Search - Leningrad Cowboys :: Happy Together

Rock Standards Sounding Decidedly Eastern European

Dupek Chopra | MD United States | 08/29/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"More than just novelty knock-offs a la Bill Shatner, Pat Boone, etc...these cover versions of rock classics come across sounding angelic, or demonic...depending on the timbre of the bellowing voices of the Russian Red Army Choir; whom the Finnish, tonsorally challenged, LENINGRAD COWBOYS picked as background singers. These rock chestnuts have never sounded stranger. Particularly noteworthy is the COWBOYS' take on ZZ TOP's Gimme All Your Lovin, which sounds rather a lot like a cross between a sea shanty and a polka. It may not be rock & roll, but I like it."

This group is incredible.....

Brad P. from NJ | New Jersey | 08/14/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You have not lived till you've heard the Leningrad Cowboys perform "Sweet Home Alabama". There's just something about hearing "sveet home ahlahbahma" in that deep Russian bass, that brings tears to my eyes, and gets my ephedrine production on the rise. I first saw them on the MTV Music Awards in '94, and my life has not been the same since."

Some fine hybridized weirdness

loce_the_wizard | Lilburn, GA USA | 12/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Just looking at the CD cover should be enough to tip off the unsuspecting that why lies ahead is some fine hybridized weirdness. But one has to actually hear how the Alexandrov Red Army Ensemble underpins these typically high-energy (well, not in the case of Knockin' on Heaven's Door) treatments of various classic rock tunes by the unicorn-hair endowed Finnish collective called the Leningrad Cowboys.



Considering when this CD first appeared---not too long after the Berlin Wall was torn down and Yeltsin began his inebriated tour of duty at the helm of the former Soviet Union---that is an odd undercurrent to songs such as Work Together or Happy Together. Could these also be about the thawing of relations between old antagonists?



Probably not. Instead, it's more likely that the braintrust (if there is one) of the Leningrad Cowboys realized just how cool the thick Russian accents would sound on California Girls or Sweet Home Alabama. What's more, the band often inserts odd snippets or traditional old European songs (e.g., Volga Boat Song) into the mix, causing listeners to shake their heads in disbelief and joy.



I think my favorite brandings by these cowboys are their rendering of the Rolling Stones' It's Only Rock & Roll and ZZ Top's Gimme All Your Lovin.' Less successful are Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody (though I admit I never liked those songs anyway). Also, their cover of Stairway to Heaven has some moments but sounds almost too faithful to the original to merit repeated listenings.



The band itself actually sounds quite good---great guitars, horns, drums. Vocal? Well, that's the rub---one has to be willing to buy into the shtick to enjoy this madcap session.



A key question might be who is this CD for? Well, I would recommend it for anyone who has a sense of humor and who likes to torment his or her friends who don't.

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