Love and the Russian Winter
album by Simply Red
Love and the Russian Winter is the seventh studio album by British pop and soul group Simply Red, released on 1 November 1999. It marks a distinct change from the band's preceding albums, featuring a more computer-generated sound. The album was released mainly due to pressure from their record label to fulfil their contract. It features a cover version of "Ain't That a Lot of Love", written by Willia Dean Parker and Homer Banks.
Track listing
All tracks written by Mick Hucknall, except where noted. All tracks produced by Andy Wright, Gota Yashiki and Mick Hucknall. Additional production on "Your Eyes" by Merv Pearson.
"The Spirit of Life" – 4:42
"Ain't That a Lot of Love" (Willia Dean Parker, Homer Banks) – 3:56
"Your Eyes" – 4:15
"The Sky Is a Gypsy" – 4:33
"Back into the Universe" – 3:48
"Words for Girlfriends" – 5:07
"Thank You" – 4:01
"Man Made the Gun" – 4:58
"Close to You" – 4:33
"More Than a Dream" – 3:52
"Wave the Old World Goodbye" – 3:46
Japan Edition
"The Spirit of Life" – 4:42
"Ain't That a Lot of Love" – 3:56
"Your Eyes" – 4:15
"The Sky Is a Gypsy" – 4:33
"Back into the Universe" – 3:48
"Words for Girlfriends" – 5:07
"Thank You" – 4:01
"Man Made the Gun" – 4:58
"Close to You" – 4:33
"Come on in My Kitchen" (Bonus track)
"More Than a Dream" – 3:52
"Wave the Old World Goodbye" – 3:46
2008 Special Edition bonus tracks
"Ain't That a Lot of Love" (Phats & Small Mutant Disco Vocal Mix) – 6:08
"Ain't That a Lot of Love" (Club 69 Underground Dub Mx) – 6:36
"Your Eyes" (Mousse T Acoustic) – 3:54
"Your Eyes" (Ignorants Remix) – 4:41
"Your Eyes" (Jimmy Gomez Funky Mix) – 7:06
Personnel
Simply Red
Mick Hucknall – lead vocals, backing vocals, horn arrangements
Tim Vine – keyboards, bass
Andy Wright – keyboards, programming, bass
Mark Jaimes – guitars
Gota Yashiki – bass, drums, programming
Ian Kirkham – saxophones
John Johnson – trombone
Kevin Robinson – trumpet
Sarah Brown – backing vocals
Dee Johnson – backing vocals
Additional musicians
Dominic "Dom T." Thrup – keyboards
Aiden Love – keyboards
Phillipe Manjard – keyboards
James Wiltshire – keyboards, programming
Ned Douglas – programming
Merv Pearson – programming (3)
Greg Bone – guitars
Kenji Suzuki – guitars
Wayne Stobbart –bass
Geoff Holroyde – drums
Chris De Margary – saxophones, flute
Production
AGM – producers
Merv Pearson – additional production (3)
Alistair Clay – recording
Alan Douglas – recording
John Lee – recording
Mak Togashi – recording, assistant engineer
Matt White – recording, assistant engineer
James Wiltshire – recording
Emily Cracknell – assistant engineer
Andy Saunders – assistant engineer
Matt Tait – assistant engineer
Josh T – assistant engineer
Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
Peacock – artwork, photographic treatment
Mick Hucknall – original artwork concept
Rick Guest – band photography
Idea – photographic treatment
Studios
Recorded at Westpoint Recording Studios, Metropolis Studios and The Town House (London, UK).
Mastered at The Soundmasters (London, UK).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Love and the Russian Winter” is album by Simply Red. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Love, Russian and Winter, not as a finished interpretation.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 7, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1627679. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1999 and 2008.
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This entry incorporates text from “Love and the Russian Winter” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.