This is where we listen to my scratchy 78s

Stravinsky - Petrushka

2011-06-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

Stravinsky's Petrushka turned 100 last week

here's an excerpt from the 1937 Victor (USA) set:

Roscoe Gordon - Booted

2010-08-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

RPM 344, 1952

Recorded by Sam Phillips at Sun. This was Roscoe Gordon's biggest hit (wiki says #1, R&B charts).

Everybody sounds incredibly stoned on this record.

Johnny Cash - All Over Again

2010-07-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Columbia 41251, 1958 (B-side of "What Do I Care")

His first release on Columbia, though it didn't find its way on to an album until 1968.

Bo Diddley - Bring It To Jerome

2010-07-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Chess 827, 1955 (B-side of "Pretty Thing")

One of my favorite Bo Diddley tracks. Some great sidemen on this: Billy Boy Arnold on harmonica, Willie Dixon on bass, and of course Jerome Green's lead vocal at the end.

Hank Williams - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

2010-06-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

file under: prophetic

MGM 11366, 1952

Hank's last single before kickin' it.

Roy Hogsed - Cocaine Blues

2010-06-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Capitol 40120, 1947

Not clear if this is the original (Wiki says W. A. Nichol's Western Aces recorded their version the same year), but this is the one that charted (#15, according to Wikipedia).

I guess that makes this the first drug song to make the charts?

Orson Welles reads

2008-01-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

This is my first spoken word 78 purchase - a 5 disk set, no less. I just couldn't pass it up.

Orson Welles - "No Man Is An Island" (Decca - 1946)

Disk 5 was missing, unfortunately. I imagine it must have cracked or something.

It's pretty much what I imagined it would be, which recordings of Orson Welles reading and sounding very Orson Welles, which is pretty cool.

The disks are 12" instead of the standard 10, no doubt to squeeze out an extra minute or so of playing time. They're in pretty good shape, aside from some noise at the beginning of each side (noticeably on the part that wasn't protected by the sleeves.

listen to "Pericles: The World Is Their Sepulchre":

listen to "John Donne: For Whom The Bell Tolls":

listen to "Thomas Paine: Tyranny Is Not Easily Conquered":

listen to "Lazare Carnot: The New World Teaches The Old":

listen to "Patrick Henry: Liberty Or Death":

listen to "Patrick Henry: Liberty Or Death (concluded)":

listen to "Daniel Webster: Liberty And Union, Now And Forever":

listen to "John Brown: In Behalf Of His Despised Poor":

Leadbelly

2008-01-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

The Midnight Special / Ham An' Eggs (Victor, 1941)

listen to "The Midnight Special":

listen to "Ham An' Eggs":

Louis Jordan

2007-12-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

Caldonia - Decca, 1945

Birth of R&B?

of R&R?

Joe Turner

2007-12-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Honey Hush - Atlantic, 1953

Hi Ho, Hi Ho Silver!

Charlie Parker

2007-09-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

A Night In Tunisia / Ornithology (Dial, 1946)

Bird's Nest / Dark Shadows (Dial, 1947)

Buzzy / Donna Lee (Savoy, 1947)

Barbados / Parker's Mood (Savoy, 1948)

April In Paris / If I Should Lose You (Mercury, 1949)

You Came Along From Out Of Nowhere / East Of The Sun (Clef, 1950)

http://www.jazzdisco.org/bird/dis/c/

Ray Price

2007-09-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Just one of a long string of great sides he recorded for Columbia in the '50s.

Here's a cool clip of Ray performing the A-side on TV:

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Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup

2007-09-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Rock Me Momma / Cool Disposition - RCA Victor (reissue), year unknown

Originally released on Bluebird circa late '40s, this RCA disc probably dates from the early 50s.

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Merrill Moore

2007-08-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

The House Of Blue Lights / Bell Bottom Boogie - Capitol, 1953

I've enjoyed the Chuck Berry version, the Flamin' Groovies cover is mighty fine as well... but this is my first listen of the original. This really swings. I dig the pedal steel, the country twang in the vocal that got lost in the rockist cover versions.

The flip side sounds like it was recorded two minutes later (I mean that in a good way, of course).

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Ray Charles

2007-08-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

Drown In My Own Tears / Mary Anne - Atlantic, 1955

Nothing rare here. I've heard the A-side many times before, but I swear this is the first time I really heard this song - it's a funny thing about 78s.

The B-side is great - I've only heard the Link Wray cover before (one of his few early vocals).

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Roy Acuff and his Smokey Mountain Boys

2007-08-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

I Heard A Silver Trumpet / Blues On My Mind - Okeh, 1945

...

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Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys

2007-08-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Steel Guitar Rag / Swing Blues #1 - Okeh, 1936

I love the genre info on the label: "Novelty Hot Dance With Singing".

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