Spare Change for Indian Insects

In my fervid quest for audio’s best, I spied this gem – a Beatles 78.  India kept making 78s into the early 1970’s and there are a lot of Sir Cliff Richard’s and Ricky Nelson’s to be had.  Not so many Beatles still around. But, you know, that they know, just what this is, and what it takes to make it part o’ d’ARC’s permanent collection. Cost is $1,500.00 and we will gladly accept donations to help with this purchase – I have about a week to decide to buy.

Here’s the shop warehouse – a gem in itself, part garage, part shrine – in the Shaw family for generations. Picked up a few more affordables here, but about that Beatles record…

And now, the reel fab four in a clip from the Hindi film Janwar, 1965, and their version of, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

MY Bed of Roses INDIA

First day in New Delhi, and today spent the morning on Old Delhi looking for old LPs – not a lot out there and ‘flea markets’ here are pretty much permanent vendors, so unlike Brazil, where there were corner vendors on every esquina, none here.
This first batch, photo-on-bed-forgive-the-quality, is a mix, but all Indian pressings.  Now the Blue Note LP isn’t very desirable, but I did want a Blue Note India label.  Same with Elvis label and sleeve.  It’s a UK cover image, but I say could pass for one of those filmi poster boys around here. Those lips!

It seems Disco was really big and tons of American releases here from the 70s + 80s, and certainly this is reflected in the film music to this day.  That certainly can’t explain all the reasons I bought the Disco Busters’84 LP.  Subtlety perhaps?

I’m looking for any and all electric sitar and sitar mashups and messups I can lay my hands on.  Look for a discography of raga rock soon.  Can’t wait to hear Balsara and his Singing Sitar.  Ananda  Shankar is an artist already well represented in our collection, but we didn’t have this one.  I have great hopes for the Ceylon LP.

I also got some devotional CDs, at $1 each, near the Jama Majid mosque.  And who could resist the 7″ of Enoch Daniels playing a slew of Filmi hits on his big stop accordion?  Late night, jet lag, more soon.