Five days into this urgent appeal and we're almost at the one-third mark in our emergency donation drive. I know it's a pain to keep hearing it over and over, but this is serious and I'm afraid if we don't raise the bare-bones minimum in order to stave off what is shaping up to being a disaster, we'll cease to exist.

What's at stake is a lot. As you all know, Newstalgia is a site based on my archive of sounds and voices going back to the 1890's and continuing up to today. Recordings, some of them one-of-a-kind, are all part of that archive. It is a huge task to keep running and rents have been increasing in order to house the collection. Since Newstalgia as a site isn't making any money from advertising, or day to day support, I have been faced with a situation where there is no money to pay the rent and no money to keep the site up and running - unless you help.

Many of you have pitched it. I am beyond grateful for the donations that have come in so far. A lot of you have been very generous and many more of you have given what you can. It is all desperately needed and it is all profoundly appreciated. The amount doesn't matter. The fact that you are willing to support what I've been trying to do here the past three years means an incredible amount to me.

So I'm asking you to please consider making a donation to keep Newstalgia the diverse and vital website it has come to be. I have tried, in my way, to make a difference by offering a historic take on current events - letting you know that history is very much a living thing. I have tried to offer a wide range of historic and cultural posts as a way of expanding your point of view of the world. As it has mine over the years.

If you enjoy it and have, in some way benefitted from it or gained a different perspective on our present world because of it, please consider helping keep it going by making a donation.

Any amount is gratefully appreciated. We're getting closer. Our goal is $5,000.00 and we're 1/3 of the way so far. We can do it. We can make it happen.

Gordon

DOWNLOADS: 75

PLAYS: 30

Embed

Update: We're about $1,200.00 away from our goal. Even for a normally relaxed Sunday night, donations have come in and your support and encouragement continue to amaze and energize. I can't tell you how much your support and generosity mean to me and to Newstalgia. With two days from deadline, it's been a nail-biting experience. But we're in the final stretch and I still need your help for these final days. If you haven't yet made a donation, no matter how small or insignificant you think your contribution may be, it is huge and every cent is needed. The people donating $1.00 and $5.00 all add up, and the result has made a difference. Your contributions to help keep this site up and the archives safe are beyond appreciated. My gratitude to all of you who have made donations can't really be put into words. Suffice to say I am humbled and touched. If you haven't made a contribution yet, please consider it - we're so close and we can do it. I need your help. We're going to make it. We really can.

For the newcomer to Newstalgia - Sunday nights, aside from classic Jazz is also classic Classical, by way of the Weekend Gramophone. Originally, it was supposed to be the place all the old 78's and early lp's were going to be posted. But lately it's shifted to showcase some of the amazing radio recordings that have not been commercially released. Such as tonight's post, which features the famed French Pianist Yvonne Lefebure in two Debussy pieces, recorded in the studios of the ORTF in Paris (French radio pre-1968). These recordings were made in the early-mid 1950's, and sadly there are no concrete dates of recording as there is nothing to indicate when they were recorded on the disc labels, only when they were aired. According to when the disc was broadcast, it appears to be 1955.

The two pieces featured are:

1. Debussy - from Images, Book 1 - Hommage à Rameau
2. Debussy - from Preludes - Danseuses de Delphes

More discoveries next week. In the meantime, enjoy.

DOWNLOADS: 73

PLAYS: 62

Embed

Update: We passed the half-way mark late this morning and things are looking a lot better than they were 24 hours ago. My most heartfelt thanks and admiration to all of you who have donated so far, including my colleagues at Crooks and Liars, you are all amazing. We're not out of the woods yet, and there is still a ways to go - not as far as yesterday at this time, but we still need to get the other half in order to save the Archive from destruction and Newstalgia from becoming extinct. Any amount you can afford to give will be appreciated beyond words. The donation amounts so far have run from between $1.00 to $100.00 and they are ALL gratefully appreciated. Any amount of money is money desperately needed at this point. I cannot thank you enough, to those who have donated so far. I cannot tell you how much your support means, to those who haven't yet. We're a lot closer to making this happen, and with your continued support we will succeed!

If you've just run across Newstalgia for the first time, please take some time to scroll down the page and check out the some 3,000+ posts, running the gamut from historic speeches (like this one) and historic events (like 3-Mile Island) to weekly Jazz, Rock and Classical concerts and everything in-between. It's all about history, all about information and all about our world.

