The band was created in Omsk, Siberia, by a young Soviet poet and musician, Yegor (Igor) Letov, in December of 1984, who was inspired mostly by 60's American garage rock and Russian Futurist poetry in his vision of music, lyrics and lifestyle. It was shortly disbanded by KGB in late 1985, after one of band member's mother wrote a complaint that her son is involved in anti-Soviet organisation. Letov was sentenced to compulsory treatment in psychiatric hospital, his friend and fellow band member Konstantin Ryabinov (Kuzya UO or Kuzma) was sent to army, and other people linked with band were warned to break any relationship with Letov. After his release from mental hospital, Letov started recorded his early albums alone (until 1988, when Kuzya UO returned from army) in his home, playing all instruments. His home also was recording spot for all GrOb and his side-project albums: such a DIY-position was one of Letov's main principles. Early GrOb's music (1984-88) is lo-fi straightforward punk/post-punk with some noise rock, garage rock and reggae elements. Later, band's sound developed more in the vein of noise rock, industrial and experimental rock in 1989, and to psychedelic rock and shoegaze in 90s and 00s. GrOb were the ones to fill this vacant niche of counterculture punk bands, and now maintains a huge army of fans, admirers, and followers. It inspired hundreds of subsequent Soviet and then Russian punk bands.
Up to the collapse of the USSR, GrOb was often viewed as an anti-Soviet band. In his deeply symbolic and irrational, "stream-of-consciousness"-lyrics, Letov often spoke against militarism, dictatorship and faceless, conformistic society (although he himself claimed that all "politics" in his songs aren't about concrete regimes and governments, but are the symbols of "eternal, metaphysical totalitarianism"). That was the reason the band was censored and prohibited. Letov and his bandmates spent early years in hiding, recording songs in the kitchens and cellars of their friends' flats. Despite heavy censorship, the band played on several rock festivals (notably its premiere in Novosibirsk in July 1987, where it was considered a sensation, and after which Letov traveled country with Yanka Dyagileva by hitchhiking for half year because of KGB's persecution, which was officially stopped only in December).
Contrary to popular image of an anti-communist, Letov himself claimed to be a "true communist" and has not abolished this claim until the most recent switch in his beliefs. Being the most prominent figure of the Siberian rock, Letov has always been a source of many contradictions. At times he expressed opinions exactly opposite to his earlier sayings - thus, he, along with writer Eduard Limonov, philosopher Alexander Dugin, and composer Sergey Kuryokhin (Сергей Курёхин) appeared aligned with the nationalistic leftist movement called NBP (National Bolshevik Party, rus. НБП, Национал Большевистская Партия) despite his formerly strong opposition to despotism and nationalism. Later, though, he dissapointed in politics and left the movement, saying, that his activity in NBP was mostly sort of conceptualism, a provocation. Letov's contemporary alignment is that of a "World Christian" and "still an anarchist".
GrOb's sound mainly consists of either distorted and lo-fi electric or acoustic guitars, simple bass lines, primitive but memorable tunes, rudimentry percussion and Letov's deeply impassioned voice. During the late 80's they also started occasionally implementing harsh industrial sounds in the background of the music. In the mid-90's in the albums "Солнцеворот" and "Невыносимая Лёгкость Бытия" sound became less noisy and lo-fi but more monolithic, comprising many overlapping guitars and voices, which create shoegazy "wall of sound", long guitar and electronic organ solos, and even some art rock elements, although the basis of sound still was in post-punk and psychedelic rock.
In its last years the band was still very active with full-length albums released in 2004 (Долгая Счастливая Жизнь, "A Long and Happy Life"), 2005 (Реанимация, "Life Support") and 2007 (Зачем Снятся Сны, "What Are Dreams For").
The story of this contradictory but great and original band ended on 19th of February 2008 with Egor Letov's death in sleep at his home in Omsk.
"G.O. is not music, it's more like, you know, conceptual act in the vein of childish naive art. Four chords and maximum approximation to very childish images, something like dadaism".
- Egor Letov, band leader.
Вперёд
Гражданская Оборона Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Все данные, чтобы любить
Все данные, чтобы смеяться взахлёб.
Все данные, чтобы светиться навзрыд.
