Brygada Kryzys is one of the most important and most influential Polish roc… Read Full Bio ↴Brygada Kryzys is one of the most important and most influential Polish rock/punk/reggae bands. Founded in 1981 by two already well-known musicians and composers from Warsaw, Poland - Robert Brylewski - guit., voc. (previously Kryzys) and Tomasz Lipiński - guit., voc. (previously Tilt).
BK’s Timeline:
1981 - July - Robert Brylewski asks Tomasz Lipiński whether he would be willing to start a new band. Lipiński agrees.
August - A new band, Brygada Kryzys (BK) is formed. After a few rehearsals its members are: Brylewski, Lipiński, Jarek Gruszka Ptasiński: perc, Tomek Men Świtalski: sax, Ireneusz Jeżyk Wereński: bass; Sławek Słociński: drums.
The musicians describe their music as "punkadelic", claiming they have two sources of inspiration - early punk and psychedelic of the second half of the 60. The first planned gig in Gdansk is canceled because its organizers do not like the message of BK which was regarded as too political.
September - The first concert at Warsaw’s Riviera. This gig was recorded and later issued in London as a bootleg.
November - A two-week tour around Poland with British band TV21. At Monopol hotel in Gdańsk Brylewski is severely beaten by a bunch of gangbangers. Militiamen refuse to help. In Poland a general strike takes place.
December - The band goes to Belgrade to participate in Days of Young Polish Subculture. The bus however is stopped at Polish-Czechoslovak border and the gadgets are confiscated. BK finally reaches Belgrade by plane where two concerts take place (one of them is recorded).
After return to Poland the group plans a tour to the Netherlands, scheduled for February of 1982 as well as another trip to Jugoslavia. On December 13 martial law and curfew are promulgated in Poland.
1982 - February - On posters in Warsaw a new band, “Brygada K.” appears. The communist government thus wanted “BK” to shorten its provocative name (it means "Crisis Brigade" in English), but the musicians refuse. As a reprisal, BK is prohibited from public shows. The band does not go to the Netherlands either.
March - Recording company “Tonpress” opens a new studio at Warsaw’s Wawrzyszew district. The management needs a band which would test it. BK manager, Jacek Olechowski, suggests the group. During a few days and a few nights some songs are recorded. “Tonpress”, although with hesitation, agrees to publish a record. Also, a new drums player - Janek Rołt (RIP) becomes a member of BK.
Summer - The band spends whole summer of 1982 at a village near Lublin. There some scenes are recorded which will later appear in the movie “Koncert”.
August 31 - Demonstrations and street fights in Warsaw. Tomek is severely beaten and arrested by militia. Released shortly afterwards as there was no space in overcrowded jails.
September 1-4 - Concerts at Warsaw’s club Remont, first since December of 1981. BK members decide to dissolve the band as there were numerous obstacles which made it impossible to act. Robert with some musicians start a reggae band Izrael, Tomek returns to Tilt.
1989 - A week before Berlin’s Wall collapse, on the way to Berlin’s concert, Tomek and Robert talk about rebirth of BK.
1991 - August - During the Jarocin Festival the band plays the first concert after 9 years. The publicity welcomes BK enthusiastically.
October 1991-August 1992 - At the Izabelin studio the band records a new album “Cosmopolis”. The LP consists both of old songs as well as new ones. BK now consists of: Robert Brylewski, Tomek Lipiński, Irek Jeżyk Wereński and new musicians: Piotr Stopa Żyżelewicz (drums), Brylewski’s wife Vivian Quarcoo (voc.), Włodek Kiniorski and Aleksander Korecki (both sax.).
December 13, 1992,1993,1994 - The band organizes series of concerts which commemorate promulgation of martial law in Poland. One of them is later released on tape. In 1994 the band again ceases to exist.
2003 - In the spring BK returns after 10 years of hibernation. Its members are: Robert Brylewski and Tomek Lipiński, also Filip Gałązka - drums, Tomek Szymborski - bass and Sergiusz Lisecki - sax. The band plays several concerts, including a tour "PRL czyli Punk Rock Later". In December BK goes to London where it plays at the Garage club.
2005 - With Aleksander Korecki back replacing Lisecki as saxophone player, they work on the "Black Album" project, featuring remixes of the first album (which was simply titled with the band's name) by Kuba Nowakowski and some early unreleased recordings. They participate in TVP3's program Muzyka łączy pokolenia ("Music Connecting Generations") with the rap duo "Vienio i Pele". In November-December, another tour through clubs in Poland and (December 4) again at the Garage in London. A new recording session is scheduled for winter 2005/2006.
Discography
1982 Brygada Kryzys / LP Tonpress
1982 Live / LP Fresh Records UK
1992 Cosmopolis / Izabelin Studio
1996 Live in Remont '93 / MC Gold Rock Studio

