RUSSIA

I got the record back when it was released. Absolutely loved the power-pop, with an almost new-wave sound and creativity. I wore the record out and am super happy to finally find this excellent sounding cd.

I bought the original LP in 1982 for $7.99 Thought it was good then, I still like it now. In 2001 I ripped the LP into my computer and made my own CD out of it. Now I find there's this professionally made re-release of the original, for less than I paid for the vinyl. Awesome. Very accessible rock from Seattle from before the grunge scene exploded. Every track has something to offer. Recommended.

I can't BELIEVE this album is FINALLY on CD! Forever I've pined for this. I useta be a cut-out bin (and flea-market) hound, and this is by far, my most beloved find (cut-out bin, circa 1981.) The worst thing I ever did was sell that vinyl (I recorded it to cassette, which promptly got ruined almost directly after selling it.) Years later, I downloaded it from Napster, but only recorded that to cassette as well (long before CD burning became a viable option) and since have only found a bad rip - too poor to burn. I Did buy the vinyl again (along with the much inferior, though not awful, Force 10) but that skipped... sigh. I just can not believe this ever made it to CD - I never knew anyone who knew about them (guy I sold it to had their Force 10, which I never got to hear then, but I never learned what he thought of it.) This band was SO full of potential, which makes their follow-up (as Force 10) so puzzlingly dull and uninspired, by comparison. I don't know any of the details, but it's as if the first album got A-List treatment - producing, engineering, recording and mixing, while the second sounds litle better than a demo. Based on their eponymous, however, this ill-fated band gets my vote for the most "Woulda-Shoulda-Coulda" act ever. It is everything the previous reviewer Kirk Lott describes - in spades (though I never thought of the backing vocals as "Soviet"-like, I think I know what you mean.) I'd add 100cc/Godley & Creme and Sparks to a list of similar artists. If you like music in the Power Pop/Art Rock/New Wave vein (no single classification suffices), then you must hear - and buy - this great lost gem. Caveat: I haven't yet heard the CD, but I hope it sounds a lot better than my vinyl-ripped mp3s. I've just recently decided to start a project to soup up my car audio system solely to do justice to this great rock classic; perhaps the CD version will eliminate the need - buying the CD may well have saved me a lot of money, lol. If I can be assured the band still gets royalties, I'll buy a hundred copies - though it may take a hundred years on my non-existing budget. Can't decide if this is the worst time or the best time to discover this CD reissue, but it is mighty welcome. PS. I never learned anything substantial about the band or album, so thanks also for the little history lesson, Kirk.

I echo the other 5-star reviews. This record has clever lyrics, but it is the music and production that make it a standout. Each song is a bit different and as you listen you can hear a number of distinct styles. There are riffs and bits you would swear were The Cars or Nirvana or Queen, there are echoes of Billy Squier and Styx and Kansas and Foreigner. Each song is listenable, interesting, and different. What I really like about it is the vocal precision. While Griff Stevens, the lead vocalist, dances around with style and panache, the backing vocals are percussive in their precision, sometimes like Gregorian chants on speed, sometimes like a rock-inspired barbershop quartet, with some of that operatic Queen-like sound thrown in. It is all seamlessly blended with various instruments both electric and acoustiC. I've never heard a better piece of production, from Paul Ratajczak. Like Jon D in the other review, I lost (I think I lent it out and never got it back) my record back in the late 80's, and every now and then I would search for it on CD. I finally found the CD on CD Universe - not that I am dissing Amazon, but they don't offer it (don't buy the Terra Russia CD, it's the wrong CD, some kind of Russian vocal music from yes, Russia, in Russian) so if you want to buy the CD, go there. It's the only place I found it. Anyway, I found that twenty years later I still knew every word and every note. That's how much it stuck with me. If you look up Griff Stevens' Myspace page (I know, who uses that anymore?) you will find a couple videos of his that are actually Russia, if you want some full samples of songs more than just the 17-second thingies on Amazon. Probably the other ones are from Force 10, not sure. I was disappointed there wasn't more from Griff. It makes me wonder if the great setup and crash of Russia undid him. Though the lyrics and lead vocals are credited to him, perhaps someone else wrote much of the music? I don't know. I bet there's an interesting untold story there.

Au contraire to the first review, Russia was anything but a 1-hit wonder. This album is wall-to-wall, giddy-with-delight classic rock. Every song boasts a fresh arrangement and clever lyrics, and always a surprise around the corner. How to describe? Er...imagine a mash up of The Cars and Queen and maybe a little ELO - with some wacky tongue-in-cheek Soviet backing vocals every now and then. The band was the next big thing - and their record company knew it: there are 6 potential hit singles here. Indeed, the band was slated to debut at the opening of the 1980 Olympics to a global television audience. Only one problem: the Soviet Union then invaded Afghanistan. The world boycotted the Olympics, Russia (the band) lost its debutante ball, and the record company - well, how do you promote a band with the most unfortunate name of the year? Russia inexplicably changed its name to Force 10, released an inferior follow up album, and well...they broke up. I digress. Back story aside, listen to song samples. Best tracks: the pop perfection of Who Do You Think You Are?, If I Were You and Out of My Mind; the rockers Fight Back and Nothing to Say; the utterly unique and intense Gotta Get Away, and my personal favorite, the stomping Piece of Ice. Indeed, the album gets better and better, with numbers 6, 7 and 9 perhaps the highlight. If you're fond of the great rock of the late 70s and early 80s, a visit to Russia is a journey of discovery to some undiscovered classic rock, the hit that should have been.

I wore this album out back in 1980. The sound is driven rock mostly with occasional pauses to venture into the strange and odd. Warner Brothers was grooming these guys for the big time and they were really good but just didn't catch on. If you liked bands like Queen or David Bowie this could be the band for you. These guys were progressive and experimental with sound that just ranged all over the rock landscape. The lead singer Griff Stevens wrote the songs and delivered each word in wide-eyed pandemonium. The Lead Guitarist Thomas Richard Brighton wielded a raw Marshal driven sound that was just awesome when played at "eleven". The sound ranged from hard rock to experimental and keeps you on your heels, for example in one song railroad springs are paired with Brighton blasting power chords to surprising effect! I was delighted to find this available since my old copy dissapeared at some point in my journeys. I can not WAIT to get my copy. If you try it, you will be entertained for sure.

A local band we saw many times live. Incredible shows, Incredibly varied and imaginative lyrics, vocals and music. The songs are so varied and so far ahead of their times in their innovative use of technology, as Boston was. a tragic story of name change to Force 10 and an inferior follow up album under that name. The album "Russia" however is one of MY top five all time favorite albums!! It's incredible to me in every way... LBS misses you Russia... It's about time you got the credit you so deserve!!!

Buy it.

Bravi musicisti con idee originali. Rock robusto con iniezioni di Funk e vocalità notevole. Imperdibile il disco successivo a firma Force 10.

Todo perfecto, articulo tal como se describe, llegada en tiempo estipulado.