[78-L] New blog devoted to 78rpm records

[Michael Biel]

On 1/30/2012 8:23 AM, Thomas HENRY wrote:
> Nice to read that you know this song by Gainsbourg !

Actually I had to look it up.  Now to go hear it and see if it is 
something I had already heard in the past.  I do have a number of his 
early albums.
>   Well, it's not
> that easy to understand what he meant with "seins de bakelite", there
> can be several interpretations, according to me, he meant "firm
> breasts" (and not fake plastic breasts) [I must say I never expected
> to talk about breasts on a list devoted to 78s records].

You would be surprised what gets discussed here!  There are a bunch of 
dirty old men here (and a few of the female persuasion as well) and jazz 
lyrics can get rather racy, as do the puns!

>   I also think
> he just liked the word bakelite like you and thought it would sound
> good in the song.

That was the comment of Jerome Viger-Kohler being interviewed in a site 
I found.

> By the way, many many thanks for the very interesting comments you put
> on my blog, that's exactly the kind of information and testimonies I
> was expected ! Merci beaucoup !
>
> Thomas
>

I also have searched out records as I have travelled around the world.  
I have hundreds of Eastern Europe records.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com


> 2012/1/29 Michael Biel<mbiel at mbiel.com>:
>>
>> On 1/28/2012 4:54 PM, Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
>>> O god, another punster. This time in French!!
>>> Mal
>>>
>>> *******
>>>
>>> On 1/28/2012 11:39 AM, Thomas HENRY wrote:
>>>> Yes, the common sense is that 78s were made of bakelite, but my blog's
>>>> name is also a reference to a famous French song by Serge Gainsbourg
>>>> mentioning "seins de bakelite" (breasts of bakelite), "ceints de
>>>> bakelite" (my blog's name, pronounced in the same way) meaning
>>>> "surrounded by bakelite". OK, this reference is hardly understandable
>>>> outside of France...
>> It might be a good idea to put this explanation of the origin of the
>> name and the pun in your "about" page, along with a statement that 78s
>> were mostly made of SHELLAC.   Of all of the common plastics, Bakelite
>> is the least likely to be used for making records, partially because of
>> how it has to be moulded, but also because it is not re-meltable.
>>
>> But the idea of breasts of bakelite in a Serge Gainsbourg song is
>> interesting.  What does he mean?  Is he complaining about hard
>> implants?   One source in Englisn by Jerome Viger-Kohler said "'Tes
>> petits sens de bakelite me surexcitent'.  I just have to say I love the
>> word 'Bakelite'. Since I am a kid (my parents used to listen to
>> Gainsbourg a lot), I think 'Bakelite' sounds very sexy. It sounds like
>> Kryptonite with love power!"  Since Superman LOSES his power with
>> Kryptonite, this also is a strange image.  But looking at a translation
>> of the whole song it seems that he is singing about girls "Twenty years,
>> eighteen, seventeen years on the edge" who excite him with "Your small
>> breasts bakelite Fluttering".   Sounds like the image of Jane Birkin!
>>
>> By the way, your blog is interesting, and I have put in comments on your
>> two recent Soviet records.
>>
>> Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com
>>
>>
>>>> 2012/1/28 David Breneman<david_breneman at yahoo.com>:
>>>>> From: Thomas HENRY<thomashenry81 at gmail.com>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm a new member in this list. I created a few months ago the blog
>>>>>> "Ceints de bakelite" devoted to my 78rpm records collection.
>>>>> Are 78s popularly believed to be made of Bakelite in France?
>>>>> As you probably know, many Americans thought they were made
>>>>> of wax.
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