In my living room I keep a VV-4 and a VV-IX (both 1920 models) atop a repurposed 1960s RCA Victor console stereo cabinet, and in the den are a 1914 VV-IX, Columbia Viva-Tonal 153a, and an Edison C-19. The family room has a 1926 Credenza. "IF" anyone seems interested in what they are and what they sound like I keep a small assortment of demo 78s near them. The Credenza will play George Olson and His Music "Varsity Drag" and the B-side of Stokowski's Orthophonic Red Seal of Hungarian Rhapsody N.2, which people will smile and recognize from the 1946 Tom & Jerry cartoon "The Cat Concerto". The Edison will play "The Whistler And His Dog". On the others I might play Paul Whiteman "I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise", Georgie Price "Barney Google", Arthur Pryor "William Tell Overture". The old "orchestral warhorses" most people will recognize from being used in cartoons or commercials-which makes me wince a little, but they get a kick out of hearing them. And some folks actually DO appreciate the early efforts of classical music recording because they love the genre. Two others that get a good reaction are Orthophonics of Brahms Hungarian Dances, and Caruso's version of "Over There". When they hear Caruso's "English" singing "Send the word-a, send the word-a, over there..." it gets 'em every time
