Back In USSR vol.7: VESJOLYE REBJATA

[White Raven]

The band «VESJOLYE REBJATA» (means «MERRY-MAKING FOLKS») was formed by compositor Pavel Slobodkin in Moscow, in 1966. The band was the first musical collective which became the laureate of all-Soviet-every-year-competition in the best song performance in 1968, this fact promoted the official acknowledgement of pop&rock music in USSR and proved all the skeptics that such kind of music may and must be sang on Russian language! The band was also the first which inserted in their works elements of classics from Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and others.

In 1973 the firm «Melodija» (means “Melody”), which was the only one official record label during all the Soviet times, was invited to British Liverpool International Competition of Gramophone Recording. The firm took abroad the music material of «VESJOLYE REBJATA» and became the laureate of the Competition: win the 2-nd prize. That was the first real and large success of Soviet popular music abroad.

In 1976 on International Competition of Gramophone Recording in Chesh Prague became the laureate of the Competition: win the 1-st prize. After that the band becomes the honor guest of many prestige festivals and competitions: “Bratislavian Lyre”, “Dresden shlager-festival”, “Golden Оrfeus” and plays from the one musical stage with ABBA and Boney M.

http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE_REBJATA-1976.jpg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE_REBJATA_-_Why.ogg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE...Going_Away.ogg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE..._Up_To_You.ogg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE...er_Believe.ogg

In 1983 the band became to work in electropop-style and in 1985 became the laureate of Grand Prix on Bratislavain International Song Competition.

http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE_REBJATA-1987.jpg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE...Worry_Aunt.ogg

In 1988 the Soviet Ministry Of Culture asserted and officially confirmed the status of Musical Theatre to the band «VESJOLYE REBJATA» for their great merits in home&native musical art and culture, because during different times of all band carrier very many interesting singers and musicians worked in it. And all that provided and opened the way for many beginning composers, singers and bands! And no one outnumber the band's «VESJOLYE REBJATA» edition in 179850000 of LPs for today!

[JussiK]

And no one outnumber the band's «VESJOLYE REBJATA» edition in 179850000 of LPs for today!

So that's nearly 180 million albums pressed...or sold!? The enclosed files did not open nor does there seem to be any vids on Youtube, so could not check what kind of stuff did this band made during the late 70's when they performed with Abba and Boney M. Something similar? Were the albums fully orchestrated in a studio or was it a band with regular instruments? Was the electro style of their early 80's output anything like the very interesting cosmic-style Double Take or Zodiac albums, both from the USSR?

[White Raven]

The enclosed files did not open...

Excuse me, does it mean that all *.ogg-files, which I put down on the pages here are not playing and links are not working?

Now, answering Your question, Dear Jussik:

Well, it’s hard for me to make any parallels between VESJOLYE REBJATA and ABBA and BONEY M. Russian pop music has and had different folk culture anyway. I’m writing here to show that during USSR-times there were many bright and interesting collectives op pop scene in my land. It doesn’t mean that all of them played in DISCO direction. Of course in late 70’s they made something near to the disco beat-sounding but this culture was not so near to Russian traditions.

VESJOLYE REBJATA, to my mind, were something near to NEOTON FAMILA, BROTHERHOOD OF MEN or BACCARA, for example. VESJOLYE REBJATA never played in CERRONE-format or COSTANDINOS-format, which had the funk(blues&afrosoul) roots. Anyway, VESJOLYE REBJATA had the roots of Russian folk music in it’s deep inside and no any cosmic-style of DOUBLE TAKE or ZODIAC inside too. ZODIAC played “not far from Soviet geographical borders” and everytime looked to the Europe. VESJOLYE REBJATA were in the “heart of Russia” mostly looking “inside” the land and to the Russian being and soul.

Sorry, I didn’t tell that VESJOLYE REBJATA were jamming with ABBA and BONEY M, I told only about the fact that the band played in the same concerts where played those legendary bands too. I only told that the popularity of the band VESJOLYE REBJATA was so great in USSR, that Soviet Ministry Of Culture presented by this band the Soviet pop-scene abroad. Concerning the disks: all the millions of albums of VESJOLYE REBJATA were pressed and absolutely sold. That was all made until the Gorbacov-perestroika-times. (In the beginning of 90’s the manufacture of any vinyl was absolutely closed in Russia like not rental, CDs changed them at all.)

