One of the (many) reasons I think most of us collect old records is because we like listening to quality performances made by musicians long ago that we cannot hear anywhere else. Many of those recordings fall into the "usual" realm of music popular during the 78 and cylinder era (marches, opera, blues, country, hot jazz, etc.), but there of course are several that don't, whether commercially-released or recorded at home. I am certain we have all found that one record that you cannot understand WHY someone would make, so this is the place to share your finds! (No, the OKeh Laughing Record doesn't count!)
The two strangest records I have ever come across were a 1953 Wilcox-Gay home recording of a man and (presumably) woman with strong Southern accents having some bedroom fun(!), as well as an Autograph vanity record (circa 1925) of a very unmusical cellist that ended on the first side with his audible belch. I still have the Wilcox-Gay disc, but unfortunately it has gotten badly warped over the years and I fear it does not have long for this world while I sold the Autograph record on eBay a few years back to a man who collected all sorts of strange recordings and films. Now the only truly bizarre recordings I own are all on vinyl!
What's your "strange addiction"?
What is the weirdest recording you own?
- jmad7474
- Victor I
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2018 10:46 pm
- Personal Text: "Don't Deny Yourself the Sheer Joy of Orthophonic Music"
- Location: Minneapolis, MN
- Contact:
-
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3748
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:54 pm
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
Not my personal copy but being something of a Bill Haley completist, I do own a copy. I am pretty sure this is the weirdest record I actually own.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9CaBrcM3HQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9CaBrcM3HQ[/youtube]
- kirtley2012
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1579
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 3:10 pm
- Personal Text: Buyer of broken things
- Location: North Shields, UK
- Contact:
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
I've got two weird ones, one, a french shellac test pressing of church bells, the purpose of which I don't fully know, and another red vinyl 78 of Ben Grauer on a radio broadcast about an award winning pressure cooker, also the edison bell laughing record, which is just weird
- Curt A
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 6426
- Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
- Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
- Location: Belmont, North Carolina
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
I think my weirdest record is an HMV puzzle record of Irish limericks... 1931 - 2 x 2 x SIX TRACK "PUZZLE" 78 WITH TWO SETS OF SIX CONCENTRIC TRACKS ON EACH SIDE! Each side has a possible 36 different limericks, so 72 total on both sides...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIPHT3R1Dsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIPHT3R1Dsg
"The phonograph is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.
"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.
"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife
- gramophone-georg
- Victor VI
- Posts: 3992
- Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:55 pm
- Personal Text: Northwest Of Normal
- Location: Eugene/ Springfield Oregon USA
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
The Perry Bechtel Orchestra's "Rubber Dolly" is pretty weird, along will Billy Hays' "Bay Rum Song".
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek
I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar
I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar
- travisgreyfox
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2017 9:25 pm
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
The laughing records are very strange to listen to. The weirdest record(s) I have in my collection is a 4 part humor series called "International Crepitation Contest" It features the likes of Lord Winismere (world champ) and Paul Boomer (with lots of err mouth sounds?).
- Roaring20s
- Victor V
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:55 am
- Personal Text: Those who were seen dancing were thought insane by those who could not hear the music. Nietzsche
- Location: Tucson, AZ
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
This is the weirdest one I have.
The Radio All Star Orchestra - Mysterious Mose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exjIyfienjo
James.
PS: That Bill Haley song is way out there, I like the limerick disc, and well ... that provocative air - stinks.
The Radio All Star Orchestra - Mysterious Mose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exjIyfienjo
James.
PS: That Bill Haley song is way out there, I like the limerick disc, and well ... that provocative air - stinks.
-
- Victor Monarch
- Posts: 4172
- Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:23 pm
- Personal Text: I have good days...this might not be one of them
- Location: Albany NY
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
A 1930's disc from the Japanese Imperial Navy used to teach signaling. It has rhythmic vocalizations followed by rhythmic musical sounds. Probably quite ordinary to a student but hypnotic to listen to.
- TinfoilPhono
- Victor IV
- Posts: 1926
- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:48 pm
- Location: SF Bay Area, Calif.
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
Nothing remotely as weird as some of the things mentioned, but the weirdest one I have is a "royal blue" 'concert' Blue Amberol of "Mammy's Little Alabama Coon" sung by opera star Freida Hempel. Seriously, a 'coon song' in an operatic voice? It's very, very bizarre.
-
- Victor Monarch Special
- Posts: 5226
- Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:21 pm
- Personal Text: An analogue relic trapped in a digital world.
- Location: The Somerset Levels, UK.
Re: What is the weirdest recording you own?
One of my weirdest must be this centre start Pathé of French hunting calls. Each call is announced in French before the horns play it. Presumably if the hunters knew the calls they could identify from a distance which animal the hunt was pursuing, so perhaps the record was intended as a learning aid.
Here we have le Loup (Wolf) le Renard (Fox) le Blaireau (Badger) and goodness knows what else. As Oscar Wilde said "The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable".
The other side is a Serenade for harp, flute and violin by Gounod. Only on Pathé......
Here we have le Loup (Wolf) le Renard (Fox) le Blaireau (Badger) and goodness knows what else. As Oscar Wilde said "The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable".
The other side is a Serenade for harp, flute and violin by Gounod. Only on Pathé......