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Joy, too, is universal: another insufficiently appreciated development of the late twentieth is the end of the cold war. As a duck-and-cover veteran, I sure wish I'd been there to celebrate its demise in the summer of 1992, when the Leningrad Cowboys, a good-time, rockin' bar band, staged an outdoor concert in Helsinki with the Red Star Army Chorus. Yes, that Red Army. The Leningrad Cowboys grew up with Russian and Finnish folk songs, and here they rejoice in it: their version of "Katjusha" will curl your hair. And who would have thought that "Sweet Home Alabama" went so well with "Volga Boatmen"?
And the Red Star Army Chorus -- a splendid, disciplined ensemble -- were never allowed to sing this sort of material, remember? The movie of the concert (Total Balalaika Show) is worth watching just to see their faces; they sure look like they're having a great time! Tears sprang to my eyes when the tubby, formerly anonymous baritone in his spiffy Soviet Army uniform stood front and center before the amassed thousands and sang with a shit-eating grin on his face, "Imagine me and you, I do, I sink about you day and night, it's only right, to sink about the girl you love, and hold her tight, so happy toge-zzer!"
The CD to get is the one recorded in a studio the next day, with actual equipment. It's called Happy Together (1994, BMG). It's terrific.