Some words about cosmic-style playing… I remember about one Soviet project called “ARSENAL” in early 80’s up to the middle of the 80’s it played something near to cosmic-style, something near to KRAFTWERK from Western Germany, TELEX from Belgium, ROCKETS from France and YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA from Japan. The records were very-very rare, it was a brave avant from electropop to wide electronics. I remember that I have somewhere in my stock that old vinyl, but no any those LP’s and magnetic bands are remastered to “digital” up to this time. “ARSENAL” was the band of experiments and played in different manners (electronics, pock, jazz) and music directions during all its career, I’m not sure (don’t remember now) is that vinyl, that I have, sounding in “electronics” but, I’ll try to find it at my home to answer to You. May be I’ll make it’s remastering and restoration by myself, but can’t promise that I’ll make it now and rapid because it’s not a simple and standard thing to any vinyl, of course, if I want not only to save but to rise up the quality of the record too...

[JussiK]

I could not open any of the files or links but then again, I don't know anyone who is more hopeless than me in stuff like that. Still, all I got was my pc was "not supporting these files".

I'm going to Tallinn next month so I'll probably be able to snatch some Vesjolye Rebjata there. There's only one store with any vinyl for sale but they do stock vintage Melodya pressings, I've found staggering quality Space albums there, the bass is indefinitely more powerful than in any French or US pressings.

You should be able to sell those Arsenal vinyls in a bat of an eyelid, the demand for that kind of material is immense at the moment as you know. Zodiac has been big for 3 years now is still getting included in hip comps like this 2008 realese by Compost in Germany:

Elaste Volume 2 - Space Disco

Tracklisting:
A1SelectionRebel On The Run (Remix) (5:00) Written-By - R. Negroni* , V. PattersonA2JaggTake Time (5:50) Producer - Sammy Glen*
Written-By - Petro BassA3HyppolitesBlow You Out Tonight (4:46) Written-By, Producer - HyppolitesB1PanoptikumElaste (7:52) Producer, Written-By - Marc Frank , Tom WielandB2Alan HawkshawThe Speed Of Sound (2:46)B3VulcansStar Trek (3:40) Producer - Des Bryan* , Joe Sinclair , Webster Shrowder
Written-By - Bryan* , Shrowder* C1LEB Harmony* Feeling Love (8:44) Written-By - LEB Harmony* C2Ströer* Don't Stay Till Breakfast (5:33) Lyrics By - Lucy Neale* , Reinhard Berndt
Music By - Ströer* C3Zodiac (3)The Other Side Of Heaven (The Sky's Back) (5:16) Producer - Alexandra Griva* , Janis Lusens*
Written-By - Janis Lusens* D1Curt CressSundance Written-By, Producer - Curt CressD2Rufus & Chaka KhanAin't Nobody (Hallocinogenik Version) (6:55) Producer - Russ Tittelman*
Remix - Frankie Knuckles
Vocals - Chaka Khan
Written-By - Hawk Wolinski*

Note the LEB HARMONY track, another rare 70's space disco tune almost impossible to get now.

[White Raven]

…one interesting fact…

The music which You’re looking for was widely used in Soviet Science-fiction movies. The were not so “cool-action” like my most lovely foreign: “Alien” and “Predator” from those times. Some other Soviet films that I remember are: “The Star Inspector”, “Aquanauts”, “Orion’s Loop” “Threw Thorns To the Stars” (Ped ternia ad astra! – like ancient Roman talks)” I only know that soundtrack “Through Thorns To The Stars” was written by Alexej Rybnikov, what about others I don’t know because, for example, the film “STALKER” which was made by Andrej Tarkovski and which has the fantastic sounds too, had no any info about the name of composer – only the words that the music was recorded at “experimental sound laboratory of movie studios”. So to the other works too, I don’t know the authors of music, but who knows?

Not so long ago I told You, about the works of Sven Grunberg – Estonian composer. In Estonian the film is called: 'HUKKUNUD ALPINISTI' HOTELL (The Hotel Of Lost Mountaineer) from 1979. Fantastic soundtrack to my mind.
That was a real interesting story… to find the soundtrack, I wrote to the embassy of Estonia… Mr. Franek Persidski, the Third Secretary of Embassy of Estonia helped me personally with the info. I asked him in Russian, he was answering in English… Than I started to talk with him in English too. The CD was available!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204526/

