Edison 4M wax record #32 N****r Loves His Possum

[Henry]

May we assume that "Dresser" on the attribution line is indeed Paul Dresser, brother of Theodore Dreiser (original family name) the writer, and composer/lyricist of "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"?

That's a somewhat more worthy subject for popular song than others we could mention

P.S. Here's the wiki on Paul: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Dresser. He seems a rather stout fellow!

[Curt A]

There are a number of very collectible records, which by today's (or any day's) standards should be considered offensive but interesting. One of the rarest and most expensive examples is a German Patria picture disc with a photo of Hitler. There are also German propaganda records by Charley and His Orchestra, which are demeaning to every civilized person, especially those of Jewish background... Very interesting to listen to and learn from...

[PeterF]

It takes no effort to obscure the "n-word" - and one is not "deleting history" (or whatever rationalization one wants to use) by doing so.

It's not a matter of political correctness, it's a matter of good manners.

[Henry]

It takes no effort to obscure the "n-word" - and one is not "deleting history" (or whatever rationalization one wants to use) by doing so.

It's not a matter of political correctness, it's a matter of good manners.

"Amen" to that!

[edisonphonoworks]

Political Correctness is the Democratic party sweeping it's roots under the rug. And these records I consider the "rap" music of the late 19th and early 20th century, same situations and subjects, you could take the lyrics from these songs, and put a rap beat to them and nobody would be offended, and enough time has passed the public would gobble it up as a new hit.... very unfortunate, but true. It is history, as it was, unedited, by the people of the time. I notice the collector community picks and chooses the history it wants to promote. The more popular music of that time period, being the hymns, sentimental songs, ragtime. The Collector community really is not interested in the popular culture of the time, of what they actually listened to. However the collector community makes it look like "Jass", and "Jazz" were the only music the public was interested in. As we all know the "jazz" genre is the hard one to find, and blues, because it was not the popular majority music at that time. It is though fortunate we have preserved Jass and blues as it is interesting and rare, however it is taboo to bring the above point up. Do I find those records with the N word offensive, yes I do, however the songs and skits, from a quality of writing standpoint and historical significance, and reference to the time, is of vital importance.

[Hit of the Week]

I never set out to collect such records but I accumulated quite a lot of them over the years, especially back in the 60s when I would typically get dozens (or even hundreds) of records with every phonograph I sold. I have one shelf in my half-barrel which houses them all together. I rarely play them but every once in a blue moon I find someone who is seriously interested in cultural history, and I will play a couple of them. People are astonished by how crude they are by today's standards. I always point out that it's a good sign of how far we have come in the past century.

I also have a small collection of WWI songs that have their own dedicated shelf. Those are also culturally fascinating. A few years ago I spent part of an evening playing some for a history teacher at the school where my wife worked. She was blown away by the way the songs evolved -- from hyper-patriotic songs like "America, Here's My Boy" to "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier." It is a very telling progression that shows how the home front soured on the war as the casualties rose.

All of these records, even the most benign and maudlin tunes, are part of our history and should be appreciated for that.

My thoughts also!

Dale

[Gatyam]

It seems that today's popular pastime is looking for something to be offended by. Too bad.

[oldtvsandtoys]

It seems that today's popular pastime is looking for something to be offended by. Too bad.

Best statement I have heard so far. Before long someone will be offended by the n-word or n****r. Where does it stop? I say if you don't like the name of the record don't buy it.

[PeterF]

Thanks very much for editing the title of this thread.

[Jerry B.]

Thanks for the edit. Jerry Blais