| Снова в СССР | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Paul McCartney | ||||
| Released | October 31, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 20 & 21 July 1987 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 47:54 | |||
| Label | Melodiya (Μелодия) | |||
| Producer | Paul McCartney | |||
| Paul McCartney chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
Снова в СССР (Russian transliteration Snova v SSSR, English: Back in the USSR, also known as "The Russian Album") is the seventh solo studio album by Paul McCartney, originally released in 1988 exclusively in the Soviet Union. The album consists entirely of covers, mainly of rock 'n roll oldies (similar to John Lennon's 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll). With the addition of an extra track, the album was released internationally in 1991.
Rhapsody praised the album, calling it one of their favorite cover albums.[1]
Contents |
Following the tepid reaction to his 1986 studio album Press to Play, McCartney spent much of the first half of 1987 plotting his next album. In July, he got the urge to get back to his roots by singing some of his favourite hits from the 1950s and over the course of two days, with three other (session) musicians, McCartney recorded sixteen songs, thirteen of which would be chosen for the eventual album release in the USSR the following year.
The title Снова в СССР is Russian for "Back in the U.S.S.R."—a famous Lennon–McCartney song from The Beatles' 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as the White Album). The title is often taken as if written in Latin letters (i.e. "choba b cccp"), but it is Russian, written in Cyrillic, transliterated Snova v SSSR, and pronounced in Russian roughly snova v ess-ess-ess-er.
During the recording sessions 22 songs were recorded, but originally only 11 were put on the album. A second Soviet pressing, released in December 1988, increased the song total to 13 by adding "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" and "Summertime". The 1991 worldwide CD release contained 14 tracks by including "I'm in Love Again" (first released in 1989 as one of the B-sides to McCartney's "This One" single) as a bonus track. Two more tracks from the sessions saw official release: the blues jam "I Wanna Cry" as another of the "This One" B-sides and "It's Now or Never" on the New Musical Express double-LP/CD "The Last Temptation Of Elvis" in England in February 1990.
Six songs from the sessions remain unreleased: "I Saw Her Standing There" (the Beatles song), "Take This Hammer" (Lonnie Donegan) "Cut Across Shorty" (Eddie Cochran), "Poor Boy" (Elvis Presley), "Lend Me Your Comb" (Carl Perkins), and "No Other Baby" (The Vipers). The last of these would be re-recorded by McCartney on 1999's Run Devil Run.
The Russian album includes liner notes all in Russian, from original text by Roy Carr of the New Musical Express.
The cover of the album was designed by Michael Ross. Paul's photograph in a red star, the USSR's symbol, was taken by Linda McCartney and was first featured inside the gatefold album cover of Ram.
McCartney intended Снова в СССР as a present for Soviet fans who were generally unable to obtain his legitimate recordings, often having to make do with copies; they would, for a change, have an album that people in other countries would be unable to obtain. Accordingly, McCartney never intended the album to be sold outside the USSR, and mirroring the situation as it had been within the Soviet Union, it was a popular import or bootleg album in other countries. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Снова в СССР was given a worldwide release in 1991, reaching #63 in the UK and #109 in the US. Curiously, the title is misprinted on this release as СНОВА Б СССР (Б is the Cyrillic equivalent of the letter B in the Latin alphabet, rather than the B, equivalent to V, of the original).
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kansas City" | Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Twenty Flight Rock" | Eddie Cochran/Ned Fairchild | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" | Lloyd Price | 3:17 |
| 4. | "I'm in Love Again" (Bonus track on 1991 international release) | Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew | 2:58 |
| 5. | "Bring It On Home to Me" | Sam Cooke | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Lucille" | Richard Penniman/Albert Collins | 3:13 |
| 7. | "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" | Duke Ellington/Bob Russell | 2:51 |
| 8. | "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" | Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew/Roy Hayes | 4:12 |
| 9. | "That's All Right Mama" | Arthur Crudup | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Summertime" | George Gershwin | 4:57 |
| 11. | "Ain't That a Shame" | Fats Domino/Dave Bartholomew | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Crackin' Up" | Ellas McDaniel | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Just Because" | Bob Shelton/Joe Shelton/Sydney Robin | 3:34 |
| 14. | "Midnight Special" | Trad. Arr. Paul McCartney | 3:59 |
| Year | Country | Chart | Position | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Japan | Oricon Weekly Albums Chart (Top 100) | 48 | 3[2] |
| United Kingdom | UK Albums Chart (Top 75) | 63 | 1[3] | |
| United States | The Billboard 200 | 109 | 3 |