Oblachniy Kray – Стремя и люди (1985)

January 17, 2025

Truly, a wild ride!

I go into this with little to no knowledge of the band or the expectation of the sound that they perform. My first impression is that this is some sort of Soviet version of Mr. Bungle, and whilst I suppose aurally I wouldn’t be too far wrong with my summation, that does do a little disservice to the uniqueness and quirky nature of these guys and their music. Let’s not forget that this thing came out in 1985; the form it takes, warts and all, is truly marvellous for its time. Whatever hot take you may have for the availability of Western rock music behind the iron curtain, the fact remains that these somewhat isolated musicians interpreted and contributed to the world in their own incredibly unique and special way.

At the time of writing, Стремя и люди is my first brush with Oblachniy Kray. I have a lot of rabbit hole left ahead of me!

Attribution: Many thanks to TheBungler for the recommendation.