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Harper's article: shellac albums



Hi all,
In Harper's April 2002 issue there's a little article about "the birth of
the blues, stamped in black shellac" called "Perfect Sound Forever" (pp.
58-59). Most of the article is rather nice, but I had a jolt when, near the
end, the writer says:

"'Perfect sound forever' was the slogan, twenty years ago, for the compact
disc, which at the time was declared 'undegradable.' But one scratch can
render a CD unplayable, and oxidation, we now know, may claim our CDs
within our lifetime. Today such promises of permanence are heaped upon the
CD's designated heir, the audio DVD, much as they were on the LP and the
8-track before it..."

(Ok, this I don't really have a problem with. I'm glad someone is pointing
out the inevitability of CD and DVD failure - "within our lifetime" is even
longer than I'm prepared to give them, assuming I don't get hit by a bus
anytime soon. But then he writes:)

"But if any recording medium is indeed to achieve immortality, it might be
good old shellac, which still plays fine today...."

Well, wait a minute. I had thought shellac was pretty darn scary stuff.
Shellac is an organic compound, and as such is inherently inconsistent as a
binder. High humidity levels cause it to become embrittled, and cause a
powder to form on the surface which eventually removes the surface groove
information, and it can be susceptible to mold.

The writer's promises of immortality for shellac albums seem just as
idealistic as those he refutes for CDs and DVDs. I would appreciate hearing
from people who work with old recordings - is the writer completely wrong,
or are shellac albums closer to indestructible than I thought?

Thanks in advance,
Amy Filiatreau
Archivist
Rare Books & Special Collections
Tarlton Law Library
University of Texas School of Law

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