Beauties on Shellac - 78 rpm Magic

hildebrand

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Great stuff! I'm surprised that there was no scratchy sounds while the records were played! Or were these sounds removed by using noise removal software? Some record passages definitely had some high frequencies missing!

I think that the SIRC is the best equipped to show case our Indian records and music!

How about starting a new thread for our members to showcase their personal collections of old 78 RPM records? Their comments and observations will always be welcome.
 
Yes its an amazing collection. He seems to be using some cleaning techniques but doesn't appear to have revealed them. One of my friends uses polderbit to clean them. Some others use special software which is expensive.
Archive of indian music is putting up some recordings on its website ARCHIVE OF INDIAN MUSIC (AIM) specially the nonfilm ones.
I put some on my youtube channels and website Anmol Fankaar: Dedicated to Talent of the World. Would be glad to add other members rips too.
Prof Surjit Singh's Hindi Movies / Films Songs has also been providing many many recordings from films.
Its a great idea for a thread and I think this thread is the right title, so post away!
 
Yes its an amazing collection. He seems to be using some cleaning techniques but doesn't appear to have revealed them. One of my friends uses polderbit to clean them. Some others use special software which is expensive.
Archive of indian music is putting up some recordings on its website ARCHIVE OF INDIAN MUSIC (AIM) specially the nonfilm ones.
I put some on my youtube channels and website Anmol Fankaar: Dedicated to Talent of the World. Would be glad to add other members rips too.
Prof Surjit Singh's Hindi Movies / Films Songs has also been providing many many recordings from films.

I tried out the links that you suggested. Very useful information and informative, too.

Its a great idea for a thread and I think this thread is the right title, so post away!

I was wondering how to broach this subject with you... :)

The title of this thread is the most appropriate one so thanks for that great offer! :thumbsup:

I think we can post snapshots of our personal collections of these wonderful pieces of history, post our queries and suggestions. There are many knowledgeable members in this forum and their active participation will go a long way in filling all the missing bits. Information on so many Indian release in those early years are sketchy at best.
 
The AIM website has selected the late M.S.Subbulakshmi as the Artiste of the Month. So it'll be quite fitting if I begin my first post of showcasing shellac 78 RPMs with one of her records.



In this record M.S.Subbulakshmi sang a different version of Vande Mataram in a duet with the late Dilip Kumar Roy.

There is some confusion about the date of release of this record. Some mention the year of release as 1939 while others claim 1940 as the year of release while some also say it is 1950. Perhaps some of our forum members may have the correct date of release and also other related information on the subject.​
 
Edison Disc/Diamond Disc
[1912-1929]
Edisons 10-inch discs played for nearly five minutes per side with 150 threads per inch (TPI), and revolved at 80 RPM. They were also -inch thick and were filled with wood flour, or later, china clay.

I have one made with Wood Flour.
HEalPX1.png
 
Edison Disc/Diamond Disc
[1912-1929]
Edisons 10-inch discs played for nearly five minutes per side with 150 threads per inch (TPI), and revolved at 80 RPM. They were also -inch thick and were filled with wood flour, or later, china clay.

I have one made with Wood Flour.
HEalPX1.png


That's a rare one!! The thickness of the record was probably to cut the grooves finer to get 5 minutes of play time.

Wood flour, china clay and other fillers were commonly used by the record companies in those days to save on the shellac content. Also, pure shellac was considered to brittle to use.

Nevertheless, this is a very rare find indeed.

P.S. - can you provide us with a close-up of the label on both sides? This will help to keep an archival record of the record! (pun intended!) :)
 
AN ODD LABEL!











These are a few labels from the Indian Columbia Record label. The first two are from my own collection while the last three are sourced from the internet. But I have one more label from the Indian Columbia Records which is an oddity. I haven't been able to find any similar label in the web. It's shown below:



RECORD NO. GE 25118 (Released in 1962)

LANGUAGE: BENGALI

SINGER: SHEFALIRANI

LYRICIST: BABU GUHATHAKURTA

COMPOSER: ABHIJEET

Side 1 - Oli Gunjane Eka Aanmone (A lonely and listless honey bee)
Side 2 - Tumi Koi Ghum Koi (Sleepless Without you)

I'll be grateful to respected members who can help me with some information about this label.

Also, the singer is someone who is practically unknown. I've never heard of her before and neither have any of my frineds (all avid music lovers). The only Shefali I have heard of is the famous Kolkata cabaret dancer and screen vamp of the 1970s. Can anyone help, please?

I wonder if the composer Abhijeet is the well-known singer Abhijeet. He has composed bengali music so it may be the same person. If he was around in 1962, I wonder what his age is today! :eek:hyeah:​
 
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The AIM website has selected the late M.S.Subbulakshmi as the Artiste of the Month. So it'll be quite fitting if I begin my first post of showcasing shellac 78 RPMs with one of her records.

In this record M.S.Subbulakshmi sang a different version of Vande Mataram in a duet with the late Dilip Kumar Roy.

There is some confusion about the date of release of this record. Some mention the year of release as 1939 while others claim 1940 as the year of release while some also say it is 1950. Perhaps some of our forum members may have the correct date of release and also other related information on the subject.​

It is a 1950 recording alright.
Suresh Chandvankar ji, secretary of SIRC had written an article over 10 years back about the various versions of Vande Matram where he talked about this and other records having Vande Matram:-
Vande Mataram

Interesting to note, that at one point of time, my most searched song was another 1950 rendition composed by Gyan Dutt. Me and my friends of the Geeta Dutt - The Legendary Nightingale team were searching it everywhere for many years. We finally managed to get it from a friend. The song was recorded by H.M.V. on record number N 36170 in the year 1950.

