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'[[Image:FloppyRom Magazine.jpg|thumb|Flexi discs like this ''Interface Age'' "[[Kansas City standard#Floppy ROM|Floppy ROM]]" program sheet were occasionally included as [[Insert (print advertising)|inserts]] in computer hobbyist and video game magazines during the late 1970s and early 1980s.]] The '''flexi disc''' (also known as a '''phonosheet''', '''Sonosheet''' or '''Soundsheet''', a trademark) is a [[Gramophone record|phonograph record]] made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral [[Phonograph pickup|stylus]] groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal [[phonograph]] turntable. Flexible records were commercially introduced as the '''Eva-tone Soundsheet''' in 1962,<ref name="Billboard Nov 1979">{{cite magazine | last = Penchansky | first = Alan | title = New Building for 'Soundsheets' Firm |magazine= Billboard | volume = 91 | issue = 45 | page =88 | publisher = Billboard Publications | location = New York | date = November 10, 1979 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HiUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT85 | issn = 0006-2510 }}</ref><ref>US Trademark for "Soundsheets" was granted to Eva-Tone Soundsheets, Inc. in 1982. The term was first used in commerce in April 1962. Trademark Serial Number: 73399790, Registration Number: 1258434</ref> and were very popular among children and teenagers and mass-produced by the state publisher in the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] government.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}} ==History== Before the advent of the [[compact disc]], flexi discs were sometimes used as a means to include sound with printed material such as [[magazine]]s and music instruction books.<ref name="stylus"/> A flexi disc could be moulded with speech or music and bound into the text with a perforated seam, at very little cost and without any requirement for a hard binding.<ref name="evend"/> One problem with using the thinner vinyl was that the stylus's weight, combined with the flexi disc's low mass, would sometimes cause the disc to stop spinning on the [[turntable]] and become held in place by the stylus.<ref name="stylus"/> For this reason, most flexi discs had a spot on the face of the disc for a coin, or other small, flat, weighted object to increase the friction with the turntable surface and enforce consistent rotation. If the turntable's surface is not completely flat, it is recommended that the flexi disc be placed on top of a full sized record.<ref name="lcd"/> In [[Japan]], starting in the early 1960s, [[Asahi Sonorama]] published the monthly ''Asahi Sonorama'' magazine which included an inserted flexi disc ("Sonosheet").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comipress.com/news/2007/06/22/2169|title=Asahi Sonorama to Be Dissolved, Asahi Shimbun Takes over Manga Operation|publisher=Comi Press|date=2007-06-22|access-date=2016-10-13| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081011214758/http://comipress.com/news/2007/06/22/2169| archive-date= 11 October 2008}}</ref> Every year between 1963 and 1969, [[The Beatles]] made a special [[The Beatles' Christmas records|Christmas recording]] which was made into a flexi disc and sent to members of their [[fan club]]. While the earlier discs largely contained 'thank you' messages to their fans, the later Christmas flexis were used as an outlet for the Beatles to explore more experimental areas; the 1967 disc, for example, became a pastiche of a [[BBC Radio]] show and even included a specially recorded song entitled "[[Christmas Time (Is Here Again)]]."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Runtagh|first=Jordan|last2=|first2=|date=2020-12-13|title=Beatles' Rare Fan-Club Christmas Records: A Complete Guide|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/beatles-rare-fan-club-christmas-records-a-complete-guide-120854/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-31|website=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> In 1964, the [[National Geographic Society]] released ''Song and Garden Birds of North America'' which included a 12-sided clear flexidisk, bound alternating with pages giving the titles and birds on the recordings. The work was done by [[Arthur A. Allen]] and [[Peter Paul Kellogg]] of the [[Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wetmore|first=Alexander|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/song-and-garden-birds-of-north-america/oclc/907896|title=Song and garden birds of North America|last2=Grosvenor|first2=Melville Bell|last3=Allen|first3=Arthur A|last4=National Geographic Society (U.S.)