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RUSSIAN ROCK AND UNDERGROUND

The most comprehensive guide to Russian rock and underground on the Web.

► NAUTILUS POMPILIUS

This band is originally from Sverdlovsk and started its career in 1978. In Soviet times there was a nice (or not so nice?) tradition for students to begin their university studies by traveling to small villages and spending some time on the fields gathering harvest. One the one hand it was nice to spend time in villages instead of going to class, but on the other hand conditions for students were not so good and the work in the fields was hard. Once during such a trip to a village, two young men met each other; their names were Vyacheslav Butusov and Dmitry Umetzky. These guys formed the group NAUTILUS POMPILIUS. The band started to participate in different festivals in the region of its formation, and after a short while their songs became popular among young people. It was amazing, but almost every song that the group produced became something special.

However after ten years of an outstanding career, the whole band broke up. After two years of separation, the founders, Butusov and Umetzky, came back together and again started producing creative work. The moved to Leningrad and started a new life with new musicians. The band records new material and tours abroad frequently, even to this day. Nevertheless, the members of the group give their spot in the band to new musicians often. The band can't keep the same musicians for a very long time, and to be honest this is a popular practice with many bands all over the world. But, this practice ultimately caused much turmoil and instability in the band. Butusov got used to his musicians and such frequent changes upset him, which is why the band's songs are more often than not pessimistic and sad. There are almost 30 full albums in the group's discography. And all of them are interesting, especially "Knyaz Tishiny", "Chuzhaya Zemlya", "Titanik" and "Krylya".

According to Vyacheslav Butusov, Vyacheslav Butusov is himself is one of the most interesting composers in Russian rock history. This self confidence is probably why all his songs found their way into people's heart easily. Butusov always was and still remains a great musical experimentalist. After years of hard times with other band members, Butusov finally decided to start a solo career, which is exactly what he is doing at the current moment: working on producing new songs by himself. Almost every year he surprises his fans with the new music achieved by his many experiments.

To be honest NAUTILUS POMPILIUS or Butusov himself were never as popular and scandalous as ALISA, KINO or even the intellectual AKVARIUM, but they were influential and many songs determined the future and path of Russian rock. All Russian rock fans know these songs. The most popular one is call "Ya hochu bit s toboy" (I want to be with you). Butusov does not perform live concerts any more, but his albums are equally as impressive as his live shows. Don't hesitate to check them out.