Two years in the making, Marc's labour of love to Russia, its tumultuous history, varied culture, proud people, and its kaleidoscope of musical sounds and influences was released on October 21st 2003. Twenty years old at the time of recording this podcast, we discuss how the album came into being, the various collaborations that run throughout the record, its impact on release, the reception it received, and whether the record has stood the test of time and still sounds fresh and relevant today.

With eighteen tracks to get our teeth into, we provide a flavour of the sound of the album, select our favourite songs, and each provide a mark out of 10.

Moscow Times article covering the jaw-dropping 'The Worker And Collective Farm Woman' by Vera Mukhina:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/02/01/architectural-treasures-of-moscow-the-worker-and-collective-farm-woman-a76203

There's the usual review of the UK top ten singles and albums in the UK at the time of release, featuring the likes of R.E.M., Dido, Sheryl Crow, Travis, Elvis Presley, Michael Buble, and The Darkness.

Ooh, la, la , our Top 3's are songs sung in a foreign language with picks from Juniore, Dean Martin, and Falco, amongst others.

Rick's Single of the week is the new single from The Beatles (and what a thrill it is to write that!) with a real divide of opinion on the video. If by any miracle you haven't seen it yet, watch on YouTube and let us know which side of the fence you fall on!

https://youtu.be/Opxhh9Oh3rg?si=SW9wya75BYJmD4Tn

Kate's single of the week is the joyous 'Bulletproof' from La Roux that she somehow missed the first time around when released in 2010:

https://youtu.be/Kk8eJh4i8Lo?si=bQmUm8HCwrWEsmQE

Link to the stunning cover of Marc Almond's 'Only the Moment' by the incredibly talented Katarina Kovac:

https://youtu.be/Jg_1gw07p60?si=_eHDkIg8fYnfwQb5

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to our indie podcast on your listening platform of choice. We'd REALLY appreciate it if you could take a minute to rate the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You can follow or like us on Twitter (X) or Facebook, comments and opinions about anything covered in the episodes, our posts, or music in general are encouraged.

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Thank you, and best wishes,

Rick, & Kate x