I ran across an article about Eugene Debs the other day. Considered by many to be the first Socialist leader four-time candidate for President in the early 20th Century, firebrand labor leader and one of the more notable figures on the political scene from the 1890's until his death in 1926.

Here is an address, which has been attributed to an actor (Len Spencer) at the time, recorded shortly after he originally gave it in 1904.

Debs was renown for his public speaking, and his dramatic addresses were legendary. Although this is most likely not the real voice of Debs, Len Spencer was well aware of Debs' oratorical skills and was said to have captured the spirit of a Debs address quite accurately. Obviously, that isn't anything anyone can actually verify in 2012, so we'll have to take their word for it.

Here is the transcript of that address, as the original cylinder and recording techniques make it hard to understand at times:

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: 63

PLAYS: 32

Embed

Update: We're still at 1/3 of our emergency goal of $5,000.00 to keep Newstalgia online and the archives from being destroyed, and all the history you hear on this site to no longer exist. Please don't make that happen. I am indebted to the ones who have given whatever amount they could afford. Some, a lot. Others, One Dollar. It doesn't matter - it all is used to chip away at this burden and help us pass this hurdle. If you haven't donated yet, or are thinking about it - whatever you can give, whatever amount at all, will be deeply and gratefully appreciated. Please help keep Newstalgia up and running and the archives away from destruction.

With recent news of Wikileaks and the case pending, I ran across this interview with a whistleblower from another time - Daniel Ellsberg and the now-famous Pentagon Papers. Much of the outrage and controversy surrounding Ellsberg at the time had to do with his releasing sensitive documents regarding secret meetings over the Vietnam War. How that was condemned by some to be a horrible betrayal of National Security, but it was supported by others as a means of ending an unjust and unjustifiable war. Release of the papers, and their subsequent printing in the New York Times focused attention on how corrupt our policy was and how blatant our government lied in order to maintain the status quo, at the expense of thousands of American lives.

It was thought by many to be the catalyst in ending the war sooner and, during the time of this interview (July 30, 1972) Ellsberg was in the midst of a trial, the conviction would have been a sentence of some 115 years.

Here is the complete appearance of Daniel Ellsberg, as interviewed by William F. Buckley on Buckley's Firing Line Program from July 30, 1972

DOWNLOADS: 43

PLAYS: 5

Embed

Update: We still haven't been able to crack 30% in our desperate attempt to save Newstalgia from going away and the archive (from which everything you hear comes) from being destroyed. It's serious. I am completely in gratitude and sincere appreciation to those who have donated so far to keep us alive, but we still need a lot more help. With some 8 days to go before eviction and signing off for good, we need your help. Please keep Newstalgia going and offering history as you probably won't hear anywhere else. Anything you can do to help out is more than gratefully appreciated. No matter how much you're willing to give - it all makes a difference. Please consider making a donation, for whatever amount - large or small. We can get there but only if you help. Please help save Newstalgia from extinction.

A busy day in the world, this April 24th in 1998. Fourteen years ago on this day you probably woke up and heard the news that Boris Yeltsin, after a month of political wrangling and arm-twisting, finally succeeded in installing his pick for Prime Minister, Sergei Kiriyenko. Opposed by the Communist minority in the Russian Parliament, Kiriyenko was touted by Yeltsin as part of his plan for economic rejuvenation of the sagging Russian economy.

In other parts of the world. A festive atmosphere greeted the public execution of the first four convicted of perpetrators of the horrific genocide in Rwanda. The Soccer Stadium in Kigali filled to capacity to witness the firing squad take aim at the three men and one woman who were part of wave of mass killings that had gone on for so long in the beleaguered African nation.

With the recent death of James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Martin Luther King, plans were still underway to open an investigation on the murder of the Civil Rights leader. Despite a 1978 Senate Subcommittee hearing that concluded Ray acted alone, there was pressing evidence that Ray had been funded by a group of St. Louis bigots who reportedly offered Ray $50,000.00 for the assassination.

Mergers and Unions in the Airline Industry were big news on this day. With talk of a merger between United and Delta Airlines, promises of a potential windfall, similar to the promises of a windfall from the previous days merger of American Airlines and U.S. Airways had many expressing doubts about how much of a windfall this really was and an investigation of this new merger was called for.

Meanwhile, over at Northwest Airlines - The labor dispute was deepening with Northwest reportedly firing two mechanics, one for wearing a clown costume to work, and suspending four others for a reported work slowdown at its Minneapolis hub. Six other unions were prepping for a confrontation with stockholders and NWO's annuan meeting in New York. A federal mediator called for resumption of talks before the ugliness got started.