|date=1964|isbn=978-0-87044-006-9|language=English|oclc=907896}}</ref> The August 1965 issue of ''[[National Geographic|National Geographic Magazine]]'' included a soundsheet of the funeral of Sir [[Winston Churchill]] narrated by [[David Brinkley]]. The recording has the sounds of the funeral procession to St. Paul's, a hymn sung by the leaders of the world, and an excerpt of the funeral sermon. Excerpts from various recordings of Churchill's speeches are included. The recording ends with bagpipes accompanying Churchill's coffin to the funeral barge on the Thames, as the public phase of the funeral ends.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} During the 1970s, ''[[Mad (magazine)|MAD]]'' magazine included Soundsheets in several special editions. One was a dramatization of "Gall in the Family Fare", its parody of "All in the Family," packaged with ''MAD Super Special '' #11 (1973). The Summer 1980 edition of ''MAD Super Special'' (published in 1979) featured "It's a Super-Spectacular Day", a song with eight different versions pressed into eight concentric grooves; which version was played depended on where the needle was dropped onto the disc. Another issue included "It's a Gas", a song whose lyrics were belches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/question-about-its-a-gas-by-alfred-e-newman.70920/ |title=Question about "It's A Gas" by Alfred E. Newman |publisher=Steve Hoffman Music Forums |date=2006 |access-date=2018-04-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Alfred-E-Neuman-Its-A-Gas/release/4695423 |title= Alfred E. Neuman – It's A Gas |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2018-04-29}}</ref> There was also a "Mad Disco" special issue containing a Soundsheet. ABBA/Live 77 was a special single-sided promo gold flexi disc given as a bonus to children who sold magazines and books at [[Christmas]] for Jultidningsförlaget, a publishing company using door sales as their main distribution channel. The disc contained excerpts from the Swedish group's recent concert appearance in [[Australia]]. A two-sided flexible sheet record of the songs of [[humpback whales]] (produced by [[Roger Payne]]) was included with the January 1979 issue of ''National Geographic Magazine''. With a production order of 10,500,000 copies, it became the largest single press run of any record at the time. [[Computer magazine]]s began to provide software in audio form "[[Vinyl Data]]" on flexi discs from June 1979 until 1986.<ref>{{cite web|title=Video games in vinyl grooves|url=https://www.discogs.com/lists/Video-games-in-vinyl-grooves/253634|website=discogs.com|access-date=8 June 2017}}</ref> While flexi-discs were usually just used as occasional giveaways, from 1980 to 1982, ''[[Flexipop]]'' made a speciality of giving away such a disc with each edition. Compact discs and the internet have rendered flexi discs largely obsolete, but gimmick discs are still produced occasionally: Amelia's Magazine included a one-sided Libertines flexi of ''What Katie Did''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://frenchdogwrittles.myfastforum.org/Libertines_et_all_7_records_about39370.html?sid=6931992b3b31ed18b674f08a7a7c0662 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501063553/http://frenchdogwrittles.myfastforum.org/Libertines_et_all_7_records_about39370.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-05-01 |title=Forum |publisher=Frenchdogwrittles.myfastforum.org |access-date=2014-05-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/disposable-pop-a-history-of-the-flexi-disc.htm |title=Stylus article |publisher=Stylusmagazine.com |access-date=2014-05-16}}</ref> American manufacturer Eva-Tone, believed to be one of the last manufacturers of flexi discs, stopped production of the product in August 2000.<ref name="evend"/> As of December 2010, [[Pirates Press]], an independent record manufacturing company based in [[San Francisco]], [[California]], USA, has started production of flexi discs of various sizes and color. In November 2010 [[extreme metal]] magazine ''[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]'' began releasing flexi discs with each issue, starting with the January 2011 issue. The content on the disc features "100 percent exclusive songs" from artists that have been previously featured in the publication.<ref>{{cite web| title = Decibel Announces Exclusive Flexi Disc Series!