Odd Columbia Concert/Grand Cylinder With Strange Message

[JerryVan]

I recently bought a very nice looking 5" grand cylinder. I tried to play it on my Edison Concert but the outside diameter of the record was smaller than normal and the Edison reproducer wouldn't hinge low enough to play it. So, I put it my AB MacDonald. I expected that it was shaved and home recorded. But, instead of a home recording, it is announced as "High School Cadets March" played by Sousa's Band for Columbia Records. It payed very well. After the tune ended there was still at least an inch of silent grooves so I let it continue. To my surprise, a voice pops up stating, as best as I can make out, the following, "This ?war? at R.W.R. ?resold? [unintelligable] cylinder at the laboratories of Arlington Texas [short pause] Good night."

The words between question marks are not easily understood so they may be something else but that's how they sound. The "unintelligable" section is due to a bad groove. I don't think more than one word is lost because of it.

Has anyone ever heard such a passage before? If the cylinder has been shaved then the current recording is a very good dub of an original recording as it plays loud and clear and has a proper announcement.

[WDC]

Indeed, it does sound familiar. This is one of the (likely earlier) recycled cylinders by Rick Wilkins. Apparently he did this also with concert cylinders some years ago. I have an Edison 2-minute black wax cylinder that he did some time. For the fact that a black wax cylinder is usually not usable for direct recording it was done quite well, although it lacks of dynamics and clarity.

So, your cylinder is a shaved old one and was then re-recorded with a period content.

[JerryVan]

Very interesting, thanks!