Whitewater figure Susan McDougal was sitting it out in a Little Rock jail on this day, as the result of refusing to answer questions for the Grand Jury hearing.

The cost of Health Insurance premiums were going to be going up, with a reported increase of as much as 15% in some cases.

The Senate narrowly approved legislation on Tax-free savings accounts for school expenses. President Clinton threatened a veto.

And daughter of OJ Simpson, Arnell was arrested for Drunk Driving in Beverly Hills.

Some day.

That and lots more via the CBS World News Roundup for a Friday, April 24th, 1998.

DOWNLOADS: 73

PLAYS: 44

Embed

He opens the Press Conference with a statement:

President Kennedy: "Good afternoon. I have a brief preliminary statement. I would like to say a few words about our economic outlook and program.
I think most financial experts have realized for some time that an overpriced market could not hold up once investors recognized that inflation was ending. Price-earning ratios which averaged on Dow-Jones 23 to 1 could not be justified unless there was heavy inflation in prospect. And we have been working to prevent inflation, which gives a very misleading and spurious picture of economic health. We must not permit the effects of this adjustment, however, to hamper the growth rate of our economy, with which we have, as you know, not been fully satisfied. While our recovery from last year's recession has been a good one, production, profits, and employment are at alltime highs, and the prospects for continued economic expansion remain favorable. In view of corporate and consumer cash on hand, we should take every appropriate step to make certain that recovery is stronger and longer than before and is not cut short by a new recession.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: 94

PLAYS: 60

Embed

Update: Coming into the final stretch and, thanks to a flood of donations the past few hours, we're almost at our goal. It's been incredible, the support and encouragement that's come this way. I can't begin to express my humble gratitude to all of you for your kindness, your generosity and your support of Newstalgia. Sometimes it's difficult, posting day after day, not knowing if anyone besides me is actually listening to any of this stuff or really cares about its existence. Clearly, the past several days have proven you are out there reading and listening and enjoying what Newstalgia has to offer, and that is gratifying, to say the least. It has certainly given me renewed enthusiasm to bring as much interesting, rare and essential material as I can drag out of the Archive. For the moment, we're right at the home stretch, within a few hundred dollars of our goal. If you haven't considered making a donation, please do - no matter how much you are willing to donate. No amount of money is too small that it won't make a huge difference. - it all does. We're getting there - we've almost done it!

Taking a break from sessions this week and diving into no genre in particular. Tonight it's 60's Folk-Pop-Psych icon Donovan and one of the Jazzier selections from his Mellow Yellow album of 1967, The Observation. With the exception of his debut, most of his earlier projects of the 60's were a combination of Folk, Pop, Psychedelia and a nod in the direction of Cool-School Jazz. Usually making for an interesting and somewhat eclectic listening experience, it also tried to deflect from the stereotype that Donovan was presented to mainstream music as a sort of Bob Dylan-Lite, which just wasn't true. But in the world of pigeon-holes, he had to be put in one, and as we all know, Jazz isn't big commercially.

So here's Donovan's nod to Beat-Poetry and Word Jazz from 1967.

DOWNLOADS: 74

PLAYS: 71

Embed

Update: With a flood of donations overnight, we've come within $1,000.00 of meeting Newstalgia's goal of staying online and saving the archive from extinction. Those of you who have donated, and re-donated, I cannot begin to express my gratitude and heartfelt thanks for your help, your kind words, your encouragement. You have made all the difference between disaster and hope. We're extremely close and this final push over the next day is crucial in averting what would have been a complete disaster. Because we're so close, your donations are still desperately needed. Any amount is deeply appreciated. You may not think giving $1.00 can make a difference, but it has and it's being proven over the past few days. It all makes a huge difference and has succeeded in turning this seemingly insurmountable obstacle into a speed-bump. If you haven't considered making a donation to help keep Newstalgia up and running yet, please consider it now. Any amount, any amount at all, is needed and appreciated beyond words. We're making it. We're close. We're getting there.

The news on this morning in April of 1945 was about the eventual collapse of Germany and the end of the War in Europe. With news reports coming in, and bulletins being reported one on top of the other, news of the Fall of Berlin was being reported. Soviet troops had succeeded in occupying the center of the city, while defacto head of the German government, Heinrich Himmler was busy hammering out surrender terms. The latest communique had Himmler attempting to reach a surrender with the Allies without including the Russians. Needless to say, it was rejected. And despite some rumors to the contrary, no Surrender had been arrived at. Allied forces were systematically taking over and occupying every other German city, with news that Munich had fallen while this broadcast was on the air. Also reported was news that the Allies had liberated the Dachau Conentration camp, and news of that discovery would be coming in time. During the course of the morning news broadcast, an address by Gen. Spaatz of the Allied Air Forces announced confirmation that the German Luftwaffe had been completely obliterated and subsequently, the Allied Air Force would changed its role over to tactical support of ground forces during these final hours/days.

