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 started with it.

Cover art comparison

Instead of embossed letters, the Soviet edition has simple printed text (just like the originals in some countries). The sleeves paper is cheaper and thinner.

Inside

Tropillo’s edition was one of a kind. Instead of the original photo portraits, the inner sleeve had pencil sketches of the band members. The cover said “From the collection of Kolya Vasin,” even though Vasin himself said it was “inaccurate and unserious.”

“Tropillo came to me one day and said, ‘In a month, I’m putting out the White Album, and I want that line on the cover.’ I thought about it, had another shot of vodka, and told him, ‘Come on, Andrei, don’t play these games — it’s not serious, and it’s not even accurate. At least if you’d used the double album from my collection…’ He stayed quiet, had his vodka, and left. Two months later, the album came out — and there was that line!”

Poster comparison

The poster included with the set is smaller than the original (59 × 40 cm / 23.2 × 15.7 in), but it’s been reworked. The original collage was cut up, rearranged, and overlaid with a painting by Anatoly Smirnov, turning the design into something of a curiosity.

“I cut up the original poster and went to Kolya Vasin saying, ‘Let’s do something new with it,’” recalls designer Nikolai Kibalchich. “Kolya’s office was overflowing with stuff — drawings, paintings, photos, all kinds of memorabilia people kept bringing him. Over time, that office basically turned into a museum.”

On the back, translated lyrics by Yuri Selenok were printed, accompanied by the initials of designer Nikolai Kibalchich.

Labels comparison

Kibalchich reimagined the Apple label in pink — a detail that appeared on several later Antrop releases.

Variations

Collectors say that the early pressings were surprisingly high quality. The sleeves were glossy, and sometimes there was a 16-page booklet about how the album was made. You can easily spot the first editions since they don’t have Piggies on the track list or the original poster. Complete sets in good condition go for around $40–50, while versions with the booklet can reach $100.

A booklet

Separate LPs

In 1994, Antrop put out a version with two separate LPs labeled “1” and “2,” with portraits on the front — a design that might’ve been inspired by the Israeli release.

White Album in the Soviet Union

In the Soviet Union, the lyrics for Back to the USSR was translated and published officially in 1970. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da was also translated into russian and covered by Emil Horovets, while it’s original was often misheard and became a mondegreen meme (read about Soviet Beatles homophones).

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© 2024, article by Artur Netsvetaev, based on personal interviews with Nikolai Kibalchich, Yuri Trifonov.

Images: discogs, beatlesvinyl.com.ua, author’s archive.