You can listen to that other rendition in this blog post:-
Great discoveries Great songs
 
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AN ODD LABEL!

These are a few labels from the Indian Columbia Record label. The first two are from my own collection while the last three are sourced from the internet. But I have one more label from the Indian Columbia Records which is an oddity. I haven't been able to find any similar label in the web. It's shown below:

RECORD NO. GE 25118 (Released in 1962)

LANGUAGE: BENGALI

SINGER: SHEFALIRANI

LYRICIST: BABU GUHATHAKURTA

COMPOSER: ABHIJEET

Side 1 - Oli Gunjane Eka Aanmone (A lonely and listless honey bee)
Side 2 - Tumi Koi Ghum Koi (Sleepless Without you)

I'll be grateful to respected members who can help me with some information about this label.

Also, the singer is someone who is practically unknown. I've never heard of her before and neither have any of my frineds (all avid music lovers). The only Shefali I have heard of is the famous Kolkata cabaret dancer and screen vamp of the 1970s. Can anyone help, please?

I wonder if the composer Abhijeet is the well-known singer Abhijeet. He has composed bengali music so it may be the same person. If he was around in 1962, I wonder what his age is today! :eek:hyeah:​

The Columbia label had many series coming out from its stables with lots of special records as well. It was one of the really prolific record labels giving songs in Hindi, Gujrati, Marathi, Punjabi, Marwari, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam, Konkani, Assamese. Name the type of recording and they had a series :)

I'll ask one of my friends who is into bengali 78s if he knows anything about Abhijeet or Shefali Rani.
Its definitely not the Hindi playback singer Abhijeet. He had made his debut in 1985 as the voice of Dev Anand's son Sunil Anand in the movie Anand Aur Anand as I remember when he was quite young.
 
I asked my friend Sounak. This is what he has to say:-

Well, Abhijit Banerjee is one of the most famous music composers (often penned songs too) of Bengal. About him, no issues - we can discuss a lot. Next to all eminent artistes have sung his compositions (sadly, with the exception of Geeta Dutt).
As far as Shefalirani is concerned, I too am not quite sure. I was once in touch with Abhijit Banerjee - had I known about this record (of Shefalirani) I would have questioned him. Anyway, at this moment I am summarising what I know. I have come across the names of two Shefalis - Shefali Ghosh and Shefali Chakraborty. If I recall correctly, they were the same person, pre and post marriage. Shefali Ghosh has very few records to her credit. I've heard some of her Kirtans, also have one of her records. Shefali Ghosh had also sung with Pankaj Mullick, Utpala Sen, Tarun Banerjee and Manabendra Mukherjee, under Pankaj Mullick's music direction. Now, the scanned record cover of Shefalirani reveals that it was released in Puja, 1962 (1962 is typed out on the label, and I add 'Puja', as it was just Puja that year, when this sort of a label was used - with the star-sign, for all artistes singing under the Columbia label). No new artiste ever got to sing her first song or only song during Pujas, in HMV. Artistes of greater fame were preferred for records to be released during Puja. From this I feel, at least 1 or 2 of Shefalirani's discs must have been released before Puja, 1962. However never have I come across the name 'Shefalirani', before this. Interestingly, a record of one of Ratnadeep's songs, (1952) - Hindi version, mentions 'Sandhyarani' in place of 'Sandhya Mukherjee'. This may have been because, the MD Robin Chatterjee had always called SM Sandhyarani, out of affection (as SM has recalled in her writings). If this 'rani' maybe added to Sandhya Mukherjee's name as late as 1952, when she is quite a rage in Bengal, and a popular name in Bombay - why not to 'Shefali Ghosh' too (who really, was never a famous name)? This is just a hypothesis - at the moment!

Hope that gives some more clarity musiklava79 :)
 

P.S. - can you provide us with a close-up of the label on both sides? This will help to keep an archival record of the record! (pun intended!) :)

Musiklava,
For you,
Medley of Southern airs / Fred Bacon.
With (reverse side): Homeward march / John Kimmel.
CREATED/PUBLISHED :Orange, N.J. : Edison, 1920. Original Cylinder recording was dated 1917.
CALL NUMBER:Edison Diamond Disc 50674-L
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Listening to a Kannada Bhajan of Bhimsen Joshi, Dayamado Ranga
N 25913 OML 4830
C. 1945
 

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Edison Disc/Diamond Disc
[1912-1929]
Edisons 10-inch discs played for nearly five minutes per side with 150 threads per inch (TPI), and revolved at 80 RPM. They were also -inch thick and were filled with wood flour, or later, china clay.

I have one made with Wood Flour.
HEalPX1.png

Dear Anil, I could see a word 'Re-Creation' there. Is it related to the album or about later days replication..
 
Dear Anil, I could see a word 'Re-Creation' there. Is it related to the album or about later days replication..

From Wiki: Edison Disc Record - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victor's system could not play Edison Discs as the needles used would cut through the recorded sound, and the Edison system could not play Victor or other lateral discs unless one used special equipment, like the Kent adapter. There is an example of a device to play Edison discs on a Victor machine. The Brunswick Ultona and the Sonora Phonograph were the only machines besides the Diamond Disc player that could play Diamond Discs, but Edison made an attempt at curbing this (a phonograph/gramophone that could play Edison, Victor/lateral 78s, and Path discs) by stating "This Re-Creation should not be played on any instrument except the Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph and with the Edison Diamond Disc Reproducer, and we decline responsibility for any damage that may occur to it if this warning is ignored."
 
Me got a decent collection of 78s. They seem to be quite rare. But believe you me, I've still not heard them yet. These will be out in a month or so and details will be posted here.

Cheers...

Which ones are they RP and where did you get them? Hope they have come out!
 
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