Excavated Shellac

Thanks Jon... That was fascinating. Next time I get to LA I'll bring a few African 78s you may find interesting

Sounds excellent, Russ!

A very nice article. A few points found to be bleak in history by the author actually is clear today but I won't dwell on that -- too detailed information and the overall writing is quite fine.
"Shekar" (or "sheker" depending on how you write it but pronounced the same in Turkish) means "sugar". This name is seriously unlikely to be used by a "... Read Morenoble" Christian or Jewish woman. These kind of names were mainly used as nicknames by cabaret singer/dancer women who sometimes doubled on "ill reputed" activities. The most likely option would be that this woman was a gypsy (The name "Şeker Hanım" has other recordings on some other labels such as Odeon). As stated in the text, muslim women could not be put in front of the recording equipment for religious and dignity/nobility reasons although there were many muslim women music performers, even composers, in social life of the Ottomans. The first touring recording executives even found it hard to record Christian women singers up until around 1920. Most of these female voice recordings, especially folk songs of non-classical tradition, are of the gypsies. Singing and dancing in public were a part of their sources of livelihood anyway and their social status allowed for such activities.

Thanks to all for really interesting history!

It is nice to find people who like those green or weird labels which are impossible to read. I better speak for myself... I still haven't tried the cactus needle and spindle gadget that I'm told I can make. I just hope for the best, and that I have a dollar, which is has often not been the case. Thanks for the website. Very awesome. Maybe I'll learn something. I'll certainly enjoy myself.

If you'd like to hear a 78 of al-aita music, check out the piece by Cheikha Reno on the North Africa CD in the Secret Museum series.

Or, heck, I completely forgot I posted one of my al-aita 78s on Excavated Shellac some years ago. Check it out on the WFMU site here:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chikha_Aicha_El_Hertitia/

Just saw this clip, it's amazing! Thanks for sharing!

A wonderful sample, thanks!

Hey everyone - I knew this would get a response! I know, exceptionally rare discs here, many not documented in sources (Katz Brothers??). I was drooling, too.

Me again. Looking at that video more closely, I can see a lot of repeats of the same records. However, I took the time to write down what I saw:

Odeon (X150000 series made for Fonitipia, X101000 series, blue “temple” series (can’t read numbers), OB-5000 series)

“Tiger” label (25000 series)... Read More

Katz Brothers (25000 series)

GramCo (black GC-7-14000 series, black GC-7-13000 series, yellow GC-12-13000 series, yellow GC-9-14000 series, yellow GC-13-13000 series, black GC-14000 series)

Parlophon (B 18000 series, 25000 series)

Siam Concert Record (80000 series)

Beka Grand (25000 series)

Lyrophon (80000 series)

Rabbit (yellow series, can’t read numbers)

Unknown (bright red label with characters) (1-236000 series)

It stands to reason that the 25000 series that turns up on the "Tiger" label, the Katz Brothers label, Parlophon, and the Beka Grand label could be from the same source. Parlophon in the 20s often reissued Beka masters. My guess is Beka as the origin of the 25000 material, as they recorded in Siam very early. Could be wrong, however.

The 80000 series on Siam Concert and Lyrophon are probably also from the same source, whatever that is.

This is great! My buddies should listen to this!

mesmerizing

Stunning

You are right about those pre-1920 Columbias...they look and sound hideous (except for the Lovey's Band which have a sapphire blue label..and are not quite as dim sounding, for some reason)

If you want excellent sound, try and find a Edison flat disc from the turn of the century. When I was at Greenfield Village, they had a number of early recordings, and these discs had amazing fidelity!!

The sapphire blue record sound better to my ear, too - is that possible? There were black and gold E-series, too.

I Love it,Thanks for posting it

great post, Russ!

gorgeousness!