Когда-то я буду другим
Когда-то я буду уметь
Давайте поможем друг другу кричать
Так долго мы гнили в уютных гробах
Так долго учились друг друга давить
Так долго учились стонать, умирать
Давайте будем жить, вперёд!
Не надо считать синяки
Не надо виновных искать
Давайте забудем все наши дела
Пусть трупы хоронят своих мертвецов.
Давайте покинем пустые тела
Господь нам поможет, он классный чувак.
Так долго мы гнили в уютных гробах
Так долго учились друг друга давить
Так долго учились стонать, умирать
Давайте будем жить вперёд!
Все данные, чтобы летать
Все данные, чтобы любить
Давайте поможем друг другу летать
Давайте ж поможем друг другу любить.
Так долго мы гнили в уютных гробах
Так долго учились друг друга давить
Так долго учились стонать, умирать
Давайте будем жить вперёд!
Давайте будем жить вперёд!
Давайте будем жить!
The lyrics to Гражданская Оборона's song Вперёд are a call to action against societal oppression and conformity. The song starts with the idea that we have all the data we need to live freely and happily- to fly, love, and laugh uncontrollably. However, we have been conditioned to live in comfortable coffins of societal expectations, where we are taught to suppress our true selves and suppress others. The lyrics call for a change and urge everyone to help each other break out from these societal norms- to scream, forget, and live.
The second verse of the song calls for a revolution against oppressive societal systems. It urges everyone to stop counting the wounds inflicted by oppressive systems and start forgetting all past deeds while burying the metaphorical dead. It carries on with the idea of leaving behind the empty bodies and letting God be the helper to lead us to a better future. The overall message of the song is to break free from oppressive societal norms, forget the past, and live in the present while holding hands and helping each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Все данные, чтобы летать
We have all the information required to soar freely
Все данные, чтобы любить
We have all the information required to love deeply
Все данные, чтобы смеяться взахлёб.
We have all the information required to laugh our hearts out
Все данные, чтобы светиться навзрыд.
We have all the information required to shine brightly
Когда-то я буду другим
One day I will be someone else
Когда-то я буду уметь
One day I will have the ability to do it
Давайте поможем друг другу кричать
Let's help each other to shout
Давайте поможем друг другу забыть.
Let's help each other to forget
Так долго мы гнили в уютных гробах
We've been rotting in cozy coffins for so long
Так долго учились друг друга давить
We've been learning to crush each other for so long
Так долго учились стонать, умирать
We've been learning to moan and die for so long
Давайте будем жить, вперёд!
Let's live, let's move forward!
Не надо считать синяки
No need to count bruises
Не надо виновных искать
No need to seek for culprits
Давайте забудем все наши дела
Let's forget all our business
Пусть трупы хоронят своих мертвецов.
Let the corpses bury their own dead.
Давайте покинем пустые тела
Let's abandon our empty bodies
Господь нам поможет, он классный чувак.
The Lord will help us, He's a cool dude.
Давайте поможем друг другу летать
Let's help each other to fly
Давайте ж поможем друг другу любить.
Let's help each other to love
Давайте будем жить вперёд!
Let's live, let's move forward!
Давайте будем жить вперёд!
Let's live, let's move forward!
Давайте будем жить!
Let's live!
Contributed by Micah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Матвей Мамбетов
Вообще, одна из немногих (если не единственная) ранних песен обороны, где чувствуется позитивный лучик добра и надежды в виде главного лозунга песни. Всё остальное, как по мне - беспредельный депрессняк (что не делает хуже, а под частую, лучше). В общем песня топ.
SereGGaMILLER
Снаружи всех измерений тоже не сказать что негативный негатив
Павел Шрамко
Не согласен, песни Егора про мощную внутреннюю силу, направленную на действие против хуйни окружающего мира и социума, это не всегда весело, но насчёт позитива не согласен, у него полно позитива
Сява.
Так песня вообще ироничная.
Никсол
Даже удивился
Никсол
Согласен)
gas22
Господь нам поможет, он классный чувак))
MetalLyrics
Одна из любимых песен в моей жизне, настоящий мастерпис, спасибо вам Игорь Федорович за прекрасную музыку
gingerTV
давайте будем жить вперед!!!
Никсол
Очень душевная песня...