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Got this yesterday at a fleamarket. Hard to believe that the biggest selling group in history, is, uh, history? We’re the ARC. We save everything about music, even long forgotten groups like these here Bugs. We’re also in the last few days… read more >>
This Sunday the New York Times Magazine will focus on our pal, Zero Freitas, and his bid to create the largest record collection in the world. ARC director B. George visited Brazil to meet with Zero when we created Brazilian Music Day,… read more >>
What’s a desk jockey to do? It’s been five sedentary years since my last out-of-office experience (see Colombian stories; Picolandia and Vallenato) — much too long to go without nudging the equator, swizzle-sticking fuzzy drinks and scooping up rare petroleum based audio… read more >>
In a 2010 obituary, Cat Coore, the guitarist and cellist for the seminal reggae band Third World, called Gregory Isaacs “the Frank Sinatra of Jamaica.” It was one of those “it’s a stretch” references, necessary throughout the world to make a foreign… read more >>
Today John Schaefer’s show on WNYC ( Soundcheck’s Writers Club: Talking with Authors About Music ) will explore music and literature, and just by coincidence, THIS arrived in the mail today. We’ve added it to our pop music pulp page @ http://www.ouiouipulp.com/pop_pulp_open.html I… read more >>
Some things are just too good to be true. While finishing off the cataloging of recordings that ARC collected for Brazilian Music Day, in preparation for India Music Week, I came across this album by Egberto Gismonti. It’s the perfect transition –… read more >>
Hi! Here is a nice batch of LPs that will be available at the ARC’s hot WINTER Holiday Record + CD SALE, Dec 8-16, everyday from 11am – 6 pm. Any of the above – $5 each. The sale is our major… read more >>
Our Holiday Sale is only 6 days away, so here’s a batch of some near-mint LPs, curiously all by ARC Board member Lou Reed, that we’ll be offering for only $6 each! Hope to see you at ARC’s hot WINTER Holiday Record… read more >>
Hi! Here is a nice batch of LPs that will be available at the ARC’s hot WINTER Holiday Record + CD SALE, Dec 8-16, everyday from 11am – 6 pm. Any of the above – an odd accidental religious grouping – all… read more >>
Here’s a pic of Suresh, collector extraordinaire and my erstwhile record guide to the Chor Bazaar (Thieves Market). Easy to find the record salers here, not just the well-spelled signage, but by the dangling discs.Here’s a few more finds from Chor and… read more >>
VS Yesterday Sandra Coutinho from Globo News did an interview here with Beco and B. about Brazilian Music Day. One thing we showed them was a copy of Saludos Amigos, an album of songs from the Disney film of… read more >>
Hey, over at our Brazilian Day blog I’ve been posting a slew of recording by US playing THEIR music, how about the other way around? Here’s a sought after rarity called Os Sambeatles, recently unearthed here at the ARC, as we re-shelved… read more >>
Weds night began the summer season for me as I sauntered (walkwise) / sautéed (heatwise) down to Rockefeller park for my first outdoor concert of the season , the Philip Glass Ensemble. Here’s the review; ist piece, 1985-ish, fab; 2d, drab, 1968?;… read more >>
ARC’s cool SUMMER hot Record + CD SALE Sat, June 9 and runs through Sun, June 17 – everyday, 11am – 6pm. Come by for some tasty 60s bossa CD, all donated by Verve Records. $8 each – cheaper than downloading! You… read more >>
Friends – We KNOW next year will be a great deal better than the last, and we hope you will join us in building an even larger, better and more active ARChive. Next year we’re going to launch an online site of… read more >>
Some thoughts on scanning the ARC’s 20,000+ music books in partnership with the Internet Archive by project coordinator Alexis Cavaretta… The ARChive is the kind of place that will say yes to just about anything – no exclusions. Their collection of music… read more >>
Friday evening I attended an event focusing on one of my favorite Brazilian artists, Gilberto Gil. This casual conversation was part of the excellent “Live from the NYPL” series at the New York Public Library, curated and hosted by Paul Holdengräber. We… read more >>
While hob-nobbing with Katy Perry was fun, lets get down to the real nitty gritty of the ARC’s Brazilian trip; record hunting. Our host was Allan Bastos, a collector and dealer from Rio+NYC. Our point man was Beco Dranoff, a producer, DJ… read more >>
I lied yesterday in this blog; there were only 100,000 people at Rock In Rio yesterday. That aside, the real mystery is how all of them, and nearly every one of them under 20, knew the words to Queen’s “Love of My… read more >>
B. George here in Rio, typing near-but-not-on a beach, in the peculiar upmarket suburb that everyone insists in IN the city, Barra. Just a quick note before a visit to MIS, Rio’s (there is also one in Sao Paulo) Museum of Image… read more >>