Between the bardovskaya pesnya – the best manifestation of the alternative Soviet culture in the ’60s and ’70s – and the so-called “Soviet Rock” of the ’80s, there are lots of similarities. The article maintains that this peculiar variation of rock music represents the last step in the development of the strand starting from the bardovskaya pesnya. “Soviet Rock” has two basic premises in common with this form of song: the central role of the word (lyrics are more important than music), and the identity between author-performer and the song itself, seen as a subjective experience which is able to convey shared values that are an alternative to official conformism. In order to prove this hypothesis, the article analyses a typological survey concerning the salient features of “Soviet Rock” and its affinities and differences with Western rock.