The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

So all the disc says is "violin with piano accompanyment". That's classic Edison. Isn't it funny that the artists apparently had to agree to that in order to record for Edison early on?

Valecnik wrote:So all the disc says is "violin with piano accompanyment". That's classic Edison. Isn't it funny that the artists apparently had to agree to that in order to record for Edison early on?

If I recall, Edison believed that his records should sell on his name, and not the artist's. Unfortunately, he let many of the more costly artists go, either because he didn't care for their abilities, or that they were to expensive to retain.

gramophoneshane wrote:It's actually a 1918 sleeve, or so I was told when I posted mine on Dan's board ages ago. I can't remember the details now, but I think there were plans to introduce them (again) a that time, but it never came about (again).

Isn't it a bit earlier? Acc. to the excel listing provided by MordEth it was recorded in July 1913. The last patent date on the sleeve is 1912. Sleeves I have with 1916 patent dates have already gone solid, (no center holes).

Bill I think you are right regarding Edison's early unwillingness in retaining the more expensive artists. He thought you should buy the record because of it's technical superiority alone.

My appologies Bruce- you are quite correct!
It didn't register at the time, but my cover has no hole. The number blocks, prices & colour of the cover are the same though.

Fortunately, unissued DD masters are still being found in the Edison archives; Ward Marston is continually doing a wonderful job reissuing some of the hitherto unknown Diamond Disc masters of a more serious nature (see http://www.marstonrecords.com/edisonV1/ ... tracks.htm), some of these including unpublished 12 inch matrices. One wonders if the series numbers/prices listed on the sleeve coincide with 12 inch masters which never made it into publication.

Sounds very interesting. Have you heard some of the unissued needlecut Edison records? Someone put out a couple of CDs of them. If there's any interest I can find more info. I have them around here somewhere.

MordEth wrote:after looking it up on the spreadsheet of Diamond Discs available here, the credit for “Meditation—Thaïs” is Albert Spalding (violin), André Benoist (piano), and “Rondo Capriccioso” is the same violinist, but does not list a pianist. I would guess that it is perhaps the same pianist as well, though.

I have a paper-label version of that record (takes "G" and "J" respectively), and Spalding & Benoist are given credit on both sides.

Whoever had it before me brown-grooved "Meditation," but "Rondo" is untouched and good enough to keep for that reason alone. It's a great record.

Here's a sample of the "Rondo" side.

And now back to our regularly scheduled thread: I've been curious always about the 12" Edison sides. Good to know something more is being done with them; I trust Ward Marston completely. The work he did on "The Edison Trials," as well as the "Edison Legacy Volume One" that operabass78s referred to earlier, is flawless.