Music & World: Behind the Iron Curtain

Part of the Music & World series, today's thread is about an unknown world, the world laying under the fist of the Soviet Union.

In 1945 the leaders of three world powers, the last of the old medieval Imperial powers, the industrial power of the United States and the rising socialist power, the USSR, the three heads of this powers divided the world in two, the capitalist world and the Socialist world beginning in the borders of the Soviet zone over Germany, following by Hungary, Czechoslovakia and ending in Albania, Yugoslavia.

The counter culture under Socialism was banned and fiercely prosecuted, though free music grew up inside the Iron Curtain, behind the militarized Berlin Wall great bands were formed. The influence of the western su cultures easly liked into East Germany, mainly due to the almost fused territory, especially in East Berlin. Bands like Die Skeptiker, an eastgerman punk band of 1986, 2 years before the Perestroyka invaded the DDR. The underground scene of East Germany was known as Die anderen Bands, a collectivity of bands not alligned with the Socialist mainstream, bands of Die anderen Bands include also First Arsch and Feeling B, in those 2 bands some members of legendary Rammstein were formed. In the twilight of the Socialist Germany a legend of metal, Klaus Meine even had the chance to hold a private debate of political issues with the Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachyov.

In the Soviet Union two bands have became legends within the former USSR, the former Socialist Bloc and thorugh all the world, for the resistance to Brezhnev's iron fist and to the hostility of Yuriy Andropov's KGB: Kino from Leningrad and DDT from Ufa.

Kino, formed by Viktor Tsoi in 1981 under the name of Garin I Giperboloidi (Гарин И Гиперболоиды). The uncommon lyrics of Tsoi made it hard for him to be widely listened, yet famous in the Soviet Union, their most famous albums were 45 an Noch' that even made it to the american compilation of Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands In The USSR which lists: Aquarum, Kino, Alisa and Strange Games, bands that made it through a hostile media dominated by the CPSU. Viktor Tsoi ultimately became famous after he appeared in the films Gruppa Krovi and Igla, first films taking into consideration the topics of drugs and youth rebels, breaking out the paradigm of old styled Communist films.

DDT of Yuriy Shevchuk shares Kino's story struggling against the strength of the CPSU, DDT composed songs known for being critical and satiric of the Soviet and Russian situation, DDT was not allowded to receive signings due to their lyrics and critical vision of the Soviet Union's dairy life. Shevchuk also composed the song Ne Strelyay! a claim for peace in the time of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

As for us in the west, is very badly known the bands thar formed inside the Iron Curtain, but the lack of fame in this tele-iditized country doesn't mean they are less important, their struggle is huge, the force of Leonid Brezhnev, of Erich Honecker or the KGB is even larger than the repressive means in the west, and making it through the hostile media to the fame and surviving to the Soviet Union itself like DDT, is a goal that is needed to be mentioned and admired.