Aside from the lyric interpretation, I wrote the wikipedia page on him. His music is fantastic--rock played at a time in Russia where it was outlawed. Rock artists like Bashlachev had to play at small gatherings at friends houses, called kvartirniki. There, the artist would play for a small group (most of these performances by Bashlachev had only five or six attendees). Unfortunately, Bashlachev died at the age of 27. In his lifetime though, he wrote some terrific music. It reminds me of Tchaikovsky in the fact that it is almost nationalistic--his lyrics concern themselves with the sentiments of the Russian population and the perils they endured and hardships they went through. Very fascinating.
I purchased an album of his through eMusic, and would love if they expanded to include the rest of his catalog. The problem is that Bashlachev never really got into a professional studio, so most of his recordings are from performances or at friends' home studios. Also, he is not well-known outside of Russia, therefore he is an obscure listen.
That said, I really love the tunes. It just carries a sort of sincerity that a lot of music lacks. These guys didn't play for money--they played for the love of music.
Here's a YouTube video of Bashlachev performing at such a party, a song ti
tled "От винта" , which translates to "Through the Propeller".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYZIHuJaen4&feature=related
Give it a listen!
Complicate my ways again....
Anarchy in the Zune Social! :-P
