giant digital 78 rpm collection online

[mjpuczko]

http://78records.cdbpdx.com/

[CortezTheKiller]

Dead link

[mjpuczko]

when you click on songs? it was working fine a few minutes ago then i tried a few songs & got a dead link. weird.

[Jay]

http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/08/one-mans-quest.html

 

One Man's Quest to Digitize and Publicize Rare Records

 

Thousands of recordings that had been largely consigned to the realm of prehistory in the digital age have gained a new life, thanks to the tireless efforts of one man.

 

Cliff Bolling didn't realize what he was getting into when he picked up a copy of the first record he ever owned (Cliff Steward's "Aba Daba Honeymoon") and realized soon after that "there's a whole world of music that you don't hear anymore, and it's on 78 RPM records."

 

(8/13 Update: Bolling's site is offline.)

 

Once that first discovery started him collecting the early singles known as 78s, he decided to dub some of them to cassette for playing in his car and sharing the music with fellow enthusiasts. That was about ten years ago.

 

As the digital music movement started in earnest, Bolling began digitizing his records, and posted a list of first 1,500 songs he had digitized so fellow collectors could see what kind of progress he had made. Finally, he decided to upload MP3s of every song on the list so that he could access them from anywhere, and so that curiosity seekers could find them.

 

As things stand now, the 57-year-old Portland, Oregon, native has uploaded 3,739 MP3s, with plenty more in the pipeline.

 

Even with the MP3s, Bolling's site only received 10-30 hits per day until appearing on reddit and StumbleUpon in July, reaching over 11,000 hits at its peak. "I really didn't know there were so many people in the world interested in this music," said Bolling told wired.com. "A lot of younger people go to the site, and it's amazing that they hear songs today that originally were recorded 75 years ago. It's pretty cool that people get to listen to this stuff. As far as copyrights, apparently I'm okay, because nobody's come to shut me down or anything."

 

But his wife had worried that recordings from the early half of last century would prove offensive to 21st century ears. Would listeners be sophisticated enough to handle once-mainstream sentiments that have since been revealed as racist or sexist? As a result, the site contains a a note that reads, "Please note that what was considered humor early in the 20th century might today be deemed offensive and politically incorrect. Some of these old songs reflect that."

 

Bolling explained, "My wife told me that I shouldn't put those songs on there because they're racially offensive or sexually offensive. So I asked around, and people said, 'you know, First Amendment

[TCP]

"When the Roses Bloom Again" is on there.

[LouieB]

Cool stuff...

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

Cool stuff. 78s are still relatively easy to find, but the good ones are harder to get.

 

LouieB

[Mrs. Peel]

Wow, this is fantastic. Thanks for posting!

 

I love "Basin Street Blues" credited as being by Ella Satchmo Fitzgerald. She does a great impression of Louis.

[HungryHippo]

wow, this is excellent. check out Roy Acuff's 'Great Speckle Bird no. 2.' this is some good stuff!

[mfwahl]

This guy is awesome. Can't wait to check these out. I downloaded some out of print funk singles online a while back that were digitial transferred from 45's. It's nice hearing that vinyl sizzle on a cd.