In the Soviet Union, some clever people realized that X-ray film was just soft enough to be etched by a sound recording device. Michelle Mengsu Chang/Toronto Star via Getty Images When Western ...

During the harshest days of Soviet censorship, it was nearly impossible — and also very risky — to get a hold of Western music. But people in the Soviet Union became experts at devising creative, ...

A well-connected dealer in the Cold War Soviet Union could get an enterprising music fan some of the good stuff — American jazz, pop and early rock 'n' roll — for the right price. At a time when ...

(THE CONVERSATION) When Western Electric invented electrical sound recording 100 years ago, it completely transformed the public’s relationship to music. Before then, recording was done mechanically, ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Richard Gunderman, Indiana University (THE CONVERSATION) When Western Electric ...