Centuries of Sound - pre-jazz-era recorded music

Just put up my mix for 1908

https://centuriesofsound.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/1908/

The mix, along with blog post about vaudeville, mp3 download, mp3 pack, mixcloud upload, is there.

This one was a bit of a nightmare to make as rotten horrible me-from-a-year- ago had left nearly 130 mp3s in the folder and cutting good stuff was like pulling out teeth, think it has turned out well but have been listening to it all way too long. It's a 50% original vaudeville & music hall mix, loads of catchy tunes and quite a bit of comedy which has dated pretty well - better than anything I'd encountered previously.

I have had "Cohan's Pet Names" in my head for about a year and have been writing alternative lines for it, like "Don't call me darling, dear, because it rhymes with Carling beer, and that's a drink for twats in wetherspoons" - now I can finally share this affliction with the world.

Also! My Cambridge 105 shows are now up on Mixcloud - I'm posting them with this tag - https://centuriesofsound.wordpress.com/tag/cambridge-105-shows/ - and the third episode is going out this Saturday at 8pm.

1909 do do do do do do 1909 do do do do do do 1909

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/1909.jpg

Listen, download, do a few other things here - https://centuriesofsound.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/1909/

Artists include George Formby Sr, Enrico Caruso, Polk Miller, Fred Van Eps, The Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, Eddie Morton, Bohumir Kryl, Billy Murray and Harry Lauder.

Posting today's Cambridge 105 radio show because it's the first one I really feel happy with - we talk about the music and events of 1892 and 1893, and there is a surprising amount of sex and violence involved.

https://centuriesofsound.wordpress.com/2018/12/08/centuries-of-sound-on-cambridge-105-radio-episode-4-1892-1893/

This month is very much not "pre-jazz-era recorded music" - it's my 2017 mix, finished a year late, at the time when people are perhaps least interested in reliving 2017.

MP3 pack not available this time for obvious reasons, mp3 is on mediafire because too big for libsyn, no blog post because I really couldn't work out what that should be, aside from that though...

All is here - https://centuriesofsound.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/2017/

Tracklisting

Godspeed You Black Emperor! – Undoing a Luciferian Towers 0:00:00
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Deadly Valentine (Soulwax Remix) 0:01:16
Jeff Beal – House of Cards S05E03 Closing Titles 0:04:00
Danny Brown – Ain’t it Funny 0:05:27
Zimpel-Ziolek – Wrens 0:06:28
Superorganism – Something for Your M.I.N.D. 0:09:08
Big Shaq – Man’s Not Hot 0:10:57
Todd Terje – Jungelknugen (Four Tet Remix) 0:13:15
Kendrick Lamar – FEEL. 0:15:31
Blanck Mass – Hive Mind 0:18:57
Trio Da Kali & Kronos Quartet – Lila Bambo 0:21:50
The Horrors – Something To Remember Me By 0:25:13
Self Esteem – Your Wife 0:27:16
Roger Robinson – Welcome to Dog Heart City 0:29:11
Caroline Spence – Softball 0:31:16
Leif – July V 0:34:20
Cardi B – Bodak Yellow 0:37:49
Avelino (feat. Stormzy & Skepta) – Energy 0:39:05
Orbital – Copenhagen 0:40:26
Strobes – OK Please 0:42:25
Tom Zanetti featuring Sadie Ama – You Want Me 0:44:20
Justin Adams ft. Anneli Drecker – Wassoulou 0:45:34
Denzel Curry, Lil Ugly Mane – Zeltron 6 Billion 0:47:18
CCFX – The One to Wait 0:48:50
Kero Kero Bonito – Rock & Roll Star 0:52:20
Yaeji – Raingurl 0:55:15
Nite Jewel – 2 Good 2 Be True 0:58:01
Colin Stetson – Spindrift 0:59:48
Vince Staples – Crabs in a Bucket 1:01:40
Tove Lo – Disco Tits 1:03:32
Special Request – Stairfoot Lane Bunker (Minor Science Remix) 1:05:22
Baxter Dury – Porcelain 1:08:03
Antwood – Disable Ad Blocker / Sublingual 1:09:30
Chino Amobi – Eigengrau (Children of Hell II) 1:11:06
Hammock – When The Body Breaks 1:12:17
James Holden & The Animal Spirits – Thunder Moon Gathering 1:14:22
The Jungle Giants – Bad Dream 1:16:31
Rose Elinor Dougall – Stellular 1:18:08
Grace Mitchell – Now 1:20:15
Lindstrøm – Tensions 1:21:30
The Seven Fields of Aphelion – Drift (Losing Light) 1:22:57
Young Fathers – Only God Knows 1:23:30
Bjork – Arisen My Senses 1:25:53
clipping. – The Deep 1:28:23
Kelly Lee Owens – Anxi 1:30:22
Photay – Off-Piste 1:32:22
Lost Souls of Saturn vs. Mashrou’ Leila – Bint El Khandaq 1:34:43
Alessandro Cortini – Vincere 1:36:36
Nilüfer Yanya – Baby Luv 1:39:07
Kesha ft. The Dap-Kings Horns – Woman 1:41:42
KIASMOS – Blurred 1:44:03
Oliver – Chemicals (feat. MNDR) 1:46:27
Lingua Ignota – Woe to All (On the Day of My Wrath) 1:48:09
Jlin – Kyanite 1:49:32
Migos – T-Shirt 1:51:16
Ghostpoet – Freakshow 1:53:44
Meridian Brothers – Yo Soy Tu Padre, Yo Te Fabrique 1:55:33
Lanark Artefax – Touch Absence 1:57:49
Aldous Harding – Imagining My Man 2:01:06
Moses Sumney – Doomed 2:04:11
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Who I Am And Why I Am Where I Am 2:05:59
Lorde – Green Light 2:07:49
Visible Cloaks – Screen 2:10:18
Ibibio Sound Machine – Give Me a Reason 2:11:45
Mondo Grosso – Labyrinth 2:13:50
Bing & Ruth – Starwood Choker 2:15:55
Brian Eno & Kevin Shields – Only Once Away My Son 2:17:53
Rapsody feat. Lance Skiiiwalker – Power 2:20:00
Susanne Sundf›r – The Sound of War 2:23:13
SZA – Supermodel 2:25:57
Sinkane – U’Huh 2:27:55
Bicep – Glue 2:29:46
Leif Vollebekk – Elegy 2:33:36
Tornado Wallace – Voices 2:36:45
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Life, Life 2:39:27
Pippa Murphy – Small Consolation 2:40:35

