(Renewed availability) This is a Russian re-release on CD of a vintage Soviet Red Army Chorus recording (previously offered under the same catalog number -- H33) , one of the first to come out in the West at the height of the Cold War. (The original recordings date from 1956 and 1963). The Soviet Army Chorus and Band appear here in their full-throated, majestic splendor, untempered by any political or economic gloom: as far as these boys were concerned, life in the Socialist Motherland was great, the future- bright, the outlook-optimistic! On the technical side, raw vocal power alternates with moments of great dynamic subtlety in a manner that takes the breath away. Nostalgia buffs will be thrilled to hear these tunes once again, without the snap-crackle-pop of old vinyl records, while first-time listeners will marvel at what they’ve missed. --V. M.