It was sad to hear of the death of David Carradine recently. Back in 1975, he had great success with the Kung Fu TV series and released this album of self-composed songs. At the time, to promote the album, he appeared on the UK chat show Russell Harty. After insisting that he and Harty should sit on the floor, he spent several minutes of the 'interview' tuning his guitar to the bemusement of his host. Eventually, he played the first track from this album.
Boris Grebenshikov is the 'elder statesman' (for want of a better description) of Russian rock. Together with his group Akvarium, he has produced a huge canon of work from the early eighties to today. He and the band's influences have taken in a wide span of popular music from folk, rock and jazz to classical and world music. He is still an important figure in the Russian music scene and has worked with musicians from all over the world including the UK. Produced by Dave Stewart, BG released and album in English called 'Radio Silence' which was poorly received and not generally considered to be one of his better albums. A second English language album was recorded, but not released. While still not amongst his best, it is a big improvement on its predecessor and gives an idea of his style.
During a training mission, a submarine is damaged by a wartime mine and sinks. The survivors have to try to find a way to get help. This is a fine drama, with believable characterisations and some very good acting. The filming in the stricken vessel is gloomy and claustrophobic and, although not based on the Kursk disaster, the film gives a hint at the dreadful fate of its crew. The score was written by Ennio Morricone and is very difficult to find, often being sold at silly prices. Morricone dedicated the music to the memory of the Kursk submariners.
This is a colaboration between the Twinkle Brothers and the Trebunie Tutki Polish folk group. The result is a mix of Polish folk with a reggae backing. Most of the songs are sung in both English and Polish - one an interpretation of the other. Difficult to describe this well, but it's really worth listening to. Some of the songs can be found on compilations, but this original release is really difficult to find anywhere now.
This is the second album from the Russian band Ivan Kupala and it's another very good one. Slightly more emphasis on the beat here, but still a lot of folk.
