Many records of these old early days are wonderful to listen to, as it's a little window into the 1890's and 1900's, and it's like nothing else out there. But being a very meticulous and particular ear player, I get extremely frustrated with record speeds. They are more often than not played too fast or too slow. Even if the original key of the song is a half step off of the transfer! It can get really maddening sometimes. When it's particularly obvious is when it's the worst, like if you really know what the singer sounds like, and it doesn't sound right whatsoever on the transfer is what I mean by this. This has been the case for most record collectors, as the ones who truly get the record speeds right are the musicians who collect old records, and who really listen to the music, and not always paying full attention to the singers, but the accompaniment(EHM! the pianist fer damn sake!). The musician record collectors are EXTREMELY rare however. I am one, but it's not like it's a common thing. The collectors with the best ears have the best transfer's out there of their records. Here are a few examples of records played either too fast or too slow, and it's a pity they haven't been adjusted.
Here is the first one, which is a really fun old song by Will F. Denny from 1899(even if the guy who posted the video says 1897, that song was not written in 1897!). Here you go, from 1899:
Any ideas on the pianist? I am truly stuck with this one. Only because I hear speckled trills of Banta, but I hear the power and might of Hylands.
This cylinder is played WAY TOO SLOW! The key it's played in here is D flat! Hear how SLOW the piano playing is and the singing is! This drives me crazy whenever I hear this fascinating cylinder. The piano playing is fascinating nonetheless, but it would be better if the record was played at a much faster speed. If you're a music geek, hear the fifths in the left hand on the piano!!
This next one is by George Schweinfest:
playing his trusty piccolo with Fred Hylands(obviously drunk) playing the piano accompaniment. Here you go, with a shaky record speed from c.1898:
The wavy record speed drives me absolutely mad! It's staying around A and B flat, and it can't seem to get itself together, and not only that, the record speed to start with is not correct, it's too fast. The original key this was meant to be in was B Flat to E flat.
This next brown cylinder is by John Yorke Atlee in 1898, once again with Fred Hylands:
This cylinder would only take a few small pitch adjustments and it would sound absolutely wonderful! The key on the cylinder is B natural! The original key, heard here on this really fun piano roll:
A half step off! Damn it! It would sound wonderful in the original key on the transfer.
This next one is a pretty messy cylinder, but it's still very pleasant, minus the fact that it was played just a little too slow.This one is by:
J. W. Myers, and Freddy Hylands, recorded in 1901:
(once again, beware of how messy this cylinder is, but it's still good!)
It's played JUST a bit too slow. It's very slight how off it is. The key of this one is D Flat, and Hylands does some really pretty things on this, almost seeming out of character for him.
This next one is a Dan W. Quinn number
which was recorded in 1903 for Columbia, with you guessed it!
Fred Hylands!
So this one is another one of those cylinders whose speed is all over the place and it's confusing which key it's really in. It hovers around D and D flat, here you go(with two different takes!):
Speaking of two different takes of this, listen to how Hylands' playing is different, and how it's a little less clean on one of them than the other. This is exactly what I mean by Hylands taking in ore of his drinks as the takes came along. How that man loved his drinks...
Speaking also of Dan Quinn, I just ordered that new CD that those great people over at Archeophone put out to-day! I'm so anxious to get it! I can't wait to read all of those great liner notes and hear those great Columbia's from 1897 and 1898 with Hylands beating the piano behind Quinn! I'll tell you all when I get it.
I hope you enjoyed this!
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