Yes, it was available but only in Estonia… I’m ordinary engineer and haven’t money to make the journey to Estonia possible, I haven’t a credit card too. I’m not living In Europe and cannot cross the border, as simple like You can do. Europe is afraid of us Russians. We’re guilty, because we’re Russians. Only that, that we’re Russians… Does it mean about ordinary men like me, and millions of others simple folks. What can I tell about myself? I’m a man with open and kind heart, with clean hand. Like every ordinary and normal American or European man. Who wants the war? Who wants to kill? I know that nobody here and nobody there. No differences between us, but only political tricks of governments, that making life of ordinary people hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDIaNZR7_eA

[JussiK]

Sven Grunberg's HINGUS is a cult title among art students and djs into weird analog electronica. Too abstract for me personally. It's hard to classify but whatever it is it's strong, the kind of stuff they play in Amsterdam coffee shops.
Medvedev, Putin, Rice and Bush should all be escorted to Laurie Marshall's "Disco Spaceship": ..they came to our planet and did not like the things they saw, could not understand why earthlings would not make love instead of war, let every nation race and breed be dancing to the disco beat, ..(something here)...universal harmony..(and so on)"..well, who knows what the dancing by that fab four would be like but it would be a start.

[BrunoRepublic]

I could not open any of the files or links but then again, I don't know anyone who is more hopeless than me in stuff like that. Still, all I got was my pc was "not supporting these files".

They appear to be Ogg Vorbis format. Not supported in iTunes or natively in Windows, but I'm pretty sure freeware players exist for both Windows and OS X.

[White Raven]

...any vids on Youtube?

This is the only one clip of “Vesyolye Rebyata” that I had found (clip of second half of 80’s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrgCMkfuW_k

NB!: There are many links in the net to the Soviet movie “Vesyolye Rebyata” it was made in 1936 and is one of the most grate and classical comedies of Soviet epoch. To tell the truth the band “Vesyolye Rebyata” was named in the name of this musical movie. I don’t know is the film translated to foreign languages, but I hope it is. So, believe me, You’ll really laugh up to the tears watching it!

[White Raven]

They appear to be Ogg Vorbis format. Not supported in iTunes or natively in Windows, but I'm pretty sure freeware players exist for both Windows and OS X.

Yes, You’re absolutely right, Dear Graham Start.

But I don’t understand the real prob. If Jussik hasn’t Vorbis decoder – this is one prob – it’s not very hard to solve it, they are free in the net to download.

Another prob maybe in this case: I’m doing something wrong, when making a URL-links from my net-resource.

Couldn’t You try to download any file from these, please:

http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE...Going_Away.ogg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE...Worry_Aunt.ogg
http://discomuzica.narod.ru/VESJOLYE_REBJATA-1987.jpg

and tell me please is it going on without URL-probs. I don’t want to disturb moder&admin to help me to solve this technical prob, if it is really is. But, maybe, everything is all right, and You can download from my links without any probs. Well, that will be great and will mean to me, that everyone who has Vorbis decoder on it’s computer can download these files too.

Thank You and sorry for disturbs.

[BrunoRepublic]

But I don’t understand the real prob. If Jussik hasn’t Vorbis decoder – this is one prob – it’s not very hard to solve it, they are free in the net to download.

Another prob maybe in this case: I’m doing something wrong, when making a URL-links from my net-resource.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your links (although I'm at work right now so I can't check at the moment). It sounds to me like he doesn't have any program installed that can play these, so when he clicks on the file, the computer doesn't know what to do with it. I don't think that iTunes or Windows Media Player (the default media players in OS X and Windows) support Ogg files.

We're still in the early era of intangible digital file formats, so there isn't much standardization, and this makes it very confusing for those who aren't familiar with this stuff. After all, .ogg and .mp3 and .m4a files don't look different (especially if file extensions are hidden, as they are by default on both Mac and Windows). It's not like how you can take one look an LP and a CD and immediately know that they can't be played back on the same unit. But to a computer, these formats are as different as VHS and Betamax. The good news is that, unlike the hardware days, you can usually get the player for free. :)

The other problem is support: some of what would be the better formats remain obscure (like OGG) because of lack of support from the major players. Unfortunately, the most common and widely-supported format is one of the worst: MP3. I usually use AAC (.m4a, which is really MP4) because it has better sound, but despite being the default format for iTunes and iPods (which are, what, 90% of the DAP market?), as well as being supported by many other media players, I still get people who have no idea what to do with them when I send stuff in that format.

