A list has been unearthed which reportedly lists the musicians banned in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and the reasons for it. It makes for an interesting read.
The Soviet Union existed from 1922 to 1991, and its strict Communist rule meant that everything, including culture, was heavily censored.
According to the recently revealed list, Alice Cooper was banned due to "violence, vandalism", Sex Pistols because of "punk, violence", Talking Heads because of "myth of Soviet military danger" and Tina Turner simply because of "sex." Oh, and Julio Iglesias, of course, was a "neo-fascist."
The list, which dates back to 1985, was released in Russian with the caption, "We recommend using these findings to more strongly control what happens in discotheques."
See the full list below.
The Soviet Union was not completely devoid of these bands though - bootlegged copies were still widely distributed, and were nicknamed Ribs.
