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.
Слава психонавтам
Гражданская оборона Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ветви не вечны — становятся суками
Сучья рубят — мы летим как ракеты
В сияющий космос внутри
А значит — слава Психонавтам!
Слава Пионерам!
Ура — Первопроходцам
Своих беспримерных глубин
Новые деревья впиваются в лето
Новые гнёзда на них свивают птицы
Новая алхимия, новая природа
Новая наша земля
Так значит — слава Психонавтам!
Слава Пионерам!
Ура — Первопроходцам
Своих беспредельных пространств
Своих разноцветных глубин
Это наш Химический Дом
Для печальных жителей Земли
Это наш Химический Дом
Для печальных жителей Земли
Привычная болезнь — не вернуться назад
Паническая жажда выздоравливать отсюда
Неистовые ангелы с голодными глазами
Штурмуют свои небеса
И значит — слава Психонавтам!
Слава Пионерам!
Ура — Первопроходцам
Своих беспризорных пространств
Своих безоглядных глубин
Своих многозвёздных пространств
Своих разноцветных глубин
Это — наш Химический Дом
Для печальных жителей Земли
Это — наш Химический Дом
Для печальных жителей Земли
Это — наш Химический Дом
Для печальных жителей Земли
Это — наш Химический Дом
Для печальных жителей Земли
The song "Слава психонавтам" by Гражданская Оборона (Civil Defense) starts with the metaphor of great tree trunks growing branches, which are not eternal and will become branches eventually. As those branches are cut, the singer and the people they address take flight like rockets into the shining cosmos inside themselves. The chorus exclaims glory to the psychonauts, pioneers, and first explorers of their individual and boundless spaces, both physical and mental, with all their colorful depths.
The second verse speaks of new trees settling into summer, with new nests being woven by birds. New alchemy, a new nature, a new land are all mentioned. The chorus repeats, this time adding "homeless spaces" and "incautious depths." In the last verse, the theme of not being able to return to the past and the desire to heal from panic is mentioned. The unbridled angels storm their own heavens with their hungry eyes, while glories are once again bestowed upon psychonauts, pioneers and first explorers of their multitudinous spaces and colorful depths. The song ends with repeating the words "This is our Chemical House for the sad inhabitants of Earth."
In summary, the song is a tribute to those who have explored the boundaries of their minds and discovered their own inner cosmos. It celebrates the freedom and adventure that comes with self-discovery and self-exploration, praising those who have taken the risk to journey into the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Великие стволы обрастают ветвями
Tall trunks grow branches.
Ветви не вечны — становятся суками
Branches are not eternal - they turn into twigs.
Сучья рубят — мы летим как ракеты
We fly like rockets as branches are cut.
В сияющий космос внутри
Into the shining cosmos within.
А значит — слава Психонавтам!
Therefore, glory to the Psychonauts!
Слава Пионерам!
Glory to the Pioneers!
Ура — Первопроходцам
Hooray for the First Explorers!
Своих одиночных пространств
Their own individual spaces.
Своих беспримерных глубин
Their unprecedented depths.
Новые деревья впиваются в лето
New trees embed in summer.
Новые гнёзда на них свивают птицы
New nests are woven by birds on them.
Новая алхимия, новая природа
New alchemy, new nature.
Новая наша земля
New earth of ours.
Так значит — слава Психонавтам!
So, glory to the Psychonauts!
Это наш Химический Дом
This is our Chemical Home.
Для печальных жителей Земли
For the sad inhabitants of the Earth.
Привычная болезнь — не вернуться назад
The habitual illness - not to return.
Паническая жажда выздоравливать отсюда
A panic thirst to recover from this place.
Неистовые ангелы с голодными глазами
Ferocious angels with hungry eyes.
Штурмуют свои небеса
Storm their own heavens.
И значит — слава Психонавтам!
And thus, glory to the Psychonauts!
Своих беспризорных пространств
Their own homeless spaces.
Своих безоглядных глубин
Their own blind depths.
Своих многозвёздных пространств
Their own multi-starred spaces.
Своих разноцветных глубин
Their own colorful depths.
Это — наш Химический Дом
This is our Chemical Home.
Для печальных жителей Земли
For the sad inhabitants of the Earth.
Это — наш Химический Дом
This is our Chemical Home.
Для печальных жителей Земли
For the sad inhabitants of the Earth.
Это — наш Химический Дом
This is our Chemical Home.
Для печальных жителей Земли
For the sad inhabitants of the Earth.
Это — наш Химический Дом
This is our Chemical Home.
Для печальных жителей Земли
For the sad inhabitants of the Earth.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Egor Letov
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind