With "Red Army Blues" on the album "A Pagan Place" (1985), the Waterboys presented a captivating tale about the story of a Russian youth who feels drawn to the fight for freedom against the Nazis and joins the Red Army. The discrepancy between idealized ideas and the reality of the Soviet military is still highly topical today, on the anniversary of the start of Russia's war against Ukraine. In contrast to the story of the song, which is based on a narrative, today's Russian state prefers to deliver its soldiers directly to the knife on the battlefield - and without the constantly claimed threat of Nazis.
The Waterboys, founded in 1983 by Mike Scott, are a Scottish-Irish folk-rock band. With their versatile sound, which combines elements of folk, rock and Celtic music, they rose to fame in the 1980s. The Waterboys have undergone a journey with many personnel and musical changes. Mike Scott, as founder, remained the only permanent member of the band. When he dreamed of this at the age of 12, he certainly didn't expect the journey to take him this far.