Текст песни Гунеш - Река Туни

Soviet psychedelic that could conquer the world

Pavel Gaikov, specially for MIA "Russia Today"

Firm "Melodiya" presented in the network a collection of Soviet psychedelic music of the 60s-80s. "Soviet psychedelic" opens the door to the inexperienced viewer to the world of the amazing cultural heritage of the Soviet years, which is practically forgotten today. After all, the Soviet stage was not limited to two dozen names that everyone is hearing today.

There were many musicians, and they played very different music. It was a special musical universe, often in tune with what was played in the West.

The generation that did not find the Soviet stage has developed its own idea of ​​it: it is based mainly on the repertoire of today's retro radio stations. The same retro hits mixed with Italian hits at the weekend are heard from each suburban area along with the smell of barbecue. But sometimes something original and forgotten flashes on the Internet. You listen - and you are surprised.

So in 2010 the world discovered Eduard Gil. Many Russians from the generation of the 90s then first learned about Gila as "Mr. Trololo". The singer spent the last years of his life, bathing in the rays of glory. But for some reason, it did not make it into the repertoire of our retro radio stations. And the listener, inexperienced in the Soviet stage, has a lot to make of such discoveries.

"The light breeze of the steppe expanses, the power of the mountains and rustle of foliage, the rumble of forests and the timid beating of the heart, the breath of the era, sung in the rhythm of the twentieth century - all these are songs, works of the Dos-Mukasan ensemble," wrote the Kazakh newspaper Leninskaya youth "about the game of the local student collective. In Berlin, at the World Festival of Youth and Students that year," Dos Mukasan "was awarded a gold medal.

The music they played on the other side of the Wall was known as psychedelic rock. When you listen to this Kazakh group, you can easily imagine that history could follow an alternative path: instead of or on a par with Pink Floyd and Jim Morrison, students from Kazakhstan could be world idols.

Or the Turkmen collective "Gunesh", which instead of guitar used an ethnic string instrument - dutar - for solo plays. Imagine dutar becoming an international symbol of freedom and rock 'n' roll and can be found on the signs of all bars from Los Angeles to Bangkok. Tattoos with the image of the soloist of the group Murad Sadykov are in fashion. Instead of Woodstock, everyone goes to the new World Festival of Youth and Students.

What is now commonly associated with Western civilization, in the most unexpected forms made its way into the countries of the socialist camp with downright mystical persistence. Someone believed that rock and roll was a secret weapon of the CIA, while someone played it at that time and, moreover, contributed to its development.

"Soviet psychedelic" covers almost all corners of the socialist camp, including the Baltic states, Ukraine, Poland and the Caucasus. Tbilisi ensemble "Iveria" is represented by the early composition "Song of Georgia". And how great it is to remind everyone that, in addition to the song from "The Argonauts", this group has other recordings.

You cannot fit an entire era under a certain cliche, limit your ideas about it to a dozen or so other musical hits. "Soviet psychedelic" reminds us that it is almost impossible to try to fit a whole layer of the country's culture and life into one disc.

The collection was compiled by the leading radio station "Silver Rain" Lyusey Green