The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I guess AI has lots of possibilities -- but the potential for false information is pretty high- Take this "1864" Edison Blue Amberol for example.

Brad Abell

Here's what I got from perplexity.com -- https://www.perplexity.ai

Tell me about the Edison Blue Amberol Cylinder Recording of "Grizzly Bear." When was it recorded, by whom, and when was it released?

Answer

The Edison Blue Amberol cylinder recording of "Grizzly Bear" was part of a medley titled "Alexander's Ragtime Band Medley" performed by Fred Van Eps. This recording was originally released as an Edison four-minute wax Amberol (catalog number 1002) in May 1912. It was later reissued as a Blue Amberol cylinder with the catalog number 1864 in September 1913.

The medley included three popular ragtime songs of the era: "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "The Ragtime Violin," and "The Grizzly Bear". These songs were associated with the ragtime "animal dances" that were popular at the time, including the Turkey Trot, Bunny Hug, and Grizzly Bear.

Fred Van Eps, known for his banjo performances, recorded this medley, which served as a soundtrack for these fashionable dances. The Blue Amberol version was likely made using the master molds from the original 1912 Amberol recording, as was common practice for Edison's early Blue Amberol releases.

I like perplexity because it always includes footnotes/jumps citing the sources of the information provided.

We're missing the most important thing. It is part of the "Todd" collection! My records are part of the "Jerry" collection, so there!