Brunswick 'Light Ray' Records

[Wolfe]

Regarding the "awful" Light-Ray recordings, has or could someone post one of those to this thread, so we can get an idea of what a "bad" one sounds like ?

This one is fairly bad, note the glassy sounding distortion / breakup. 'Light Ray' it is, even if not yet advertised on the label.

http://youtu.be/doG-ADIEeN4

Though to be fair, it's not even as bad as some other early electrical systems that were being used by other labels.

[Uncle Vanya]

Regarding the "awful" Light-Ray recordings, has or could someone post one of those to this thread, so we can get an idea of what a "bad" one sounds like ?

This one is fairly bad, note the glassy sounding distortion / breakup. 'Light Ray' it is, even if not yet advertised on the label.

http://youtu.be/doG-ADIEeN4

Though to be fair, it's not even as bad as some other early electrical systems that were being used by other labels.

Are you referring to the Marsh process, perchance?

The Fletcher Henderson waxing of " Hayfoot Strawfoot" (12/7/25) and the King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopators recording of "Wa Wa Wa" (5/26) are good examples of the distortions inherent in this system.

[Wolfe]

The Marsh 'process' was used on Marsh's Autograph records. The other companies that jumped on the early electrical bandwagon had their own 'proprietary' systems. Western Electric had the jump on all of them in the immediate succeeding years.

[Lucius1958]

What is the catalog # on the label ? That might help narrow-down a recording date and prcoess....

The catalog number is 3633.

Bill

[De Soto Frank]

Regarding the "awful" Light-Ray recordings, has or could someone post one of those to this thread, so we can get an idea of what a "bad" one sounds like ?

This one is fairly bad, note the glassy sounding distortion / breakup. 'Light Ray' it is, even if not yet advertised on the label.

http://youtu.be/doG-ADIEeN4

Though to be fair, it's not even as bad as some other early electrical systems that were being used by other labels.

Thanks for the link, Wolfe !

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting to hear, but it didn't make me bail-out before the end of the recording...

My impression ( that more of a musician with a good ear, than an audiophile or acoustic engineer ), is that the whole recording sounds "tinny" in general, not so much bass response as later Brunswicks or contemporary Orthophonics, and that the reeds (saxophone section, clarinet) seem to record better than the brasses - the open trumpets particularly seem to "blast"...

I guess "brittle" might be one way to describe my impression of the sonic "image" of this recording...



(By the way, how about that hot Bass-Sax solo by Coleman Hawkins ??? )

[De Soto Frank]

Here are Wolfe's other suggested examples of the Brunswick Light-Ray process:


"Hayfoot, Strawfoot": Fletcher Henderson, 12-7-25:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC1g3O7C61o



"Wa,wa,wa": King Oliver, 5-26

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-ZfpO9RE6g

[Wolfe]

Not my suggestions. That King Oliver should be a Vocalion disc, right?

Even if the recording process was similar.

[OrthoSean]

The King Oliver disc is on Brusnwick as the "Savannah Syncopaters". Not home to check the disc, so I can't give the catalog number offhand. It may have been issued on Vocalion at some point as well since Brunswick took over Vocalion at a point, but I can't say I've ever seen it.

Sean

[victorIIvictor]

Uncle Vanya wrote, "Brunswick''s advertising was a bit of a confusing mess. They retained the "Light Ray" designation long after the Palliophotophome mechanism was replaced with a conventional condenser microphone."

This may be true for print advertising and record sleeves. However, for what it's worth, on page 20 of his Brunswick Records discography, Ross Laird asserts that the "Light Ray" designation on Brunswick and Vocalion labels only appeared on West Coast pressings from late 1926 to late 1927. If this is so, you could easily have a Light Ray process recording with a label that did not note this. See:

http://tinyurl.com/lr7ob42

Or, to give you all confidence about the above link, here is a preview TinyURL:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/lr7ob42

Since your disc does specify "Light Ray," according to Laird it would be a West Coast pressing. But perhaps as Uncle Vanya says, the Light Ray designation was carried over on West Coast pressings after the Light Ray process had been abandoned.

(Distortion or not, that version of "Shake That Thing" is one of my favorite 78's!)

Best wishes, Mark

[Wolfe]

Here's Vocalion Light Ray courtesy of this site:

http://78rpmrecord.com/labelshow.cfm?whichLabel=7569

I don't think I have any of these particular Vocalions, unless I missed spotting it. Brunswick Light Rays are extremely common for me.

(Distortion or not, that version of "Shake That Thing" is one of my favorite 78's!)

Yes, the distortion is a tiny fly in the ointment of a great record.