The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

My record sold today on ebay. The winning bid was $3.86 + $5.00 shipping. I didn't expect it to do very well so I'm not disappointed. I just wanted to get it into the hands of someone who would appreciate it. I have two other Edison records I want to move that are in excellent condition so I might have to repeat the process soon. The next two are white label Irish folk songs and jigs. Hopefully they will also find an appreciative audience.

Valecnik wrote:

Wolfe wrote:

Menophanes wrote: Was it usual for Edison operatic records to include spoken 'programme notes' on the back? The only other recording company I know of that did this was Aeolian-Vocalion in the early 1920s.

Oliver Mundy.

There are some DD's that have a talk on the opposite side. I don't know the whole backstory on how many, if it's confined to a time period, etc. I own just one DD like that and I can't remember the aria offhand, IIRC, it's something common.

The very early Edison Operatics, 82000, 82500 and 83000 series were initially blank on one side. Slightly later pressings of the same matrix nos added a narrative about the selection and the artist on the backside. Usually, possibly always the narrator was Harry Humphrey. Some of them are quite interesting.

Not quite always--a few, maybe two or three, were spoken by none other than John Charles Thomas.

Menophanes wrote:
Not quite always--a few, maybe two or three, were spoken by none other than John Charles Thomas.

You are right. I checked the discography and John Charles Thomas provides the explanatory talk on four discs, 80180, 82098, 82099 and 82541. Interestingly, 80180 was re coupled a few months later as 82076 but this time with Humphrey on the other side.

Thomas also recorded as vocalist "The dreamy Scoquehanna" with an orchestra and chorus but it was never released.

audiophile102 wrote:My record sold today on ebay. The winning bid was $3.86 + $5.00 shipping. I didn't expect it to do very well so I'm not disappointed. I just wanted to get it into the hands of someone who would appreciate it. I have two other Edison records I want to move that are in excellent condition so I might have to repeat the process soon. The next two are white label Irish folk songs and jigs. Hopefully they will also find an appreciative audience.

Well, shucks I wish I'd been paying attention. $3.86 for a nice Jacques Urlus diamond disc was a pretty good deal.

Valecnik wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:11 am

Menophanes wrote:
Not quite always--a few, maybe two or three, were spoken by none other than John Charles Thomas.

You are right. I checked the discography and John Charles Thomas provides the explanatory talk on four discs, 80180, 82098, 82099 and 82541. Interestingly, 80180 was re coupled a few months later as 82076 but this time with Humphrey on the other side.

Thomas also recorded as vocalist "The dreamy Scoquehanna" with an orchestra and chorus but it was never released.

Funny I found this old thread when I was researching the two copies of 82076 La Sonnambula aria Explanatory talk. The two versions: one with Harry Humphrey and the other John Charles Thomas must have been carefully scripted for they are word exact.

I posted examples of them in another thread. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38949&hilit=la+sonnambula&start=20