| work = [[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]| date = November 18, 2010| url = http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/decibel-announces-exclusive-flexi-disc-series/| access-date = November 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last = Rosenberg| first = Axl| title = ''Decibel'' Gets Even Awesomer, Introduces Monthly Exclusive Flexi Discs Starting in 2011| work = MetalSucks| date = November 16, 2010| url = http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/11/16/decibel-gets-even-awesomer-introduces-monthly-exclusive-flexi-discs-starting-in-2011/| access-date = November 23, 2010}} In 2011 independent London-based record label [http://www.xrayrecordings.com X-Ray Recordings] set up, releasing predominantly limited edition runs of flexidiscs for new bands. Their first release with post-punk band Trogons has now sold out and they continue to release more flexidiscs on a semi-regular bases. </ref> In October 2011, the [[Los Angeles]]-based record company, [[Side One Dummy Records]], teamed up with [[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]] to offer a [[Title Fight]] flexi disc (containing 2 previously unreleased B-Sides) along with a year of AP subscription as a limited edition offer. Due to manufacturing delays the discs arrived packaged with the November issue of AP magazine in mid December.<ref name="nub">{{cite web |work=Side One Dummy |title=Title Fight Flexi Disc 7" with AP Magazine Subscription |url=http://vinylcollective.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=69975&page=1 |date=October 20, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2011}}</ref> On April 2, 2012, [[Third Man Records]] released 1000 flexi discs tied to blue helium balloons into the air in [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]. The discs contained the first release of "Freedom At 21", a track on [[Jack White (musician)|Jack White]]'s debut solo album, ''[[Blunderbuss (album)|Blunderbuss]]''. It is estimated that fewer than 100 of the discs will ever be found and they will be a valuable collector's item for many years.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} On April 20, 2012, [[Domino Recording Company]] released a zine exclusively for [[Record Store Day]] that included five individual, multi-colored flexi-discs, each containing a song by [[Dirty Projectors]], [[Real Estate]], [[Cass McCombs]], [[John Maus]], and [[Villagers (band)|Villagers]]. The Dirty Projectors disc was previewed on April 19 by frontman Dave Longstreth via a YouTube video of him playing the record on a turntable.<ref>{{cite web| last = Maloney | first = Devon| title = Hear Dirty Projectors' Record Store Day Demo 'You Against the Larger World' | work = [[SPIN (magazine)|SPIN]]| date = April 19, 2012 | url = https://www.spin.com/2012/04/hear-dirty-projectors-record-store-day-demo-you-against-larger-world/ | access-date = May 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = "Smugglers Way Vol. 1," Domino USA | work = Domino USA | date = April 20, 2012 | url = http://www.dominorecordco.us/usa/eps/24-04-12/smugglers-way-volume-one/ | access-date = May 19, 2012}}</ref> In 2012 Rookie online magazine released its first hardcopy edition, Rookie Yearbook One,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rookiemag.com/shop/rookie-yearbook-one/ |title=Rookie » Rookie Yearbook One |publisher=Rookiemag.com |access-date=2014-05-16}}</ref> which contained a red flexi disc with two songs written specifically for the site: "I Don't Care" by [[Dum Dum Girls]] and "Rookie" by [[Supercute!]]. In the summer 2013 issue of German fanzine PUNKROCK!, the punk rock band Riots, based in Oslo, Norway, gave away a free 2-track exclusive flexi disc to the 200 odd subscribers of the fanzine. This flexi featured 2 tracks - Riots and We're All Slaves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.punkrock-fanzine.de/?paged=2 |title=&#124; Seite 2 |publisher=Punkrock-fanzine.de |date=2013-11-08 |access-date=2014-05-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203035743/http://www.punkrock-fanzine.de/?paged=2 |archive-date=2013-12-03 }}</ref> This was pressed by Pirates Press out of the USA. Shortly before the release of the 2014 Foo Fighters album "Sonic Highways" some of the pre-orders came with a cover of Two Headed Dog on Flexi-Disk In the summer 2015, PizzaDischi, an independent record manufacturing company based in Italy, has started production of flexi discs too, in collaboration with the European Slimer Records independent label run by [[Panda Kid]] members, dedicated to limited and rare edition of worldwide artists.