Eq settings for early 60s decca west africa record
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: Music
Forum Name: All that Jazz
Forum Description: Such a wide genre, but if it fits talk about it here
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4868
Printed Date: 19 Apr 2024 at 11:25pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Eq settings for early 60s decca west africa record
Posted By: Craig75
Subject: Eq settings for early 60s decca west africa record
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 8:01am
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Morning everyone, I have a few, whilst my friend has many many decca west africa 10"s and 7"s from 1960 into the 70s. The 10"s are comps of 78s and i think they were issued from around 1961-64 whilst the 7"s go from around 1962 to 1972. What would the EQ settings be for these records? The early ones were recorded in africa and pressed in the UK - i think the later ones were pressed up in africa too tho. I have similar 10"s on senufone from the same era circa very early 60s - comps of 10"s recorded in africa and pressed in the Uk My records are in storage and i lost my stereo in a house fire (hence here to buy a new one!) so i cant check but this topic came up in conversation with friend having seen some of Graham's preamps and neither if us knew the answer. Hope this is in right area of the forum All the best, Craig
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Replies:
Posted By: ServerBaboon
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 3:29pm
Not had experience of these but at a guess.....  On the Accession the British or RIAA setting. on the Revelation/Jazz Club the trying the top three from the below link. http://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/about/reproducing-old-records.html - https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/about/reproducing-old-records.html Which ever sounds best I guess.
------------- Steve ------------- Various bits of GSP Kit ..well two so far, unless you count the cables that is. |
Posted By: patientot
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 3:37pm
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I don't have an answer for you but this is an interesting topic. If some of the records are transfers from 78s, I suppose it depends how those transfers were done. Was the appropriate EQ applied to convert them to regular RIAA records? Or did the compilers fail to do that? I would assume most people buying these at the time would have used regular RIAA by the 60s. You might have to delve into the label's history or ask other collectors of this type of music what they think. Here in the U.S. African music of any type on vinyl is usually pretty difficult to find IME. The record stores just don't stock it. There are some labels doing reissues that I've seen, but most stores don't even stock those. A few years ago when I lived in a different city, a local record shop bought a sizable collection of records from a guy that collected African and Caribbean music. Lots of stuff from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Unfortunately the shop owner cherry picked through the records and took out all of the bigger names for his own collection or to sell on eBay. Most of the records he left for the shop floor were less desirable and the condition wasn't great. He showed me a few records that were worth $300+ each. ------------- SL-1200 MK7 (modified) + Reflex M + PSU-1 used with AT150-40ML, AT VM95ML, Stanton 680mkII + Ogura, and Shure M35X cartridges. |
Posted By: Craig75
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 4:42pm
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@ serverbaboon - yes ultimately its a question of just running through eq settings and deciding which one sounds best i think. Deccas west african operations got sold off in the 70s and then gutted so sadly info is sparse. Just a curious question whether they'd have used ffrr or riaa for the transfers in late 50s early 60s of 78s. @patientot - there are 2 very fine USA records of African music that it might be worth keeping on eye out for on a record shopping trip. Arthur Alberts: tribal, folk, and cafe music of liberia which i think was issued on 78s and a 60s pressing on riverside and then a posh cd issue later. Revolutionary in that it also featues field recordings from cafes - so there is gospel and bar piano songs in there alongside the standard drumming and "traditional" music that was a staple of field recordings in africa before Alberts. The other is recordings made by Leo Sarkisian of very early examples of the orchestras of guinea way before Syliphone recorded them. Hard to find the orchestra recordings rather than the "traditional" recordings made in same series but they are out there. Taking into account the country and year of recording you will find nothing to rival these 2 records out of UK, France, or Africa so whilst USA material is slim, the ones that did appear were exceptional. (In my opinion) |
Posted By: Craig75
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 4:58pm
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ahh ignore me - the riverside album only has the drumming and folk recordings. The cafe music made on the same trip was only issued 60 years later for some mad reason although there is also a Tempo pressing in USa in the 40s that may have some on. https://www.discogs.com/Arthur-S-Alberts-Songs-Of-The-African-Coast-Cafe-Music-Of-Liberia/release/8756557 The Sarkissian recordings also appeared on Tempo but google is reminding me why they are a pain to find Leo Sarkisian (who went on to join the Africa Service of the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America - Voice of America in 1963 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-voa-leo-4 - [4] ) recorded Orchestre de Beyla in 1961 for the Hollywood based https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_Records_%28US%29 - Tempo International label (Tempo 7015). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-stern-2 - [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-voa-5 - [5] The band were just being formed in Beyla and according to Sarkisian, called themselves Orchestra Bembeya, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-eyre-afropop-6 - [6] after a local river. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-stern-2 - [2] The session also featured the female singer Jenne Camara as part of the band. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-voa-5 - [5] The recording, one of ten Tempo LPs featuring a variety of Guinean music recorded by Sarkisian, was not released commercially. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-voa-5 - [5] All 10 LPs were pressed in limited editions of 2,500 and released in 1962, but the majority of them were sent to the Guinean government. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-voa-5 - [5] Bembeya's album was titled Sons nouveaux d'une nation nouvelle. République de Guinée. 2 Octobre 1962. 4ème anniversaire de l'independance nationale. Orchestre de Beyla and included the songs Présentation, Yarabi, Lele, Din ye kassila, Wonkaha douba, Seneiro, Wassoulou and Maniamba. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bembeya_Jazz_National#cite_note-ra-tempo-disc-7 - [7] (Thank you wiki) Ive only heard mp3s of them but a few copies def leaked out of Tempos studios into the wild in USA
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Posted By: Craig75
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2020 at 5:15pm
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oh and there is the very fine Makossa international label out of brooklyn i believe https://www.discogs.com/label/447610-Makossa-International-Records-Inc - https://www.discogs.com/label/447610-Makossa-International-Records-Inc Some nice african funk 7"s on that label for not too much $ and usually nice and clean. Theres a couple of Biafra records (one an excellent highlife 7") made for USa radio stations, Amadou Ballake in New York, etc etc. So there is a very fine lineage of USA records of many genres of African music but it does take time and luck to find things.
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