Meanwhile, the War in the Pacific was still far from over. With news reports of a Kamikaze attack on an Allied Hospital ship near Okinawa brought outrage from the Allied High Command and fighting was still intense.

And that was the news for this April 30, 1945, as presented in two morning Newscasts over NBC. One, the Morning Roundup and the later Alka-Seltzer News Of The World.

DOWNLOADS: 45

PLAYS: 13

Embed

Update: As of yesterday, there have been no new donations. This translates as terrible and there is a very real chance both Newstalgia and the Archive from which all these posts come will disappear. Thousands of hours of historic audio, photos and historic papers will cease to exist. That sounds dire, because it is. I need your help. I can't do it alone. I can no longer afford to. Right now, we stand at a little less than half our bare-bones minimum goal of $5,000.00 in order to keep Newstalgia and the Archives afloat. If you can help, make a donation for any amount you are comfortable with. Every dollar and every penny is crucial in chipping away at this emergency. Please donate what you can. It is desperately needed right now. You can make a difference.

A curious mix of optimism and pessimism for this week, ending on April 26th in 1964.

On the optimistic side - President Johnson announced to the world that the U.S. would make substantial reductions in Nuclear Weapons and Uranium enrichment production. Simultaneously, it was announced by Nikita Khruschev via Radio Moscow, that the Soviet Union would do the same thing. The news was greeted with a sense of relief and UN General Secretary U Thant offered an evaluation on what was deemed a hopeful sign towards an easing of Cold War tensions.

On the Pessimistic side - tensions were brewing between the U.S. and Cuba as Cuban Premier Fidel Castro vowed to down any U.S. Reconnaissance planes flying over Cuban territory as it had been doing since 1962.

On the optimistic side - Sec. of State Dean Rusk returned from a fact-finding mission to Saigon and offered an upbeat assessment of the situation in Vietnam, saying the South Vietnamese Army could handle themselves nicely.

On the Pessimistic side - Defense Secretary Robert McNamara conceded it will "take time" for any progress to be made in Vietnam and that the South Vietnamese Army is running a defensive strategy rather than an offensive one. Oh well.

Meanwhile - the four year long negotiations between the Railroads and the Unions was finally at the settlement stage. And just in the nick of time, as the settlement averted a threatened strike.

President Johnson went on a brief tour of the Appalachia region, hitting the towns and cities worst hit by poverty and unemployment, touting his War on Poverty legislation. He was greeted with waves of enthusiasm.

Not so enthusiastic were reports from Capitol Hill saying the 1964 Civil Rights Bill was at a standstill, making the future unclear for passage of the Legislation.

And the much publicized "Stall-ins", threatened for Opening day of the New York Worlds Fair on April 22nd, didn't materialize. But that didn't stop some 300 Civil Rights demonstrators from being arrested from the Fair opening anyway.

All this in one week, ending on April 26th 1964, as reported on the ABC Radio Voices In The Headlines program.

DOWNLOADS: 104

PLAYS: 47

Embed

Still at 25% with no new donations in the past few hours. I'm grateful for the donations so far, but we need to raise about $4,000.00 more over the next week, and we can do it. Thank you so much for your support so far these past two days - it has been appreciated more than you can imagine. I know times are tough, and making any kind of contribution to a website makes you think twice before handing over the check or credit card. But whatever you can do in order to keep Newstalgia from extinction and the archive from destruction, will be more than appreciated. You can do it and we can make this happen.

A live concert originally broadcast by The Voice Of America overseas (which we never got to hear over here in the U.S.) of the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival. This set features the immortal Thelonious Monk Quartet in a short, but legendary concert performance.

Here is the rundown on what you'll be hearing:

Thelonious Monk Quartet

Newport Jazz Festival
Newport, RI
July 2, 1966

1. Evidence (11:32)
2. Light Blue (10:49)
3. Japanese Folk Song [Kojo No Tsuki] (10:08)

Lineup:
Thelonius Monk - Piano
Charlie Rouse - Tenor Sax
Larry Gales - Bass
Ben Riley - Drums

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.