Rock Goes Russian Music
These three songs map the terrain of Soviet popular music in 1973. David Tukhmanov's "My Address is the Soviet Union," performed by the VIA Samotsvety, shows how far an establishment composer could smuggle electric guitar under cover of banal patriotism. The two Mashina Vremeni tracks reveal what was happening in basements: Andrei Makarevich writing rock in Russian for the first time, drawing on the bard tradition to fashion songs about Soviet hypocrisy that cut deep enough to build an avid underground audience.
Samotsvety: My Address is the Soviet Union / Мой адрес Советский союз (1972)
Music: David Tukhmanov. Lyrics: V. Kharitonov
Mashina vremeni: Our House / Наш дом (1973)]
Frontman: Andrei Makarov
Mashina vremeni: You or Me / Ты или я (1973)
Music and lyrics: Andrei Makarevich.