Yulya Sings Songs of the Russian Street Urchins

Immediately after the devastation of World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia’s Civil War, and famine, millions of Russian children were left parentless and had to fend for themselves. Flocking to the big cities in their destitution, many of these orphans joined criminal gangs in the prestupnyi mir (преступный мир), or criminal underworld. In this 1964 recording, Yulya gives voice to the plight of the street urchins whom she encountered in her youth in Russia. In the liner notes, her husband, former foreign correspondent and American diplomat Thomas P. Whitney, provides a background and context to the album, along with a description of each song. English and Russian lyrics are included.

Track Listing

101	The Song of the Russian Street Urchin Yulya	03:19
102	From Jailhouse in Odessa Yulya	02:08
103	Marusya She Took Poison Yulya	03:23
104	When I Was Just a Small Lad Yulya	01:40
201	Murka Yulya	02:49
202	The Russian Convict's Lament Yulya	02:40
203	An Odessa Incident Yulya	00:49
204	Bublitchki Yulya	03:20
205	The Little Bricks Yulya	02:40