25,000+ 78RPM Records for Free Download... Help Find the Best!

[BradKlein]

HERE (http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/arts-culture/106319-philly-company-digitizes-collection-of-25000-old-records-and-growing-free-to-download) is a nice story about efforts by the Internet Archive to rip and publish many thousands of recordings. Unlike, say a You Tube video, these are archival quality (multiple formats, styluses, and EQ settings!) and preserved in the public interest rather than the whim of some guy with a turntable.

Click for complete collection >>> The George Blood Collection (https://archive.org/details/georgeblood)

Cafe friends! We'll need your help to find the BEST among this amazing collection. You can search by words like an artist's name or 'mandolin', so I'll ask, 'please do NOT do a search and post the 75 results with mandolin.' Instead, LISTEN! Find something you really like and share it. Maybe say why you think it's special.

Like: Mandolin Boogie (https://archive.org/details/78_mandolin-boogie_armstrong-twins-floyd-and-lloyd-armstrong_gbia0005324a) because... MANDOLIN BOOGIE! It was the Armstrong Twins' big hit, and the audio quality is very good. If a brother duet is good... a TWIN brother duet must be even better. ;-)

160065

[Folkmusician.com]

That is a great project!

[jaycat]

You really can't beat the sophisticated humor of "Shaving Cream."

[BradKlein]

You really can't beat the sophisticated humor of "Shaving Cream."

This is of such historical importance that I've added the link (using the little globe icon in the edit window)

Shaving Cream (https://archive.org/details/78_shaving-cream_paul-wynn_gbia0001215b)

"I have a sad story to tell you, it may hurt your feelings a bit, last night walking into my bathroom, I stepped in a big pile of... ...Shaving cream, be nice and clean, shave everyday and you'll always look keen..."

[AlanN]

A virtual goldmine, thanks Brad!

[Oliver A.]

This is going to be a great thread! 'can't wait to hear all the gems.
Thanks Brad.

[Denny Gies]

Wow, thanks for the tip Brad.

[Jon Hall]

On their website, The George Blood Collection has statement, that they don't guarantee that there will not be a copyright violated by downloading any of their files. They said that is the responsibility of the individual making the download. I'm really interested in the material but none of it is worth getting in trouble. My internet provider monitors illegal downloads.

[BradKlein]

On their website...

You can listen without downloading, of course.

The Internet Archive is a huge non-profit. I trust their judgement much further than Google's for example.

[foldedpath]

You can listen without downloading, of course.

There is no functional difference between streaming and downloading as far as your ISP would be concerned. If you can stream, you can capture it in a file. That said, I doubt any ISP's are profiling music this old. They'll be more concerned about the latest Beyonce hit.


The Internet Archive is a huge non-profit. I trust their judgement much further than Google's for example.

Anything recorded before 1923 is in the public domain (as of 2017), but there's a lot of post-1923 material on that site. I suppose it can be sheltered under the "fair use for educational purposes" part of copyright law? You wouldn't want to package and re-sell it, that's for sure.

[sblock]

Bluegrass fans known this tune because Earl Scruggs recorded it. But listen to this version of the Farewell Blues:

click here. (https://archive.org/details/78_farewell-blues_the-prairie-ramblers-schoebel-mares-rappola_gbia0005078a)

[sblock]

And the next time you get another dumb fan request for "Wagon Wheel", try playing this version instead:

click here. (https://archive.org/details/78_wagon-wheel_bill-rose-ben-christian-and-his-texas-cowboys_gbia0007000b)

[BradKlein]

Bluegrass fans known this tune because Earl Scruggs recorded it. But listen to this version of the Farewell Blues:

click here. (https://archive.org/details/78_farewell-blues_the-prairie-ramblers-schoebel-mares-rappola_gbia0005078a)

That's cool! I had not put together the instrumental recorded by Scruggs and pickers like Larry Sparks, Tony Rice, and Clarence White -with the Jazz standard played by Glenn Miller, Basie, and Django among many others. It really helps fill in the context in which 20th century musicians lived.

[AlanN]

Yes, can surely hear/feel the parallels to the grassers' takes on this tune. And I can hear a Tiny Moore vibe, as well.

[Verne Andru]

I picked up an old case with a couple dozen vintage 78 rpm lacquers but I don't have a player that does 78 anymore! They're old dance era stuff I'd love to be able to listen to some day.

[Oliver A.]

OK here's an obvious classic from 1946. I love Bill's falsetto on the last verse.

https://archive.org/details/78_blue-moon-of-kentucky_bill-monroe-and-his-blue-grass-boys-bill-monroe-with-string-b_gbia0005116b/_78_blue-moon-of-kentucky_bill-monroe-and-his-blue-grass-boys-bill-monroe-with-string-b_gbia0005116b_01_3.5_ET_EQ.flac

Can one of the aficionados out there name the players on this record?

[Oliver A.]

OK, I can't resist. I first heard this tune done by Cathy Fink and Duck Donald at the long defunct Barton's Inn in New Dundee Ontario. This is the first time that I've heard the original. I've still got the Cathy Fink/Duck Donald album on vinyl. "still sounds great today although I can actually make out the words better on the original Delmore Brothers record because CF and DD sped up the tempo a fair bit.

https://archive.org/details/78_tennessee-choo-choo_delmore-brothers-allan-delmore-and-rabon-delmore_gbia0006471b

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Oliver A - "Can one of the aficionados out there name the players on this record ?." Ok - From the book ''The Music of Bill Monroe'' by Neil Rosenberg / Charles K.Wolfe :- ''Columbia session : producer Arthur Satherley. WBBM-CBS studio in the Wrigley Building,410 N Michigan Ave.,Chicago.Ill Sept.16th 1946 8 - 9.20 pm
Bill Monroe - Mandolin / Earl Scruggs - Banjo / Lester Flatt - Guitar / Howard Watts - String Bass / Chubby Wise - Fiddle,
Ivan;)

[Oliver A.]

Thanks, I didn't realize that Flatt and Scruggs were in the band that early.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Oliver - From Wikipedia 'Earl Scruggs' - " Despite considerable success with Monroe, performing on the Grand Ole Opry and recording classic hits like "Blue Moon of Kentucky", Scruggs resigned from the group in 1946...'' I'm pretty sure that Earl joined Bill Monroe in 1945 shortly after Lester Flatt joined BM. LF wasn't overkeen on ES joining the band after being less than enamoured of Stringbean's banjo playing - Earl's playing changed his mind pretty quickly though !,
Ivan;)