78 78s

January 29, 2012 6:00 PM

78 78s - In Search Of Lost Time - is a streaming mix of beautiful 78s from around the world, collected and curated by Ian Nagoski. "I started sifting through boxes of junky old 78s that no one else wanted about 15 years ago, and almost right away, I made a rule: Anything that wasn't in English, buy it."

Ian's projects have been discussed here before.

posted by carter (15 comments total)

An article on Ian from The Armenian Weekly.
posted by carter at 6:32 PM on January 29

I'm hooked from the very first pinched notes out of that bouzouki from the first track. Want to... download.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:49 PM on January 29

These songs come from a wide variety of places, including Jamaica, Serbia, Iran, Spain, Nebraska, Switzerland, Portugal, Romania, Macedonia, Italy, Uruguay, Greece, Armenia, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Ireland, Vietnam, Java, Korea, Sweden, Finland, Guinea, Turkestan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Liberia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Albania, Brazil, Sardinia, Ukraine, Poland, Zimbabwe, India, Japan, Thailand, Burma and Germany.

One of these things is not like the others.
posted by charlie don't surf at 7:51 PM on January 29 [3 favorites]

One of these things is not like the others.

That was back when Nebraska was still a country, and the national instrument was the spoons. Actually, it was the slotted spoons, which gave birth to the old saying "a Nebraskan can't hold water", which, when uttered by the Slovakian ambassador to Nebraska in 1794 led to the Great Nebraska War (1795-1801) which, as we all know, resulted in the addition of Nebraska to the Union, lasting until Nebraska's secession of 2011. What, you missed that? Better dig out your slotted spoons, man, and get busy.

Just wanna say, I'm still listening (a gorgeous flute piece is now playing, fast on the heels of the kickass bagpipes-on-speed track), and this playlist KICKS ASS.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:17 PM on January 29 [4 favorites]

But actually, charlie, TWO of these things are not like the others. Sardinia isn't a country either.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:19 PM on January 29

Listen for Eena Meena Deeka.
posted by gusandrews at 9:00 PM on January 29

And that's not the answer anyway: JAVA IS COFFEE YOU DUMMIES.

This is reeeeal good stuff; thanks for posting!
posted by artof.mulata at 9:02 PM on January 29

And that's not the answer anyway: JAVA IS COFFEE YOU DUMMIES.

And Turkey is what? Chopped livah?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:46 PM on January 29

Nebraska? It takes an Iowan to play the slotted spoons.
posted by charlie don't surf at 10:13 PM on January 29

Thanks charlie. Iowanna pair of those!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 1:46 AM on January 30

My father had a box full of 78s. They were all in English. I doubt anything was there you couldn't find elsewhere, but they were mostly all worth listening.
posted by Goofyy at 2:49 AM on January 30

Argh, just seeing this is making my stress levels go way up because there's so much great music out there and I'll never have time to listen to it all! I already have trouble leaving the house when there's an especially awesome program on WFMU, which is like 60 hours a week...
posted by moonmilk at 6:09 AM on January 30

I just sold him one of the records he played on that show. Samisen Boogie Woogie came from a collection of Japanese 78s I found in a rummage shop in Orange, Virginia.
posted by cloeburner at 4:07 PM on January 30

So far as I know the history of early 78s is still wide open for someone who actually wants to do it. The companies sent reps out to travel all over the world to capture exotic sounds that they could slap exotic (& suggestive) labels on because customers couldn't push a nickel into the public record-players fast enough.
posted by Twang at 5:40 PM on January 30

customers couldn't push a nickel into the public record-players fast enough.

A nickel, you say? Heh! Lemme tell ya somethin', whippersnapper: in my day, it was a penny you put in the public record player (we called 'em "wax spinners" or "twirly machines") and that penny was good for five songs! Why, with just a couple of bucks a man could sit and listen to Albanian wedding marches and Turkish funeral chants all day long! Pay an extra three cents and the shopkeeper would letcha dance with his daughter!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:09 PM on January 30