Back to the past, here's 1910.

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/1910.jpg

This was quite a beast to make, probably the most intensive so far as I was using scripts to trawl various cylinder / 78rpm archives and ended up with over 3000 tracks to whittle down. After this point I'm largely relying on compilations and other people's lists, which may mean a few less leftfield choices, but there was no other choice.

Blog post with photos, mixcloud, download link, full tracklisting is here - https://centuriesofsound.wordpress.com/2019/02/07/1910/ - No more mp3 pack as I was beginning to get referrals from some automated bot run buy a copyright lawyer, and while I consider all of this to be well out of copyright apparently it's a little more complicated than that. Artists this time include Enrico Caruso, Billy Murray, Agustín Barrios, Bert Williams, Arthur Collins, Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, Sophie Tucker, Irving Berlin, Vess L. Ossman, Ernest Shackleton and Nellie Melba

Other new things - I've spruced up the home page with a snazzy index - https://centuriesofsound.com - and have started a Patreon, to try to claw back a little of the money I spend on the project (and try to justify spending all my time on it to my family!) Making this Patreon (and not using a picture he sent) has apparently pissed off my sole contributor, a person who runs a minor record label in the UK, he said "so you didnt use my picture. I decided to do my own yearly music project now and i wont be charging people for it." so look out for that, I guess, but just to be clear the mix is still free to download and without any adverts, and will stay that way.

1911

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/1911.png

Slightly (well, nearly half an hour) shorter mix this time, as the driftnet era draws to a close - this means more pop! hits and less unlabelled home-made cylinders, which is a shame on one hand, but a massive relief on the other.

This one features Al Jolson, Sophie Tucker, Gene Greene, Enrico Caruso, Fred Van Eps, and the first recording of Alexander's Ragtime Band.

Full track listing, download, all that sort of thing, to be found here - https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/03/08/1911/

The radio show (which is discussion + music rather than just the recordings) is up to the end of the 19th Century now - this can be found here - https://centuriesofsound.com/tag/cambridge-105-shows/ or with everything else on my mixcloud here - https://www.mixcloud.com/centuries_of_sound/ - oh and the patreon, let's not forget that - https://www.patreon.com/centuriesofsound.

Any help publicising / useful advice still gratefully received!

Here's 1912

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/1912.jpg

https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/04/04/1912/

70 minutes of music and speech, all from 1912, available to download / stream, etc. through the link, and some notes on Edison's diamond disc and how it relates to poptimism, yes really.

wow

The Boston Public Library 78rpm Collection:
http://www.metafilter.com/180215/The%2DBoston%2DPublic%2DLibrary%2D78rpm%2DCollection

way behind on the centuries of sound things, but the ones i've checked out have been amazing. great work.

Thanks for kind words, Tracer Hand & tylerw!

