Tim from Punk International really outdid himself this week. I wont say much more, so here's the scoop:

I spent the last couple weeks researching the history of punk rock in the Soviet Union, and I found way more interesting material than I ever imagined. The first Soviet punk bands appeared around 1979, and the scene really exploded after 1985 under Gorbachev. I stumbled across a song, originally in wav format, by the iconic Siberian punk band Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Civil Defence). I can't say with absolute certainty what the song is called, or when it was recorded, but the band seems to have done its recording between the years 1985-1990. The quality of this mp3 isn't stellar, because it likely originated on cassette, then was transferred to CD a decade later. But, it's raw, real old-school Soviet punk at its finest.

The US-based music store RussianCD.com sells tons of Soviet and Russian punk, usually at a very low price ($10-$12 per CD). Even better, nearly every album I've seen is available to stream online. It's pretty much impossible to navigate if you don't know the names of the bands in the Cyrillic alphabet, but I can always suggest some direct links to any interest parties. Anyway, the entire G.O. discography is available here.

Grazhdanskaya Oborona - "Vse Idyot Po Planu" (All Going Right) (MP3)

Recent Spotlights: The Killing Flame (USA by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil), Delux (Mexico)