The Worst Edison Record Ever

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OrthoSean
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by OrthoSean »

Victrolacollector wrote:"On the 5:15"
Have you ever listened to "On the 5:15"? This is one of the more brilliant tunes of the day about missing the commuter train home and going to a bar to "kill some time" before the next train. It's a riot and one that in some ways is still quite relevant. The BA of this title is very well recorded, too.

Sean

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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by welshfield »

Victrolacollector: I think you should give some of those Hawaiian titles a second listening. If you like 20s jazz, I think you will find that several of these Hawaiian performances include some pretty progressive chords and some very creative improvised solos. Real sleepers in my opinion. I go for every Hawaiian record offered to me (usually cheap or free because of prejudice) and find perhaps one in five or six to be a reasonable treasure.
John

JerryVan
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by JerryVan »

Very late Blue Amberol, 57**, "I Wish I had Died In My Cradle". TERRIBLE.

Victrolacollector
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by Victrolacollector »

JerryVan wrote:Very late Blue Amberol, 57**, "I Wish I had Died In My Cradle". TERRIBLE.
The title sounds insane.

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FloridaClay
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by FloridaClay »

Victrolacollector wrote:
JerryVan wrote:Very late Blue Amberol, 57**, "I Wish I had Died In My Cradle". TERRIBLE.
The title sounds insane.
Oh, just another torch song. The full title being "I Wish I Had Died In My Cradle (Before I Grew Up To Love You)." There are some videos of the Gene Austin version on the net.

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NEFaurora
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by NEFaurora »

Actually, Will Oakland does have a good Tune...

"The longest way round is the sweetest way home".... Probably Oakland's biggest hit..lol....The 1909 version (Edison Amberol #145 4m) has a little bit slower tempo than the 1911 version (Albany/Columbia Indestructible #3217 4M) which seems to be a bit faster.

http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/ ... l1662d.mp3

On some other songs though, It does seem that his nuts are in a vice when he sings..lol...

:o)

Tony K.

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drh
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by drh »

52089 wrote:Aloha Oe by Frieda Hempel. Bad enough on Diamond Disc but on Royal Purple Amberol? Yuck!!
Ah, but a LOT of "classical/concert" singers recorded that at the time, when Hawaiian was much in vogue, and Edison redeemed himself relative to Hempel by later issuing her sole electric recording (diamond disc 80888, Dvorak--Songs My Mother Taught Me and Mendelssohn--On Wings of Song).

Not sure that I'd call it the "worst," and I hesitate to say anything unkind about any Anna Case record, but her account of "Song of India" (82088) could be a poster child for ill-considered efforts to translate a foreign text into English. Maybe a stronger contender would be one of those Harry Lauder numbers sung by Glenn Ellison, or whatever the guy's name was; those songs are just about tolerable in small doses when they have Lauder himself trying to put them across, and I hate to think how they'd sound sung by a "pretender." Of records I've actually heard, there's certainly little good to be said of Rachmaninoff's famous C-Sharp Minor prelude played on a pipe organ....

tinovanderzwan
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by tinovanderzwan »

so will oakland is no1 most dreaded artist

will oakland the artist that leaves you wanting less!!

my worst dd is prelude in c played by rachmaninoff not that the piece is bad or the playing but the recording quality is terrible
ps rachmaninoff hated the record too his victor recording of the piece is way better

and a confession... i like uncle josh too only thing is i fall asleep after 5 records! its just like boose 2 bottles of the strong stuff and i'm in neverneverland!!

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NEFaurora
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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by NEFaurora »

"and a confession... i like uncle josh too only thing is i fall asleep after 5 records! its just like boose 2 bottles of the strong stuff and i'm in neverneverland!!"

That's Hysterical!

I've always felt the same way about Uncle Josh! ...But I can usually only handle about 3 of them in a row!

:o)

Tony K.

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Re: The Worst Edison Record Ever

Post by phonojim »

I haven't deliberately bought an Uncle Josh record in years, although I have accidentally acquired several in bulk lots I've bought.
As to Will Oakland, his "Only A Pansy Blossom" had to have been at least some of the inspiration for Tiny Tim. Can't see Oakland with the ukelele, though.

Jim

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