A great doc on crafty Soviet-era bootlegs distributed on discarded hospital x-rays

March 10, 2016 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

[For some reason, I’ve recently been getting a lot of people asking about the old illicit Soviet method or distributing music on discarded x-ray film. That’s why I’ve resurrected this post from 2016. – AC]

Back in the USSR, it was impossible to get Beatles records–or any other records from the West, for that matter. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Andy points us to The Vinyl Factory for a link to this documentary on x-ray audio, the story of bootlegs created on used x-ray film known as roentgenizdat. For the longest time, it was the only way to give the middle finger to The Party.

There’s also a book that goes with it.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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