Synopses & Reviews
Imagine a world where the music of the Beatles was against the law—a world of bootleg recordings scratched onto medical X-rays, merchant sailors smuggling contraband LPs, students kicked out of school for listening to the Fab Four, records seized by police, illegal broadcasts secretly taped from western radio late in the night. This was no fantasy world populated by Blue Meanies but rather the USSR, where a vast nation of Beatles fans risked repression to hunt down the music that would change their lives.
The music of John, Paul, George, and Ringo played a vital part in transforming an entire generation of Soviet youth, seducing them to abandon seventy years of bland official culture and liberating them to challenge decades of rigid authoritarianism. Soviet leaders had suppressed most Western popular music since the jazz age, but the Beatles and the bands they inspired in the USSR—where kids made guitars from kitchen tables to play—battered down the walls of state culture and prepared millions of fans for a new world.
Leslie Woodheads How The Beatles Rocked the Kremlin tells the unforgettable, wild, and unmistakably Russian story of Soviet kids who discovered that all you need is Beatles. By stealth, by way of whispers, through secret bootleg tapes or illicit late night broadcasts, the kids tuned in. "Bitles," they whispered, "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."
Review
“Fine on-the-ground reporting here … [A] worthwhile addition to the Beatles bookshelf.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Fine on-the-ground reporting here … [A] worthwhile addition to the Beatles bookshelf.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Leslie Woodhead has given us a priceless addition to Beatle literature—and a beautifully observed and witty insight into the cultural underbelly of the Soviet Union.”—
Paul Greengrass, director of The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93 and Green Zone“How the Beatles really did come and keep their comrades warm … a fascinating lost chapter In their history.”—Philip Norman, author of John Lennon: A Life and Mick Jagger
"Forget the triumph of market capitalism. According to Leslie Woodhead, it was the subversive power of art and cultural connection that stoked the fires of freedom and popular revolution, which ultimately brought down the Iron Curtain. A deliciously appealing premise!"—Helena Kennedy QC, President of the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University
“Fine on-the-ground reporting here … [A] worthwhile addition to the Beatles bookshelf.”—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Imagine a world where Beatlemania was against the law-recordings scratched onto medical X-rays, merchant sailors bringing home contraband LPs, spotty broadcasts taped from western AM radio late in the night. This was no fantasy world populated by Blue Meanies but the USSR, where a vast nation of music fans risked repression to hear the defining band of the British Invasion.
The music of John, Paul, George, and Ringo played a part in waking up an entire generation of Soviet youth, opening their eyes to seventy years of bland official culture and rigid authoritarianism. Soviet leaders had suppressed most Western popular music since the days of jazz, but the Beatles and the bands they inspired-both in the West and in Russia-battered down the walls of state culture. Leslie Woodhead's How The Beatles Rocked the Kremlin tells the unforgettable-and endearingly odd-story of Russians who discovered that all you need is Beatles. By stealth, by way of whispers, through the illicit late night broadcasts on Radio Luxembourg, the Soviet Beatles kids tuned in. "Bitles," they whispered, "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."
About the Author
Leslie Woodhead, OBE is one of Britain's most distinguished documentary filmmakers. His films have won many international awards, including recognition by the Emmy and Peabodys in America, and by BAFTA, and the Royal Television Society in the UK. He is the author of two books, My Life as a Spy and A Box Full of Spirits. He lives in Cheshire, England.