I Found This Very Odd Single-Sided Record...

[Coffee Phil]

[quote="J. S. Bach"]...at a thrift near Philadelphia and am quite curious as to what it might be. I initially bought it for the
embossing on the back as it reminded my of some ols acoustic 78s and would make a neat wall display.


Last Friday I found this at the Captial Public Radio (Sacramento CA) record sale:

[img][album]17935[/album] [/img]

The embossing is not as impressive as yours but it is interiesting. My photography skills are slipping as I can't get the lighting right to show this properly. There is an R at the end of Victor.

[img][album]17936[/album] [/img]

This is the active side of the record.

This record is older than yours. Notice it is just "Victor". RCA acquired Victor around 1929.

I'm thinking mine is an acousticly recorded record as there is no indication that it is electrically recorded. The latest patent date on it is August 11, 1908. I'm guessing it is before 1925 when electrical recording started. It sounds pretty good for an an 85 year old record.

I would guess that your record is electrically recorded since it is after RCA acquired Victor.

We are waiting for you to play it and report.

Phil

[classicstylus]

Paul, thanks for the links. It looks like my 35 cm record dates from 1911, plays at 90 rpm and from the label outwards! I don't think I'll be playing it any time soon, but I'll keep it safe.

Michael

[Blue Angel]

I guess I have around 800 shellac records including a couple of these hill and dale Pathe records.

ba

[ThomAudioGuy]

Back to J.S. Bach's original question, I recently picked up some 78 sets at a local thrift store, and one 5-record RCA Victor set has one record with EXACTLY the same embossing as in J.S. Bach's photo. I thought it was cool too, and it was immediately evident it was "filler" (in this case, side #10)for a musical piece that filled only 9 sides of a 10-side album set. If you stare hard, you'll see the embossing has a fast-spiral groove to the center so your automatic changer (Capehart 16E anyone?)would bypass that side quickly and go on changing records. I don't know when, or for how long, RCA Victor did this. Maybe somebody can date my sample, RCA Victor DM-705, Beethoven Concert in D Major, Op.61, Jascha Heifetz, violinist, Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

[Coffee Phil]

Hi ThomAudioGuy,

If I am working this site:http://rateyourmusic.com/label/rca_victor correctly it is looking like 1940.

That is believable with the personal whic you have listed.

Phil

Back to J.S. Bach's original question, I recently picked up some 78 sets at a local thrift store, and one 5-record RCA Victor set has one record with EXACTLY the same embossing as in J.S. Bach's photo. I thought it was cool too, and it was immediately evident it was "filler" (in this case, side #10)for a musical piece that filled only 9 sides of a 10-side album set. If you stare hard, you'll see the embossing has a fast-spiral groove to the center so your automatic changer (Capehart 16E anyone?)would bypass that side quickly and go on changing records. I don't know when, or for how long, RCA Victor did this. Maybe somebody can date my sample, RCA Victor DM-705, Beethoven Concert in D Major, Op.61, Jascha Heifetz, violinist, Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

[J. S. Bach]

[quote="ThomAudioGuy"]
...snip...
I don't know when, or for how long, RCA Victor did this.
...snip...
/quote]

First, I was surprised to see this thread back at the top. Anyway to answer this, somewhere in my stash I have (or had) some 12" VICTOR single-sided acoustic 78s that had very similar embossing on the back but without the RCA part. There may have been 7" examples too, but I do not have any now.

[4hf-nick]

hi have a few 78s and have found this single sided thing does occur the couple i have in mind are tunes with a proper label-im afraid i cant help with any details other than its not too un-common,good luck finding out what it is.

[elgobbes]

This is one that I found a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLPTs6MOJIU

[Coffee Phil]

That record sounded remarkably good. It is amazing what one can get from a ~ 100 year old record with a bit of effort.

Phil

This is one that I found a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLPTs6MOJIU

[cactuscowboy]

I have a 12" disc very similar to this with embossing on one side. However my disc has a blank white label on the recorded side with no matrix numbers whatsoever.

I played it and was quite surprised to hear it was a party record. A male narrator telling a story in a party setting. He describes a "broken down old whore" being abused by old "Simon LeGree" etc... Laced with profanities etc....

I've got a few party records, but this is the only one that's seemingly on the RCA Victor label.

[elgobbes]

That record sounded remarkably good. It is amazing what one can get from a ~ 100 year old record with a bit of effort.

Phil

This is one that I found a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLPTs6MOJIU

I tried to play it on a lower quality table to reduece surface noise, but the motor kept turning off when I tried to play it from the beginning. I really want to try some wood glue on it, but am reluctant because I'm not sure what material it's made from.

[Coffee Phil]

I'm guessing that it is shellac. I don't know if the wood glue trick is OK on shellac. I would research that before trying it. Absolutely keep alcohol away from the record. It is death for shellac records.

Phil

That record sounded remarkably good. It is amazing what one can get from a ~ 100 year old record with a bit of effort.

Phil

This is one that I found a couple of years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLPTs6MOJIU

I tried to play it on a lower quality table to reduece surface noise, but the motor kept turning off when I tried to play it from the beginning. I really want to try some wood glue on it, but am reluctant because I'm not sure what material it's made from.

[moongravy]

I'm guessing that it is shellac. I don't know if the wood glue trick is OK on shellac. I would research that before trying it. Absolutely keep alcohol away from the record. It is death for shellac records.

Don't use the glue method on shellac, it strips a fair amount of disc away with it.

I found out the hard way:-(

[elgobbes]

I'm guessing that it is shellac. I don't know if the wood glue trick is OK on shellac. I would research that before trying it. Absolutely keep alcohol away from the record. It is death for shellac records.

Don't use the glue method on shellac, it strips a fair amount of disc away with it.

I found out the hard way:-(

Yea, I wouldn't use glue on shellac. I don't think it's shellac though.