Music is an integral part of daily life. Some of us will place an LP or a 45 onto a turntable. Others have songs and playlists that we carry around on our phones and tablets. Another group of us listen to local radio stations or subscribe to a streaming service. We use music to energize us, to set a mood, or to transport ourselves back to a place and time. For most of us, we have had access to music whenever and wherever we wanted.
While on tour in Russia with his British band, The Real Tuesday Weld, singer and producer Stephen Coates stumbled onto rich piece of history in a flee market. This item lead Mr. Coates down a path of discovery. This is the story of how citizens of the Soviet Union listened and shared music that was banned by the government.