Even with something niche like lossless formats, you have to sort out all sorts of format nonsense. There was Monkey's Audio, but that seems to be gone now. Then there's FLAC, which would easily be the standard, but it's not supported in iTunes, because Apple wanted to push their proprietary Apple Lossless format instead, which isn't supported anywhere else AFAIK. Oh, and now Apple has come up with yet another lossless format called Core Audio Format, although I believe this is presently confined to Apple's pro apps like Logic Studio. And then some people just use regular WAV or AIFF and compress with RAR, which gives almost as good data compression, except of course you can't play them until you uncompress them.

[White Raven]

Well, the world is falling down in the matter of financial crisis… I think, that everyone is busy now. I wanna know is anyone here not so busy to help me. What I’m talking about? So, can anyone here reply to me, are the links to *.ogg-files that I’m uploading to my topics are working correctly? Imagine, please, how with great efforts I’m telling here about t rare music of Soviet epoch without any ability to You to listen by your own ears about what I’m talking. It will be a great pity if the links are not working really. I’m writing here to let you know much more about Soviet pop-scene, to show that during Soviet times, musicians and other art-people of my land struggled with state power for the souls of people. And many of the bands win those battle. And a more than a half of democracy which we have now in Russia are the demands of that people.

Financial and economy troubles are coming and going away, but the music will be forever! Music is the shortest way to our Heaven Creator! Well, let the money fall down, anyway, I’ll continue to write about USSR music legends: the story about one of the most beautiful bands is ready now. The name of it was PESNYARY! This is the band from Soviet Belarus’. This land is very near to Russia. During many centuries, we, russians, are having one soul with Belarus’. Belarus’ is very beautiful land of kind people’s hearts!

http://discomuzica.narod.ru/Belovedzskaya_Pushya.jpg

Now Russia and Belarus’ are United State. Maybe up to European and American thinking the democracy and law are funny things here. Don’t worry and be welcome – I can’t imagine, for example, that anyone will hurt you by anything when You’re walking down the street here . Of course, some danger exists, but it’s not bigger, when You’re walking down street of your land.
I don’t know is it so interesting to you to read about what I’m talking. Maybe it’s mistake that I came here, because I’m not a music trader. I can’t say that I’m a music collector too, because the music that I’m gathering around myself, is not collecting for the sake of having a collection. I’m gathering around only that, that I’m interesting in.

If I love, for example, legendary Led Zepplelin, it doesn’t mean that I have all their albums. I love only the first, from 1969. Maybe you’ll ask me: “How You it can be? You’re loving Led Zepplelin and forgetting about “Stairway To Heaven” from 1974?” I’ll tell You that I’m not interesting in such ballad, because not any “fresh” sounding I can hear there already. And talking about their first LP, I’ll tell, that it’s really fantastic, because no one up to the 1969 sounded in Great Britain like Led Zepplelin! The band was the only one in a land that made real american psychedelic-blues-rock sound. That was the revolution for British rock! That was the beginning for many interesting music creations in Europe too! Maybe not so easy to see the links from 1969 to DISCO-times of 70’s but they really are! The chain is: psysho+R’n’B – funk – disco! Not having such roots in 1969 – no any possibility to make real DISCO-sound in Europe in the 70’s.

Yes, in not a trader, I’m music-lover. Hoping, that I’ll find here someone to help me. The case is that I have only the cover of “KATHLEEN DEL CASINO – Trolley”, but the vinyl was lost. I tried to find the CD-record in the music shops but they are haven’t it. It’s impossible to find it in my land. Maybe I’m asking about illegal thing, but I hope, that anyone here will make a gift to me: MP3-copy of album (192kB is quite enough!) by “rapidshare” or another net-service. It’s not a prob for me, if it will be mastered from LP too – I’ll make the sound restoration. Not for any commercial purposes, I’m not bootlegger. That will be the copy only for me, believe me, please.

[JussiK]

The "Trolley" album by Kathleen del Casino? I only have her "Dance Down" lp, never knew she made any others.

[White Raven]

Thank you for Your answer, Dear Jussik!

“Trolley” – this maybe a label of the record studio, or anything else, and this is the tracklist, what I have:

1.La france c’est l’amor
2. Merry Go Round
3. Good Bye Casanova
4. Journey’s End
5. Dance Down
6. Island of Emotion
7. Moody Night
8.Miss You

The fifth thing is called “Dance Down”, and I think that You have, what I need… Excuse me, please, but what must be done from me to have this record?

[JussiK]

You must bow down to the Goddess EuroDisco, bare yourself, beg Her to walk all over you on Her silver stiletto heels! I'm one of Her messengers, I bring The Music. See pvt message.