The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently heard an old reel-tape recording of BBC Radio show called "Desert Island Discs" - A celebrity guest star would select the 8 78rpm records he would like were he stranded on a desert island, presumably with a wind-up phonograph and tons of needles. The episodes that I heard was those of with Kirsten Flagstad and Giovanni Martinelli, both of them chose some old operatic recordings.

If I would have to choose my Desert Island Discs, I'd choose the following selections (all of which came from my collection which I can hear without being tired over and over again),

1. Enrico Caruso - "Pagliacci; Vesti la Giubba" / "Martha - M'Appari" (from 1907-1916/1931)
2. Feodor Chaliapin - "Song of The Volga Boatmen" / "Song of The Flea" (from 1927)
3. Phildelphia Symphony Orchestra - Debussy Prèlude à l'après-midi d'un Faune (Stokowski conducting, 1934 Version)
4. London Symphony Orchestra - Swan Lake Prelude (Antal Dorati conducting, from 1938)
5. Jascha Heifetz - Figaro (Largo Al Factorum) / Gweedore Brae (An Original Irish Melody) (1944 Decca Version)
6. Annette Hanshaw - A Precious thing called Love / Mean To Me (from 1929, on Velvet-Tone 1859)
7. Louis Armstrong - Basin Street Blues (1954 Decca Version)
8. "Chui-Tae-Pyong"/ "So-Cheon-Soon-Il-Gok" (Ancient Korean Ritual Music) (on Korean Victor 49817 from 1928)

What would be your Desert Island Discs?

Mark.

It's hard to choose from so much music, but one that would definitely be in my top 3 is:
Savoy Blues, by Bob Crosby and his Orchestra. My 78 copy was already worn grey when I found it, but I nonetheless played it over and over again. I now only have it on CD, but it still brings tears in my eyes whenever I listen to it. It makes me happy when I'm sad, relaxes me when I'm all stressed out, more than any other music I have played (and that is a lot).

LOL, I didn't realise "desert Island Disc" was a real BBC program!
A reference is made to the show in the BBC series "Absolutely Fabulous", where I think(?) Edwina is asked to appear as the celebrity guest star.
I guess the program must still be running??

My D.I.D.s would include-
1. "Just a-wearyin' for you" by Evan Williams (HMV no.G-C-4-2158)
2. "All through the night" by Paul Robeson
3. "Ma curly-headed baby" by Paul Robeson
4. "All by yourself in the moonlight" by Fred Douglas
5. "The one I love (cant be bothered with me)" by Chick Bullock (Vocalion no.566)
6. "My canary has circles under his eyes" by Debroy Somers Band
7. "So green" by Jack Buchanan (HMV B8027)
8. " Cock-a-doodle I'm Off My Noodle (My Baby's Back)" by Six Jumping Jacks (Harry Reser on Brunswick 3412)

There's hundreds more I would HAVE to take too

transformingArt wrote: 7. Louis Armstrong - Basin Street Blues (1954 Decca Version)

Wouldn't that be Columbia? Not Decca?

Wolfe wrote:

transformingArt wrote: 7. Louis Armstrong - Basin Street Blues (1954 Decca Version)

Wouldn't that be Columbia? Not Decca?

All my Louis discs from the 40s and 50's are on the Decca label. It's probably the result of different record company ownership in different countries??

*Actually I just checked & I do have a couple on the Columbia label, but very few & mostly early stuff. Most are on Decca, and there's a few on the Brunswick & aussie Festival label.

gramophoneshane wrote:

Wolfe wrote:

transformingArt wrote: 7. Louis Armstrong - Basin Street Blues (1954 Decca Version)

Wouldn't that be Columbia? Not Decca?

All my Louis discs from the 40s and 50's are on the Decca label. It's probably the result of different record company ownership in different countries??

*Actually I just checked & I do have a couple on the Columbia label, but very few & mostly early stuff. Most are on Decca, and there's a few on the Brunswick & aussie Festival label.

I have a few red Columbia L. Armstrong 78's from the middle fifties. But he was on Decca in the 50's too, so maybe I'm wrong. 1954 was the year he made that great Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy LP for Columbia.

Desert Island

Caruso – Una furtive lagrima – the 1904 2-disc recording
Caruso - Serenata (Memories of a Concert)
Peter Dawson – Floral Dance or Lovelier than the Cherry (can I take both? Please?)
Chaliapin – Death of Boris – the live recording on HMV
Rudoph Serkin – 1st movement cadenza from Brandenburg Concerto 5, Busch Chamber Players
Leonard Warren – Il Balen & Per me ora fatale (one disc, two sides)
Walter Widdop – When love sounds th’alarm

But of course, I'd regret most of it the moment the boat docked, and have a new list about 5 minutes later... This is suicide through frustration stuff, and we haven't even gotten into LP's...

Nat wrote: But of course, I'd regret most of it the moment the boat docked, and have a new list about 5 minutes later...

I know, I was thinking that myself. Instead of trying to decide on 10 records out of potentially 100's, maybe I'd just forgo the whole thing, and learn to appreciate the music of the ocean waves, and the winsome cries of the sea birds.

Nat wrote:Desert Island

Peter Dawson – Floral Dance

Which version Nat?
My favorite is on 10" Zonophone no.1005 recorded Oct 20, 1912, but I really like the late 20s electrical 12" recording too.

transformingArt wrote:I recently heard an old reel-tape recording of BBC Radio show called "Desert Island Discs" - The episodes that I heard was those of with Kirsten Flagstad and Giovanni Martinelli, both of them chose some old operatic recordings.

Do you remember what discs either of those estimable singers chose? I remember reading elsewhere that on that show Martinelli chose Caruso's Tu, ca nun chiagne as one. Don't know about any others.