Olympic Souvenir (1980)
Олимпийский Сувенир

I was very interested in sports as a child, and the Olympic Games were always a highlight, just like World Cup competitions. Four years between each Olympics felt like an eternity, which made them even more special. As a child, four years is a long time, and for each Olympic Games I was in many ways a totally new person. My clearest memory of the summer Olympics in Moscow 1980, was the closing ceremony when Misja, as the mascot was called, shed a tear. I found it incredibly sad and almost shed a tear myself. The Olympics was over and the next one was so far away, Misja's grief tripled my own. But quite fast, life was as usual. The US boycotted the Moscow Olympics, which made it a little different.

The record is a double album with a mix of classical music, primarily on the first record, and folk music from the Soviet Union, which is mostly found on the second record. I think the second record is the most interesting. I have always been interested in folk music from different parts of the world and find it much more appealing than the classical music, which is a mix of orchestras, choirs and operas. Often loud and bombastic. For some reason, Bach has also found his way into the album. No, the folk music is more fun, one of the favorites is a song from Georgia, which is a dull and gloomy song, in the same spirit as Kate Bush's Hello Earth's choir parts (which actually is a song borrowed from Georgia, with a made up text, you should listen to it!). Since all songs are sung in Russian (I think), both the classical songs and the folk music, everything feels like Russian communist propaganda. This is probably reinforced by the absurdly suspicious relationship I, and probably most Swedes, had to the Soviet Union in the 80s. Even though I today realize that it is unlikely that the greatness of communism and the glory of the Soviet Union are the themes of the songs, the feeling remains.

The reason I have the record is that it's another one saved from my parents' collection, when it was on its way to the bin or the local flea market. Not because I'm so interested in Russian music, but the album itself seemed so odd that I'd like to see it in my possession. I guess my dad got the record when he visited the Soviet Union on behalf of the job at the time of the Olympics. I have seen it sold online relatively expensive, which is always pleasing. And since I will never play it again, after the survey for this blog post, it will be pristine condition also in 100 years. My great grandchildren will be delighted.