Here is a selection of advertisements for the Compagnie française du Gramophone, the French branch of the Gramophone Company, between 1903 and 1913. Both the message and the iconography provide useful insights on how the gramophone and the record were marketed to gain the status of musical medium. These advertisements let us also discover the … Continue reading Advertisements for the Compagnie française du Gramophone (1903-1913)
When Gallica’s pictures come to life
The website I've been working on for a few months has just been launched today. It's called Gallica Studio and it aims at encouraging and showcasing creative or innovative uses of the digital library Gallica's contents. The following video was made for the occasion by the French motion designer Julien Schickel. It shows a 1902 … Continue reading When Gallica’s pictures come to life
Waiting for the weekend’s yardsales…
... how about digging in digital libraries? Paris Saint-Ouen flea market photographed byAndré Zucca in 1941. A record on the rare early 1910's French label "La Semeuse" can be seen on the second picture. Source : André Zucca / Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris / Roger-Viollet (Photo 1/Photo 2).
Ngọc Bảo – Cô Tú, a Vietnamese 78rpm
Finding Vietnamese 78rpm records is not that easy, even though a lot of them were pressed here in France during the colonial period, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. This one comes from a lot I bought from another collector in Paris. Thanks to Haji Maji and Excavated Shellac blogs, I was already familiar with … Continue reading Ngọc Bảo – Cô Tú, a Vietnamese 78rpm
Oea-Oea, an Exotica track by Dick Elgg and his Tahitians on 78 rpm record
This blog has been inactive for a few months... Well, I have often lacked time to post something, or was sometimes just too lazy and prefered listening to my records rather than writing about them. I'm back now and will try to be more dilligent ! As the weather is getting cold here in Paris, … Continue reading Oea-Oea, an Exotica track by Dick Elgg and his Tahitians on 78 rpm record
Where to find 78 rpm records : a new section on the blog
I try to find 78 rpm records each time I visit a new place, but the lack of information makes it sometimes difficult, so I decided to create a list and a dynamic map of shops and markets worldwide. You can check it here.
Sadan Adanali – Aman Adanali, a Turkish folk song on 78 rpm record
Here is a record found in a box of 78s I bought in a flea market near my place a few months ago. "Aman Adanali" (Aman Adanalı in Turkish) is a well known anonymous folk song in Turkey, as evidenced by the numerous old and modern versions that can be found on Youtube. This one was performed by the singer … Continue reading Sadan Adanali – Aman Adanali, a Turkish folk song on 78 rpm record
Cosmos Elegy (コスモスの悲歌) A mysterious Japanese waltz on 78 rpm record
I did my best but hardly found any information about this melancholic waltz from a Victor Japan record... With patience (and a very useful online dictionary), I managed to decipher the Japanese characters on the label. Here is what I discovered : The song is called "Cosmos Elegy" (コスモスの悲歌, Cosmos referring in that case to a … Continue reading Cosmos Elegy (コスモスの悲歌) A mysterious Japanese waltz on 78 rpm record
The Golden Age of Soviet Jazz (2/2) : Alexander Tsfasman (Александр Цфасман) on 78 rpm record
The first part of this post focused on Leonid Utesov, who can be considered as the most popular Soviet singer of the 30's. This second part introduces the pianist and composer Alexander Tsfasman (Александр Цфасман). Both of them are the most emblematic artists of The Golden Age of Soviet Jazz, which reached its peak in the mid … Continue reading The Golden Age of Soviet Jazz (2/2) : Alexander Tsfasman (Александр Цфасман) on 78 rpm record
The golden age of Soviet Jazz (1/2) : Leonid Utesov (Леонид Утёсов) on 78 rpm record
You might remember that I posted a few weeks ago this unexpected Russian version of La Cucaracha and wrote about the funny way I managed to find some 78 rpm records in Armenia. Here are two other interesting recordings from the late 40's... To be honest, I didn't know anything about music of USSR before … Continue reading The golden age of Soviet Jazz (1/2) : Leonid Utesov (Леонид Утёсов) on 78 rpm record
Ceints de bakélite 