A somewhat bizarre interpretation of most of the songs from the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks, this EP is, you could say, a wee bit different. It’s sung in Ukrainian, and while it’s definitely got punk overtures it also has an eastern European folksy feel. It’s sort of like punk meets Czar Nicholas while he’s singing in the shower and has a mouth full of soap. I quite like it, actually. The tracks covered on this LP - in a uniquely Ukrainianized version - are: Anarchy in the UK, Holidays in the Sun, God Save the Queen, Problems and Pretty Vacant.
There are also three live or acoustic interpretations. While this is obviously somewhat tongue-in-cheek, the LP sounds pretty damn good overall. Of course, if you aren’t familiar with the Sex Pistols’ original versions of these songs, you probably won’t get the joke. And if you want a copy, hurry up and get one. This pressing is a very limited release of 650 copies worldwide, all pressed on yellow vinyl. The first 500 are individually numbered.
The Ukrainians are from Leeds, Great Britain. They play traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk. The band was formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes after all three had played on the Wedding Present's Ukrainian John Peel Sessions recordings in 1989.
In 1991, their first EP, Oi Divchino, was awarded Single of the Week by British music weekly, NME. The video for this release was filmed in pre-revolution Kiev, which made them the first western band to produce a video entirely in Eastern Europe.
In the same year Solowka left Wedding Present. He later claimed to have been kicked out of the band.
Since 1991, The Ukrainians have released five studio albums, as well as several live recordings. None of them saw any chart success. Undaunted, they continue to tour, mostly across England and in Poland. They celebrated 20 years as a band in 2011 with a tour of British Ukrainian clubs.
The only music of theirs that I have heard is this Sex Pistols interpretation. It is out there, but it is awesome. You can't make this shit up.
This record isn't actually in my collection. It was loaned to me by the owner of a record store and I unfortunately had to give it back. If you ever see it, snag it. It's great. It really is. It's also terrible.
One note: it's a 45-rpm record, which makes it the oddball here as I only collect 33.3 RPM records. That's the real reason I gave it back.
A somewhat bizarre interpretation of most of the songs from the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks, this EP is, you could say, a wee bit different. It’s sung in Ukrainian, and while it’s definitely got punk overtures it also has an eastern European folksy feel. It’s sort of like punk meets Czar Nicholas while he’s singing in the shower and has a mouth full of soap. I quite like it, actually. The tracks covered on this LP - in a uniquely Ukrainianized version - are: Anarchy in the UK, Holidays in the Sun, God Save the Queen, Problems and Pretty Vacant.
There are also three live or acoustic interpretations. While this is obviously somewhat tongue-in-cheek, the LP sounds pretty damn good overall. Of course, if you aren’t familiar with the Sex Pistols’ original versions of these songs, you probably won’t get the joke. And if you want a copy, hurry up and get one. This pressing is a very limited release of 650 copies worldwide, all pressed on yellow vinyl. The first 500 are individually numbered.
The Ukrainians are from Leeds, Great Britain. They play traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk. The band was formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes after all three had played on the Wedding Present's Ukrainian John Peel Sessions recordings in 1989.
In 1991, their first EP, Oi Divchino, was awarded Single of the Week by British music weekly, NME. The video for this release was filmed in pre-revolution Kiev, which made them the first western band to produce a video entirely in Eastern Europe.
In the same year Solowka left Wedding Present. He later claimed to have been kicked out of the band.
Since 1991, The Ukrainians have released five studio albums, as well as several live recordings. None of them saw any chart success. Undaunted, they continue to tour, mostly across England and in Poland. They celebrated 20 years as a band in 2011 with a tour of British Ukrainian clubs.
The only music of theirs that I have heard is this Sex Pistols interpretation. It is out there, but it is awesome. You can't make this shit up.
This record isn't actually in my collection. It was loaned to me by the owner of a record store and I unfortunately had to give it back. If you ever see it, snag it. It's great. It really is. It's also terrible.
One note: it's a 45-rpm record, which makes it the oddball here as I only collect 33.3 RPM records. That's the real reason I gave it back.
BONUS TRACK
Peter Solowka was born in late 1959 in Oldham, UK, of Ukrainian and Yugoslavian descent. He has been involved in music since 1985, most notably with The Wedding Present, until 1991. He then formed The Ukrainians, who are still recording and performing today.
The Wedding Present was formed with school friends David Gedge, Keith Gregory and Shaun Charman. They released several EPs and three successful albums. They performed at festivals, on different radio and TV shows and appeared on the national and indie charts. During this time, Peter developed an interest in his ethnic roots and the band eventually produced an album of Ukrainian-inspired music, which reached number 22 on the national album charts.
The interest in the music was such that RCA requested another Ukrainian album. In 1990 they were recording two albums - one of Ukranian songs and one more pop-ish. Tensions rose between individual band members, probably as a result of overwork, but both albums were finished in early 1991 despite this. Afterward, it was decided it would be best if Peter concentrated on the Ukrainian music outside of the Wedding Present.
That's when and why Peter formed The Ukrainians. Known as the originators of Ukrainian Folk Rock, The Ukrainians have released 10 albums since 1991 and performed over 1,000 gigs in 20 countries, including many major international world music festivals.
Peter Solowka was born in late 1959 in Oldham, UK, of Ukrainian and Yugoslavian descent. He has been involved in music since 1985, most notably with The Wedding Present, until 1991. He then formed The Ukrainians, who are still recording and performing today.
The Wedding Present was formed with school friends David Gedge, Keith Gregory and Shaun Charman. They released several EPs and three successful albums. They performed at festivals, on different radio and TV shows and appeared on the national and indie charts. During this time, Peter developed an interest in his ethnic roots and the band eventually produced an album of Ukrainian-inspired music, which reached number 22 on the national album charts.
The interest in the music was such that RCA requested another Ukrainian album. In 1990 they were recording two albums - one of Ukranian songs and one more pop-ish. Tensions rose between individual band members, probably as a result of overwork, but both albums were finished in early 1991 despite this. Afterward, it was decided it would be best if Peter concentrated on the Ukrainian music outside of the Wedding Present.
That's when and why Peter formed The Ukrainians. Known as the originators of Ukrainian Folk Rock, The Ukrainians have released 10 albums since 1991 and performed over 1,000 gigs in 20 countries, including many major international world music festivals.
