Russian shellacing

January 1, 2012 9:04 AM

Russian Records is an online archive of thousands of 78s issued in Russia, or with Russian themes. Just the labels are a visual feast but there's audio as well. Don't miss the whistlers with orchestral backing.
posted by OmieWise (11 comments total)

Poked around for a couple of minutes, but couldn't find any audio (except whistling, but it didn't play in Firefox). Some labels were quite attractive, though.
posted by juifenasie at 10:06 AM on January 1, 2012

From the front page, click on a category, then select a label (by picture), then click on the thumbnail of the record you'd like to audition in the resulting catalog of entries. Plays fine here in FF8.

To the OP: This is a remarkable find. A good shellacking indeed!
posted by Nomyte at 10:30 AM on January 1, 2012 [2 favorites]

Спасибо, товарищ!
posted by not_on_display at 11:49 AM on January 1, 2012

Previously: Soviet-era bootleg 'jazz on bones' records (like Flexi discs on used x-ray plates.
posted by Twang at 12:12 PM on January 1, 2012

очень хорошо! This is some incredible stuff.
posted by Twang at 12:27 PM on January 1, 2012

This is awesome.

Here's some highlights for folks interested in Russian religious stuff:

Here's Archdeacon Afanasii Zdihovsky of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Moscow singing "The Doors, The Doors followed by the Creed.

Here Archdeacon Zdihovsky and the choir sing Many Years to Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and the Imperial family (circa 1910).

Bass Theodore Chaliapine and the Choir of Russian Metropolitan Church in Paris under N.P. Afonsky sing the Creed.

Here's one of the Ukranian descriptions:

"THE HOLY MOTHER OF POCHAJIV
Ukrainian Religions Folk Song
Arranged by Leontowych
UKRAINIAN MALE CHOIR BURLAKA
Conductor: J. Hordij
ПОЧАЇВСЬКА БОЖА МАТИ
МУЖЕСЬКИЙ ХОР БУРЛАКА
Диригент : Я. Гордiй
(Published by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain Ltd.)

(Forgive any errors, my Russian is pretty much non-existent.)
posted by Jahaza at 4:10 PM on January 1, 2012

Lots of great drinking songs! Thanks!
posted by k8t at 4:55 PM on January 1, 2012

I have been listening to these records all day. Thanks again!
posted by not_on_display at 10:08 PM on January 1, 2012

Either I'm having bad luck (some audio files have been deleted or are not present) or I'm doing something wrong (I've been online since the 80s, so I usually know what I'm doing), but every time I click on a promising thumbnail, all I ever see is an enlarged graphic. I click on every single thumbnail on the left and on the top as instructed, but still no audio files. Doing a site search with Google doesn't help either. Could some kind soul at least point me to clear audio files for Volga Boatmen (or anything by the Red Army chorus)?
posted by juifenasie at 2:21 AM on January 2, 2012

This is an example of a deleted file with discussion in Russian:
http://www.russian-records.com/details.php?image_id=13310
"Label and audio files were deleted by record owner"
posted by juifenasie at 2:24 AM on January 2, 2012

At the homepage, at the very bottom, you can filter for only entries that include audio. Below the larger label image on each page you should see a flash player that will get you the audio.
posted by OmieWise at 10:57 AM on January 2, 2012