The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This is what I call the "sour grapes" Rachmaninoff ad from T A Edison Inc. They purport to be pleased that they've lost perhaps their biggest classical celebrity of the Diamond Disc era because " now you can compare" the Edison records to those of Victor. Good try, boys. We've posted before about how Edison mishandled the whole Rachmaninoff contract. But I don't think the relationship was quite as sour as is sometimes portrayed. I mean, here he is playing the tone test game for the camera of the advertising department! I also sometimes wonder about the " You're a POUNDER!" story: Edison's brusque dismissal of Rachmaninoff in audition. I have seen photos of Rachmaninoff's study and on the wall hangs a framed autographed photo of T.A.E. himself! So much as there was a parting of the ways, I don't think it was quite as acrimonious as it is sometimes presented.

Jim

edison was a publicity wizard he knew how to manipulate the press so stories about him true or false good or bad where relished by him indeed the very name wizard was aplied to him by the press making his name a household name and his business big

so if there's any truth(or not) in the rachmaninoff story im shure that edison liked the publicity of it
tino

Judging by the language he used regarding test records by singers, Edison had little or no regard for a performers critical notices or reputation.

a lot people within the phonograph collectors world see edison as an godly person of witch you can't say any evil

i disagree edison could be a real ass he only did what he thought was right with no regard to others (exept some close friends and collegues)if anyone spoke against him who wasn't in his inner circle they where dismissed

artists in his studio's had little say over the output of their records in a lot of cases edison decided what would go on the records the edison lps are the best example of music you never want to hear they are the only records that leave you wanting less!

as a family man he was prety much a failure as a husband he was nearly never home and for his children he couldn't be called the perfect dad the relationship with his eldest son was disastrous and the relationship with his other children wasn't very loving either
his son charles wanted the company to go into radio production from the early to mid 1920s when edison after many arguments finaly gave the go-ahead the company was on its hind legs
if edison would have given the go-ahead to radio production sooner the company probably would have survived the crash of 1929 just like victor and columbia

his best friend was henry ford probably the most nasty person on 2 legs in the 20th century
the super antisemitic ford would later become the only american with a high award from adolf hitler aswell he funded much of the carpark of the 3rd reich its a well known fact that the american soldiers where fighting against cars(trucks) made in usa!


who was edison??? was he the idolised person we read so much about or.. is there another edison much darker more nasty but yet.. more human
even wiki seams to stear clear of the darker edison there's pretty much nothing about the personal relationship with his sons almost nothing about the nasty streak towards co-workers and artists

one of the more documented cases was the tesla thing we all know about

well you decide witch side of edison you prefer
tino

I think the truth about Edison lies approximately mid-way between the two extremes.

George P.

Getting back on topic, I found this ad in an "Edison and Music" brochure (c. 1920)
I'd hate to see every post about Edison ephemera turned into an "Edison Bashing" post.

Best,
Fran

Having examples of both, to my ear the Victor Rachmaninoff recordings sound considerably better.

Like most human beings, Edison was part saint and part sinner (as was Henry Ford). Edison did sacrifice family life to long hours in the laboratory, to the detriment of his family but to the considerable benefit of the wider world. He did cling too long to obsolete, somewhat maudlin tastes in music, but others built on his work to make a full spectrum of recorded sound available. I am grateful for his many contributions.

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:Having examples of both, to my ear the Victor Rachmaninoff recordings sound considerably better.

I agree that Edison's piano recordings of that era can sound a little boxy- it is unfortunate that Rachmaninoff didn't record in the White Label era when some truly fine piano records were made. That said, I doubt that Victor would have given Rachmaninoff three sides for the Liszt Rhapsody- including that electrifying cadenza.

We've talked about his before. One of the reasons they sound boxy is that they were recorded on an upright piano and sound every inch of it, especially the bass, speaking here as a piano technician. . This was one of the reasons that the relationship went sour...that and the fact that the company issued takes which Rachmaninoff hadn't approved for issue. The company did a " Sorry!". They promised a a grand in the studio but it was too late.
And George is right about Edison.
Let me tell one anecdote. When he left for the lab in the norning the last thing he did was kiss Mina good bye. And when he came home he wandered through the house to find her as his first task.
Jim.

People are human and have tastes, and likes, and dislikes. The Edison bashing thing is getting old. The Edison/Tesla thing really gets me going. Remember that Edison and Tesla were funded by the same People and this funding had strings attached, these investors controlled what was researched. Edison's musical tastes are really no different from any other label,kid. i guess I don't count since I am a country kid. I personally find most of the other labels cookie cutter sound and arrangements. At least Edison sounds like a band or performer and not the same.