{{citation needed | date=July 2016}} ==In the Soviet Union== Flexi discs were mass-produced from 1964 to 1991 by the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] government as inserts in the popular ''[[Krugozor]]'' magazine for teens. The appearance of the Soviet flexi disc was always the same, vivid blue, and the discs are familiar to virtually anyone who grew up in the Soviet Union and even the post-Soviet era. In 1969 in addition to the successful audio-magazine ''Krugozor'', the government also launched the audio-magazine for children ''Kolobok'', which also consisted of flexi disks. Because of a shortage of vinyl recording material (and official [[music censorship|censorship]] of some Western music) during the Soviet era, bootleg recordings known as ''[[Ribs (recordings)|Ribs]]'', ''Bones'' or ''roentgenizdat'' were produced on discarded medical X-ray prints. The musician Stephen Coates of UK band [[The Real Tuesday Weld]] has created the X-Ray Audio Project devoted to these.<ref>[[The X-Ray Audio Project]] an archive of information and examples of Soviet 'roentgenizdat' flexi discs [http://www.x-rayaudio.squarespace.com]</ref><ref>[http://wanderer-records.com/wanderer.php?keyword=film&media=flexi More "rock on bones" roentgenizdat flexi records]</ref><ref>Vitaliev, Vitali, ''Dancing with String Bags in the Snow'', column in Engineering & Technology Magazine, Vol. 9, Iss. 8, September 2014, p.106, [[The Institution of Engineering and Technology]], London</ref> ==Human League track== "Flexi Disc" is also the title of a spoken-word track recorded by [[electronic music|electronic]] band [[The Human League]] on a flexi disc which accompanied their 12" single "[[The Dignity of Labour]]" in 1978. Re-released as a bonus track on their album ''[[Reproduction (album)|Reproduction]]'', the song is a discussion between the band members concerning the advantages and disadvantages of the flexi disc format and the possibility of including one with the album to provide commentary.<ref name="stylus"/><ref name="human"/> ==See also== * [[Baseball Talk]] * ''[[Billy and the Boingers Bootleg]]'' * [[Cardboard record]] * ''[[Flexipop]]'' * [[Krugozor|''Krugozor'' magazine]] * [[McDonald's Menu Song|McDonald's menu song]] * [[PocketDisc]] * [[Roentgenizdat]] ==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="evend">{{cite web |url=http://eva-tone.com/news/index.asp?Action=Read&NewsID=26 |publisher=Eva-tone |title=Soundsheet Product Line is Retired |date=August 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041025125300/http://eva-tone.com/news/index.asp?Action=Read&NewsID=26 |archive-date=October 25, 2004 |access-date=March 18, 2010}}</ref> <ref name="human">{{cite web |title=League History |publisher=TheHumanLeague.net |url=http://www.thehumanleague.net/history.html |access-date=March 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210113824/http://www.thehumanleague.net/history.html |archive-date=February 10, 2010 }}</ref> <ref name="lcd">{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Cumella |work=Least Common Denominator |publisher=[[WFMU]] |location=Jersey City, NJ |title=The Bendable Sounds of Flexi-Discs |url=http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/25/flexi1.html |issue=25 |year=2000 |access-date=March 18, 2010}}</ref> <ref name="stylus">{{cite news |first=Ryan |last=Foley |work=Stylus Magazine |title=Disposable Pop: A History of the Flexi Disc |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/disposable-pop-a-history-of-the-flexi-disc.htm |date=June 18, 2007 |access-date=March 18, 2010}}</ref> <!--<ref name="nub">{{cite web |work=Side One Dummy |title=Title Fight Flexi Disc 7" with AP Magazine Subscription |url=http://vinylcollective.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=69975&page=1 |date=October 20, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2011}}</ref>--> }} ==External links== {{commons|Sheet record|Flexi disc}} *[http://www.wfmu.org/MACrec/ The Internet Museum of Flexi / Cardboard / Oddity Records] *[https://swap.stanford.edu/20090621074303/http://www.powerhat.com/tusovka/tus.ch1.html The Historical Political Development of Soviet Rock Music] *{{Cite episode|credits=Presenter: Paul Bayley|title=The Wonderful Weightless World of the Flexidisc|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sgbcr|station=[[BBC Radio 4]]|network=[[BBC]]|airdate=2010-05-27}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20130815022024/http://www.allvinylexperience.com//index.html All Vinyl Experience Flexidiscs & Lyntone Discography] *[http://www.krugozor-kolobok.ru/ Partial, created by now adult fans, collection of some of digitalised Krugozor and Kolobok magazines (audio pages are in WMA) ] *[http://www.x-rayaudio.squarespace.com/ The X-Ray Audio project site devoted to the Soviet era, bootleg recordings known as ''roentgenizdat''] {{DEFAULTSORT:Flexi Disc}} [[Category:Audio engineering]] [[Category:Audiovisual ephemera]] [[Category:Audio storage]] [[Category:Flexi discs| ]] [[de:Schallplatte#Flexible Disc (Flexidisc)]]'