Sophia Tucker on Blue Amberol

[Victrolacollector]

Has anyone checked out Berlin Phonograph Works limited issue of

"Phoebe Jane" by Sophie Tucker

I am hoping to get my copy soon before all 15 are gone.

http://www.berlinphonographworks.com/

This appears to be a issue that was never originally issued by Edison, it looks like it is a mould they made.

[billybob62]

I ordered a copy.

[Victrolacollector]

I have not ordered mine yet. Norman said he has about 10 left and they are all packed for his trip to New York. I really doubt any will be left when he returns. If he goes to a show they will be sold out.

[edisonplayer]

It'd be SUPER if Norman would issue "Some Of These Days"on Blue Amberol.Maybe he will edisonplayer

[52089]

I have not ordered mine yet. Norman said he has about 10 left and they are all packed for his trip to New York. I really doubt any will be left when he returns. If he goes to a show they will be sold out.

Norman usually attends the Wayne show, which is less than 2 weeks away now.

[WDC]

I am really glad to have this one ready, finally. By now I am pretty confident it was a test pressing for deciding whether put it out again on BA or not. Looks like the old man wasn't very fond of Miss Sophie. This Blue Amberol has only a half-wide title end, no catalog number and is slightly larger in diameter than regular BA's. Thanks to Bruce for testing further reproducers, it should be okay with well-adjusted reproducers on common Amberolas but one should always check for enough tolerance as I wrote on the box.

The manufacture of the new ones was a real nightmare with every second cylinder going right in the garbage. A first attempt to make a galvanic metal mould failed, mostly caused by shape of the BA, which wasn't completely round. So, multiple rubber moulds were the only way to do this. Just be clear with this: As these are not so consistent, the new records are somewhat wobbling. I did test each cylinder with a Diamond B as well with a Model O to ensure there are no issues with these reproducers.

That is why there will be no restocking of these. But I am glad to have these done. Nevertheless, also happy that I do not know any other Sophie Tucker Blue Amberols. I hope to have Some of these Days ready by the end of the year, and this will be new cut from a better precision new master. But before that I'll hopefully have a fox trot, likely Charley Skeete's version of Deep Henderson.

And yes, I'll be at Wayne show. Thanks all for the interest!

[Valecnik]

Although the duplicating process sounds like it was a nightmare for Norman, I can personally affirm the result is fantastic. Yes, slightly out of round, as are many surviving Blue Amberols but about as loud and clear as one could imagine with the O, M, Diamond A and Diamond B reproducers I used to test it.

Why TAE never bothered to re-release some of the best from his wax Amberol series is beyond me.

[edisonplayer]

In Sophie's autobiography"Some Of These Days"on hearing the playback of her first Edison cylinder(which was "That Loving Two-Step Man",a 2 minute)Miss Tucker exclaimed,"My God,I sound like a foghorn!"So even she herself apparently wasn'nt satisfied with her Edisons.A few years went by until Sophie recorded again.Her OKeh discs sound more like her.edisonplayer

[Chinacat]

How much does this gentleman charge for these cylinder re-issues? No prices on his website. Thanks.

[VintageTechnologies]

How much does this gentleman charge for these cylinder re-issues? No prices on his website. Thanks.

The prices are indeed there:

Prices in USD

613: Washington Post March $ 90
PHOEBE: Phoebe Jane $ 70
5801: Mad Mama's Blues $ 80
5800: Singin' in the Rain $ 80
384: Meadow Lark Polka $ 90
19053: Outside - Fox Trot $ 80*
1004: Stomp off, let's go! $ 80
5713: My Sin - Fox Trot $ 80*
5682: Give your little Baby lot's of Lovin' - Fox Trot $ 80
LAB: Thomas A. Edison Laboratory Noises $ 90*
DRP4: Edison Reklame-Record $ 80
233: Take your Time, Gentlemen $ 90
1170-A: Wang Wang Blues - Fox Trot $ 80*
10575: The Skeleton Rag $ 80
5716: Kansas City Kitty - Fox Trot $ 80
84006: Gli Ugonotti - Qui sotto il ciel $ 80*
84003: Tu non mi vuoi più bene $ 80*
84004: Tosca - E lucevan le stelle$ 80*