Zigmar Liepinš ‎– "Пульс 2 = Pulse 2" (Мелодия ‎– C60 23479 004) 1985

The second edition in the 'Sport and Music' series of electro-pop records released in the CCCP by Melodiya in 1985.
This one is by Latvian keyboardist Zigmar Liepins,better known as a member of jazzy combo Modo.
You could have played this on your Soviet equivalent of a Walkman as you exercised,but Communist 'tech' wasn't big on miniturisation.You would have needed a ruck sack to carry it around in;good for building up stamina,but terrible for your back.As everyone was either in, going in, or been in, the Red Army, this was nothing more than a mild inconvenience
Get Pulse 1 Here! and Pulse 3 Here!

Sleeve notes:
"This disc is issued in a series jointly prepared by the "Melodiya" firm and the USSR Sports Committee and may be recommended to accompany sports coaching sessions, competitions and other active recreations."

Tracklist:

A1 Танец-85 (Dance-85) 4:00
A2 Челнок (Shuttle) 1:43
A3 Виктория (Victoria) 4:15
A4 Возрождение (Rebirth) 3:06
B1 ...Опус IV (...Opus IV) 4:10
B2 Видение (Vision) 3:50
B3 Твердый Орешек (Hard Nut To Crack) 4:44

DOWNLOAD and increase your pulse rate HERE!

Zodiac ‎– "Disco Alliance" (Мелодия ‎– C60-13771-2) 1980

It's 1980,the year of the Olympics, the one when nobody went because of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, and Disco was hitting big in the Baltic states.
Meanwhile ,in the students' club of the Latvian State Conservatoire of music, Janis Lusens (a Bloke by the way!) organized a rock-group, named "Zodiac". Their first album, "Disco Alliance",turned out to be the Soviet "Dark Side Of The Moon" if not for its spacey themes,then for its persistence in the Soviet charts. LP's, issued in large quantities, sold out immediately in every corner of that huge drab empire.The Melodija pressing plants were straining to keep up with demand, even with their low grade pressing standards, and cheapo sleeve printing.

Zodiac's mid tempo instrumental electronic rock had everyone dancing like the zombies in the 'Night Of The Living dead',from deepest Siberia to the Kremilin ballroom.Even leonid Brezhnev was seen tapping his foot to this classic Latvian cheese, momentarily before he had to stand and endure the mayday parade of nuclear missles.Ironically the very things that destroyed the USSR.Their incentiveless economy was drained dry by spending all their roubles on those rediculous ICBM's.

The only joy the proletariat had were the unannouced record releases that state label Melodija turned out.Your average Comrade only had to look at the front cover and read such forbidden pleasures as 'Instrumental Rock Group' that adorned the terrible cover of Zodiac's magnum opus, and you were away. The word spread quickly that there was a new Rock group from the glorious republic of Latvia, and everyone wanted one. Not easy to supply millions of albums when your industry runs on sludge. No-one knows how many copies they sold ,but it must have been over a few million.

It's a sort of cross between 'Dark Side of the Moon',BBC Testcard music,Georgio Moroder and 'Stars on 45',all the way from the Dark side of the Earth.

Tracklist:

A1 Zodiac 5:12
A2 Pacific 3:52
A3 Provincial Disco 4:18
B1 Polo 3:17
B2 Mirage 4:02
B3 Rock On The Ice 2:42
B4 Alliance 3:41

DOWNLOAD from the dark side of the earth HERE!