The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Cliff listed a PICT-UR-MUSIC record a week or two ago which made me remember that I had one stashed away somewhere. I located it and for being a leased record with who knows what type of a past, it plays remarkably cleanly. Loud and clear. So, I did a video of it.

"Dance of the demon" is a very spirited orchestra piece that makes me think of a silent film chase scene or perhaps a funny keystone cop kind of thing. This record also was not a re-pressing or something from the Victor stash of existing records. It was recorded specifically for this reason. It was later paired with another record and released in 1929 as X-16006.

The notes on the video has links to a couple of nice websites with info relating to this type of record. These are interesting records that may or may not have been a success at the time. But, for a 1928 record meant for repeated use in a movie house, this one survived very well.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVLaoG_sfD4[/youtubehd]
https://youtu.be/EVLaoG_sfD4

I love these discs. I'm not sure if it's just my dumb luck or what, but all of the ones I've got (25-30) are also in really nice, clean condition. I've seen others and those too have always been clean, so maybe they weren't played / used as much as one might think? Just a guess, of course.

Sean

Looking at those cue sheets, I can't help thinking that someone should locate one of these films (if they still exist), and create a video of it, using the appropriate discs for a music track...

Bill

This is a great record and a good classical piece by the inimitable Gustav Holst.

I wish the Pict-Ur-Music discs were available in either CD or in Orthophonic 78s. Unfortunately, they seem to be mostly lost to time, much like the silent films they accompanied.

It seems that period-appropriate music would be a great way to re-score some old silent movies!

Well it was written by Holst, but not Gustav. It was Eduard Holst.

Oops, shows my ignorance.

This would make a great Amberola record or a resin copy. My favorite kinds of music are orchestral rag-time, and (especially) these wonderful classical pieces. I like playing "The Light Cavalry Overture" on my Amberola, same with "Battle of the Marne" and the "Aida" March...and of course good old ragtime songs. On the Victrolas I used to play the l921 Stokowski record of the Ride of the Valkyries, which sounded incredible at 76 RPM, and the 1940s Red Seal of the Karelia Suite by Sibelius. Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, Beethoven, Chopin...romantic-era and Jazz Age in a crazy combination. I look at Sousa and Joplin as classical music even though they're not. A Sousa march is a lot like a concerto, and a Joplin piano rag is so close to Chopin that it's not funny...if played as a slow drag. Played fast, they're just a smoking hot ragtime piece.

I like hot jazz too but it comes later.

Lucius1958 wrote:Looking at those cue sheets, I can't help thinking that someone should locate one of these films (if they still exist), and create a video of it, using the appropriate discs for a music track...

Bill

That would be quite an undertaking but you are correct, it would be a great thing to see and hear. Maybe someone has access to enough things to pull it off one day.