The Boston Public Library 78rpm Collection:
http://www.metafilter.com/180215/The%2DBoston%2DPublic%2DLibrary%2D78rpm%2DCollection

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, April 4, 2019 11:21 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes, have seen that, but the days of sorting through every mp3 available are now unavoidably behind me - 3000 tracks was the limit I couldn't really get past in a month - if someone wants to pick out some gens from there then please do! Otherwise it is another useful source for records I hear about elsewhere, so

I put up a new version of the first mix, previously called "1859-1860" but now called "1853-1860"
This is because
* Loads of new phonoautograms have emerged
* The blog post was inadequate and I hadn't figured out the formatting
* It is the most viewed page on the site and was the worst page on the site

Here's the new one: https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/04/17/1853-1860/

Also, I have been nominated for this thing

cool, i didn't know there were more phonoautograms!

Congrats on the nomination!

A (proof)reader’s note: There are two instances in the article where it says “1960” where 1860 is meant.

Thanks on both counts, fixed now.

I'm at home ill today and apparently have a fever, so not surprised there are typos, probably shouldn't be writing it now.

1913 is here and it is hot! as in hot! dancehall! ragtime!

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/1913-cover.jpg?w=497

https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/05/09/1913/

All listening options and blog post under the link.

"Too Much Mustard" is a delightfully cautious title for trying out this ragtime abandon.

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/1914-small.jpg

1914 features a bit of war, a lot more hot dance ragtime, some other things of interest.

All the usual stuff is under this link - https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/06/06/1914/

thank you for this !

as always i really appreciate the curation, the paragraphs providing commentary and contexts, the whole thing is just so good

Thanks, budo jeru.

I'm listening to 1926 right now and am really looking forward to getting onto this era, the increase in quality in a decade is astounding.

1915

https://centuriesofsound.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/1915.jpg

This one is odd, understandably there's been a huge downturn in music production, and this sort of novelty pop version (with sound effects!) of hot ragtime has come in to fill the void, so a really different mix, not the best one probably, but certainly nothing like either 1910 or 1920.

Probably a good job this isn't a one I want to promote particularly as this is the crazy time of the year for me at work, and I have to apply for my wife's residence extension, what spare time I have is spent making the things. 1917 will be big, of course.

Anyway, stream and download are here - https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/07/04/1915/ - patreon for bonus gubbins now.

Hey not a regular poster round these parts but just wanted to say on behalf of lurkers everywhere that this whole project is simply fantastic work and it's just as interesting to read about/listen to the "off" years as anything else, please keep the good stuff coming :)

^^^

Reading this at the moment, may be of interest to you. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51rnr9i4%2BDL._SX351_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg Looking forward to the 1917 mix more than before with jazz arriving on the scene.

Ha, maybe needed a carriage return or two.

Thanks Windsor Davies (not THE Windor Davies, surely), I don't want to ever complain about doing this as it's a labour of love, but it is quite a bit of labour at the moment due to these work and family commitments, also the articles and interviews seem to have dried up now, not sure if it's because it's been covered already or people are waiting for the good stuff, but guess it's sort of the right time for a lull, will be going into the jazz age in September, which is luckily the time work gets less intensive.

These are the seven weeks of the year when my fairly leisurely job becomes a 60-plus-hours-per-week nightmare, so have had little time for this, however, thought I would share this on here:

I have put the spreadsheet I operate from on Google Docs for anyone to edit / add stuff. It's here, instructions on the first tab, other tabs for each year, I am working on 1928 right now, so this weekend is probably the last chance to change that one.

I'm sure you are well along into your 1917 mix, but "Groung (The Crane)" by Zabelle Panosian has become held me rapt since discovering it a few years ago:

https://canary-records.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-servant-of-your-voice-april-1917-june-1918

Yes, obsessed with that CD! And will be featuring two tracks when I get there (just finishing off 1916 right now)

yay!

Only taken me two years to read this thread but wow, what an amazing project. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
(I feel like the sleeping guy Colbert mentions at the beginning of your 2017 mix!).

Thanks NedX!

Here is 1916! A really quite important and exciting year it seems, half of the mix is so close to jazz you can taste it, and it builds up towards the end, so if you check out nothing else (don't advise this) please take note of last 5 mins or so.

https://centuriesofsound.com/2019/08/08/1916/

I am utterly shattered from my work which is much much more intense in the summer, so not sure how I managed to get this one together but wow do I need some sleep, may be a slightly feverish tone to the blog post for this reason.

Reading this at the moment, may be of interest to you. Looking forward to the 1917 mix more than before with jazz arriving on the scene.

― Dan Worsley, Friday, July 5, 2019 8:26 AM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

Got this now thanks, and eager to read in the few weeks off I now have, looks excellent.

Might have to start a new thread next month as we will actually be in the jazz age, any suggestions for a name?

Continued here - Between the Wars AKA The Jazz Age AKA Centuries of Sound Volume 2

I am trying to make films to match the sounds. Results so far are uh, mixed, should improve once I get to a time with more than 3 seconds of surviving film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibVP_08-158

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUVDtmAgCV0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm1eUlGViOk