It happened all over the world

March 2, 2022 7:14 AM

Among the nominees at next month's Grammys for Best Historical Album is Excavated Shellac: An Alternate History of the World's Music (1907-1967). Released by archival label Dust-to-Digital as a digital download only, the album is a collection of 100 songs recorded around the world in the early days of recorded music. The liner notes in the accompanying digital booklet provide great context to the artists, locations and recordings, where each song gets its own short essay. The digital transfers beautifully capture the spirit of each song and the music, beyond being mere curios, is sublime. Excavated Shellac is the nom du blog of Jonathan Ward, an archivist who organized the project, researched and wrote the liner notes, and selected each song from his own personal collection of 78s.
posted by lowest east side (4 comments total)

That whole record label is great. A music fan of most any genre could easily find at least one thing to love there. So much of what they choose to put out is… transportive? Beyond the mundane?

I just learned about their Instagram account. Viewer submission videos that present tiny snippets of music being made now, yesterday, a few years ago. Some of which seem like they come from a future world or some timeless place where we all come from. Little windows into whole universes. Easier to digest than a full catalog and almost more incredible.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 8:03 AM on March 2, 2022 [3 favorites]

Thought this was going to be a different kind of Shellac for a moment.
posted by Panjandrum at 8:39 AM on March 2, 2022

If y'all are having doubts about buying it from Bandcamp for reasons, it's available on their site as well, which goes through Shopify and then SingleMusic.

(I haven't purchased it yet, but I tested it out with their Cambodian Rock and Roll album and am delighted.)
posted by Katemonkey at 2:11 PM on March 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

This is just fantastic.

People into this (and the label) should check Canary Records for much more of this sort of service to humanity.

One that never fails to reduce me to a blubbering mess: Zabelle Panosian's "I Am Servant of Your Voice" March 1917 - June 1918"

posted by remembrancer at 3:50 PM on March 2, 2022 [1 favorite]