Alisa was founded in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The name of the band is borrowed from Lewis Carroll's book "Alice in Wonderland". The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (born Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Pyotr Samoylov joined Alisa. Their debut album "Energia" (Energy) was released by Melodia, the state publishing monopoly, and was sold in numbers of more than one million.
But the relations between the two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were poor, and finally Svetoslav left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Кино bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band 'Nate!' ('Take it!').
The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the 'Army of Alisa', known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987 the newspaper Smena accused Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Alisa's leader Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ('Hooliganism') of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.
There were new lineup changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor 'Chuma' Chumykin joined Alisa. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next albums Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with Aria. The album Black Mark, 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from the window.
In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu-metal, industrial and heavy metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart.
Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - the social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990's their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.
Konstantin is in good relations with the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially Andrey Kuraev. Alisa has participated in many religion-supporting festivals, such as 'Musicians for the Christ Savior Cathedral'.
Синий дым
АлисА Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
К берегам чужим летела,
День коромыслом несла
Да вёдрами плескала свет
По белу свету.
Всё молила ночь в ступе не толочь
Пепел да золу отпетых.
Нас по дороге нашла
Да песней этой:
Как над нами синий дым неба
Да высокая звезда,
Да путей дорог не счесть.
Вспоминай, где был, где не был,
Где брёл, где плыл, где словом ворожил,
Где птиц песнями кружил.
Горе той земле, горе тем местам,
Где морочат гордого сном,
Горе той мечте, горе тем стихам,
Что плетут из шёпота гром.
Голоден огонь, да попробуй тронь -
Степью запылают костры.
Гневом небеса осенит гроза
Вечером до первой звезды.
Алая заря за ночь, за моря
К берегам чужим летела.
Нас по дороге нашла,
Да в струнах звоном отдалась,
Да песней этой.
The lyrics to Алиса's Синий дым depict a scene of a crimson dawn flying over unfamiliar shores in the night, bringing with it the day's light that splashes in buckets across the world. The night is beseeched to halt its grinding of ash and cinder, and in the midst of the plea, the singers are found to whom the night gave voice. They sing of the blue smoke of the sky and the high star that graces their journey. They are called to remember where they have been, where they have not yet tread, and where they have soared with the word of fate. The song speaks of the sorrow of the land and the dreams that the thunder whispers, of the hunger of fire that inflames the steppes, the wrathful storm that comes with the evening, and the crimson dawn that beckons them onward.
Line by Line Meaning
Алая заря за ночь, за моря
The red dawn flew over the night and the sea to foreign shores.
К берегам чужим летела,
It flew to unfamiliar shores.
День коромыслом несла
The day carried itself with difficulty.
Да вёдрами плескала свет
And the light splashed with buckets.
По белу свету.
All over the white world.
Всё молила ночь в ступе не толочь
The night begged not to grind the ashes and embers in the mortar.
Пепел да золу отпетых.
Ashes and the ashes of the burnt out.
Нас по дороге нашла
She found us on the road.
Да в струнах звоном отдалась,
And resounded in the strings.
Да песней этой:
And with this song:
Как над нами синий дым неба
As the blue smoke of the sky above us.
Да высокая звезда,
And a high star.
Да путей дорог не счесть.
And countless paths.
Вспоминай, где был, где не был,
Remember where you've been, where you haven't been,
Где брёл, где плыл, где словом ворожил,
Where you walked, where you sailed, where you prophesized with words,
Где птиц песнями кружил.
Where you circled birds with songs.
Горе той земле, горе тем местам,
Grief to that land, grief to those places,
Где морочат гордого сном,
Where they confuse with proud dreams,
Горе той мечте, горе тем стихам,
Grief to that dream, grief to those verses,
Что плетут из шёпота гром.
That they weave from the whisper of thunder.
Голоден огонь, да попробуй тронь -
The fire is hungry, but try to touch it-
Степью запылают костры.
The bonfires blaze up on the steppe.
Гневом небеса осенит гроза
The anger of the heavens will befall with a storm
Вечером до первой звезды.
In the evening until the first star.
Алая заря за ночь, за моря
The red dawn flew over the night and the sea to foreign shores.
Нас по дороге нашла,
She found us on the road.
Да в струнах звоном отдалась,
And resounded in the strings.
Да песней этой.
And with this song.
Contributed by Aiden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Чужой
on С ним
грандиозно!