LEAVE THE WEST BEHIND: How Russia Pirated The Beatles

After the fall of Communism in the U.S.S.R., a former underground producer became a hero to a nation starved of the Beatles and rock and roll.

The Beatles (Битлз) were a symbol of emerging counterculture throughout the world, and in few places was this more dangerous to the establishment than the Soviet Union. The Communist Party valued culture, and state-run media offered only Soviet folk, classical, and other traditional styles of music and dance to the nation. As culture changed in the 1960s, censorship against Western music became even more strict.

But the emerging black market – helped immensely by Radio Luxembourg – brought rock and roll to Soviet youth. For years, music was recorded onto discs made of discarded x-rays, called “ribs” or “bones”. The process of making these records was called “Roentgenizdat”; pilfered x-rays were cut into circles by hand and a cigarette was used to burn the center hole. A reverse engineered phonograph was usually used to etch the grooves at 78 RPM and was good for 5-10 plays. Opportunists raided the refuse of medical facilities for more material. Peddlers hid the discs up their sleeves, selling them for 3 rubles each. Friends arranged to buy different discs, forming lending circles and tape recording each other’s music. Unknowing customers asked for specific titles in shops, and unscrupulous shopkeepers often simply retrieved an unlabeled disc from a back room, hand-wrote the requested title on it, and sold it. Who knows how many Russians went years thinking any given song was something else entirely! Eventually roentgenizdat fell out of favor as people moved on to tape reels and, later, cassettes.

The Beatles were a specific target of the Communist government, banned even after the Rolling Stones (among others) had state-sanctioned music released officially. They were widely bootlegged and were a favorite for smuggling from travelling sailors and actors returning home. It was a dangerous practice; being caught could mean having international travelling rights revoked by the state, removal from the Communist Party, or expulsion from university. Vendors caught making or selling smuggled discs or copies of could be subject to jail time. Sellers developed code to protect themselves from undercover police, asking prospective sellers trivia about British or American rock and roll. Failing the quiz meant no sale. Genuine recordings and even some pirated copies could cost half a month’s wages.

Of course, there is subject to speculation what level of influence this illicit import of mop top propaganda had on the Soviet youth. A 2009 documentary titled How The Beatles Rocked The Kremlin examined how Western rock and roll – and the Beatles specifically – helped bring about a cultural revolution which became political. Even for citizens who didn’t understand the words of the songs that were not overtly political, the music awakened the desire for freedom from an oppressive government.

“Of course, the processes by which the Beatles and their music promoted change in the Soviet Union are complex and elusive. From Stalinist times, culture had often been an agent for change in a society where other political processes were suppressed and unavailable…Their music arrived at just the moment when the hopes of a young generation were being dashed by Brezhnev’s crackdowns. What was conveyed through the music, and what was troubling to the Kremlin was a youthful spirit of freedom and unchecked energy. Everyone I met from the Soviet Beatles generation emphasized the word Freedom, and talked about how their music somehow freed the ‘slave within us.’” – Leslie Woodhead, director of How The Beatles Rocked The Kremlin

Only two official EMI-licensed LPs were issued during Communist rule in the U.S.S.R., and only then not until 1986 after much consideration by the Communist government what the safe amount of exposure of the Beatles to its people could be allowed. A Taste Of Honey was a 16-song compilation consisting of songs released pre-1965. The cover utilized the four individual portraits included in The Beatles (“The White Album”). A Hard Day’s Night was issued that same year, omitting When I Get Home from the original UK release due to its suggestive lyrics. Both were issued on the state-owned Melodiya (also known as “Melodia”) label.

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, piracy of Western music and movies was as rampant as ever. For Western copyright holders it was a catch-22; piracy arose because of their inability to release legitimate issues of their goods, and because it was so widespread most companies saw little benefit to trying to fight it.

“Foreign sound recordings, as of the present moment, are not protected in Russia. There is no point of entering a market in which you are going to get ripped off and there is nothing you can do about it.” – Eric H. Smith, executive director of the International Intellectual Property Alliance, 1993

It was then that a producer and promoter named Andrei Tropillo (Cyrillic: Андрей Тропилло) took advantage of this vacuum. In 1990, Tropillo was put in charge of the St. Petersburg branch of Melodiya. He created his own label, Antrop, and began issuing Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and others. Many of these releases bore printed disclaimers “Recorded from radio broadcast” which were attempts to get around what little copyright law existed at the time, but in reality the Beatles discs were sourced from the 1987/88 compact disc masters. Antrop functioned as a legitimate record label and, because they used Melodiya facilities, the releases bore two catalog numbers – the Melodiya numbers being continued from the legitimate releases dating back decades. Manufacturing of the discs was humorously credited to “Rock’n’Roll Parish of United Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Russia” after Tropillo moved the Antrop headquarters from Melodiya to the St. Petersburg Evangelical-Lutheran Church.

Tropillo often made changes to the album artwork — sometimes subtle, sometimes not so much — at least in part to circumvent copyright law. Cover text was translated to Cyrillic/Russian, including decorative text such as that used on Rubber Soul or Magical Mystery Tour. On the cover to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Tropillo placed a head shot of himself in the crowd behind the Beatles, and one of notable Russian Beatles fan Kolya Vasin. On Abbey Road, John was made barefoot instead of Paul.

