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It has long become the custom to use the term "Russian Rock" while having in mind creativity of certain rock musicians singing in the Russian language. Here we are mentioning a number of well-known Russian bands, which can personify the notion of Russian rock.
Aquarium
'Gorod' (Perfomed by Aquarium) 
Aquarium played a special part in the history of Soviet rock music and still stands out in the panorama of modern bands. It was the activity of this group in the early 1980s that served as a catalyst for consolidation of the leading creative powers of the uncoordinated amateurish rock movement. It helped to enrich the rock language with many achievements of world music culture and attract the attention of multi-million Russian and foreign audience to the Russian language rock.
Aquarium initiated in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov, then a student of the Leningrad State University and by the dramatist Anatoly Gunitsky first reflected its participants' propensity for American rock-n-roll, Oriental philisiophy, bard song and the literature of absurd. The first public performances of the band in 1974 came as striking for the audience for their esoteric subjects rather than for professionalism. Aquarium gained a foothold as the most active participant of Leningrad amateurish rock stage. In 1974 Aquarium was awarded at the Tallin rock festival for 'the most versatile program' and a bit later it went on tour in Moscow. The opening of Leningrad rock club coincided with the release of the first studio record - Sinii Albom/Blue Album that enabled to give regular concerts.
Following his principle that 'important is the essence rather than the form' Boris Grebenshchikov carried out numerous experiments on style.
Looking for its own language the band went through jazz-rock, punk-rock, new wave, reggay, folk baroque and even hard rock. Instrumental experiments made Aquarium a big-band with a great wind section, a rock group with up-to-date electronic equipment, an acoustic guitar and chello duet, etc. one after another. Under the influence of Sergey Kuryokhin Aquarium was for some time inclined to the free form music and Grebenshchikov himself took part in recording the music by Kuryokhin and his group Popular Mechanics. The success of the group with the general public was enabled by 'magnitizdat'. In 1984 Aquarium stopped its activities and its participants went into separate music projects. After the group's reunion in 1986 it gave a number of large-scale concerts in the Leningrad sport palace Yubileyniy, which came as an evidence of Aquarium's legalization and the first step towards removing the beto on rock music in Leningrad and the country in general.
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Mashina Vremeni
'Marionetki' (Perfomed by Mashina Vremeni)
One of the oldest Russian rock groups Mashina Vremeni/Time Machine emerged at the crest of 'beatlomania' among Moscow students in 1968. A.Kutikov who joined the group in 1971 brought with him daring rock-n-roll drive into the group's repertoir. It was also in that year when the first concert was given. By the middle 1970s the group developed its own unique style conditioned by the tastes of its musicians - from bard songs with romantic protest (Marionetky/Puppets) to lyrical and nostalgic folk (Svecha/Candle) to blues and rock-n-roll. The fame of the group was mainly enabled by semi-underground concerts and 'magnitizdat' records (albums Malenky Printz/Little Prince and Chuzhie sredi Chuzhikh /Aliens among Aliens). The hit Povorot/New Turn was acknowledged the rock song of the year 1981. In the mid 1980s the group firmly established itself as the 'monster' of Russian rock and became one of the first commercial rock groups with official records, tours and participation in cinema shooting. All the official albums of the group (from Reki i Mosty/Rivers and Bridges to the recent final Antology) have become 'golden'.
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Kino
'Gruppa krovi' (Perfomed by Kino)
Kino is a typical example of a rock group, the existence of which was completely conditioned by the charismatic figure of its leader (just the case with the English group Queen and Freddy Mercury). Viktor Tsoi, the soloist of Kino and the author of all its repertoir, was its heart and soul. He created the mythology of social and moral protest so much in accord with the feelings and frames of minds of the youth in the transitional epoch in the history of the USSR. This is most expressive in the albums first recorded by 'magnitizdat': Zvezda po Imeni Solntse/The Star Named Sun, Gruppa Krovi/Blood Group and Natchalnik Kamchatki/Chief of Kamchatka. 'Changes! We want changes!' - the famous refrain symbolically conveying the spirit of that time still reverberate in memory of people. After the tragic death of Viktor Tsoy in a car accident the group ceased existing.
