Nautilus Pompilius (band)

Nautilus Pompilius (Russian: Наутилус Помпилиус), sometimes nicknamed Nau (Russian: Нау), was an influential Soviet, and later Russian, rock band founded in Sverdlovsk in 1982 by Vyacheslav Butusov and Dmitry Umetsky. Butusov disbanded the group in 1997, after multiple albums and several different line-ups of the band.

Nautilus Pompilius
Nautilus Pompilius in concert, late 1980s.
Background information
Origin	USSR, Russia
Genres	Art rock, post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, alternative rock
Years active	1982–1988, 1990–1997, 2003–2004, 2013–2014
Past members	Vyacheslav Butusov Dmitry Umetsky Ilya Kormiltsev† Aleksey Mogilevsky Nikolay Petrov† Albert Potapkin Andrey Sadnov Igor Goncharov Aleksandr Zarubin Anastasiya Poleva Viktor Komarov Vladimir Nazimov Aleksey Khomenko Yegor Belkin Vladimir Yelizarov Igor Dzhavad-Zade Aleksandr Belyayev

Name

The band was originally named "Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves" (Russian: "Али-Баба и сорок разбойников"). In 1983, at the suggestion of the band's sound director, Andrei Makarov, the band's name was changed to Nautilus. In 1985, under the initiative of Ilya Kormiltsev, the name was lengthened to Nautilus Pompilius to avoid confusion with other Russian rock bands that were also named Nautilus at the time, such as the Moscow group led by Evgeny Margulis.

The band later elaborated on the name, saying "The band is named after the nudibranch mollusc, which is naturally beautiful and charming." Nautilus pompilius is the scientific name of a species of cephalopod (mistakenly called a nudibranch by the band) commonly known as the Chambered Nautilus.

History

Founding

Vyacheslav Butusov and Dmitry Umetsky took the first steps towards forming Nautilus in the late 70s. At first, the band performed at small events, covering songs by foreign performers and famous native performers like Mashina Vremeni and Voskreseniye. The band was formed by Butusov and Umetsky.

In 1982, the group made its first attempts to record its own songs. The band's first album, Pereyezd (Russian: Переезд), was released in 1983. The album was strongly influenced by Led Zeppelin.

Later

The band was active in various incarnations from 1983 to 1997. Since the group disbanded, Vyacheslav Butusov has launched a solo career.

Members

Discography

Year	Russian name	English transliteration (translation)
1983	Переезд	Pereyezd (Resettlement (or Highway Crossing))
1985	Невидимка	Nevidimka (The Invisible One)
1986	Разлука	Razluka (Separation), a name of a Russian folk song featuring in the album
1987–1988	Ни Кому Ни Кабельность (LIVE)	Ni Komu Ni Kabel'nost' (pun; nekommunikabel'nost' means 'lack of sociability' (a loanword, from communicate and -able-) and nikomu ni means 'to nobody'
1988	Князь Тишины	Knyaz' Tishiny (Prince of Silence), after a poem by Endre Ady
1988	Отбой (LIVE)	Otboy (Lights-out)
1989	Человек без имени	Chelovek Bez Imeni (Man With No Name)
1992	Чужая земля	Chuzhaya Zemlya (Foreign Land)
1994	Титаник	Titanic
1994	Титаник-LIVE	Titanic-LIVE
1995	Крылья	Kryl'ya (Wings)
1996	Лучшие Песни (LIVE)	Luchshie Pesni (Best Songs)
1997	Яблокитай	Yablokitay (China-apple, Dutch etymologization of Russian apel'sin 'orange fruit') Produced By Bill Nelson
1997	Атлантида	Atlantida (Atlantis)

External links

• Nautilus Pompilius' history at Allmusic.com
• Nautilus Pompilius at discogs.com
• Discography with Lyrics and English translations
• About the band
• Nautilus Pompilius On-Line - Official web site (in Russian)
• Zvuki.ru - Nautilus pompilius (in Russian)
• Official Website of Butusov & U-Piter Vyacheslav Butusov's current group (Nautilus Pompilius' front man) (in Russian)