Presented here are the covers and original-language track information for each of the Antrop releases, including some special notes about each album.

Битлз На Продажу (Beatles For Sale)

Beatles For Sale carries a distinctive light blue border around the cover photo, likely an easy way to cover the original cover text and logos.

Beatles For Sale, back cover. Notice the “B” in the top middle which was taken from an early Beatles logo.

Track list

Side 1

1. Без Ответа (No Reply)
2. Я Неудачник (I’m A Loser)
3. Девушка В Чёрном (Baby’s In Black)
4. Музыка Рок-н-ролла (Rock And Roll Music)
5. Я Иду За Солнцем (I’ll Follow The Sun)
6. Мистер Лунный Свет (Mr. Moonlight)
7. Канзас Сити (Kansas City)

Side 2

1. Восемь Дней В Неделю (Eight Days A Week)
2. Слова Любви (Words Of Love)
3. Милая, Не Надо (Honey Don’t)
4. Каждая Мелочь (Every Little Thing)
5. Я Не Хочу Портить Вечеринку (I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party)
6. Что Ты Делаешь (What You’re Doing)
7. Каждая Хочет Быть Моей (Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby)

Release history

• AnTrop – П92 00191-2, П92-00191/2

Помоги (Help!)

Track list

Side 1

1. Помоги (Help!)
2. Вчера Вечером (The Night Before)
3. Ты Должна Скрывать Свою Любовь (You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away)
4. Я Нуждаюсь В Тебе (I Need You)
5. Другая Девушка (Another Girl)
6. Ты Потеряешь Эту Девушку (You’re Going To Lose That Girl)
7. Билет На Проезд (Ticket To Ride)

Side 2

1. Играть Естественно (Act Naturally)
2. Это Просто Любовь (It’s Only Love)
3. Ты Нравишься Мне Так Сильно (You Like Me Too Much)
4. Скажи Мне, Что Ты Видишь (Tell Me What You See)
5. Я Всего Лишь Увидел Лицо (I’ve Just Seen A Face)
6. Вчера (Yesterday)
7. Головокружительная Мисс Лиззи (Dizzy Miss Lizzy)

Release history

• AnTrop П91 00133

Резиновая Душа (Rubber Soul)

Track list

Side 1

1. Веди Мою Машину (Drive My Car)
2. Норвежский Лес (Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown))
3. Ты Не Увидишь Меня (You Won’t See Me)
4. Человек Ниоткуда (Nowhere Man)
5. Думай Сам (Think For Yourself)
6. Слово (The Word)
7. Мишел (Michelle)

Side 2

1. Что Происходит (What Goes On)
2. Девушка (Girl)
3. Я Смотрю Сквозь Тебя (I’m Looking Through You)
4. В Моей Жизни (In My Life)
5. Жди (Wait)
6. Если Мне Кто-то Был Нужен (If I Needed Someone)
7. Бег Ради Жизни (Run For Your Life)

Release history

• AnTrop П91 00215

Револьвер / Оркестр Клуба Одиноких Сердец Сержанта Пеппера (Revolver / Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band double LP)

Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band were issued as a double LP, with the front and back covers featuring the (edited) covers, respectively. Karl Marx is replaced with noted Russian Beatles fan Kolya Vasin, and Andrei Tropillo’s face appears in the top row.

The cover of Револьвер features completely different photos than the original cover.

Track list

Side 1

1. Сборщик Налогов (Taxman)
2. Элинор Ригби (Eleanor Rigby)
3. Я Только Сплю (I’m Only Sleeping)
4. Я Тоже Тебя Люблю (Love You To)
5. Здесь, Там И Везде (Here, There, And Everywhere)
6. Жёлтая Субмарина (Yellow Submarine)
7. Она Сказала, Она Сказала (She Said, She Said)

Side 2

1. Хороший День, Солнце Светит (Good Day Sunshine)
2. И Твоя Птичка Запоёт (And Your Bird Can Sing)
3. Не Для Кого (For No One)
4. Доктор Роберт (Doctor Robert)
5. Я Хочу Сказать Тебе (I Want To Tell You)
6. Готов Взять Тебя В Мою Жизнь (Got To Get You Into My Life)
7. Завтра Никто Не Знает (Tomorrow Never Knows)

Side 3

1. Оркестр Клуба Одиноких Сердец Сержанта Пеппера (1-я Версия) (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band)
2. С Маленькой Помощью Друзей (With A Little Help From My Friends)
3. Люси В Небе С Алмазами (Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds)
4. Все Идет К Лучшему (Getting Better)
5. Заделываю Дыру (Fixing A Hole)
6. Она Уходит Из Дома (She’s Leaving Home)
7. Бенефис Мистера Кайта! (Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!)

