Category: Antrop
The “AnTrop” label and production center, founded unofficially in 1979 by Andrei Tropillo, facilitated high-quality recordings of key Leningrad rock bands (e.g. Kino, Aquarium) and later issued Western rock classics (Beatles, Led Zeppelin) using clever regulatory gaps to circulate them.
In 2024 Artur Netsvetaev did several interviews with Antrop’s designers Yuri Trifonov and Nikolai Kibalchich, and discovered previously unknown details about the creation of Soviet bootleg covers..
-
The Beatles — Yellow Submarine
The original Yellow Submarine cover, built from Heinz Edelmann’s whimsical illustrations, took on a distinctly local twist in Antrop’s 1991 release (catalog no. П91 00137).
-
The Beatles — White Album
For Andrei Tropillo, the Beatles’ “White Album” was the pinnacle — especially the song Blackbird — so when he started releasing his own versions of legendary albums in 1991, he…
-
History of Antrop Vinyl Labels
Antrop used several different label designs in just three years of production. There are six main types: plain logo, JCS (Jesus Christ Superstar), apples, target 1, target 2, and target…
-
The Byrds Greatest Hits — Antrop
The cover was completely redesigned, but the author clearly attempted to preserve both the original theme (grass and flowers) and a similar color contrast. Title is also new & somewhat…
-
Bobby Charles — Clear Water
There were some Antrop’s releases which authors aren’t identified. As Kibalchich admits, he sometimes gave certain covers to his friends for illustration. They usually painted them using gouache.
-
Jesus Christ Superstar
The rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar was banned, yet well known in the Soviet Union. It is no surprise that Tropillo — catholic himself, who began releasing records under the…
-
AnTrop — Soviet Pirate Music Label
In 1978, Andrey Tropillo declared he wanted to build a vinyl plant and flood the USSR with Beatles LPs—an ambition friends wrote off as delusional. A decade later, as director of…