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78 RPM

You are currently browsing the archive for the 78 RPM category.

Daddy sang bass

IMG_0880“Tweeter and Woofer”  (The highs and lows of Hi-Fi for Youngsters)  Columbia Children’s Records

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (19 votes, average: 3.68 out of 5)
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This old mouse

MDS00541

“El Viejo Raton ”  Perico Records (Puerto Rico)

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (15 votes, average: 3.20 out of 5)
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The Golden Rocket

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OLE REJSER TIL MANEN  TONO Records  (10″)  2 x 78RPM    Latest entry into the Hall of Fame.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (30 votes, average: 4.07 out of 5)
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Mother Nature’s son

MDS00174

Mr. Rumple Bumple  “Indestructable Records for Children”   (1948)  Never seen this series of children’s story records before.  It’s a nice package with great graphics and colored vinyl.   Anyone old enough to remember hearing of Mr. Bumple?!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (31 votes, average: 3.55 out of 5)
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Slav to the rhythm

MDS000091

Balkan Moods   Slavtone Records  A 3-disc,  78-rpm album of America’s finest tamburitza artists, know originally as the Crlenica Brothers Orchestra  The tamburitza is like a balalaika.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (52 votes, average: 3.56 out of 5)
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I need more triangle!

wump 001

wump inside 001

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Gossamer Wump  (Told by Frank Morgan)   Music by Billy May!  Capitol Records (1949)

GOSSAMER WUMP wanted to play the triangle ever since he watched a marching band. So his mother packed up 27 peanut butter sandwhiches and put them and his dog George into a suitcase and sent them to the famous music school to study playing the triangle. After ten years Professor Cutty Nutty Dump felt GOSSAMER was doing very good but GOSSAMER had to leave as he was out of sandwhiches. Well he got a job in Gaylord Gout’s band but was fired after hitting Gaylord on the head with his triangle’s hammer. But GOSSAMER wasn’t discouraged and decided to go to the big city and went to see the Famous conductor Sanislof Hudnutt and was immediately hired to play a solo. GOSSAMER was so excited that he forgot to put on his belt so he had to hold up his pants with one hand and every time he played the triangle he would let go of his pants; they would fall down; he would strike the triangle and then grab his pants and pull them up again. Well, finally the whole audiance was laughing and poor GOSSAMER ran from the stage in disgrace. However a very important man followed him and because he felt that GOSSAMER was so good he offered him a job. Now, you’ve probably heard GOSSAMER because everytime the icecream wagon goes by, “DING, DING, DING”, that’s GOSSAMER WUMP

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (32 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)
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Cad drawing

Roy Milton and his Solid Senders!  “Them Their Eyes” b/w “Little Boy Blue”  “Cartoon Label” Records (1946)  Will Alexander illustration

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (43 votes, average: 4.16 out of 5)
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Sweet Jane

“Let’s Put the Lights Out”  Columbia Records  (1947)  Jane Russell    At the age of 25 in 1946, Jane Russell was a big movie star without many movies to justify her status. She had been signed to a seven-year contract by Howard Hughes at 19, and Hughes had spent nine months shooting her first film, The Outlaw, a western that was more about her cleavage than about its nominal subject, Billy the Kid.  That got it in hot water with the Hays Office, and years went by while Hughes tinkered with the picture, then fought to get it released properly. Meanwhile, he had tens of thousands of photographs taken of Russell and lent her out for one other film, Young Widow. While she was waiting around for her movie career to take off, she got an offer from bandleader Kay Kyser to appear on his radio show, and after hearing her he signed her to a 12-week contract and even took her with him to Columbia Records for a couple of sides.  As The Outlaw finally neared a New York opening, Columbia signed Russell on her own for this album, originally released on four 78s in 1947.  The eight original tracks are bedroom ballads that she coos in a drowsy voice dripping with sex.  The sentiments are well represented by such titles as “Do It Again” and “Love for Sale,” and on two songs, the title track and “Two Sleepy People.”

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (56 votes, average: 4.45 out of 5)
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More swinging blue jeans

Dugaree Doll  Mitch Miller and The Sandpipers  (1955)   “Matt,  I just saw your recent post of Dungaree Doll on Peter Pan Records, and thought that perhaps you might be interested in another version, another record company, another speed. This one’s a 6-inch 78 on yellow plastic.   Your site is simply the best time-killer-when-I’m-supposed-to-be-working that any human being has ever devised. ”    — Glenn

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (34 votes, average: 3.56 out of 5)
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R.I.P., Hall of Famer, Alex Steinweiss

The first cover courtesy of Alex Steinweiss:  “Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart”  Columbia Records

A sampling of Alex Steinweiss early album cover designs.

A Taschen book of Steinweiss covers and life of work.

Alex Steinweiss, 1947   Photo William P. Gottlieb

Described as the father of record cover design, Alex Steinweiss, died Sunday at the age of 94.  In 1939, after designing hundreds of packages, posters and catalogues for Columbia, Steinwiess convinced Columbia Records’ to let him “design” the first true record cover. Until then, 78s were sold in generic brown sleeves.   He designed over 850 album covers for Columbia, London, Decca, and Everest Records, developing a trademark style and influencing cover artists and designers throughout the remainder of the century.

I wonder what he would have thought of LP Cover Lover.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (54 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5)
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