And Other Accusations

They Must Be Russians were an irreverent post-punk band from Sheffield, England, taking their name from a newspaper quote about the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen," The group initially consisted of Russ Russian (vocals and guitar), Paul Russian (vocals and guitar), Carl (bass), and Brendan (effects). With production help from their local friends in Cabaret Voltaire, They debuted with the Nellie the Elephant EP in mid-1979. Another single, Don't Try to Cure Yourself, was released on Fresh over a year later. A self-titled full-length was released by First Floor in 1983, and the LP Groundless Accusations was issued through Native in 1985. A year later, a 12" called Red Square was released with two album tracks and two new songs which have been included on this release. The group's sound is classic new wave/post punk like that of many of their contemporaries, so if you like Cabaret Voltaire, The Box, Screaming Trees or The Darling Buds then you will love They Must Be Russians, too. The whole album has been remastered by Martin Bowes of Attrition and is released on CD for the very first time