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Zoopark and Mike Naumenko
'Prigorodny blues' (Perfomed by Zoopark)
Mike (Mikhail Naumenko) (1955-1991) was the frontman of the most rock-n-roll band of this country. Not even trying to gain wide popularity he was a rock star in a close underground circle. He lived in the world of rock-n-roll, in the world of Mark Bolan and Lou Reed rather than in Soviet Russia. In his notebooks he had texts of Bob Dylan and David Bowie copied, which he interpreted in his own way through the prism of his life.
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DDT is one of the most cult and popular rock bands in Russian music. Its frontman Yuri Shevchuk, apart from his talent, is well-known as a vehement enemy of pop music stage.
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Alisa
'Vsyo v nashih rukah' (Perfomed by Alisa)
The rock group Alisa was created in 1983 on the initiative of Leningrad rock musician Svyatoslav Zaderia, whose nick-name became the title of the group. However the real story of the group starts only with the appearance of its soloist Konstantin Kinchev. In March of 1985 Alisa became the laureate of the 3rd festival of Leningrad rock club. The first album Energy was made in a hard new wave key with saxophone, flute, violin and chello. Energy became one of the first albums in Russian rock recorded at the state studio Melodia. The second album BlocAda was much harder than Energy and more complete and elaborate. Scandals in mass media and a short term arrest of Kinchev under framed-up charges only warmed up the interest of the public in the group.
Alisa adheres to the theme of romantic and social protest (esepcially obvious in albums Moe Pokolenie/My Generation and My Vmeste/We are Together) with tints of aggressive stylistics typical of heavy metal (albums Shabash/Sabbath and Chyornaya Metka/Black Mark).
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Kalinov Most
'Rodnaya' (Perfomed by Kalinov Most)
The frontman and vocalist of the band Dmitry Revyakin is considered one of the cult figures of “Russian rock music”. The repertoire consists of ballads charged with beautiful and mysterious (sometimes just non-understandable) pagan and Slavic phrases and rock-n-roll melodies. In 2006 the band celebrated its 20th anniversary.
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Grazhdanskaya Oborona (GrOb)
'Vsyo idet po planu' (Perfomed by GrOb)
Is it any use of concealing the fact that songs of the cult rock band GrOb happen to serve as philosophy for teenagers with asocial conduct? The song “Vsyo Idet po Planu” (Everything goes to plan) is a hymn of any drunken get-together. Dirty sounding and fishy cynical lyrics of the band attract both many hoods and intellectuals (strange as it may seem!) of certain age. Lots of unknown Russian punk bands imitate the voice of GrOb’s frontman, the author of songs and vocalist Egor Letov. (Read more)
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Aria
'Ulitsa roz'' (Perfomed by Aria)
The production project of Aria with its heavy metal music patterned on Iron Maiden quickly gained its audience in this country and became very famous in the 1980s, after the release of its album The Hero of Asphalt. The long-haired rockers resort to the lyrics by Margarita Pushkina. The group has recently changed its vocalist and has recorded music till date.
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Chaif
'Poplach o nyom' (Perfomed by Chaif)
One of the brightest rock groups on Sverdlovsk stage, Chaif was created in 1985 by Vladimir Shakhrin and at once attracted the attention of the audience with its interesting lyrics and vivid rock-n-role and blues stylistics. Laureate of numerous rock festivals, Chaif has established its reputation of a highly professional rock music group and gained popularity and commercial success. They still give concerts and record new albums.
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Nautilus Pompilius
'Eta muzyka budet vechoi' (Perfomed by Nau)
Nautilus Pompilius rushed like a shot onto the Russian rock scene in 1987 beating records in popularity. This is when the group recorded its famous hits Good Buy, America!, Ya Khochu Bytt s Toboi/ I Want to Be With You, Skovannie Odnoi Tsepiu/Bound with One Chain, etc. The triumph of the group started with a Moscow concert in 1987 but was not to last long. In 1990 the audience claimed the group 'disapointment of the year'. Soon Nautilus Pompilius ceased being.
