Music on the Bones: Commie Flexi-Discs (Episode 40)

In our previous episode, we discussed the history of the
flexi-disc. Today we delve into its pinko commie cousin, Bone
Records.  During his post-World War II rule, Joseph Stalin
controlled culture in the Soviet Union. Nothing from the west could
be allowed in if he deemed it an affront to Soviet dignity. Art,
movies, and music were all heavily censored. Western culture was an
enemy of the state.  The music of America: Blues, jazz, and
rock n roll were seen as especially vile to Stalin’s regime. Jazz
was officially regarded as decadent capitalist filth. Just talking
about jazz was a criminal act. These free-form musical expressions
were thought to focus on the individual rather than the state as a
whole. Style was propaganda and strictly forbidden. How did music
from the west reach the ears of the youth in the CCCP?  The
answer is, of course, broken bones. Lots and lots of broken bones.
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