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Edison Phonograph Recordings
Source of Recordings: Library of Congress
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As we all know, Thomas Edison invented the cylindrical player in 1877. He often said that this was his favorite invention. He started with a tinfoil coated cylinder and later changed that to a wax cylinder. You slipped a tube onto the player and played your recording. In 1912 he invented the disk player and records were the preferred media for playing tunes and even recording for many years after that. Edison formed a company and recorded and sold records. Here are some actual digitized recordings from that period: In 1919 Edison decided to record a message to the American public. This was the first time he every recorded his voice for the public, below is that message, click on it to play. If you need a player, a free one can be downloaded here.
Edison Recording
Edison company made many recordings over the years which involved both music and the human voice. Below are some comedies he recorded:
Left: A Visit To Reilly's 1922
Left: Backyard Conversation Between Mrs. Reilly and Mrs. Finnegan 1920
The fairly new medium wasn't just for talking and jokes, below are a few of the musicals that were recorded:
Left: Gasoline Gus and His Jitney Bus 1915
Left: Madelon (I'll Be True To The Whole Regiment) 1919 Some of these old records were very unusual. Some only used one side, others were shaped oddly. Oh, and by the way, they wore out if used too much but would last forever if used sparingly, not like today's CDs which will just fall apart given enough time. |