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Krematorii (Crematorium)
'Malenkaya devochka' (Perfomed by Krematorii)
The band is considered one of the best concert performing teams in the country, known for its masterly rock-n-roll. The music of Crematorium has been influenced by various music styles, from waltz to hard rock. The arrangements of the band’s songs put violin on the same level with solo-guitar, thus giving a peculiar colouring to its sound.
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Noll (Null)
'Chelovek i koshka' (Perfomed by Noll)
Null was one of the most interesting groups in Russian rock music. The vocalist and accordeonist Fyodor Chistyakov used to write striking songs exposing most disturbing themes. In the mid 1990s Chistyakov finds himself in the hospital with a mental insanity. The group breaks apart. Soon Fyodor Chistyakov joins the sect of Jehovah and leaves his former nervousness behind. He goes on with recording and releasing his solo albums.
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Chizh & Co
'O Lubvi' (Perfomed by Chizh & Co)
Sergey Chigrakov, also known as Chizh brought lively rhythm-n-blues sounding (reminding that of Eric Clapton) into the Russian rock music. The group's fame resounded through the country in the mid 1990s.
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Mumii Troll
'Devochka' (Perfomed by MT)
This group from Vladivostok city was the first to play knowingly for teenage public. The success of the group has been mostly due to the peculair charm of its soloist Ilia Lagutenko. In the mid 1990s the group adapts still more for the masses to become very popular.
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Korol i Shoot (King and Jester)
'Pomnyat s gorechyu drevlyane' (Perfomed by KiSh)
It is an original pop-punk-rock group with the repertoir full of dreadfull tales for kids. The cunning and absurd grimace of the vocalist nick-named Gorshok/Pot is the face of the group. 'Knyaz'/Prince, the second vocalist of the group and the author of majority of songs is also a good artist.
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Leningrad
'WWW' (Perfomed by Leningrad)
Obvious is the group's emulation of Tom Waits and the Null group. The fame of Leningrad is mainly due to their image of rakish fellows always drunk and wild. The present vocalist Shnur is a talanted and bright person. Some people might get confused with the embarassing lyrics of Leningrad.
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Spleen
'Orbit bez sakhara' (Perfomed by Splean)
The clue to phenomenon of this band lies within Britpop music, developing the tradition of the 60s on a new level in modern music. The frontman of the band Alexandr Vasiliev is rather derisive about the success of the band and even its foundation: he says guys get together to play just for fun, and here is suddenly some ballyhoo around them.
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Khoron’ko Orchestra
'Zholty angel' (Perfomed by Horonko)
When listening to its rearranged famous Russian hits of the past, one can feel sincere Russian pride for the band Khoron’ko Orchestra headed by Dmitry Khoron’ko, a talented musician with abundant charisma.
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Umka i Bronevik (aka Umka i Bronevichok, Umka i Bro)
'Gomosexualist' (Perfomed by Umka & Bro)
The vocalist Umka (her real name is Anna Gerasimova) has acquired the image and status of the queen of Russian hippies (in spite of her dislike of this definition): she is gathering around herself hosts of teenage hippies. Umka is one of the most talented Russian songwriters, though the majority of her songs follow the style of American music of the 60-70s.
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Stantsiya Mir (Peace Station)
'Guppi' (Perfomed by Stantsiya Mir)
Stantsiya Mir is rather famous among Russian like-hippies. Its frontman Volodya Kozhekin is one of the leading harpers in this country. “For us, the crazies, the space is waiting. So you all stay here, but we set off” says one of the verses of the band’s most popular song.
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Nick Rock’N’Roll
'Kupi' (Perfomed by Nick Rock-n-roll)
In his time this person (his real name is Nikolai Frantsevich Kuntsevich), a vivid, frantic and morbid figure, gained the title of “Russian Iggy Pop” by making raving scenes with mutilation on stage. Today Nick Rock-n-Roll plays with the band Trite Dushi (Rub the Souls) but performs very seldom. Thanks to various projects of Nick, a number of new stars have risen on the Russian rock stage; he has been supporting the promotion of subcultural and underground bands and performers.
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Look also: History of Rock Music in Russia
Vera Ivanova and Mikhail Manykin
