Or whatever day you happen to be reading this. Mostly repeat offerings in this batch, but my goal was to fatten up the "lower" frequencies (such as they are on acoustical 78s) without overdoing it. I think I've mentioned that I'm now using a flat response curve plus a 300 Hz bass turnover for acousticals, and this seems to be working just fine. Naturally, for my latest experiment in EQ'ing, I chose old favorites (some of them 100-plus years old)--hence, the repeats. The "new" titles include (pre-Columbia) Okeh recordings of Whispering and Anytime, Anyday, and Anywhere, both titles likely rushed out to cash in on the Paul Whiteman versions, which they resemble more than a little bit. If I'm correct, this would make these two recordings early examples of budget sound-alikes, though it should be noted that Okeh wasn't typically devoted to such activity. Alexandria, by Harry Raderman's Jazz Orchestra (not sounding very jazzy), is another new-to-the-blog title. Ditto for Joseph C. Smith's excellent rendition of Hugo Frey's Happy (1918).
The all-time classic Europe's Society Orch. recording of Castle House Rag (here titled The Castles in Europe) is back, and I think I achieved a good balance between the "high"-end detail and the amazing 1914 percussion. Titles making only their second blog appearance: Gene Rodemich's extremely lively 1919 Brunswick performance of George Gershwin's Swanee, the 1915 Conway's Band Victor recording of part-time country fiddler Don Richardson's raggy Hezekiah, Joe Raymond's bluesy Salt Your Sugar (1923), and Paul Whiteman's Best Ever Medley, derived (by Whiteman, who arranged) from Dance of the Hours and Love in Idleness. Best Ever Medley, while beautifully played, is an example of why Whiteman hired Ferde Grofe to handle the charts. Speaking of Grofe handling the Whiteman charts, selections 16 and 17 feature four of Ferde's arrangements in EP style, with two selections per 12-inch side. On its third (?) go-round, the 1918 Earl Fuller Rector Orchestra Singapore is one of my favorite dance band sides ever, and I think it has a very jazzy texture (for example, a surprising degree of independence in the trombone line). Livelier--downright frantic, almost--is Fuller's 1917 Cold Turkey, which features epic pre-electrical-era drumming. Meanwhile, non-fans of polka music might nevertheless be surprised by how, um, modern our two 1915 polka recordings sound, even 107 hence--in particular, Der Rote Domino, much better known as The Clarinet Polka.
The wonderful Fuzzy Wuzzy Rag, from 1917, is genuine jazz, in my opinion, and W.C. Handy's orchestra is nothing short of amazing. And the composer, Al Morton, certainly did a skillful rip-off of Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. If you're going to steal, steal from the best, I guess.
To the shellac. And more twist sounds coming to the blog, so stick around.
DOWNLOAD: 78s for Feb. 2022
The Castles in Europe (Castle House Rag)--Europe's Society Orch. (Victor 35372; 1914)
Oriental--One-step--Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orch. (Columbia A6075; 1918)
Singapore--Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orchestra (Columbia A2686; 1918)
Der Rote Domino--Polka Mazurka--Columbia Orchester (German Orch.) (Columbia E2268; 1915)
Cold Turkey--One-step (Will Donaldson)--Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orchestra (Columbia A2298; 1917)
Whispering--Ray Miller's Black and White Rhythm Boys (Okeh 4167; 1920)
The Red Lantern--Medley--Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orch.; Joseph Knecht, Dir. (Columbia A2747; 1919)
Rockin' the Boat (Hugo Frey)--Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra (Victor 18521; 1918)
Slavicek Polka (Nachtigallen Polka)--Brousek's Band (Columbia E2471; 1915)
Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere--Rega Dance Orchestra (Okeh 4155; 1920)
Fuzzy Wuzzy Rag (Al Morton)-- (W.C.) Handy's Orchestra (Columbia A2421; 1917)
Alexandria--Harry Raderman's Jazz Orchestra (Okeh 4089; 1920)
Swanee--One-Step (Gershwin)--Gene Rodemich's Orchestra, 1919 (Brunswick 2026; 1919)
Best Ever Medley--One-step (Arr: Whiteman)--Paul Whiteman and His Ambassador Orchestra (Victor 35701; 1920)
Where Is That Old Girl of Mine?/Driftwood (Arr: Grofe)--Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (Victor 35744; 1924)
Mandalay/Step Henrietta (Arr: Grofe)--Same
Hezekiah--One-Step (Don Richardson)--Conway's Band (Victor 35501; 1915)
Salt Your Sugar--Joe Raymond and His Orchestra (Victor 19178; 1923)
Happy (Hugo Frey)--Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra (Victor 18715 (1919)
Lee
7 comments:
It's astonishing to think there are now 107-year-old records! I hope these reach the ears of young people. They're so lucky to have folks like you, Lee, preserving/improving these sounds for ongoing generations. (If only I could hear music from, say, 1850!) We have such a rich history available now, in so many lively new-media ways. I love it!
Believe it or not, Best Ever Medley was my first Paul Whiteman 78. Great collection here. Thanks for everything--including the stuff I copied but never bothered to thank you for!--Bill
Thanks Lee for this great set! I always appreciate your revisiting the old acoustic records, as you find different ways to pull sound out! I'm not a polka expert, but I would not have guessed they were from this early - Steve in PA
Thanks for these, Lee. I missed them on Friday, so for me it's a Monday Morning 78 Break. Though I hesitate to use the words 78 and break in the same sentence, that's just tempting fate!
How do you clean your 78s, Lee? I've Spun Clean hundreds of LPs, but don't know what fluid(s) might hurt shellac. Any tips you can give would be appreciated.
Thanks for the nice comments, and re "78 and break," I was going to include a pun in my essay--but I forgot! Good catch, Ernie. 78-cleaing-wise, the first and most important thing is to never, ever use alcohol. That is, unless you want to dissolve the grooves. I believe that someone once explained to me that alcohol is a bonding agent in the shellac mixes of old--applying it causes disaster. Otherwise, I clean them just as I clean my LPs--wet paper towel with a dab of Dawn detergent, clockwise motion with a tiny amount of elbow grease. I recently got a spin-cleaner, but I haven't tried it on 78s yet. Its brushes fit pretty snuggly around my LPs, and so I'm a little apprehensive about trying to spin-clean shellac. Maybe I can start with a 78 I don't care about...
Oh, and there are cleaning fluids made specifically for 78s--I'd imagine this would be the case with Spin-Clean.
Post a Comment