The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

At the time, most record makers seemed to agree that good ol' Billy Murray recorded very very well.

And with Edison, there is always the when issue. Some of the later Diamond Discs, especially after electric recording began, knock my socks off. But many of the WWI era recordings are just dreadful because of the surface noise.

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:And with Edison, there is always the when issue. Some of the later Diamond Discs, especially after electric recording began, knock my socks off. But many of the WWI era recordings are just dreadful because of the surface noise.

Clay

I agree with that, that is why I limited myself to maybe 20 of the Edison WWI era records. They sound like wooshing gravel. But the early 50001 is great, then you have the 1920's records they are the best.

Elizabeth Lennox, recorded very well...."In the Gloaming" on Brunswick #5007 is a great example.

edisonphonoworks wrote:I wish Caruso would have been an Edison artist, I believe the Gramophone and Victor recordings offer a shadow of what he sounded like. In an interview with Gladys Rice, She said that at Edison, the artist could sing in a normal voice, while recording for Victor, her husband drove the engineer into a frenzy and he was told he was a spinning the needle, and they needed to use the Caruso method, and they stuffed cotton in the horn, to make the recorder less sensitive. I am soon posting a very clear Edward M favor Gold Molded cylinder soon, that shows an even tone and clarity.

Edward Favor was a excellent master of the acoustic age. One song that was good was his For the Rol Lol

Victrolacollector wrote:

FloridaClay wrote:And with Edison, there is always the when issue. Some of the later Diamond Discs, especially after electric recording began, knock my socks off. But many of the WWI era recordings are just dreadful because of the surface noise.

Clay

I agree with that, that is why I limited myself to maybe 20 of the Edison WWI era records. They sound like wooshing gravel. But the early 50001 is great, then you have the 1920's records they are the best.

Well, many of those noisy WW1 era records stayed in the catalog into the quiet surface era, and later pressings are quite nice without the surface noise.

John Mc Cormack recorded great music in the Odeon 11-inch acoustic discs. On Pathé he does not sound as good. He made some well-recorded acoustic Victors as well, but later in the electric era, that started when he was in his 40s, he just sounded different, with a darker voice and more profound interpretations.

Odeon produced the highest quality recordings in the acoustic era, including their Milan-based Fonotipia label. To my ears, there is no Victor, Edison or Columbia that compares in quality.

In the early 1920's some of McCormack's Odeon recordings were re-issued on the UK Columbia and Regal labels. With their relatively silent surfaces they are well worth seeking out, and usually cost less than the Odeon originals.

Wolfe wrote:

gregbogantz wrote:The Harry Lauder blue amberols are among the best vocal recordings made on cylinder. Most (if not all) were directly recorded on early catalog numbers, so they were not dubs. The voice is natural sounding and presents the best sibilants that I've ever heard from acoustic recordings.

I've been playing his blue label Victor of Ta Ta, My Bonnie Maggie Darling. Sibilance galore for an acoustic record.

Always been a pretty tepid on Harry Lauder, but gradually I'm becoming more of a fan. I have some Red Seal Victors with Lauder, in addition to normal purple and blue.

i'm a real lauder fan myself i got nearly all his records the g&t's,hmv's and victors, zonophone, the edison 2-4m and Pathé cylinders
im still looking for his early Pathé center-stard records and the berliners
the Pathé center-stards where recorded at theater royal in glascow they tell this in the anouncement

lauder's last recording is on a bbc radio transcription disc from the mid 30s its a whole show with lauder singing his hits and telling about his life

Sopranos didn't usually come off too well with the acoustic process, though as several others have said, Galli-Curci was a triumphant exception. Two others that came off well were Eleanor Jones-Hudson, and the prolific Maria Michailova.

Chaliapin also comes over splendidly on acoustics, as did his contemporary and competitor, Sibiryakov. I'd also commend the many acoustic discs of the English tenor John Harrison who recorded extensively for G&T/Gramophone Company. Did Victor ever offer any of his recordings to the US public?

Lastly, the baritones Battistini and Ruffo. No effort of imagination is required to understand just how great, in their different ways, these were.