Rūsa Releases Its First Vinyl Record Featuring Anniversary Concert Recording
Latvian heavy rock band Rūsa has put out its first vinyl record, drawn from its 35th anniversary concert. The launch show takes place on Friday, 9 October, at the Depo club.
The Latvian heavy rock band Rūsa has released its first vinyl record. A launch concert for the wider public is planned for Friday, 9 October, at the Depo club, where audiences will be able to compare the live sound with the recording on the record.
What the record contains
The record collects material from the band's 35th anniversary concert at the Melnā piektdiena club in October 2022. Ten tracks were chosen from the longer programme, along with an address by Jānis Bukums. The concert was filmed, and the concert film "Rūsa 35… Mēs draugi!" came out in 2023.
The band, often called the Latvian Motorhead, was founded in Riga in 1987. Its discography includes two studio albums: "Uz pērkoņkrēsliem" (2006) and "No vāka līdz vākam" (2013). The latter won the Golden Microphone 2013 award as best metal and rock album, as well as the Latvian Metal Music Award in the "Band of 2013" category.
The two sides
Side A features songs on which Rūsa is joined by members from different eras and guest musicians. From the original line-up, guitarist Žerārs Fīlips, bassist Ilmārs Vekters and drummer Agris Rostoks took part, performing with Viesturs Polikarps the band's earliest songs, "Mieru, tikai mieru" and "Kaķēns". Pianist Gints Žilinskis, who played guitar in the band from 1992 to 1994, appears on "Cik ilgi?", while Jānis Levits features on "Tu vari vēl!".
Side B presents the line-up of the time: Viesturs Polikarps (vocals, bass), Guntars Endzelis (guitar) and Pauls Ozols (drums). It was Ozols' final concert with the group; Juris Šēnbergs now plays drums. The songs here include "Notici!", "Absolūtā", "Sūdu talka", "Tikai rock'n'roll" and "Lai dzīvo 8. marts!".
The reviewer notes that the track selection raises questions, since several well-known songs were left off. Side A ends with "Mēs draugi!", which closed the concert and featured everyone who had appeared on stage, including musicians from the bands Šķembas and Johnny & The Burnouts.
Launch event
At the concluding event of the presentation series on 9 October, Rūsa will be joined at Depo by the band Regress and the all-female rock band Esme. The full 1 hour 20 minute anniversary concert can also be watched on YouTube.
