| Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the USSR | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by | |
| Released | 1986 |
| Genre | Russian rock |
| Length | 87:43 (US and Russian LP) 50:00 (European LP) 75:56 (CD) |
| Label | Big Time Records |
| Producer | Joanna Stingray |
Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the USSR was a split double album released in 1986 and featuring Russian rock bands Aquarium, Kino, Alisa, and Strannye Igry (Strange Games), all from Leningrad. It was the first release of Russian rock music into the United States.[1]
Joanna Stingray, who developed a friendly relationship with some of the most prominent Soviet underground rock band members upon her first visit to the Soviet Union, and Boris Grebenshchikov, the Aquarium frontman, are credited with the idea of releasing such an album in the West. The material for this compilation was recorded on a non-commercial basis by the four Leningrad bands and smuggled by Joanna Stingray to the US. Production and release was done by the Los Angeles-based indie label Big Time Records on June 27, 1986.[2]
Three of the four bands (Aquarium, Kino and Alisa) on this album have later become icons of the Russian rock movement and are still widely known and followed in Russia. Due to the success of Red Wave, the Soviet state label Melodiya released the albums Noch and Energiya, as well as a compilation of Akvarium songs, in 1987 and 1988.
- ^ Ivanova, Vera; Manykin, Mikhail (2007-02-12). "History of Rock Music in Russia". Russia-InfoCentre. Archived from the original on 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
- ^ Chernov, Sergey (2004-12-17). "The return of Stingray". The St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2021-03-05.