Vladimir Vysotskiy

Until his death Vladimir Vysotsky remained unrecognized in his homeland despite composing over a thousand widely loved songs, none of which appeared on an officially sanctioned record during his lifetime. Political content in his work accounted for this deliberate omission. Beginning his performances in the 1960s, Vysotsky openly challenged the Communist authorities, and his texts directly confronted prevailing Soviet conditions. The pieces drew on the blatny pesny tradition—literally, delinquent song—whose themes embraced sex, drink, and street fights. Unofficial cassette copies built him a broad and devoted audience. Following his passing in 1980, Gorbachev authorized official recognition, resulting in the issue of a twenty-album retrospective.