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What is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 4:29 pm
by eighteenbelow
I found 9 of these 10-inch discs (acetate, maybe?) while sorting through a box of otherwise "normal" 78's. Most have that "Boris Rose" address stamp on one side; some don't. (The handwriting is the same on all of them.) Louis Armstrong is the most represented name, though there are also Coleman Hawkins and Count Basie, and some sides with no artist listed. (All have titles, though.) Most look playable, though one appears to have portions of the recording surface flaking off. What are these? When would they have been made? How do I play them? (I haven't tried.) Were they homemade one-offs, or mass-produced? Do people collect these? Happy to pose pictures of some of the others if anyone cares to see them.
Thanks!
Re: What is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 5:25 pm
by Roaring20s
Re: What is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 11:11 pm
by Dischoard
They also have Okeh cat #'s written on them. It'd be interesting to compare them with the commercial release. Sounds like he recorded a lot of music off the radio and live in clubs, maybe he also copied shellac discs for some reason?
Re: What is this?
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2024 2:26 pm
by howardpgh
These look like home recording disks or radio transcription disks.
My guess is that at the time these were made, the original Armstrong records were becoming rare, and these are dubs of the original records. Some collector probably made them for a friend.
I looked at the links previously posted and learned something new.
Re: What is this?
Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2024 7:58 pm
by bensfractals
eighteenbelow wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 4:29 pm
I found 9 of these 10-inch discs (acetate, maybe?) while sorting through a box of otherwise "normal" 78's. Most have that "Boris Rose" address stamp on one side; some don't. (The handwriting is the same on all of them.) Louis Armstrong is the most represented name, though there are also Coleman Hawkins and Count Basie, and some sides with no artist listed. (All have titles, though.) Most look playable, though one appears to have portions of the recording surface flaking off. What are these? When would they have been made? How do I play them? (I haven't tried.) Were they homemade one-offs, or mass-produced? Do people collect these? Happy to pose pictures of some of the others if anyone cares to see them.
Thanks!
Lacquer disc. The weird grime on it is a result of palmitic acid being built up over time. I think you should see if you can get it transferred especially considering they've already started delaminating. Ps; Don't play them on a gramophone. The weight that would be exerted onto the record via the needle would destroy the fragile lacquer.