Soviet Union "Bone Records"
2 videos • 36 views • by Jason Madore In the 1950s and 1960s, "bone records" were a black market method of distributing recordings that were banned from broadcast in the former Soviet Union. Medical X-rays, purchased or picked out of the trash from hospitals and clinics, were used to create the recordings. The X-rays were cut into discs 7", 8" or 10" in diameter, and the center hole was burned into the disc with a cigarette. The records were then cut at 78 rpm with the help of homemade record lathes. While the quality of bone records tended to be poor, they were cheap to make and sell, and could be played between 5-10 times before record wear would become audibly apparent. Nowadays, they are considered as a sort of "cult favorite" item among record collectors.