Listening to music on 78's

[Edisonfan]

I sometimes forget there is a lot of excelent music on 78 rpm records. Espscially those that were produced before 1945. Mainly those from the 20's and 30's. There is something about putting a 78 record on to my turntable, and listening to this great music from along ago. It's like steping back in time. it's a shame of lot of this great music got lost over time, and nobody wants to hear it anymore. Which is a shame. I love alot of music from when I was growing up, but even I get tired of it. I don't appericate this music enough, like I should, and I am trying to change that.

[larryh]

I know just how you feel. I was always interested in early recordings and still am. Most people I know simply have no tolerance for anything but what is currently popular. I guess growing up in the mid to late 40's I get a nostalgic feeling when ever I hear music that takes me back to what at this point seems like a much simpler time. Families were still just that, the Radio was still the big thing in entertainment. In fact I would guess that had it not been for the music that many shows used like the William Tell Overture I may never have been willing to take a listen to classical music in my late teens. For a long time I played a lot of acoustic records as I had an awful time with getting any electrical changer type radio/record players reliably fixed. Now with the internet you can find people who have parts or know how to repair many of the kinds I had an parted with when they refused to play well. I had many a 78 album both classical an pop from those latter years when people were dumping them like mad to by LP's or 45's. I gave them all away about three times. Only the past few years have I been able to play them again an something about those large 78 disc and the albums just appeals to me. I had a large 45 collection for a while and still have many of the show tunes on them, but they just didn't seem the same as the old albums an the sound on the early transfers have often been said to not be as good as the 78 versions. Its like the Edison things I have listed a few of here yesterday, I tend to enjoy the solo instrumentals as much if not more often than some of the larger bands or popular groups. Although some of them are certainly interesting. One other thing about it is that when I hear some selection of music from the past almost no one else around me has ever heard of it. As you say a real loss for them.

Larry

[epigramophone]

When you listen to a 78 you are hearing a real performance, not some electronic mish-mash cobbled together from several different takes. If someone sings or plays a bum note nowadays it is edited out of the recording and replaced with another, but if anything went wrong in the 78 era the whole side had to be recorded again.

Acoustic recordings are particularly satisfying when heard on a period machine, with both the original performance and the playback achieved without the intervention of electricity.

[VintageTechnologies]

One other thing about it is that when I hear some selection of music from the past almost no one else around me has ever heard of it. As you say a real loss for them.

Larry

When some of your favorite singers have been dead for a century [e.g. Billy Williams or Frank C. Stanley], you feel almost alone in the world. I have a smile on my face when hearing them, but no one to share that joy with. Who knows or cares, beyond this forum? Indeed, a real loss for the present generation.

[welshfield]

I actually began with the records, buying up interesting performances at yard sales. I was in a band that liked to reproduce ragtime and traditional jazz off these records. This was in an era when the little old lady running the yard sale would say, "Don't you want the record player too, young man?" I bought up a few for minimal money.

But you are right about the directness between recording artist and listener through acoustic recordings. I tell people, Caruso's voice vibrated the air which vibrated the needle which engraved the wax, which now vibrates the needle which vibrates the air to create Caruso's voice which we now hear. Next best to his being in the room with us.

I Usually listen to a recording three times: first to get the idea of the performance, second to try to recreate the arrangement of musicians in the studio and other technical details of the recording, and a third time to imagine the people who may have bought and enjoyed the recording originally -- a teenage girl wishing to be a flapper, a grandmother dreaming of her younger days, a young man practicing the Charleston before his date, a few couples violating Prohibition on a Saturday night, a mid-aged gentleman relaxing to a bit of opera after a busy day at work....

John

[Edisonfan]

I'm glad I got a discussion out of this. Besides 78's, I also have Edison Diamond Discs, and Cylinder records, and the machines to play them on.

[Roaring20s]

I sometimes forget there is a lot of excelent music on 78 rpm records. Espscially those that were produced before 1945. Mainly those from the 20's and 30's. There is something about putting a 78 record on to my turntable, and listening to this great music from along ago. It's like steping back in time. ... I don't appericate this music enough, like I should, and I am trying to change that.

The 20s and 30s is is music to my ears! My ears bend before and after, but snap right back.

James.

[marcapra]

I have XM satellite radio in my car and listen to the 40s, 50s, and 60s stations a lot. Unlike the 50s, which has disc jockeys like Cool Bobby Bee and the 60s station that has Cousin Brucie, the 40s channel does not have a disc jockey. So it seems like most of time the music is put together something like this: Let's just find the the top 10 songs from each year from 1940 to 1949, and just loop those one hundred records together and make a station. The result is too many Bing Crosby, Andrew Sisters, and Frank Sinatra songs, along with the same old Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller favorites. I remember the 40s channel used to occasionally have an announcer say something like "and now we are going to hear one from way back in 1929 recorded by Paul Whiteman". Or, once I even heard them play Dizzy Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts". Hearing records like that was such a relief from the Bing Crosby stuff, which is fine if not heard all the time. I just wish they would hire me to fix that station. I would get away from the hit parade formula and have a more interesting selection including interesting things from the 1920s - 1940s. But I guess the station execs would say something like "you're going to play Dizzy Gillespie! Nobody's heard of him!" That's the point!

[alang]

My car came with a XM satellite radio 3 months trial, which was great, since i went on an extended road trip from Delaware to Florida, to Kentucky and back. During the first couple of days I was thrilled with these stations, but then I started to notice that they only have a limited number of titles that they shuffle through. I said screw that, I will not pay a subscription for that. So I bought a large usb stick instead and now I'm shuffling through 10000 titles and it doesn't cost me a dime. XM is a good idea in principle, but if they want my money they need to up their game by a lot.

Andreas

[Curt A]

If you really like 20s-30s music, try Radio Dismuke. You can get it on your computer, mobile phone or tablet... http://early1900s.org/radiodismuke/index.html

Another good choice is: http://beta.radiooooo.com
Pick the era from 1900 to the present, pick the country, pick the style and you are good to go...