''Russian Roulette'' is a 1976 self-produced album by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

rock/pop group,

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

, and their 17th UK studio album. The album is the band's second release in 1976 (the other being '' Write On''). It was composed entirely by the group's songwriting team. The album was not issued in the US (although five of the album's ten tracks appeared on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

' release, "Clarke, Hicks, Sylvester, Calvert, Elliott", issued in the North American market in 1977). The album is a combination of

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

, guitar rock and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

(plus the Latin-styled "Draggin' My Heels"). Although the songs were not a great success in the UK, the opening disco-funk track "Wiggle That Wotsit" became Top 20 hit in the New Zealand (No. 11). It also appeared in the Dutch charts (No. 23) and reached the Swedish Top 20 (No. 19). Another track "Daddy Don't Mind" reached No. 21 on the Dutch Top 40 and No. 36 in Germany (session musician Wally Smith from

Ted Heath And His Music George Edward Heath (30 March 1902 – 18 November 1969) was a British musician and big band leader. Heath led what is widely considered Britain's greatest post-war big band, recording more than 100 albums, which sold over 20 million copies. Th ...

played a trumpet solo for its bridge section). Recording sessions were held at the

Basing Street Studios Basing Street Studios was a recording studio in a former 17th century chapel at 8–10 Basing Street, in Notting Hill, London, England. Originally established in 1969 as Island Studios by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, the studi ...

, located in London's

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

district. Session musicians on the album included keyboard player Peter Arnesen (from

The Rubettes The Rubettes are an English pop/glam rock band put together in 1974 after the release of "Sugar Baby Love", a recording assembled of studio session musicians in 1973 by the songwriting team of Wayne Bickerton, the then head of A&R at Polydor R ...

), percussionist

Chris Karan Chris Karan (born Chrisostomos Karanikis, 14 October 1939) is a Britain-based Australian jazz drummer and percussionist of Greek descent. Life and career Karan was born in 1939 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Karan played in The Three Out tr ...

(

The Dudley Moore Trio ''The Dudley Moore Trio'' is a 1969 jazz album and the fifth LP recorded by the British jazz trio led by musician, composer, actor and comedian Dudley Moore. It was released in 1969 on Decca Records in the UK and Australia, and on London Records ...

) and a brass section made up of Jimmy Jewell, Henry Lowther and John Mumford. Famous British art group

Hipgnosis Hipgnosis were an English art design group based in London, that specialised in creating album cover artwork for rock musicians and bands. Their commissions included work for Pink Floyd, T. Rex, the Pretty Things, Black Sabbath, UFO, 10cc, Ba ...

designed the album cover for Russian Roulette.

Track listing

All songs composed by Allan Clarke,

Tony Hicks Anthony Christopher Hicks (born 16 December 1945) is an English guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British rock/pop band the Hollies since 1963, and as such was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. His main rol ...

and

Terry Sylvester Terence Sylvester (born 8 January 1947) is an English musician and songwriter. He is a former member of the Escorts, the Swinging Blue Jeans (1966–1969), and the Hollies. In the latter role, he took on the high parts formerly sung by Graham ...

Side 1

#"Wiggle That Wotsit" #"48 Hour Parole" #"Thanks For the Memories" #"My Love" #"Lady of the Night"

Side 2

#"Russian Roulette" #"Draggin' My Heels" #"Louise" #"Be With You" #"Daddy Don't Mind"

Personnel

The Hollies * Allan Clarke — vocals, harmonica *

— lead guitar, banjo, vocals *

— rhythm guitar, vocals *

Bobby Elliott Robert Hartley Elliott (born 8 December 1941) is an English rock drummer, best known for playing with The Hollies. He has been described as "one of the very finest drummers in all of pop/rock". Early life Elliott discovered jazz music when he w ...

—

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Bernie Calvert Bernard Bamford Calvert (born 16 September 1942) is an English musician who played bass guitar and keyboards with The Hollies from 1966 until 1981. Career He worked with several rock and roll groups during the early 1960s, most notably Rickie ...

—

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Additional musicians and production *Peter Arnesen – keyboards *Chris Karan – percussion on "48 Hour Parole" and "Draggin' My Heels" * Jimmy Jewell – alto and tenor saxophone on "Wiggle That Wotsit", "Lady Of The Night" and "Louise" * Henry Lowther – trumpet on "Wiggle That Wotsit" and "48 Hour Parole" *John Mumford – trombone on "Wiggle That Wotsit" *Wally Smith – trombone on "Daddy Don't Mind" *

Phill Brown Phill Brown (born 1950) is an audio engineer who has worked with a number of well-known musicians, including: Traffic, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Bob Marley and Talk Talk. He is also the younger brother of Terry Brown. Career Brown ...

Rhett Davies Rhett Davies (born 1949 in London) is an English record producer and engineer. Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies (no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks). Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, a ...

– engineers

References

{{Authority control 1976 albums The Hollies albums Polydor Records albums Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis