Sharing Tunes in a Totalitarian Regime: The Method behind Bone Music and Rib Songs
Going Bone Deep: The Fascinating History of Rib Records from the Soviet Union
Welcome back to our blog! Today, we're diving into a fascinating slice of music history: 'Rib Records' or 'bone music'. Also known as 'Roentgenizdat', this unique form of audio piracy emerged in the Soviet Union during the 1940s and 50s, when many types of music were strictly banned from the airwaves.
Hospitals were the unlikely source for these black-market music discs. Since x-rays were considered a fire hazard and had to be disposed of annually, they became the perfect medium for DIY recording. X-rays of ribs and sternums were regularly found on these records due to the high number of required chest x-rays for tuberculosis screenings in the Soviet Union.
Like old shellac records, these counterfeit discs played at 78 rpm, offering just 3.5 minutes per side, similar to a 7" single. Rumor has it that the center hole was initially burned using a cigarette, but it's more likely that it was cut with scissors, similar to the rest of the record.
X-ray film contained flammable silver nitrate, so burning cigarettes weren't exactly safe around them. Nevertheless, due to their scarcity, these homemade records were often played multiple times before wearing out. Unfortunately, this means that the ones still in circulation today are probably some of the least popular tracks and few and far between.
Rib Records can be likened to flexi-discs or audio postcards found worldwide. While production quantities are unknown, it's estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. As the rarer records become harder to find, their value is likely to increase. It's a bit like some classic vinyl records, where the most beloved albums are often the rarest.
So, why not just buy the real deal? A black market for foreign copies of the banned records existed, but these were pricey and rare. Rib records served as a cheaper alternative, as the state-owned or controlled all music manufacturing and raw material supply.
Due to the absence of official record presses, rib record production required lathe cutting machines. These devices allowed bootleggers to create master records on the fly. Many began building their own machines, showcasing incredible engineering skills in the Soviet Union.
Much of the music pressed on ribs and shared on the black market was Soviet jazz and various genres, not just Western rock music. However, improvisation in music was banned due to its resemblance to capitalism and decadence. Most Soviet jazz ceased to exist after 1948.
In 1958, a law was passed banning home recording, but music continued to be restricted by the Soviet leaders. The production of rib/bone music continued until Khrushchev came to power in the early 60s. His visit to the US in 1959 led to the popularity of reel-to-reel tape machines, which allowed for higher-quality and longer recordings, effectively putting an end to rib records.
For a deep dive into bone music, check out the X-Ray Audio project, started nearly ten years ago by Stephen Coates. His discovery of a record pressed on an x-ray sparked a quest to educate and preserve these historical treasures. You can learn more on their site here. Coates has even written a book on the subject, 'Bone Music', published in 2022.
Keep exploring our blog for more interesting stories about music history!
Did You Know?
- 'Roentgenizdat' is the term given to the distribution of information on x-rays in the Soviet Union.
- The production of bone music ended in the early 1960s when reel-to-reel tape machines became popular and offered a higher-quality recording alternative.
- Rib records can be compared to flexi-discs or audio postcards, homemade recordings created to share music.
- Fascinating technology, the lathe cutting machines, allowed Soviet bootleggers to create master records for bone music, showcasing ingenious engineering skills.
- Despite the ban on improvisation, various genres of music, including Soviet jazz, found their way onto bone records, serving as an entertaining form of resistance to censorship.