Too Much
Brygada Kryzys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

They blocked all the roads
They cut all communication
Set seggregation camps
For ideo isolation
The shoot us in mines
They beat us in the streets
It's their daily bread
They want us to eat

And I never never knew I could
Hate so much
Hate so much
Hate so much
Too much too much too much
Too much too much too much
Too much too much too much
I'm scared to live
I'm scared to die
And I'm scared when a patrol
Is passing me by
And I never never knew I could
Hate so much
Hate so much
Hate so much
Too much too much too much

Too much too much too much
Too much too much too much

Overall Meaning

The song "Too Much" by Brygada Kryzys speaks to the oppression and violence experienced by citizens under totalitarian regimes. The opening lines speak to the attempt to cut off all communication and movement of citizens, creating a sense of isolation and control. The next line, "Segregation camps for ideo isolation" speaks to the notion that the government is attempting to control the opinions and beliefs of the people by forcing them into isolated camps. The following lines speak to the physical violence inflicted on citizens who resist this control, whether that be through shooting people in mines or violently suppressing protests in the streets.

The repetition of the line "And I never knew I could hate so much" speaks to the sense of anger and resentment that builds in people who are subject to such oppression. The concluding lines of the song express a deep sense of fear and the magnitude of the situation, "I'm scared to live, I'm scared to die, and I'm scared when a patrol is passing me by." Overall, the song speaks to the damage that totalitarian governments can have on the psyche of individuals and the boiling point of their feelings, which ultimately lead to widespread dissatisfaction that can turn into a revolution.

Line by Line Meaning

They blocked all the roads
The authorities have blocked all road access and our freedom of movement is restricted

They cut all communication
The authorities have cut off all means of communication, making it difficult to reach out for help and leave us isolated

Set segregation camps
The authorities have set up internment camps to segregate people based on their ideologies, religions or beliefs

For ideo isolation
These camps are created for ideological isolation, to keep people of different beliefs apart and prevent exchange of ideas

They shoot us in mines
The authorities use extreme force and brutality against us, even sending people to work in dangerous conditions such as mines, where they are at risk of losing their lives

They beat us in the streets
The authorities use physical violence as a means of controlling us and instilling fear in the public

It's their daily bread
The authorities' use of violence and oppression is a common occurrence and part of their daily routine

They want us to eat
The authorities want us to accept their way of life and ideology and to submit to their authority

And I never never knew I could
The artist is surprised by the intensity of their own emotions and the hatred they have built up in response to the oppression and violence they have experienced

Hate so much
The artist feels an overwhelming sense of anger and bitterness towards those who are responsible for their suffering

Too much too much too much
The oppression and violence they have experienced and witnessed have become unbearable and overwhelming

I'm scared to live
The artist is constantly living in fear of the authorities and their violence, which has made normal life impossible

I'm scared to die
The singer feels that even death is not an escape from the authorities' control and violence

And I'm scared when a patrol
The singer is even scared of encountering the authorities' patrols, which are usually brutal and oppressive

Is passing me by
The singer is so terrorized that even passing by the patrols is a traumatic event

Contributed by Gavin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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