How were the Beatles viewed in Soviet-controlled territory in the 1960s? A Byelorussian friend of mine claims that the government was initially supportive of the band, calling them working-class heroes. I suppose this is somewhat believable; at the very least it would have been hard for the Communist Party to find fault with their music given that in their early years all they played were apolitical love songs. My friend then tells me that as their popularity grew, the Soviet authorities became increasingly disenchanted with the Fab Four, and after a point it was no longer considered acceptable to be a Beatles fan.
Now, my friend was born long after the Beatles broke up, so any information he has on this subject can’t be first-hand. So to anyone who lived or knows someone who lived under the Soviet regime in the 60s: How were the Beatles really viewed by the government? Was it possible to acquire their records by legal means? If so, was this always the case, or did the authorities at one point institute a ban (either on the import or public performance of such music)? If official opinion did sour, what was the cause?