The Worst Edison Record Ever

[AmberolaAndy]

All I know is most of the time when I see a DD with the description “Baritone with orchestra” or “Soprano with orchestra” “Waltz” Or the names “Louise and Ferera” (Hawaiian music at its dullest) on the label, Within 10 seconds it’s automatically going in my “Nope!” Pile.

[stetam]

Hmmmmm……because of their "vastly superior to 78's" sound quality I can enjoy them all.

[Governor Flyball]

Hey what about the worst Victor Record? Or Columbia?

My favorite worst Victor is the 1902 "The Whistling Bowery Boy" by SH Dudley.

There is a great bunch of awful sentimental garbage on Columbia in the teens. But going back to about '02 my favorite baddie is "Dissertation on Love" by Hal Spencer. Spencer's forced enunciation to be understood on the Grafophone is hilarious. Especially his pronunciation of Love which comes out as a two sylable "lov-vey"!

[AmberolaAndy]

Hey what about the worst Victor Record? Or Columbia?

My favorite worst Victor is the 1902 "The Whistling Bowery Boy" by SH Dudley.

There is a great bunch of awful sentimental garbage on Columbia in the teens. But going back to about '02 my favorite baddie is "Dissertation on Love" by Hal Spencer. Spencer's forced enunciation to be understood on the Grafophone is hilarious. Especially his pronunciation of Love which comes out as a two sylable "lov-vey"!

“Granny My Own” or whatever by Adele Rowland/Evelyn Cox still wins the prize of “sappiest record ever” to my ears!

[vansteem78]

I think it's called An Explanatory Talk? Well bored me to tears. So bored I forget what it's about. I could not listen to it for long. Horrible. Worse part I paid extra money for it. Terrible record. A dead turkey if ever there was one. Neil

[Governor Flyball]

“Granny My Own” or whatever by Adele Rowland/Evelyn Cox still wins the prize of “sappiest record ever” to my ears!

It was "Mammy My Own". And I actually like Adele Rowland's version!

Adele Rowland was the first wife of the great Hollywood star Charlie Ruggles. Rowland was a big star in her own right on Broadway. She made one of the earliest Vitaphone shorts in 1927 in the Vitaphone Flatbush (Brooklyn) studio.

But Mammy My Own was only one of the countless tin pan alley spate of Mammy songs which hit the early twenties. This included such great "Mammy" songs such as: Mammy, Swanee and forgetable ones like Coal Black Mammy, Mammy Knows, Don't Leave Me Mammy, Mammy's Silver Lining, Mammy Lou, I want My Mammy and the list goes on and on!

I still like last stanzas of the chorus of one of my favorite Mammy songs, the 1922 "Carolina Mammy":

..."In that Dixie garden I’m longin’ to be,
Where I spent my childhood right there on your knee,
So prepare for my return,
Gee! it’s great to live and learn,
There’s nobody fine-ah than my Carolina Mammy!

[AmberolaAndy]

“Granny My Own” or whatever by Adele Rowland/Evelyn Cox still wins the prize of “sappiest record ever” to my ears!

It was "Mammy My Own". And I actually like Adele Rowland's version!

Adele Rowland was the first wife of the great Hollywood star Charlie Ruggles. Rowland was a big star in her own right on Broadway. She made one of the earliest Vitaphone shorts in 1927 in the Vitaphone Flatbush (Brooklyn) studio.

But Mammy My Own was only one of the countless tin pan alley spate of Mammy songs which hit the early twenties. This included such great "Mammy" songs such as: Mammy, Swanee and forgetable ones like Coal Black Mammy, Mammy Knows, Don't Leave Me Mammy, Mammy's Silver Lining, Mammy Lou, I want My Mammy and the list goes on and on!

I still like last stanzas of the chorus of one of my favorite Mammy songs, the 1922 "Carolina Mammy":

..."In that Dixie garden I’m longin’ to be,
Where I spent my childhood right there on your knee,
So prepare for my return,
Gee! it’s great to live and learn,
There’s nobody fine-ah than my Carolina Mammy!

This is the song I was talking about.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bdeh3o3Iriw

[Governor Flyball]

I listened to "Granny" and it seemed a typical tin pan alley bland offering from 1919. I found in Google Books an interesting write up on the composer "Alex Belledna" which was a pseudonym for Maceo Pinkard and Edna Alexander, two early Black tin pan alley composers!

Interesting history but I'd agree a pretty mediocre song! But it is very historical as it was likely the earliest offering by the first major Black female songwriter before the Rock era!

And I still like Adele Rowland who was probably forced to sing it!

https://books.google.com/books?id=WhzfA ... 19&f=false

[AmberolaAndy]

I listened to "Granny" and it seemed a typical tin pan alley bland offering from 1919. I found in Google Books an interesting write up on the composer "Alex Belledna" which was a pseudonym for Maceo Pinkard and Edna Alexander, two early Black tin pan alley composers!

Interesting history but I'd agree a pretty mediocre song! But it is very historical as it was likely the earliest offering by the first major Black female songwriter before the Rock era!

And I still like Adele Rowland who was probably forced to sing it!

https://books.google.com/books?id=WhzfA ... 19&f=false

I really don’t have much of an opinion on Adele Rowland herself or anything else she sang. I’m just not a big fan of sappy heartsongs. But I will still play them on my machines anyway. I think we all have records we enjoy on our acoustic machines (Sentimental ballads, Billy Murray, early Whiteman, Caruso, Vaudeville skits ect) and records we strictly listen to On only modern equipment. (Berliners, pre-dog Victors, hot jazz/blues/country on Gennett, Paramount, Vocallion, Okeh Electric, Victor 3800 series ect...)

[Governor Flyball]

I apologize if I sound too serious. I agree with you. I do not like the sappy sentimental stuff either. Discovering that the overly sentimental tune like "Granny with its historical significance made me cringe!

When I lived in England many years ago, I was fortunate to meet at the CLPS Mr George Frow. I recall suggesting as a young novice that Edison recorded more of the maudlin variety of song and he took obvious offense! He said it wasn't true and I was immediately lectured on the wide and excellent variety of recordings Edison made.

I subsequently collected many Edison cylinders and discs and found that Edison's output was no different and in some ways superior to Victor's or Columbia's at the time. In fact I have a pile of dozens of mint maudlin song Columbia records from the 1915 to 1923 period which I cannot stand to play.

However some of the songs are classics. I remember the Lewis James version of Carolina Mammy I found over 50 years ago. I later found it was a 1922 hit of Jolson's. I guess it was popular in its time.