Юрий ВИЗБОР  Blue Crossroad

Yuri Vizbor is a bard from the generation of the 60es. One of those who thought that poetry and music could change the world and defeat Communism. He sang: "We are passing through the snow-storm, we are bringing hope". A beautiful delusion of the times when being romantic was very courageous, while being courageous seemed to be extremely romantic. Vizbor, according to some Russian critics, "has given the genre to the whole generation". Well, he definitely was not the father of Russian bard song, but his intonation appeared to be more expressive than fierce energy of the most famous Russian bard Vladimir Vysotsky and more intimate than Bulat Okudzhava's bitter songs. Vizbor seemed to be one of the last romantic heroes carrying acoustic guitars. Those who came up to take his place were playing electric guitars, and they did not sing about mountains, but only about metropolises.

Mountains were Vizbor's passion. In this release he sings about mountains as if he's singing about love, and he sings about love as if he's singing about a mountain trip. It seems that he's not singing at all, he's just telling us stories - about Rasvumchorr plateau, where spring never starts, about Moscow winter, about cyclones and TV-shows. Ordinary thoughts about life - but suddenly you begin to realize that all these songs-stories are becoming part of your life.