofficial release of 2003)
1986 Однажды завтра (available on the 2004 year CD - from 1986 concert, a bit remastered)
That magnificent space rock song I've mentioned appeared as #9 (#10 is also nice) on Antology 1985/1986 CD.

All the antology CDs used to be available here (Russian online-shop), but there's nothing in the stock for 1,5 years already...

P.S.1: are tape rips legal? Is it legal to share them? Hope so - I think it is the only legal way for you to have a listen to the band's music. Though the quality is poor.
P.S.2: I doubt the disks would be rereleased... Breitburg became a producer of some pop sh*t & doesn't seem to be interested. But why were the disks ever released then??

Edited by XPEHOPE3KA - July 17 2007 at 10:17

artguyken wrote: But then I don't think the label stamped on it is going to change the way people react to it.

Agreed ... The main fact is that the people are familiar with the bands and like their music. Categories only make it easier to define what we are speaking about.

But on the other hand this website f.e. is helping people (me too) to explore new bands at first.only knowing that they are categorized to a genre resp. a special sub genre.




Edited by Rivertree - July 10 2007 at 03:19

Rivertree wrote: Maybe in Russia Progressive Rock bands are much more exotic than in other countries ...

Far more, buddy. I'm in Germany now (beware German Progheads!!! ), and I was surprised finding DT, MARILLION, PT and even less popular Prog bands in musical depts in markets in these little towns around Stuttgart. In the same time you'll die trying to find HORIZONT or RAINY SEASON even in Moscow
Crappy situation really. Prog is extremely unpopular in post-USSR area. Snobheads claim that they're listening to Avant only, young lovers of modern prog prefer to call it "indie", and others confuse it with AOR or Heavy Metal

That's an interesting anecdote, though I guess it's not too surprising. Most people I know in the States have absolutely no clue when it comes to prog. But then again, for that matter, I have little interest or knowledge of many of the mainstream bands that exist these days.

My wife and I were talking about what new music is (how old can it be and still be considered new?) and she commented that I have very little new music. When I objected to that, she asked if any of it wasn't prog - in other words... if it wasn't mainstream, it didn't count.

We live in the same house, are best friends and lovers, but much of my music (whether foreign or domestic) is a mystery to her.

^Exactly, Dirk! Enjoy!