Boing Boing reader a little yellow bird says,
The site is "Dedicated to the preservation of early recorded sounds" and features wicked cool Jurassic DJ gear 'n' stuff, including this STILL LISTENABLE sound recording from 1878, grooved into a lead cylinder (instead of tin or wax) — and a record player that looks like a watchmaker's lathe.
Link (via libraryofvinyl)
Reader comment: David says,
These recordings are a bit newer, from around the time of the first World War (1914-1918). Click the links on the right side to hear songs by year. My favorite is Aba Daba Honeymoon.
The lyrics to that song document a clandestine romance between a chimpanzee and a monkey. This should bring much delight to my Boing Boing co-editors David and Mark, who post stuff about primate neuroscience all the time.
A snip of this fine prose:
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab,"
Said the Chimpie to the Monk,
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab,"
Said the Monkey to the Chimp.
All night long they'd chatter away,
All day long there were happy and gay,
Swinging and singing in their hunky-tonkey way.
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab,"
Means "Monk, I love but you."
"Baba, daba, dab," in monkey talk
Means "Chimp, I love you, too."
Reader comment: JonesR says,
Leia Skywalker's Mom sang Aba Daba Honeymoon in "Two Weeks with Love"! Debbie Reynolds sang this in 1950, and it was repeated in one of the "That's Entertainment" compilations of MGM musicals that were released in the seventies. Don't know if Carrie Fisher had been in Shampoo yet, but I think Star Wars had not happened yet.
