Columbia Graphophone Model AB featuring Helen Hunt!!!

[solophoneman]

Ok, phono friends here is an unusual one. It's my Columbia AB (MacDonald) graphophone featuring Miss Helen Hunt!! What do I mean? Go to my you tube video and find out!! I hope you're watching it too Helen? Here is where to Hunt for It!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPv1MDuoFUc

[EdisonSquirrel]

This was indeed risqué for the late 19th century! Puns involving "hell" were popular in songs during the acoustic age, but this was especially early.

Other songs that come to mind are Arthur Fields' "Oh Helen" and Billy Murray's "Fido is a hot dog now."

In "Over on the Jersey side," Billy Murray sings the line "The rest of this I hate to tell, but I would rather live in---Troy."



Rocky

[solophoneman]

It skipped a groove when it cut over to the 2nd spring that time with kind of a jerking motion, otherwise that cylinder is in remarkable condition for its approx. 107 years. Yes, it is an early blunt ended Gold Moulded two minute cylinder with no titled lettering around the edge. I had fun when I first acquired this huge batch of early 2minute minute cylinders, as you really had to play them and hear the introduction to know what was on them. As far a comparison of the Two AB's, Jack's is in the most pristine original condition of any early Cylinder Graphophone or cylinder phonograph I have ever seen. These AB's were very heavily nickled, and Jack's bedplate has an absolute mirror like finish, unlike mine that has some typical pitting on bedplate. He also has an original horn, and is not missing any of the original little knurled screw on covers for the little on/off switch or speed control. His machine even has the original 5" Concert Cylinder mandrel and the original decorative headed bolt that secures it in place.


Bruce

[solophoneman]

The best source for these early record numbers is Edison Cylinder Records 1889-1812 by Allen Koenigsberg. As I stated before though, some of the Edison 2 minute cylinders that were remade when the Gold Moulded process was adopted around 1901, and they retained the original record numbers. So even though "Miss Helen Hunt" shows as number 7123 which places it's recording date as 1899, this would obviously be fora the earlier brown wax recording, and the remake in 1901 or thereafter retained the same number.

[EdisonSquirrel]

Shane, I have the Allen Koenigsberg cylinder book that Bruce mentions, and I would be happy to look up any information you need. However, as Bruce pointed out, many early cylinders were rerecorded, often by other recording artists, while keeping the same serial number. The Koenigsberg book does not indicate the multiple recordings under a given serial number. Cross-check your early cylinders on the cylinder digitization site to see if there are other recordings issued under the same number. I know this is hit-and-miss, but you never know what you will find.

Rocky