The image of the group is mostly formed by Vyacheslav Butusov, its invariable frontman, lead guitar and composer. The lyrics were written mostly by Ilya Kormiltsev, who also wrote lyrics for several other notable "Ural rock" bands of the period.
The band's official site is www.nautilus.ru.
Their history starts in 1978, when three students of Sverdlovsk Institute of Architecture, Vyacheslav Butusov (vocals, guitar), Dmitry Umetsky (bass, backing vocals), and Igor Goncharov (drums) started playing rock-n-roll together for fun. Their first more or less complete, though amateur, recording was made in 1982.
This debut album, entitled "Переезд" (pronounced "pereyezd"; Russian for "crossing" or "moving on") was inclined heavily towards rock-n-roll or even hard rock in the vein of Led Zeppelin, which was completely abandoned by the time of recording the next album. The breakthrough came in 1986 with their third LP called "Разлука" ("razluka"; Apartness). Nautilus Pompilius became true nationwide stars, their brand of keyboard-driven post-punk with new wave elements and catchy melodies bringing them huge success. As ninety-nine per cent of Russian rock were politically engaged, the lyrical image of the band was also important. Nautilus created both pamphlets criticizing the Communist regime, such as "Скованные одной цепью" (Chained Together) or "Шар цвета хаки" (Khaki-Colored Globe), and emotional ballads, the most popular among them "Я хочу быть с тобой" (I Want To Be With You). The biggest hits of this period are still well-known in Russia. Butusov and Umetsky led the band to a cult status, but then Dmitry suddenly quit Nautilus in 1988.
In 1989, after a year and a half of almost uninterrupted touring, many line-up changes and a couple of live recordings, the band broke up while still enjoying enormous popularity and even some official recognition. This decision was unwelcome among fans, but it brought Butusov and Umetsky together once more. They started the band from scratch, but this attempt was unsuccessful and they parted ways soon having made only demos for what was later released as "Человек без имени" ("chelovek bez imeni"; Man Without A Name). But then Ilya Kormiltsev, the man behind the lyrics, decided to join Butusov again. The band had a composer and a lyricist, so the writing and recording began with help of a completely new line-up including Igor Djavad-zade, a Tajikistan-born drummer of some renown due to his involvement in successful jazz projects, and Oleg Sakmarov, the flutist of perhaps the most popular Russian band of the time, Аквариум.
The following three years saw the band change its style to guitar-driven rock and making two further albums. The biggest hit of that period was 1991's medieval-styled ballad "Прогулки по воде" ("progulki po vode" - Walking Upon Water) with lyrics about Jesus walking upon water and preaching to his disciple St. Andrew.
In 1994 Nautilus returned to the mainstream scene with the album "Титаник" (Titanic). The line-up was revised once more, with members of 1988 superstar line-up Albert Potapkin (drums) and Alexei Mogilevsky (keyboards, saxophone) returning to the band, the former since 1992 and the latter since 1994. The next effort was their perhaps most succesful CD entitled "Крылья" ("krylia" - Wings), the sombre title track becoming an instant hit. The band toured Russia and abroad, reaching ever larger audiences, but then finally broke up after one more album "Яблокитай" ("yablokitay" - Apple-China, a pun on the Russian word for "orange" - апельсин, which is borrowed from Dutch where it means literally "Сhina-apple") which didn't appeal to fans as much as the previous two.
Vyacheslav Butusov himself is still fairly popular in Russia and performs with a new band called Ю-Питер.
Идиллия
Nautilus Pompilius Lyrics
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У нас все спокойно,
У нас всегда все спокойно.
Люди отдыхают, стирают и чистят,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
.
Застыли женщины, под углом впившись в лейки
И дворник, так ловко зацепил мусор,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
И хотя нет ощущенья, что все здесь предрешено,
Но этот звук меня вгоняет в землю уже давно - но.
.
И немые отцы учат жизни глухих детей
И управдом вышел, чтобы погреться на солнце,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
.
И все здесь так ловко, у нас всегда все так ловко
И все здесь так споро, и все здесь так быстро,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
Этот звук меня вгоняет в землю уже давно,
Это время стучит нам в темя костяшками домино.
The lyrics of Nautilus Pompilius's song "Идиллия" depict a seemingly calm and peaceful environment, where everything appears to be in order. People are relaxing, doing their chores, and the atmosphere seems serene. However, amidst this tranquility, there is an underlying sense of unease manifested through the recurring sound of a transparent knock or tap.
The imagery in the song further accentuates the contrast between the apparent calm and the subtle tension. The women are frozen, their bodies angled towards the taps, and the janitor skillfully catches the garbage. Despite the lack of a predetermined feeling that everything is predetermined, the sound itself has been burying the singer into the ground for a long time.
The song also portrays a sense of isolation and alienation. The silent fathers teaching deaf children and the superintendent coming out to sunbathe emphasize a disconnect between individuals. Though everything seems skillful and fast-paced, the transparent knock can still be heard everywhere, underlying the facade of efficiency and rapidity.
Line by Line Meaning
У нас все спокойно,
Everything is calm for us,
У нас всегда все спокойно.
Everything is always calm for us.
Люди отдыхают, стирают и чистят,
People rest, wash, and clean,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
But everywhere a transparent knock is heard.
Застыли женщины, под углом впившись в лейки
Women froze, leaning over the sinks,
И дворник, так ловко зацепил мусор,
And the janitor skillfully grabbed the trash,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
But everywhere a transparent knock is heard.
И хотя нет ощущенья, что все здесь предрешено,
And though there is no feeling that everything here is predetermined,
Но этот звук меня вгоняет в землю уже давно - но.
But this sound has been burying me in the ground for a long time - but.
И немые отцы учат жизни глухих детей
Mute fathers teach the lives of deaf children,
И управдом вышел, чтобы погреться на солнце,
And the building superintendent came out to warm up in the sun,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
But everywhere a transparent knock is heard.
И все здесь так ловко, у нас всегда все так ловко
And everything here is so skillful, everything is always so skillful for us
И все здесь так споро, и все здесь так быстро,
And everything here is so hasty, and everything here is so fast,
Но везде слышен прозрачный стук.
But everywhere a transparent knock is heard.
Этот звук меня вгоняет в землю уже давно,
This sound has been burying me in the ground for a long time,
Это время стучит нам в темя костяшками домино.
This time knocks on our temples with the bones of dominoes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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