Side 4

1. С Тобой И Без Тебя (Within You, Without You)
2. Когда Мне Будет Шестьдесят Четыре (When I’m Sixty-Four)
3. Милашка Рита (Lovely Rita)
4. Доброе Утро! Доброе Утро! (Good Morning, Good Morning)
5. Оркестр Клуба Одиноких Сердец Сержанта Пеппера (2-я Версия) (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise))
6. Один День Моей Жизни (A Day In The Life)

Release history

• AnTrop 9100117

Волшебное Таинственное Путешествие / Желтая Субмарина (Magical Mystery Tour / Yellow Submarine double LP)

Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine were issued as a double LP, with the front and back covers featuring the (edited) covers, respectively.

Track list

Side 1

1. Волшебное Таинственное Путешествие (Magical Mystery Tour)
2. Дурак На Холме (The Fool On The Hill)
3. Полёт (Flying)
4. Дорога Синей Сойки (Blue Jay Way)
5. Твоя Мама Должна Помнить (Your Mother Should Know)
6. Я – Морж (I Am The Walrus)

Side 2

1. Привет – Прощай (Hello Goodbye)
2. Земляничные Поля Навсегда (Strawberry Fields Forever)
3. Пенни Лэйн (Penny Lane)
4. Беби, Ты Такой Занятный Человек (Baby You’re A Rich Man)
5. Всё, Что Тебе Нужно, – Это Любовь (All You Need Is Love)

Side 3

1. Желтая Субмарина (Yellow Submarine)
2. Всего Лишь Северная Песня (Only A Northern Song)
3. Теперь Все Вместе (All Together Now)
4. Хэй, Бульдог (Hey Bulldog)
5. Это Уже Слишком (It’s All Too Much)
6. Все, Что Тебе Нужно, – Это Любовь (All You Need Is Love)

Side 4

1. Страна Сержанта Пеппера (Pepperland)
2. Море Времени (Sea Of Time)
3. Море Дыр (Sea Of Holes)
4. Море Чудовищ (Sea Of Monsters)
5. Марш Зловредов (March Of The Meanies)
6. Опустошенная Страна Сержанта Пеппера (Pepperland Laid Waste)
7. Желтая Субмарина В Стране Сержанта Пеппера (Yellow Submarine In Pepperland)

Release history

• AnTrop П91 00135-138, ATR 30001-04

Битлз (The Beatles a.k.a. The White Album)

Early pressings of Битлз mistakenly omit Piggies from the track list, but it does appear on the album. The poster was edited to feature the lyrics in Russian. The discs were each labelled Side 1/Side 2 in early pressings, but were later changed to Side 1/Side 2/Side 3/Side 4.

Track list

Side 1

1. Снова В СССР (Back In The U.S.S.R.)
2. Дорогая Пруденс (Dear Prudence)
3. Стеклянная Луковица (Glass Onion)
4. Об-ла-ди, Об-ла-да (Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da)
5. Натуральный Медовый Пирожок (Wild Honey Pie)
6. История С Продолжением Про Бангало Билла (The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill)
7. Пока Моя Гитара Тихо Плачет (While My Guitar Gently Weeps)
8. Счастье – Это Теплое Оружие (Happiness Is A Warm Gun)

Side 2

1. Дорогая Моя Марта (Martha My Dear)
2. Я Так Устал (I’m So Tired)
3. Черный Дрозд (Blackbird)
4. Хрюшки (Piggies)
5. Роки Ракун (Rocky Raccoon)
6. Не Отвергай Меня (Don’t Pass Me By)
7. Почему Бы Нам Не Сделать Это Прямо На Дороге (Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?)
8. Я Сделаю Это (I Will)
9. Джулия (Julia)

Side 3

1. День Рождения (Birthday)
2. Твой Блюз (Yer Blues)
3. Сынишка Матери-Природы (Mother Nature’s Son)
4. У Каждого Есть То, Что Можно Спрятать – Кроме Нас С Мартышкой (Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey)
5. Секси Сэди (Sexy Sadie)
6. Спиральная Горка (Helter Skelter)
7. Давно, Давным-Давно (Long, Long, Long)

Side 4

1. Революция № 1 (Revolution 1)
2. Душечка (Honey Pie)
3. Савойские Трюфели (Savoy Truffle)
4. Плачь, Детка, Плачь (Cry Baby Cry)
5. Революция № 9 (Revolution 9)
6. Спокойной Ночи (Good Night)

Release history

• AnTrop П91 0009

Abbey Road

The Antrop version of Abbey Road features a barefoot John instead of Paul, as it is on the original, official version. The back cover did not feature translated song titles.

Release history

• AnTrop П93 00539

Пусть Будет Так (Let It Be)

The back cover featured the translated song titles next to the original English titles.

Track list

Side 1

1. Нас Двое (Two Of Us)
2. Прокатись На Пони (Dig A Pony)
3. Через Вселенную (Across The Universe)
4. Я, Мне, Моё (I Me Mine)
5. Врубись (Dig It)
6. Пусть Будет Так (Let It Be)

Side 2

1. Мэгги Мэй (Maggie Mae)
2. Я Чувствую (I’ve Got A Feeling)
3. После 909-го (One After 909)
4. Долгая И Извилистая Дорога (The Long And Winding Road)
5. Когда Ты Грустишь (For You Blue)
6. Вернись (Get Back)

Release history

• AnTrop П91 00131